E Ink is looking to expand its business beyond e-readers and focus more on niche devices like the Sony Smartband Talk smartwatch and YotaPhone 2. These alternative markets saw the e-paper company experience 40% growth in the third quarter of 2014.
The Lenovo VIBE Band VB10 wearable accessory is designed to let users live their lives more connected and with less worry. Equipped with features like E Ink display, up to seven-day battery life with the display and Bluetooth always turned on, fitness functions, phone notifications and waterproofing, the VIBE Band helps users stay fit, connected and in the know anywhere they go. The E Ink display means no glare and a clear display – even in sunlight.
Users can receive instant notifications – calls, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, WeChat and more – with space for up to 150 characters on the crisp display, while fitness functions & tracking monitor fitness levels and activity to help users stay focused on their health goals. The Lenovo VIBE Band VB10 works with any Android or iOS mobile device and is competitively priced at $89.
Users will be making obvious parallels between the Vibe Band and the Pebble.  Wrist notifications, waterproof for 30 minutes at up to a meter, weeklong battery life, fitness tracking, low-powered screen, and an affordable price point. The Pebble has an extensive ecosystem of apps that likely Lenovo won’t be able to match, and doesn’t have a true e Ink display.  I think the only way the Lenovo band will be relevant is if this is the first product of an upcoming product line, and not a one time thing.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.