US

 

Hanvon N10 eNote Device With 10.3-Inch E Ink Display Announced

Good eReader

By Sovan Mandal

May 11, 2022

Hanvon has announced the launch of a new e-note device named the N10. Featuring a 10.3-inch E Ink display, the new N10 is significantly thinner at just 5.5 mm which, as ITHome said has been achieved by removing the screen layer, the capacitive screen, and the light guide plate. Also, all of this has not only resulted in a display that is 31 percent thinner but has also added to the clarity as well. Hanvon is claiming it to be as thin as paper, something that allows for a more natural feel when writing. Another highlight of the new N10 is the Solanum violet electromagnetic pen that the e-note device comes with. Hanvon said the pen has been entirely an in-house development and supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

 

Huawei MatePad Paper vs. Remarkable 2

Good eReader

By Michael Kozlowski

May 10, 2022

The Huawei MatePad Paper and the Remarkable 2 are two of the best digital note taking devices in the world. They both have captured the imaginations of many people who want to freehand draw or edit PDF files. On the hardware side of things, they are quite different, although they do have the same sized screens. Both products are getting a ton of attention online and are employing huge marketing campaigns. The Remarkable has more brand visibility and trust in the community, since they have released two products over the past four years and also have some great optional accessories, such as a premium pen and leather cases. The MatePad comes with a free case and stylus, but they do not have any digital stationary. If you are in the market for a new e-note, which one should you buy? The Remarkable 2 features a 10.3 inch E INK display with Canvas 2.0 technology for a better refresh system when viewing PDF files or reading ebooks. It has improved, contrast, making sure it gives a great writing and reading experience.

 

Key Specs Revealed on the New Hisense A9 E Ink Smartphone

Good eReader

By Sovan Mandal

May 10, 22

Hisense is all set to launch its new E Ink phone christened Hisense A9 on May 11. However, with just a day left to that happening, the company has launched a few teaser posters revealing some key aspects of the phone. As Gizmochina revealed, the tester posters carry the theme ‘Refresh Your View’ which likely points to the smartphone coming with some new technology that could allow for an improved refresh rate this time. Among the other features that the posters have revealed include an ‘intelligent brightness adjustment technology’ which the company is referring to as the ‘day and night eye protection’ feature. Apart from this, the posters also revealed the upcoming smartphone will come with HyperWave display technology though it is not known how is that going to allow for a more optimized e-book reading experience.

 

Onyx Boox Nova Air C Review: Android-Based eBook Reading, in Colour

ZDNet

By Sandra Vogel

May 10, 2022

Onyx is an established maker of E Ink tablets that can accommodate pen input as well as run third-party applications, thanks to its implementation of Android. Onyx devices come in a range of sizes, for a range of use cases. I recently looked at a pair of e-reader/content creation devices -- the 13.3-inch Boox Max Lumi2 and 10.3-inch Boox Note Air2. Now, Onyx has adopted the E Ink Kaleido Plus colour screen, which offers 4,096 colours on a low-power panel. The 7.8-inch Onyx Boox Nova Air C couples this with Android 11 and stylus-based input. It promises four weeks of battery life in standby mode and costs $419.99/£399.99.

 

Global

 

Why Car Makers Are Trimming the Variety and Number of Options

AutoCar

By Nick Gibbs

May 11, 2022

Ford was getting frustrated that salesmen were pandering to a few choosy customers while pushing the price up for the majority by increasing manufacturing complexity. More than a century later, we’ve come full circle as car makers again look to cut complexity in a bid to drive down spiraling costs and make both the manufacturing and sales process easier … Car makers worry about leaving money on the table in vehicle sales by restricting options. In a digital future, theoretically, that won’t be the case. As BMW has shown with its iX concept with E Ink, that might even extend to selling a car in one colour and changing it digitally. Henry Ford would definitely approve.

 

TSMC Tops 1,000 Firms Across Taiwan and China in Market Value: Survey

Taiwan News

By Huang Tzu-ti

May 11, 2022

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been crowned No. 1 on a list of the top 1,000 companies from Taiwan and China for 2022 by market capitalization, according to a Business Today survey. The world’s largest chipmaker is valued at NT$14.5 trillion (US$48.8 billion), followed by Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate Tencent Holdings Ltd. (NT$12.2 trillion), and beverage company Kweichow Moutai Co. (NT$10 trillion). This marks the first time a Taiwanese firm has made it to the top since the list was first published in 2004 … A total of 92 Taiwanese companies appeared in the 2022 rankings, the most in eight years. Among them, ePaper technology leader E Ink Holdings Inc. registered a 194% annual growth in market cap, the largest in Taiwan, thanks to the demand for remote work-related products.

 

Hands-On Review: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

Future Five

By Owen McCarthy

May 10, 2022

I have been using the Kindle app on my tablets for several years, but this has been my very first venture into using the Kindle hardware. It is not a tablet. It only does black and white. In almost every respect it works like a book, apart from the fact that it weighs next to nothing, fits in my hand perfectly, and is soothing on my eyes. It also trucks on for up to ten weeks between charges, something my table can only dream of doing … The answer lies in a technology called E-Ink. Tiny microcapsules of liquid are contained between layers of film. They will be white or black, depending on whether they are positively or negatively charged. This technology is easy on the eyes because they do not cycle the way that tablet screens do.

 

Customers

 

reMarkable, Maker of a Focus-Friendly ePaper Tablet, Says It Closed Funding at a $1B+ Valuation After Selling 1M Devices

Tech Crunch

By Ingrid Lunden

May 10, 2022

Hardware, as the saying goes, is hard; but there remains an opportunity for startups that focus on specific niches to build viable businesses. In the latest example, reMarkable, the Oslo, Norway-based maker of a simple and slick $299 e-paper tablet of the same name, says that it has passed 1 million devices sold since 2017 and recently raised money at a $1 billion valuation after making revenues of $300 million and operating profits of $31 million in 2021. Founder and CEO Magnus Wanberg said reMarkable is not disclosing the amount of the investment, nor who was involved, except to say that it’s a minority stake in the company and that it came from multiple international (not Norwegian) investors. The company employs 300+ people and Wanberg says it is still “majority employee owned.”

 

Why a Growing Number of Young Parents Refuse to Let Their Kids Use iPhones

Inside Hook

By Tanner Garrity

May 10, 2022

There was a profile from The New York Times a few years back, which investigated a shocking hypocrisy: Silicon Valley executives don’t let their kids use smart devices. A good deal of that insider information came from Silicon Valley nannies, who know the rigors and rules of those households better than anyone else, but some higher-ups had little problem volunteering details themselves … Also: take note of that 50% at 11 stat. For parents who feel peer pressure to send their kids off to middle school with a smartphone, try eking out another year or two of freedom. There are so many options out there — we like the Light Phone — that will keep them safe and communicative, without giving them access to the internet, Instagram or a group chat where they get bullied all day.

 

Industry

 

Don’t Look Now: Disappearing Displays

Electronic Design

By Sri Peruvemba

May 10, 2022

For those of us in the tech industry, inventions from the iconic Star Wars saga and Star Trek series have led to decades of inspiration—some of which we are still trying to build today. Even over the last few years, I’ve been thrilled to see many of my colleagues pushing the envelope on next-generation digital display technologies. One segment of this industry I see opportunities for innovation is what I call “disappearing” displays—displays that don't get in the way when they aren't being viewed, so to speak. Sort of like the character Jeeves in P.G. Wodehouse’s popular novels who could appear and disappear at will.

 

How the Technology Powering Commerce Has Had to Evolve in the Post-Pandemic Era

Forbes

By Danny Fields

May 10, 2022

The pandemic has changed commerce forever. In 2020, we saw several years' worth of consumer behavior change happen in just a few months as the world was forced online. Even cultures that have long been e-commerce-resistant, such as Italy (paywall), went online at the onset of the pandemic. Since then, consumers have become accustomed to the ease and convenience of shopping in our omnichannel world. To meet changing expectations, retailers have adjusted their strategies to include new channels, markets and even products. As a result, retailers of all sizes have had to reevaluate the technology powering their operations to continue reaching customers in the post-pandemic era of commerce.

 

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