The Oaxis InkCase i7 Plus is a secondary e-Ink display that has a built in case and was designed exclusively for the iPhone 7 Plus. Once the case is attached to your iPhone, you can read e-books, news articles, photos and display a series of widgets, such as the current time or weather.
The InkCase i7 Plus features a 5.2 inch E Ink Carta display with a resolution of 960×540 with 217 PPI. It comes with 128MB RAM and 256MB internal storage. With an IP67 rating, the case is also now waterproof, dust proof and sand proof and with the shockproof case now utilising BubblePro Technology, you can be sure your device will be fully protected. It is also extremely lightweight, adding only 0.18″ / 4.5mm to the back of your iPhone 7 Plus.
Once the Inkcase is attached to your iPhone you need to download the Oaxis app for iOS and connect it via Bluetooth by holding down the case’s power button. You can import into the app all of the pictures on your iPhone or eBooks you upload via iTunes. You have to click on each picture or e-book one by one, there is no bulk import feature and manually send it over.
The Inkcase does not have a touchscreen and you have to interact with the onscreen UI with three softkey buttons. If you want to read an e-book you have to click on the arrow button to navigate to the library section. You have to double tap to open the library and then single tap to open a book. Once inside, there are no functions to increase the size of the text or the font size. Oaxis also has a newsfeed system within their app, where you can send over all the daily articles they push out. It is really general news with an emphasis on the US market. They do have a widget that is available that allows you to save your read it later articles to the main Apple UI, so if you are browsing your favorite website you can save to Oaxis.
Widgets and pictures are the main attraction of the Inkcase i7 Plys. You can use the secondary screen for an image slideshow, whereby you can establish what particular pictures will cycle. The widget system is really cool because not only can you see the current date, various clocks, but there is also the option to import in your schedule, so you can keep abreast of upcoming meetings or phone calls you need to make. You can even sync fitness and health data from your iPhone Health app and monitor steps taken.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to stand out in a crowd, there are enough interesting features to be useful, but not essential. It is the best Oaxis E-Ink secondary screen that they have ever made, it is tremendously durable and waterproof. There is a steep learning curve for the buttons and UI, although I wish the E-Ink display had a touchscreen.
This device is on Kickstarter right now for $137 and Oaxis will be directly selling them soon on their website.
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.
