InkPoster

From the «I like it» department:
Title: InkPoster uses an e-paper display to bring art to your home
Author: Daniel Cooper
Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:52:40 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/inkposter-uses-an-e-paper-display-to-bring-art-to-your-home-170016899.html?src=rss
Podcast Download URL: https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2025-01%2F90bac7b0-cd37-11ef-bd4f-d070e8468597&resize=1400%2C840&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=b9d8b871911525fcf7a711dc8b55854318cf1861

I’m not a fan of those TVs sold in picture frame surrounds[1] that companies
tell you are good for displaying art in your homes. There’s something
unconvincing about using a powered, backlit screen for things you’re meant to
stare at for quite a while. Can you really appreciate Turner’s Norham Castle
Sunrise if you’re struggling with eyestrain after five minutes or so? Perhaps
the cure for my dourness is to be found in PocketBook's[2] new device,
InkPoster. It uses a big, color e-paper display to do the same job, giving your
eyes a better chance of seeing the brush strokes up close and personal.

InkPoster is a series of color e-paper displays equipped with battery packs
that can be hung in your home for up to a year on a single charge. There’s no
power cable, and it can be mounted in portrait or landscape orientation,
depending on your taste. You’ll be able to access a library of curated art, put
together by a team of “professional art consultants” and select what you want
to see inside the InkPoster companion app. You’ll also be able to use it as a
regular old digital photo frame, ideal for when you want to pull a masterpiece
from online and display that instead.
[image 3]Photo by Daniel Cooper

There are three display sizes based on two different technologies, Spectra 6
and Sharp’s IGZO. The former is found in the 13.3-inch model with a 1,200 x
1,600 resolution, which packs a 14,000mAh battery pack. There’s a 28.5-inch
edition with a 2,160 x 3,060 display which uses a hybrid of both display
technologies. Finally, there’s a 31.5-inch model with a 2,560 x 1,440
resolution that uses Spectra 6 and is designed to be a real focal point in your
home. The two larger models both pack a 20,000mAh battery, with the same
promise of a year or so of running. But, it's worth saying that runtime is
based on you not changing the images too frequently, especially since these
prototypes take a few minutes to switch between images.

Having now seen these up close, I can say they're more promising in the real
world than they are on the internet. The colors pop a lot more than you might
expect from an e-paper display, and you're able to see brush strokes in the
paintings. At least, you can if you don't stand too close — peer in as you
might with a real painting and you'll just see the pixels used to assemble each
image. Certainly, it's a neat way to get some high art on your walls without
the need to be forever yoked to the same picture. But you might find there are
some art styles that work better than others.

As these are prototypes, PocketBook isn't yet ready to commit to pricing, but
said that it'll initially offer its art app for free, with a subscription
potentially in the offing further down the line. Similarly, it isn't going to
talk about how much each model will cost until April or May, when they'll be
ready to pre-order. But Enrico Mueller, PocketBook's Managing Director,
suggested a ballpark for the 13.3-inch model would be around €600 ($620), while
the 31.5-inch model will retail for something like €1,700. The 28-inch unit,
however, will be more given the extra technology on show, and so will be around
€2,500.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/inkposter-uses-an-e-paper-display-to-bring-art-to-your-home-170016899.html?src=rss

Links:
[1]: https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-frame-pro-tv-features-the-companys-high-end-neo-qled-panel-030042346.html (link)
[2]: https://www.engadget.com/2013-12-02-e-ink-fina.html (link)
[3]: https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-01/c23567f0-cd37-11ef-8b43-50a140cd420c (image)