Sony has been in the e reader game for a long time, but has never had the success that Amazon and Kobo has had. But Sony still thinks it has a place in low-power paper-like product game. Yes, Sony’s e-readers are focused on the Japanese market and do quite a bit more than a typical, small e-reader.
Sony already offers an e-paper device called the DPT-RP1 Digital Paper Tablet. It’s the same size as a standard sheet of A4 paper (13.3-inches) with a resolution of 1650-by-2200 and weighs 349 grams. There’s also a magnetic snap-on stylus allowing you to write directly on the tablet to either create new documents or annotate existing ones. At $700, it’s not cheap,but people love it
Now Sony is announcing a new model in its Digital Paper range called the DPT-CP1. It’s smaller than the DPT-RP1 and is the equivalent of an A5 sheet of paper (10.3-inches). The E Ink display resolution is 1404-by-1872, the tablet includes 16GB of storage, and it’s only 5.9mm thick. Battery life is rated at a month.
With $600 price point, it’s certainly cheaper than the larger model while retaining compatibility with the stylus (included with the tablet) and ability to create and annotate. However, it looks likely to remain a product only available through Sony’s retail stores and a few Amazon sellers outside of Japan.
The DPT-RP1 is already available, but the smaller DPT-CP1 is set to launch at some point in June.
