I’m not a fan of framed TVs that companies advertise as suitable for displaying art in your home. There’s something off-putting about using a powered, backlit screen for something you’re going to be staring at for a long time. Can you really appreciate Turner’s Sunrise over Norham Castle if your eyes start to feel strained after about five minutes?Perhaps the cure for my malaise lies in PocketBook’s new device, the InkPoster. It uses a large color e-paper display to perform the same function, so you can see your brush strokes up close.
InkPoster is a series of color e-paper displays with a battery pack that can be displayed in your home for up to a year on a single charge. There is no power cable and you can mount it vertically or horizontally depending on your preference. You can access a library of hand-picked art compiled by a team of “professional art consultants” and choose what you want to see within the InkPoster companion app. It can also be used as a regular old digital photo frame, perfect if you want to grab a masterpiece from online and display it instead.
Photo credit: Daniel Cooper
There are three display sizes based on two different technologies: Spectra 6 and Sharp’s IGZO. The former comes in a 13.3-inch model with a 1,200 x 1,600 resolution and is powered by a 14,000 mAh battery pack. There’s also a 28.5-inch edition with a 2,160 x 3,060 display that uses a hybrid of both display technologies. Finally, there’s a 31.5-inch model with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, powered by Spectra 6, and designed to be a true focal point in your home. The two larger models both have 20,000mAh batteries and are promised the same one-year runtime. However, it is worth saying that the execution time is based on not changing images too often, especially since switching between images takes several minutes in these prototypes.
Having seen these up close, I can say that they look more promising in the real world than on the internet. The colors are much more vibrant than you’d expect from an e-paper display, and you can see the brushstrokes in the painting. At least if you don’t get too close, you can peer into it like you’re looking into an actual painting. You can only see the pixels used to assemble each image. Indeed, it’s a good way to have high art on your walls without being tied to the same picture forever. However, you may find that some art styles work better than others.
Since these are prototypes, PocketBook isn’t ready to decide on pricing yet, but said it will initially offer the art app for free, with plans for subscriptions in the future. Similarly, pricing for each model won’t be talked about until April or May, when they’re ready for pre-order. However, PocketBook managing director Enrico Muller suggests that the 13.3-inch model will cost around 600 euros (about 62,000 yen), while the 31.5-inch model will retail for around 1,700 euros. did. However, a 28-inch unit will cost around 2,500 euros, taking into account the additional technology on display.
