There haven’t been many e-readers or e-notes that feature a dual-screen layout. The Entourage Edge reader and Pocket Edge were the first in 2010. This model had an LCD on one side and an E INK on the other. The now-defunct one book was a dual-screen manga reader, with two E INK screens that opened and closed, but it only supported manga on SD cards, which limited their appeal. A new product is on the horizon, developed by a Lenovo subsidiary called Hefei LCFC, called Gemini. It features two 7.8-inch E Ink displays that function as an e-book reader. It also has a WACOM screen so users can make notes, annotations, and draw freely.
The Gemini can be rotated 360 degrees or opened and closed like an actual book. An integrated microphone module on the stylus makes voice input more flexible. The detachable microphone module allows users to clip it onto the collar. Physical buttons can act as manual page turns and a home button. There is a speaker, Bluetooth and USB-C. I like turning one screen into a virtual keyboard and the other an output of your typing. It could function as a word processor or email writing tool.
There aren’t that many specs on the Gemini, but it will come out sometime in 2024. Their target regions include North America, Europe and Australia. The company has just won an IF Design Award. I think this product will be something special when it comes out. Boatloads will be sold if the price is respectable and has Android and Google Play support. If there is no bookstore and users have to sideload all their content, it might limit the appeal.
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.