Sony have lifted the lid on their latest tablet, Digital Paper. A 13.3″ E-Ink tablet, this thing is aimed at the office. The display is the same flexible technology they showed off last year, but this device doesn’t flex, apparently that trick is being saved for a new device soon. Instead it’s focused on being able to annotate and edit PDF files that you upload to it, or using the ‘notebook’ to jot notes down into new files using the included stylus (and word on the street is only the included stylus). Packing an impressive 1200 by 1600 dot resolution it is a very nice looking E-Ink display.
Sounding good so far? It has 4GB of onboard storage while also packing a MicroSD card slot, it’s getting better. It’s only 12.6 ounces in weight and will run for 3 weeks on a single charge, apparently that equates to 24,000 page turns. Not bad, you can read (or write) quite a few books with that many page turns! (Maybe we should quantify battery life in the form of page turns from now on for more devices…)
So where do I sign up? When can I get one? Well, this is listed as a Sony ‘Professional’ product so you’ll have to hunt it out through one of their approved resellers. If you find one you’ll be forking out about £660, and you can do so sometime in May. I like the idea, and I am always looking for ways to add more technology to my life but that’s quite a chunk of money…
SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 27, 2014 – Professionals overwhelmed with paper now have a new way to read, annotate, and share documents electronically using Sony’s Digital Paper. Designed to increase productivity and streamline collaboration in paper-intensive environments, Digital Paper will appeal to a range of user communities including legal, higher education, governmental agencies and corporate board rooms across the United States.
“This is a true replacement for the vast amounts of paper that continue to clutter many offices and institutions,” said Bob Nell, director, Digital Paper Solutions of Sony Electronics. “It is very easy to use and optimized for reading and annotating contracts, white papers, scholarly articles and legislation. The ‘notepad’ feature will have universal appeal, and notes can be shared with clients, colleagues, and co-workers. Digital Paper offers a simple, intuitive experience and gives professionals portability and flexibility coupled with the ability to wirelessly access document management solutions and other content repositories.”
Sony’s Digital Paper has a 13.3 inch display that shows full-screen views of letter-sized documents in the PDF format, eliminating the need to zoom or scroll when reading a page. The Digital Paper device retains the context of an entire page by displaying sharp, easy-to-read text and graphics that are nearly identical to printed documents or full-size notepads. The device’s touch panel enables users to operate the menu or turn pages by simply touching the screen. Using the included stylus, professionals can write fluidly and directly on the panel, and also easily highlight and erase text, for a familiar and comfortable writing experience.
Digital Paper will help organizations reduce or eliminate the time-consuming and costly process of printing, copying, sharing, transporting and discarding corporate documentation, teaching materials, and reports.
According to published research from InfoTrends, as recently as 2011, local, state and federal offices used a yearly volume of 122 billion sheets of paper, an amount equal to roughly 400 sheets for every person in the United States.
With Digital Paper, documentation for meetings, classes or lectures created on a computer can be uploaded to a server, and then distributed over a wireless network to the Digital Paper devices of colleagues or students in multiple locations, saving time and making meetings and classwork more efficient. Users can access their server and easily search for documentation, and upload handwritten memos to individual folders on the server.
Introduction to the Legal Market
Sony is showcasing Digital Paper at this week’s American Bar Association Tech Show in Chicago along with Worldox, which serves more than 5,500 law firms, financial institutions, and other enterprises. Worldox is integrating Digital Paper with its award-winning Document Management Solution (DMS), so legal and other professionals can easily and securely access documents, upload handwritten notes and annotated documents, and share with other individuals or groups.
“Sony has created a superlative tool for attorneys,” said Ray Zwiefelhofer, President of World Software Corporation. “It’s incredibly thin and lightweight, super comfortable for taking handwritten notes and the viewing of documents comes real close to the paper counterpart. Digital Paper has the potential to replace attorneys’ notepads, binders and boxes of files by allowing them to save meeting notes directly into the client matter folder in Worldox. This will enable attorneys and other legal professionals to efficiently organize and reference materials for court hearings, testimonies, client and board meetings – in or out of the office.”
Sony is also developing additional markets for Digital Paper in collaboration with leading companies serving several key markets, which will be announced in the coming months.
In addition to PDF source files, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files can be converted to the PDF format and saved, viewed and annotated on the Digital Paper device. For speedy retrieval and transfer, Sony’s Digital Paper incorporates wireless access to servers (via Wi-Fi) as well as USB connectivity.
Key features and functions that make Sony’s Digital Paper relevant to the day-to-day activities of professionals include:
• World’s thinnest, lightest body among devices with comparable screen sizes (approximately 9/32” and 12.6 oz.); slightly thicker than 30 sheets of paper
• 13.3 inch (screen size measured diagonally) electronic paper display
• High contrast display (1200 x 1600 dots), 16-level grayscale, incorporating “E Ink Mobius” technology from E Ink Corporation
• No backlight enables text to be read clearly, even in bright sunlight
• Built-in Wi-Fi functionality allows file sharing over a wireless network
• Rechargeable thin lithium-ion battery – up to 3 weeks use on a single charge
• AC adapter or USB rechargeable (computer-based charging)
• Storage – approximately 2,800 PDF files; internal memory of 4 GB coupled with micro SD card slot for additional storage
• Touch panel (IR touch) compatible with electromagnetic induction-type touch pen input
• Dimensions – Approximately 9 1/4” width by 12 1/4” height by 9/32” depth (thickness)
• Weight – Approximately 12.6 ounces
Digital Paper is planned to be available in May, initially through a select group of Worldox agents, with a suggested list price of $1,100.
For more information, please visit www.sony.com/digitalpaper.
