05-08-2009, 01:29 PM | #1 |
Fully Converged
Posts: 18,170
Karma: 14021202
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Switzerland
Device: Too many to count here.
|
E Ink Prototype Kit: Build you own Kindle DX
Hot on the heels of Amazon's Kindle DX announcement, E Ink published a press release announcing its 9.7-inch AM300 E Ink prototype kit that will start shipping on May 27, 2009. The kit will include:
The kit sells for USD 4,000. Details and order link can be found on the E Ink homepage. |
05-08-2009, 01:43 PM | #2 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,686
Karma: 874275
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Device: Kindle DX
|
ouch!
|
Advert | |
|
05-08-2009, 01:50 PM | #3 |
Zealot
Posts: 117
Karma: 87860
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Strasbourg France
Device: Onyx Max 3 & Onyx Lumi 2
|
$489 vs $4,000 ? Well done E ink !
|
05-08-2009, 02:04 PM | #4 |
.a ribbon around a bomb.
Posts: 639
Karma: 4334
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: sigh... ny
Device: PRS700
|
i am a big noob and not much of a programmer...
I don't get this. is this prototype modifiable to the point where if we wanted epub, pdf, lit and all the other formats we can do it or is it a prototype where only the outer casing is modable? What's the lure to make it worth the 4g's? |
05-08-2009, 02:23 PM | #5 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,470
Karma: 13095790
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7
|
Quote:
Dale |
|
Advert | |
|
05-08-2009, 02:34 PM | #6 |
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Karma: 10
Join Date: Mar 2009
Device: none
|
I thought I saw a typo! Is eink serious?
|
05-08-2009, 02:36 PM | #7 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,326
Karma: 30250
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Device: Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma
|
The kit is for companies that want to develop a prototype of an e-ink reader.
One would then have to develop some exterior casing and detailed software to make it work the way they want. |
05-08-2009, 02:38 PM | #8 | |
.a ribbon around a bomb.
Posts: 639
Karma: 4334
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: sigh... ny
Device: PRS700
|
Quote:
Am i hitting the idea on the nail? |
|
05-08-2009, 02:39 PM | #9 |
Resident Curmudgeon
Posts: 75,901
Karma: 134368292
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
|
If you can program it, you can do it. And have the best reader out there too.
|
05-08-2009, 02:39 PM | #10 |
.a ribbon around a bomb.
Posts: 639
Karma: 4334
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: sigh... ny
Device: PRS700
|
|
05-08-2009, 02:40 PM | #11 |
Publishers are evil!
Posts: 2,418
Karma: 36205264
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Rhode Island
Device: Various Kindles
|
Let's say Barnes & Noble buys one and uses it to design their own eReader. The next step is to manufacture tens of thousands.
|
05-08-2009, 02:58 PM | #12 |
Wizard
Posts: 4,334
Karma: 4000000
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Paris
Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1
|
|
05-08-2009, 03:06 PM | #13 |
Wizard
Posts: 4,293
Karma: 529619
Join Date: May 2007
Device: iRex iLiad, DR800SG
|
They've had a similar kit out for a while using the 6" screen. That one is around $3,000 if I remember right. This announcement is just about a new kit for the larger screen size.
These are not meant for regular people like us. This is for a company that wants to create their own reading device. Basically, Sony/Amazon/iRex/etc buy these when they want to start building/designing a new reader. |
05-08-2009, 03:28 PM | #14 |
Member
Posts: 12
Karma: 1128
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada
Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad (soon)
|
This is how embedded development kits work
As a former embedded hardware/software developer, I can tell you that this is how embedded development kits work, price-wise.
Tech companies like E-Ink tend to price their dev. kits quite high in order to attract "serious product developers". They aren't interested in selling to the hobbyist because the hobbyist isn't going to place an order for 10,000 display units. So, the easiest way to discourage the hobbyist segment is to price the kits high. Amazon, Sony & others can afford the pay the premium. Also, when developing a product based on a kit like this, you usually need a fair bit of technical support from the manufacturer. We're not talking level 1 tech support, we're talking support from the actual hardware engineers themselves - so, the cost of that support is also factored into the kit. It sucks, but that's usually how it goes... |
05-08-2009, 03:59 PM | #15 |
Wizard
Posts: 3,671
Karma: 12205348
Join Date: Mar 2008
Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7
|
This is a development kit usually targeted for companies who will develop their own eInk hardware.
=X= |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Notion Ink Adam Prototype | kjk | News | 10 | 01-08-2010 04:07 PM |
E-book Reader software for E-ink Am200 Prototype Kit | soafrocentric | Reading and Management | 6 | 05-16-2009 02:44 PM |
Build your own E-Ink reader for $3K! | europas_ice | News | 16 | 02-25-2009 06:50 PM |
E Ink AM300 Prototype Kit *unboxed* | TadW | News | 16 | 10-29-2008 08:30 PM |
Nemoptic offers prototype kit of BiNem e-paper | Alexander Turcic | News | 12 | 02-04-2007 07:19 AM |