MAKE hacks open the Esquire e-ink cover (Verdict: Hackable!)

MAKEs Phil Torrone snatched up a copy of Esquire's lamentably designed e-ink edition, and there's good news: Esquire has delivered their promise to cheaply sell hackable e-paper to hackers.

There are 2 e-ink screens with flex connections (these are pricey connections). It looks like it was made to be reprogrammed and different screens...

I think someone out there will likely reflash the PIC and make the segments go on / off at different time and perhaps put other displays on it, there's a little bit of hacking to be had but not that much really.

And here's my opinion, I know a lot media folks & tech sites are pooping on this cover - but someone needed to start somewhere, I'm glad there's an E-Ink cover in existence, it's clear it's going to be decades until it's something that very common.

I can't wait to see some of the first hacks of the Esquire cover to start rolling out.

Esquire e-ink cover hacking [MAKE]

[#1 posted by wurp , September 9, 2008 9:18 AM]

*Decades* until this is something that's very common?

Phil is drastically misreading what's going to happen once wireless e-ink paper is cheap... Frankly, I think if the magazine & newspaper industries don't wake up & figure out a way to provide their product DRM free on e-paper, webzines will just wipe them out.

[#2 posted by monstrinho_do_biscoito , September 9, 2008 10:49 AM]

aw, so it's definitely not pixels that can be reprogrammed to display any image then :(

[#3 posted by OM , September 9, 2008 10:28 PM]

...Jeez, lookit all them thar battery-thingies! I wonder what their cost-per-unit was on just the insert alone? Seems to me they'd have been better off going with a solar cell on the cover to go along with the e-paper. It *might* have been cheaper!