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What content would you like to see on your phone/tablet e-Ink backscreen? The video shows a weather app as an example. It implies we would leave our phone the

What content would you like to see on your phone/tablet e-Ink backscreen? The video shows a weather app as an example. It implies we would leave our phone the e-Ink screen up. I find it interesting because it changes the way we are using our devices today.

corporalagumbo 14y ago
At the very least, you can now have a new rear cover wallpaper whenever you want. Other than that - I could definitely imagine games that involve switching between the two sides to solve puzzles. Flash card apps would be fun!
riffraff 14y ago
It may seem crazy, but I often read on my phone, I'd be way happier to have an eink screen there.
- tluyben2 14y ago
  Not crazy at all; I used an ereader first but when I got my iPad I got fed up bringing the Kindle, iPad, phone (and laptop) with me all the time, so I started using the iPad to read. Then I got the S2 and decided it was big enough to read on with the kindle app and the iPad stays home as well... This phone would be great for that.
rtcoms 14y ago
It can be used for saving battery also. Minimum functionality like calling, messaging can be provided on on e-ink screen and you can have battery life of around 30 days something.
netcan 14y ago
Most of what I do on a phone could be done with e-ink. Calling/skype, various messaging apps, podcasts, music, weather, bus app, email, calendar, chess clock. There are some things that wouldn't work (games, video). These are fairly low priority for me. Some things that might sorta work, especially if they were re-made for e-ink (eg maps/navigation apps). These I want on my phone. An e-ink phone might not be a bad idea if it could carry other advantages too. A $200 smartphone with 3 day batteries that runs 80% of apps might be appealing to a lot of people.
- stcredzero 14y ago
  A $50 smartphone with e-ink and 7 day batteries might take emerging markets by storm.
  - netcan 14y ago
    $50 sure. I don't think you could make a phone that could do what you need for that much though.
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      You do this by curtailing the capability, but leave enough that it's still tremendously useful. Eschew a backlight and do everything with the e-ink display. (They'll have to get more responsive for this to work.) Keep things on a low bandwidth basis, possibly even turning the radio off most of the time. Something with just a little more capability than a "dumb" phone or feature-phone but with a more comfortable interface and 7 days battery life would be able to capture the market. Let's say, one builds "visual voicemail" and add some sort of more user-friendly banking front end which still uses the current SMS channels. Combine that with light web browsing and something like Wikipedia and Twitter/Facebook, and you'd have it.
  - PuercoPop 14y ago
    Well there is a phone with e-ink and 7 day batteries. It's called Motofone F3. It didn't had much success in Perú. (although I'm an avid fan an ex-user of it) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Fone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Fone
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      Good information, but this seems to be more of a feature phone with good battery life than a smartphone optimized for the particular use cases of the emerging markets. Why do you think it hasn't cautious on in Peru. What would catch on there?
      - 14y ago
swah 14y ago
Next event in huge font ?
- alttab 14y ago
  Gotta love the possibility of getting a text that says "yup, its herpies get yourself checked" in lovely big-sized e-ink font, visible to everyone at the table.

corporalagumbo 14y ago

At the very least, you can now have a new rear cover wallpaper whenever you want. Other than that - I could definitely imagine games that involve switching between the two sides to solve puzzles. Flash card apps would be fun!

riffraff 14y ago

It may seem crazy, but I often read on my phone, I'd be way happier to have an eink screen there.

tluyben2 14y ago
Not crazy at all; I used an ereader first but when I got my iPad I got fed up bringing the Kindle, iPad, phone (and laptop) with me all the time, so I started using the iPad to read. Then I got the S2 and decided it was big enough to read on with the kindle app and the iPad stays home as well... This phone would be great for that.

rtcoms 14y ago

It can be used for saving battery also. Minimum functionality like calling, messaging can be provided on on e-ink screen and you can have battery life of around 30 days something.

netcan 14y ago

Most of what I do on a phone could be done with e-ink. Calling/skype, various messaging apps, podcasts, music, weather, bus app, email, calendar, chess clock. There are some things that wouldn't work (games, video). These are fairly low priority for me. Some things that might sorta work, especially if they were re-made for e-ink (eg maps/navigation apps). These I want on my phone. An e-ink phone might not be a bad idea if it could carry other advantages too. A $200 smartphone with 3 day batteries that runs 80% of apps might be appealing to a lot of people.

stcredzero 14y ago
A $50 smartphone with e-ink and 7 day batteries might take emerging markets by storm.
- netcan 14y ago
  $50 sure. I don't think you could make a phone that could do what you need for that much though.
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    You do this by curtailing the capability, but leave enough that it's still tremendously useful. Eschew a backlight and do everything with the e-ink display. (They'll have to get more responsive for this to work.) Keep things on a low bandwidth basis, possibly even turning the radio off most of the time. Something with just a little more capability than a "dumb" phone or feature-phone but with a more comfortable interface and 7 days battery life would be able to capture the market. Let's say, one builds "visual voicemail" and add some sort of more user-friendly banking front end which still uses the current SMS channels. Combine that with light web browsing and something like Wikipedia and Twitter/Facebook, and you'd have it.
- PuercoPop 14y ago
  Well there is a phone with e-ink and 7 day batteries. It's called Motofone F3. It didn't had much success in Perú. (although I'm an avid fan an ex-user of it) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Fone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Fone
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    Good information, but this seems to be more of a feature phone with good battery life than a smartphone optimized for the particular use cases of the emerging markets. Why do you think it hasn't cautious on in Peru. What would catch on there?
    - 14y ago

swah 14y ago

Next event in huge font ?

alttab 14y ago
Gotta love the possibility of getting a text that says "yup, its herpies get yourself checked" in lovely big-sized e-ink font, visible to everyone at the table.