Pocketbook CAD Reader Launches in Russia with a 13.3″ E-ink Fina Screen
Sony’s 13.3″ writing slate is expected to hit the market with a flexible plastic screen and thousand dollar price tag, putting it out of the reach of most consumers (and even a lot of businesspersons). Luckily for us, Pocketbook has just revealed a less durable (but also cheaper) alternative.
Meet the Pocketbook CAD Reader. This ebook reader might share its screen size with Sony’s writing slate but that is about all that the two devices have in common.
The Pocketbook CAD Reader has a 13.3″ screen with a resolution of 1600 x 1200, but rather than use the flexible Mobius E-ink screen the CAD Reader instead uses the new Fina E-ink screen. This screen tech replaces the plastic backplane with a glass backplane similar to the one used in 6″ E-ink screens.
The Fina screen hasn’t actually been announced yet by E-ink, but the Pocketbook press release mentions that it has a 10:1 contrast ratio, suggesting that this screen is closely related to Pearl E-ink screens (and not the newer Carta E-ink screens).
Update: The E-ink press release, which just arrived in my inbox, says that the Fina screen uses a glass backplane that is thinner and lighter than that used on earlier screens.
The PocketBook CAD Reader is going to be running Android 4.0.4 on a dual-core 1 GHz CPU with 2 GB RAM, 16 GB Flash storage, and an 8Ah battery. This is going to make it (possibly) the single most powerful ereader on the market. Of course, we don’t know the specs for Sony’s writing slate, so I cannot guarantee that claim.
The CAD Reader will also have Wifi and 3G connectivity, as well as a Wacom touchscreen and a capacitive touchscreen. Sony’s writing slate is similarly equipped with dual touchscreens.
There’s no info on price or release date, but I do know that the CAD Reader will be shown off at the Autodesk University later this week in Las Vegas, NV. It will probably also make an appearance at CES 2014 in January, but that has not been confirmed.
If the screen shots and conference schedule are any indication, Pocketbook is probably aiming for the same market as the Zephyr, the 21″ device that is intended to display blueprints. The Zephyr gets its prodigious screen size by combining four 10.7″ Plastic logic screens, and is large enough to hide a small child.
Both the CAD Reader and the Zephyr are aimed at the construction market, and that makes me wonder just how much research these companies did.
As I mentioned in an update to the post on the Zephyr, I ran this idea by a construction engineer who pointed out that there was no need for a new device to display digital blueprints – that’s what tablets were for. All the places she has worked went digital years ago and use either tablet-convertibles or out and out tablets.
She doesn’t see the need for a limited function device like the Zephyr or the CAD Reader, not when the budget already covers tablets and laptops.
If her assessment is correct then this is going to be a swing and a miss for Pocketbook and Plastic Logic. But on the upside at least with the CAD Reader consumers stand a chance of getting their hands on it at a not too unreasonable price. I’m looking forward to it.
Comments
E-ink Introduces the Thinner and Lighjer Fina E-ink Screen – The Digital Reader December 2, 2013 um 3:26 pm
[…] ← Pocketbook CAD Reader Launches in Russia with a 13.3″ E-ink Fina Screen […]
Fina E-ink – bookreader.ro December 3, 2013 um 12:02 am
[…] modelele fabricate pân? acum. În prezent modelul prototip este inclus în recent-anun?atul Pocketbook CAD Reader. Acest ecran eInk nu are un strat TFT din sticl? ci un substrat foarte fin care va fi mai sub?ire […]
djrichard December 3, 2013 um 12:57 am
Right size plus android. Meets all my requirements. Just need to see the price.
Pocketbook Cad Reader, un lector para leer mapas December 3, 2013 um 3:40 am
[…] Fuente e Imagen – The Digital Reader […]
Akku December 3, 2013 um 6:13 pm
They had better hurry up if they really plan to target the construction market, because Apple is going to announce a 13 inch iPad next year. Companies can put off purchases if they know an ideal product will be available later.
Nate Hoffelder December 3, 2013 um 6:27 pm
I’m not completely convinced the iPad Maxi exists but you are correct in saying that it would kill the CAD Reader.
Ereader Fun February 25, 2014 um 11:42 am
I have bought the first iPad . . . that was the biggest mistake of my life. I believed to buy a tool not a gadget designed for a 8 years old todler. NEVER AGAIN the rotten apple
New Promo Video Offers a First Look at the PocketBook CAD Reader – The Digital Reader December 6, 2013 um 10:11 am
[…] 13.3″ ebook reader might not have a price or release date yet but it does have its first commercial. As you can see in […]
Ereader Fun February 25, 2014 um 11:39 am
Where to buy one? Name and/or resellers please (^___^)
Nate Hoffelder February 25, 2014 um 1:30 pm
No where just yet.
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[…] Pocketbook first unveiled the CAD Reader last December it had a chunky design and was no where near ready to hit the market. A year later the CAD Reader […]
Pocketbook Cad Reader, Cad Reader Flex Detailed in Promo Video ⋆ The Digital Reader December 22, 2014 um 1:43 pm
[…] 13.3" ereaders have only been seen once or twice in public since it was first announced last December, and I am beginning to forget what it looks like. Luckily for me a new promo video crossed my desk […]
Pocketbook Touch Lux 3 Launching Soon w 6" Carta E-ink Screen | Ink, Bits, & Pixels April 15, 2015 um 12:14 am
[…] hope Pocketbook's next device does something new, but if it doesn't then there is always the CAD Reader, the 13.3" ereader Pocketbook has been working on since December […]