Sony Electronics (NYSE:SNE) recently announced the release of the company’s second-generation Digital Paper (model DPT-RP1), an e-paper device offering users advanced document reading, annotating and note-taking experience.
The new digital paper, an upgrade to its predecessor Sony Digital Paper DPTS1, offers a huge e-ink or paper-like display on which you can easily take notes, draw or annotate.
New updates in model DPT-RP1 include an easier-to-read high-resolution display, a more responsive touch panel, precise handwritten note-taking capabilities and wireless document transfer to a PC or MAC. The e-paper also boasts a sleek, thinner and lighter design.
Is Sony’s New Model DPT-RP1 Digital Paper Right for Your Business?
Its features are impressive. Writing and drawing apparently feels as natural as on real paper, with the added benefits of erasing and highlighting with a flick of the pen. Still Sony’s new digital paper may need to come down in price to make it cost effective for the average small business.
The DPT-RP1 retails at $699.99 in the U.S., pricing that puts it pretty close in cost — or higher — than some high-end mobile devices (tablets or smartphones), and even notebooks and laptops.
Considering the digital paper is more specialized and less versatile than more common business devices like laptops and notebooks, it may not be suited for all businesses. You can also get an Amazon Kindle with an e-ink screen for about $79, and more versatile devices like MacBooks for slightly higher costs.
Still, there may be specific small businesses in need of the special functionality Sony’s digital paper can offer, including a powerful battery Sony says allows for up to three weeks use from a single charge. Small digital design studios and businesses in financial and medical markets looking to put paper out of business, for instance, may find the DPT-RP1 particularly useful and worth the investment.
“With this second generation, it truly is — paper perfected,” Bob Nell, director of Digital Paper at Sony, said in the official release. But only time will tell.
Image: Sony
This article, “Latest Sony Digital Paper is Here – But Is It a Bit Too Pricey for Small Businesses?” was first published on Small Business Trends