When you think of E Ink (if you think of it at all), you probably think of eBook readers like the Kindle or NOOK. But E Ink technology is also used in digital signage, price tags, luggage tags, and other fields.
And a Japanese company is working on an E Ink product for musicians. Terrada Music Score Co.’s GVIDO is a dual-screen E Ink device for showing sheet music.
The GVIDO features dual 13.3 inch E Ink Mobius displays, each with a resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels.
The prototype version measures about 18.9″ x 12.2″ x 0.23, which makes it just a bit larger than two sheets of A4 paper placed side by side. At about 1.4 pounds, the GVIDO weighs as much as a pretty hefty stack of paper, but that shouldn’t be a problem if it’s placed on a music stand rather than held in your hands.
You can switch pages in a music score simply by tapping the screen, which takes less work than flipping an actual page when your hands need to get back to your musical instrument.
It can display PDF files, supports 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, features a microSD card slot and 8GB of built-in storage, and works with a Wacom pen for annotating music scores by hand.
There’s no word on the price or release date, but I wouldn’t expect the GVIDO to be cheap. Products with a single 13.3 inch E Ink Mobius display tend to sell for around $800 and up.
via The eBook Reader and E Ink