E Ink and Avalue unveil new Digital Paper tablet, a letter-sized device with an electronic paper display

E Ink and electronic paper displays may have fallen in popularity over the past few years, but the technology is still alive and well, particularly in the industrial and business markets. A new E Ink device from E Ink Holdings and PC manufacturer Avalue, unveiled today, targets education and industrial customers in search of a digital paper product.

The aptly-named Digital Paper tablet uses an E Ink electronic paper display, much like the ones used in popular eReaders like the Amazon Kindle. The Digital Paper tablet can also be used to mark and annotate documents. E Ink claims the device has a “non-slip surface” that “delivers the ‘feel’ of pen on paper when highlighting, annotating, or erasing on documents.”

The device comes as the result of a new partnership between E Ink Holdings and Avalue, a manufacturer PCs designed for the industrial market. The companies hope to branch into both the industrial and education markets with the new tablet.

The Digital Paper tablet is a letter-sized device (likely 8.5 x 11 inches, though specifications were not detailed in the press release) that offers the benefits of an E Ink display. These include easy readability in most lighting conditions without the glare present on most LCD tablet displays. The Digital Paper tablet has a battery rated to “last about three weeks,” according to E Ink, and the device weighs “about 30 pieces of paper.”

E Ink also makes the claim that the Digital Paper tablet is “durable and unbreakable,” though this likely refers to the display; most LCD tablets have a piece of glass over their display panel that can shatter when the device is dropped. E Ink tablets typically have no glass.

Pricing and availability have yet to be announced as of press time.