Modos, the Paper Laptop Startup, Seeks Feedback on a Planned ePaper DisplayPort Monitor
Designed as an alternative to its planned ePaper laptop, the Modos Paper Monitor is a USB-connected 13.3" passive display.
Modos, the startup aiming to create an open-hardware laptop with ePaper display panel, has announced a somewhat less ambitious project to run alongside its primary efforts: the Modos Paper Monitor, which brings sunlight-readable ePaper technology to any computing device.
"The Modos Paper Monitor [is] an open-hardware stand-alone portable monitor made for reading and writing," the team behind the project explains, "especially for people who need to stare at the display for a long time. At Modos, our mission is to help you live a healthy life by creating technology that respects your time, attention, and well-being."
Though no finalized design has yet been shown, the company has revealed initial specifications: A 13.3" E Ink panel, lacking lighting and thus entirely reliant on reflected light, with a DisplayPort 1.2 input and micro-USB power for a custom control board drawing around 2W. "In time," the company promises, "we will offer a single USB Type-C connection from the PC to the monitor for data and power and provide adapter options for machines without Type-C connectivity."
The monitor will be driven from a custom controller running at a 60Hz refresh rate and with a claimed "nearly zero" processing delay for incoming pixels. To combine quality with a high refresh rate, the team is working on a dual-mode update system in which the display refreshes to a one-bit color depth first then is driven to a two-bit four-level grayscale after a delay — maintaining a smooth appearance for existing elements while ensuring new elements, like freshly-typed text, appear quickly.
"We are also planning to implement a 16-level grayscale mode with similar logic, but the 16-level will be flashing," the company adds. "Flashing/flickering causes distraction and won’t work well for typing, but it could be useful for reading."
The monitor comes as Modos attempts to bring the first commercial ePaper laptop to life, though having thus far only shown off a rendered artist's impression and an early prototype in which a 13.3" E Ink display panel has been retro-fitted into an older IBM ThinkPad laptop as a proof-of-concept.
In the display stakes, though, Modos has definite competition. Several large-format eReaders on the market today include HDMI input capabilities, though Modos is aiming to beat the competition with the promise of drastically reduced latency and compatibility with future panels up to 2,200×1,650.
With the hardware still in the early stages of prototyping, Modos has asked the community for feedback on its eventual design — including whether it should include a hinged kickstand at the rear-center or base or use a foldable "folio cover" instead. The company is also investigating potential color ePaper support, it has confirmed.
"If you believe in our mission of building technology that respects your time, attention, and well-being, please fill out our community survey and apply for our community pilot program to help us make this a reality," the company asks. "We need at least 50,000 people interested in purchasing our Paper Laptop, Paper Monitor, Development board, and future devices we have planned for the ecosystem."
More details, including a link to the community survey and an application form for the pilot program, are available on the Modos website.
Those with more of a do-it-yourself streak, meanwhile, may find benefit in pseudonymous maker ZippyZippyZappyZappy's Reddit thread detailing the building of two custom ePaper monitors — created to relieve their user from the symptoms of chronic eye strain.