E-reader

Last month, E Ink launched a new version of its color ePaper for digital signage called Gallery Plus. Now the company is back with a version destined for e-readers that boasts fast update times, high resolution and pen input support.

Around a year ago, we got to gawp at the latest color electronic paper display technology from E Ink when we reviewed the excellent PocketBook InkPad Color e-reader. Now E Ink has launched a new generation that gives the color performance a boost.

It's been a while since Amazon treated digital bookworms to a new version of its Kindle Paperwhite ereader, and now the company is making up for that with a bigger display, longer battery life, USB-C, a special Signature Edition, and a kids version.

Rakuten Kobo's new Elipsa ereader is not only the largest that the company has produced so far, sporting a 10.3-inch E Ink touchscreen, but also the first to come with stylus input to allow for both reading and creating.

Last month, Switzerland's PocketBook announced the release of the InkPad Color, an e-reader built around E Ink's newest color screen technology. The company sent us a review unit and we've been reading in color ever since.

Barnes & Noble has joined forces with Lenovo to relaunch its 10.1-inch tablet, offering a "best of both worlds" reading experience, with access to millions of ebooks through the B&N app as well as everything you'd expect from a modern budget tablet.

Swiss e-reader maker PocketBook has launched a new device called the InkPad Color that's reckoned to be the first e-reader to sport the latest 7.8-inch color screen technology from E Ink.

Smartphones can be great for taking notes on the fly, but are not quite as satisfying as pen and paper. The reMarkable 2 is claimed to offer users a distraction-free, paper-like writing experience, and we've spent the last week or so trying one out.

Though doodling on a touchscreen tablet can get the job done, some prefer pen and paper. reMarkable combined the two in 2016 with a real paper look and feel, but digital tech running the show. Now the second generation has been announced.

​Amazon has rolled out yet a thinner and lighter Paperwhite with double the storage. The new version brings some premium trimmings to Amazon’s mid-level e-reader, most notably in the form of high-level waterproofing for relaxing reading in tub or by the pool.

A year and a half after launching the Kindle Oasis as the thinnest and lightest (and most expensive) of its e-readers, Amazon is back with a follow-up. The 2017 model slims down even more while offering a bigger 7-inch screen, and adds bonus features like water resistance and audiobook support.

What would an e-reader display with 600 ppi, double that of the current top-of-the-line Kindle, look like? Japan Display Inc. has offered a taste of this future, this week showcasing what it calls the world's highest resolution e-paper backplane. ​​