E-ink smartphone and ereader in one device, with one display only

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

99% of the time my phone is just dead weight in my pocket.
Of the 1% of the time I do use it, two thirds of the time it's as a phone. Checking Email and Mobileread is the rest.

The reason we don't see a mass market eink-only phone (it *has* been tried) is that eink's calling cards (very low power and outdoor readability) are offset by their higher price compared to LCD, limited availability, and distinct hardware needs. On cellphones the biggest draw on the battery is the radio not the screen so switching to eink buys (relatively) little added battery life.

There *should* be a niche for an eink phone but it may not be profitable enough to last.

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/ei...ext-to-nothing
http://www.yankodesign.com/2014/10/2...nk-cell-phone/

More recent:

http://onyx.en.alibaba.com/product/7...ellphone.html#!

My phone is almost never used a phone... I mostly use it as MP3 player and for the "smart" part (checking the weather while on the road, road conditions, and that kind of things).

While I'd love to have an e-ink phone, I'd like it because it'd be a gadet, not because I'd use it often. And a phone of 6"? Especially if it's 4:3, it'd be way too large (and I do have a large phone!)

[xtech]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

My phone is almost never used a phone... I mostly use it as MP3 player and for the "smart" part (checking the weather while on the road, road conditions, and that kind of things).

While I'd love to have an e-ink phone, I'd like it because it'd be a gadet, not because I'd use it often. And a phone of 6"? Especially if it's 4:3, it'd be way too large (and I do have a large phone!)

Well, I should have renamed the topic as e-reader with the smartphone functiions, but now it is too late, limitations of the forum.

In your case, you need an mp3/smartphone device, you do not need e-reader oriented.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

My phone is almost never used a phone... I mostly use it as MP3 player and for the "smart" part (checking the weather while on the road, road conditions, and that kind of things).

Me too. I spent a great deal of time working away form home, and my iPhone is my mobile Internet device. I doubt if I average 10m of calls a month, but it often gets used for hours every day for Internet access.

[John F]

Originally Posted by xtech

Yes. But I rarely take pictures with my phone, do not need that, rarely make video, do not play big games on it, ...

Yes. I rarely take pictures (very rarely), but I do want it. Same with videos. Games, I could do without, but why compromise, when there isn't any "cost" with a smartphone.

... and though it is quite big, it is not sufficient to read anything there, ...

My smartphone is relatively small, yet it is sufficient for me to read on (although I extremely seldom do.) I'm not interested in smartphone that is ereader size.

... and also i carry ereader with me, and so if I get the ereader, that can also make phone calls , is not TOO big, and allow make notes with stylus, does good email checkup, news reading, skype work, well, for many people, nothing more is to be desired, really. ...

For me, I find eink is so slow, that using it for general things like phone calls, messaging, checking weather, quick internet browsing ... would be tedious. My smartphone does those things quiet well and does them quickly.

... And also, imagine, it allows for just totally excellent time of work and stand by. Better than regular smartphones offer. I estimate it to be at around at least 7 days week of work, with moderate use of internet and calls, ereeader, and around 12 days of work with low use of internet, provided the battery is no less than 6000 mah plus. And weeks of earding experience with rare calls and brief occasional email and news checkup.

I would expect standby time to be the same, regardless of screen tech. I don't think I want a 6000mah battery, my current ereader and smartphone are ~1600, and I am content with them; 6000 seems like it would add quiet a bit of weight. I'm not willing to trade long battery life tradeoff for a frustrating GUI experience.

I like a dedicated eink device for fiction reading (that's all I basically do: read a page, advance, read a page advance, ...). For my other uses, I either want a dedicated device (like remotes), or a smartphone.

Again, IMO and YMMV. I appreciate what you want, I'm just quessing that not enough people want it to make a mainstream consumer device worthwhile (to someone like Amazon.)

[xtech]

appreciate what you want, I'm just quessing that not enough people want it to make a mainstream consumer device worthwhile (to someone like Amazon.)

You may be surprised to learn that millions of people use phone mostly for phone calls and occasional news. Among those millions there may be 50000 thousand of those who regularly use small ereaders and may like to have one device, combining ereader with some phone functions.

[John F]

Originally Posted by xtech

You may be surprised to learn that millions of people use phone mostly for phone calls and occasional news. ...

Why. I've reapetdly said IMO, YMMV, I, ...

... Among those millions there may be 50000 thousand of those who regularly use small ereaders and may like to have one device, combining ereader with some phone functions.

And how many are willing to pay for it? How much? You say you want a heavy battery, but the market seems to be going in the opposite direction?

When push comes to shove, you may surprised how many people really want your device.

Why don't you do a poll? It seems like this forum would most likely be your target market? Maybe include a few options like screen size and type, battery life, ...

[ApK]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

On cellphones the biggest draw on the battery is the radio not the screen so switching to eink buys (relatively) little added battery life.

I believe this depends entirely on your use patterns and for many people (perhaps the majority at this point) the screen is the bigger power draw.
As Gary Gulman said "The phone is now a seldom used app on my phone."

But, also, for most of those people, eink would not be practical. They are watching videos and playing games, not just reading or texting.

[xtech]

Originally Posted by John F

Why don't you do a poll? It seems like this forum would most likely be your target market? Maybe include a few options like screen size and type, battery life, ...

Have not thought of the poll yet. I guess at this moment, that the audience can consists of those who do a lot of reading, carry their ereader with them, and primarly use phone (not even smartphone) for some calls, and those who travel a lot, with the ereader only (without tablet), and also those who read a lot and have some minimal smartphone functions' use.

Well, the point is to look from ereader to the phone functions. The target market are not those, who are using internet widely, photos, cameras. A lot of people at this website, they use smartphones widely for forums, email, other internet, photos, video, they are tech guys. And so the poll will not be objective.

But there are people, who rarely go online, who just cannot play with the smartphone videos, photos, they are just use their ereader, use their phones, that's all. So, the target market is outside the tech-pro website, and even outside the popular tech websites. And besides, it is rather a new concept, even the e-ink phone concept was new, and not spread at all. I myself actually never thought of such a stuff, of such a phone. But sometimes, I thought of being able to make calls from tablet. But it was a huge one, phone is smaller.

But since phones can now be 6 inch, and ereader also 6 inch, they can meet on the ereader's ground.

[Alohamora]

The refresh rate of the screen would be key to usability as a smart or even semi-smart phone. From what I've seen, I don't think eink is fast enough for me. If my phone can't let me scan emails quickly it may as well be a dumb phone.

[xtech]

Have a look at this 6.4 inch smartphone: https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/10/...ax-smartphone/

and at this 6.6 inch smartphone https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/01/honor-note-8/

with this size I would not mind a dual screen ips/amoled and e-ink smartphone, developed and made in china

well, it is bigger than any yotaphone and so it is comfortable for reading.

the first smartphone is around $200-$250.

If the front camera is removed, the e-ink 6 inch carta 2 display is added, it will not make the price much higher.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by xtech

You may be surprised to learn that millions of people use phone mostly for phone calls and occasional news. Among those millions there may be 50000 thousand of those who regularly use small ereaders and may like to have one device, combining ereader with some phone functions.

Where are you getting the information on how people use their phones?

You have said 3 times that you don't use a camera so it is unnecessary.
I know more people that take pictures than that read on their phones.

Now how I use my phone depends on what I am doing that day.
Sometimes it is for calls, other times text, mobile Internet, but usually a paperweight. I have read on it for a couple of minutes at a time but not enough to need an e-ink screen.
On rare occasions I use it for pictures.

If you want to start a fundraiser to do this: do you have the knowledge to make it or would you have to have outside help?
You know you might want to get in touch with the GoodEreader people. This sounds like something right up their alley.

[ApK]

The older I get, the more I use my phone's camera.

It's way easier to stick my arm in and take a picture of a label on a piece of equipment then to crawl behind it and try to read it.