e-Reader News

Google is putting the final touches on a new API for digital ink recognition for Android and iOS. It will give developers the ability to create a new breed of apps where a stylus would be the the primary mode of interaction with the displays. This is not just going to be great for a new breed of writing tablets, but also give digital note taking devices that run E INK, an alternative to using a WACOM screen. Digital Ink Recognition is different from the existing Vision and Natural Language APIs in ML Kit, as it takes neither text nor images as input. Instead, it looks at the user’s strokes on the screen and recognizes what they are writing or drawing.

The entire modern e-reader industry is assembled and manufactured in China. There are hardly any devices that are currently available that are not made in various factories, the only exceptions are the Kobo and Nook line of e-readers, which are made in Taiwan. The Japanese version of the DPT line of e-notes is made in Japan, but the ones that were available in the US, where made in China. Modern day China can be considered a villian, by many mainstream media outlets. They are constantly accused of implementing spyware on smartphones, televisions, routers and other enterprise solutions. Many companies are blacklisted from doing business in Canada, US and the UK. The country recently invaded Hong Kong and has received condemnation from virtually every country. Maybe the straw that broke the camel’s back was COVID, first a regional thing and now a very real global pandemic. Basically, there is lots of negative sentiment towards China and Chinese companies, some deserved, some not. I know we have received lots of emails lately about product recommendations that don’t come from China, and it is almost impossible to avoid it.

The Quirklogic Papyr is a new 13.3 inch e-note that is using the Sony Digital Paper shell and internals, but using the software in new and innovative ways. They have the standard note taking app, and also Google Chrome to browse the web. The device provides integration into the Inkworks platform by QuirkLogic enabling real-time collaboration with a paper-like writing experience.

The new iteration of the foldable e-note now features a dedicated housing unit, to protect the display, when it is completely folded shut. When you open it, it now has 3-4 new gears that work in conjunction with the hinge system, to make sure there is enough torque when opening and closing it. The Wacom later has been refined, which is making it easier to make notes, highlights and annotations in a PDF file or the dedicated note taking app. There are now five dedicated buttons on the right hand side of the device. You can turn pages of an ebook forward or back. You can access the home menu, more and settings. On the top of the device are two new lighting bars that are built into the chassis and can be folded down, to project light evenly across the screen. Current front-lit technology found on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite or the Kobo Forma, do not have flexible screens, so E INK had to find a new solution.

The Xiaomi Mi Reader features a 6 inch E INK capacitive touchscreen…

The Sony Digital Paper division in the United States is now closed.…

We have been waiting to our hands on this phone for years.…

The Sony Digital Paper division might be in trouble in Japan and the United States. The USA division was started by Daniel Albohn and Bob Nell, in 2015. Both of them quit or retired from Sony in 2018 and 2019.  Sony suspended their relationship with Laruepr in early 2020 and currently and does not have anyone doing internal marketing . Last week Sony discontinued the Sony Digital Paper DPT-RP1, which initially came out in 2017. It is completely unavailable for purchase on Amazon.com, B&H and other retailers in Japan. Things are looking grim.

The Dasung Not an e-Reader has been crowdfunded for a few years and shipped their first units in October 2019 and since then, not many units have been shipped out. They closed their Indiegogo campaign in December and have been taking orders on their American and Chinese websites, but they have been out of stock for most of 2020. Customers are revolting in the comment section, since most have never received their units. This might change sometime this year.  Dasung has confirmed with Good e-Reader that most of their orders will be fulfilled  in September or October of this year, because in August, the Not an e-Reader will hit mass production.

One of the benefits of using an e-reader is that you get…