Important Takeaways

• Multipurpose e-ink tablets are hampered by the absence of applications designed specifically for their functionality.
• Amazing would be an e-ink tablet dedicated to RSS, e-books, news, and more.
• E-ink technology is inappropriate for displaying a conventional, rapidly-updating user interface.

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If you use a Kindle, Kobo, or other e-reader device to read, you presumably adore it. The combination of a screen that is easy on the eyes, a battery life that lasts for weeks, and a light weight make it a much superior option for reading than a tablet or a smartphone.In fact, e-ink readers are so excellent that you likely desire yours could do more, such as display your RSS news feeds. Unfortunately, the Boox Leaf 2 exemplifies why e-readers are not suitable multi-purpose computing devices.

"Computing for general purposes requires a high level of interactivity, which e-ink technology cannot provide. E-ink displays have a slow refresh rate, rendering them unsuitable for video playback, gaming,and even web page scrolling, according to e-reader enthusiast and tech entrepreneur Jon Morgan.

How E-Ink Operates

The greatest feature of an e-reader is its display. Unlike a computer, tablet, or smartphone screen, which refreshes itself multiple tens of times per second and functions by shining bright pixels into your eyes, e-ink is a much more relaxed experience.

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As the name suggests, it functions similarly to a cross between conventional ink and an etch-a-sketch. An e-ink display does not require an illumination. Similar to a cheap paperback novel, there is only black 'ink' on a light gray page. And, similar to the paper book, it can be read in direct sunlight.

The majority of e-readers include a built-in light, which consists of an array of LEDs embedded into the screen's frame. These LEDs illuminate the display so that it can be read in the dark. It is the equivalent of reading a paper book by focusing a flashlight on it.

When you turn a page, electricity is used to turn on or off the black pixels to create the letters or images. That is all. The image would remain intact if the battery was removed or if the screen were severed from the remainder of the device. Power is only used to alter the display (and, of course, to operate the computer within).

The benefits are evident to anyone who uses an e-reader. The screen is significantly less tiring on the eyes because it resembles ink on paper. However, it takes an extremely long time to refresh the interface. It is quick enough for page turning in a book. Before your eyes return to the top of the screen, the following page will be available for viewing. However, even the basic animations required to display menus and a user interface exceed the capabilities of the device.

"E-ink displays have a slow refresh rate, rendering them inappropriate for video playback, gaming, and even web page scrolling."

This is why there are not many general-purpose computing devices with e-ink displays. They simply do not function very well. E-ink is ideal for static images and text, such as books, manga, and price markings on supermarket shelves. However, this is not the case for applications.

How Android Could Improve E-Ink

In addition, Android is not optimized for e-ink displays, and many e-ink tablets utilize Androidor a variant thereof.

"Some Android applications perform poorly on the Leaf 2 because (obviously!) they were designed to be used with fast-refresh screens on Android smartphones, not slow-refresh e-Ink on a tablet. On his Six Colors blog, veteran technology journalist and e-reader enthusiast Jason Snell writes, "Other Android apps are simply inferior to the dedicated software you'd find on a finely tuned, purpose-built e-reader from Amazonor Kobo."

However, it need not be this way. While attempting to run existing Android phone and tablet apps on a device not designed for the task will never end well, we already know that apps can be designed to function exceptionally well with e-ink because we use and enjoy book-reading apps. Moreover, if you own a Kobo, you may already be using the Pocket app to keep track of the articles you've saved to your Pocket queue.

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Reading applications are the most apparent choice. You could have a text-first Mastodon client or a newsletter reader, for instance. An RSS reader for e-ink devices is a second useful application, and my favored concept. RSS readers collect articles and blog posts from numerous sources and present them in a simplified, straightforward format. Sounds excellent.

Someone must write these applications, and Android-based e-ink tablet applications are a niche within a niche. That leaves it up to device manufacturers. In addition, they have not done a good job thus far. Which is unfortunate, because an e-ink tablet dedicated to all reading applications could be a game-changer.