4 ms·

I was first intrigued, but when I saw the price I couldn't really see it being all that useful. It is possible to buy a 4K display with a similar 150dpi resolu

by trurl 12y ago

I was first intrigued, but when I saw the price I couldn't really see it being all that useful. It is possible to buy a 4K display with a similar 150dpi resolution for less. So the only advantage I can see here is lower power consumption?

sebastianavina 12y ago
power consumption is enough.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  and the portability that goes with it.
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Also no back light; that alone makes reading much easier.
- runeks 12y ago
  This is really the killer feature as I see it. Instead of external light making screen content harder to see, it actually makes it more visible. I think there are plenty of uses for this technology. Current displays are a huge power hog because they have to compete with/outshine ambient light. With this technology, we use ambient light to make the display content visible, instead of trying to outshine it by cranking up the backlight.
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    I wish E-Ink would get more attention because of this. Forget power consumption as the killer feature...it would look more natural and you wouldn't be shining a bright light in your face all the time.
    - grumblestumble 12y ago
      I'm pretty sure a generation from now kids will not be able to comprehend that we once used additive light displays. It's really a poor reflection on the way markets work that the "good enough" of backlit displays has stifled the correct way to do it for so long.
throwawaymsft 12y ago
And readability. And only using power when making updates. Using a max of 2.5W instead of 100W is a big deal. You can now power a monitor from your laptop or phone. Also, think about how things tend to work in the electronics industry. DVD players were $1000 in the 90s.
- Cthulhu_ 12y ago
  They dropped in price because they were being built and sold in huge volume; I don't really see that happening with this product. E-ink readers (and by extension screens) were very promising five years ago, but then the iPad and Android tablets came along and pretty much wiped that whole market out overnight, disregarding readability and power consumption because apparently that's not as strong a sales argument as people thought it would be. I'd still like a screen like this though. I gathered I can convert my old Kindle to an external screen with some custom firmware, I might do that.
  - alexchamberlain 12y ago
    Not convinced Kindle sales have been wiped out.
    - __Joker 12y ago
      My conjecture: Kindle sales is part of a ecosystem sale, rather than standalone sale. There is definitely a segment for E-Ink display, but as a standalone desktop seller it might be hard.
      - jkaunisv1 12y ago
        If they added a stand-alone text editor to Kindle, I would use it instead of a laptop when I'm on the go. It already has a web browser and 3G. The keyboard on the old model I have is good enough for typing down thoughts, there's just nowhere to write unless you add comments to a book.

by trurl 12y ago

sebastianavina 12y ago

power consumption is enough.

ekianjo 12y ago
and the portability that goes with it.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago

Also no back light; that alone makes reading much easier.

runeks 12y ago
This is really the killer feature as I see it. Instead of external light making screen content harder to see, it actually makes it more visible. I think there are plenty of uses for this technology. Current displays are a huge power hog because they have to compete with/outshine ambient light. With this technology, we use ambient light to make the display content visible, instead of trying to outshine it by cranking up the backlight.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  I wish E-Ink would get more attention because of this. Forget power consumption as the killer feature...it would look more natural and you wouldn't be shining a bright light in your face all the time.
  - grumblestumble 12y ago
    I'm pretty sure a generation from now kids will not be able to comprehend that we once used additive light displays. It's really a poor reflection on the way markets work that the "good enough" of backlit displays has stifled the correct way to do it for so long.

throwawaymsft 12y ago

And readability. And only using power when making updates. Using a max of 2.5W instead of 100W is a big deal. You can now power a monitor from your laptop or phone. Also, think about how things tend to work in the electronics industry. DVD players were $1000 in the 90s.

Cthulhu_ 12y ago
They dropped in price because they were being built and sold in huge volume; I don't really see that happening with this product. E-ink readers (and by extension screens) were very promising five years ago, but then the iPad and Android tablets came along and pretty much wiped that whole market out overnight, disregarding readability and power consumption because apparently that's not as strong a sales argument as people thought it would be. I'd still like a screen like this though. I gathered I can convert my old Kindle to an external screen with some custom firmware, I might do that.
- alexchamberlain 12y ago
  Not convinced Kindle sales have been wiped out.
  - __Joker 12y ago
    My conjecture: Kindle sales is part of a ecosystem sale, rather than standalone sale. There is definitely a segment for E-Ink display, but as a standalone desktop seller it might be hard.
    - jkaunisv1 12y ago
      If they added a stand-alone text editor to Kindle, I would use it instead of a laptop when I'm on the go. It already has a web browser and 3G. The keyboard on the old model I have is good enough for typing down thoughts, there's just nowhere to write unless you add comments to a book.