Sony reveals prototype 13.3-inch e-ink slate with stylus

[petrucci]

@Gamba, I think that Sony will make good on its release date. They had announced the product months ago, and it has been through testing. It is not unreasonable that it is being produced now. They also probably want to get a running start before the large ipad is released.

I spoke with Sony USA about it, and the representative knew nothing about it.

If you want one soon, it looks like Sony Japan is the only way to go.

Although I hope that it is a success, I think the large ipad will crush it even in business applications. Thus, if you want one, I would pick one up before it is discontinued.

[joblack]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How are you going to buy one if it's only going to be sold to businesses?

It's targeted for businesses and the educational market but I haven't seen any statements which say it's limited to businesses. Have you?

[HarryT]

I may be wrong, but I believe it's only going to be sold to large organisations - initially, at least.

[joblack]

Answer from Sony Japan Support:

Dear xxx:

Thank you for your inquiry and your special attention of Sony Digital
Paper (DPT-S1). And we apologize that misunderstanding on previous
reply. Your inquiry about the function of this device was pleasantly accepted.
We would like to provide our answer as below.

First, we regret to inform that Sony Digital Paper (DPT-S1) is produced
for the use only in Japan market, and the sale of this model for
overseas customers is not currently available.

Regarding the GUI for DPT-S1, there is no function of exchange for
English GUI on this device. And as for other functions that are equipped
with this device, viewing the PDF files which are scanned from PC is
available, however this model is not equipped for the function of
"e-Book Reader".

Your kind understanding would be appreciated however we cannot deal
with your inquiry about the function of Sony Digital Paper (DPT-S1).
Once again, we appreciate for your understanding.

Sincerely,
Sony Business Solutions Corporation.

[Billi]

Thanks, joblack, for asking!

[petrucci]

Thanks for contacting support. Now I just need to find someone in Japan.

[gamba66]

Originally Posted by joblack

Answer from Sony Japan Support:

Hah! Isn't that exactly what I said? (Japan Region, No English support and probably only business customers) I hate to say I told you so

You can still hope for this:

Originally Posted by zeng

For new devices, we will release

T68 (6.8 inch screen with 1440x1080 resolution)

* Freescale iMX6 Cortex A9 1GHz processor
* LPDDR2 512MB
* 4G emmc
* Android 4.0
* Capacitive touch and front light.
* WiFi and bluetooth support.


M95

* rockchip A8 1GHz processor
* DDR3 512MB
* 4G flash
* Android 2.3
* Digitizer without front light.
* WiFi

I have all the working samples on my hand. They will be available to end user at the beginning of next year.

8 inch and 13.3 inch, we just received the screen samples, though hardware platform is ready. We may be able to ship products Q2 of next year.

[Dulin's Books]

im excited and worried about the idea of a 13.3 device from Onyx. I know they will be decent priced and well made and i generally agree with their design ideas. However since i left being a distributor/retailer for them their firmware seems to have gone down hill and their attempts at using android so far have been underwhelming. personally i felt their own firmware stack was just about perfect 2 years ago and it just needed a few tweaks and newer processors to make it all a bit faster. i have an m90 right her next to me that i purposely havent even looked for an update in over a year because i like it the way it is

[petrucci]

Originally Posted by gamba66

Hah! Isn't that exactly what I said? (Japan Region, No English support and probably only business customers) I hate to say I told you so

You can still hope for this:

No English support is not really much of an issue. Most people who want a screen this size, want to use it with PDFs. GUIs are pretty easy to use these days, and the Japanese text should not be a problem.

We do not have confirmation that it is for business customers only. It is in a section of Sony's site devoted to business. However, nothing indicates that they will only sell it to businesses. When contacted, they made no mention that it was business only. They just said that they only wanted to sell it in the Japanese market.

[gamba66]

Originally Posted by petrucci

No English support is not really much of an issue. Most people who want a screen this size, want to use it with PDFs. GUIs are pretty easy to use these days, and the Japanese text should not be a problem.

We do not have confirmation that it is for business customers only. It is in a section of Sony's site devoted to business. However, nothing indicates that they will only sell it to businesses. When contacted, they made no mention that it was business only. They just said that they only wanted to sell it in the Japanese market.

I didn't say it is confirmed but it is highly likely, like the assumptions I have made before and that were confirmed (concerning language and region). And that it is listed in the business section and that joblack wrote the "Sony Business Solutions Corporation" section of sony japan doesnt indicate anything?!

Also the Sony DPT-S1 can only be found in the Sony Section for Business customers

Not only is it in the business section but also it seems that they want to sell it as a bundle with corporate software as it can be seen on the sony page.

Importing is okay for me but learning japanese for the basic function like zooming (which we dont even know if its supported) is asking for too much.

Maybe you are willing to pay such a premium price for a PDF-Only Reader and accept the burdens but it is very unlikely we will see alot of people with this product around.

They aren't even selling it international to anyone, and probably not even to consumers in japan but rather business customers...

[batchaesir]

Thanks, joblack, for contacting Sony Japan Support.
So There is only one question left, is it for business customers only?

[Kumabjorn]

Even if it will be released primarily, or even only, to business customers in Japan, rest assured that a secondary market will develop within a short while. Another target for this device is academia, so I would be surprised if it wasn't available in campus shops. In larger cities like Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka, it will most likely also be available in larger book stores or electronic stores, simply because this is where a lot of students tend to buy their study material.
It would be interesting to know a firm release date, if possible I would see if it would be available in places I'd expect Sony to use.

[Kumabjorn]

I've taken a closer look at what is available.
It will be released in a weeks time, release date is set for Dec 3.
The screen is, in Japanese, electro-magnetic conductive touch panel with pen support. I assume that could either be N-Trig or perhaps Wacom. It is 1200 x 1600 pixels with support for 16 levels of gray scale.
Memory is 4 GB with 2.8 GB available, it comes with a microSD card slot and a micro USB port (an OTG cable should make it possible to use regular USB memory sticks).
It has a lithium-ion battery that will charge in 3.5 hours connected to a computer and 2.5 hours connected to the included charger.
It comes with one stylus, 3 exchangeable nibs, 1 nib remover, 1 charger, 1 USB cable, 1 sleeve case, 1 Quick Start Guide, 1 Basic Usage Guide and 1 Manual.

[Dulin's Books]

exchangeable nibs means wacom could mean either as I've just read that Ntrig nibs can be replaced as well

[gamba66]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Even if it will be released primarily, or even only, to business customers in Japan, rest assured that a secondary market will develop within a short while. Another target for this device is academia, so I would be surprised if it wasn't available in campus shops. In larger cities like Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka, it will most likely also be available in larger book stores or electronic stores, simply because this is where a lot of students tend to buy their study material.
It would be interesting to know a firm release date, if possible I would see if it would be available in places I'd expect Sony to use.

Btw I disagree with the above statement, for the student market or any secondary market like book shops, the price of about 1000$ is way too high.. Also, do to the limited language of japanese it is only restricted to japan..

And as I listed before, there are only indications that it will be released for businesses and there are NO implications that it will be released for consumers...

I really hope this comes out though anyways, I would probably get it

But the price is reaaaaaaaallly asking for alot