Besides the slow-selling Sony Reader introduced last year, there's been precious little action on the E Ink front. But now here's another contender (pictured above left) aimed specifically at pilots, the eFlyBook. Pilots will like its 8.1-inch screen that's just a half-inch thick and has extremely high contrast, rivaling that of a printed book that can be viewed at almost any angle. Plus, like all E Ink tablets, it doesn't use any battery power unless you turn the page. It has a huge disadvantage, however; its price is exorbitantly high, at just under $1,500. That's a whole lot more expensive than the $350 Sony Reader.

Don't count E Ink out just yet, though. Sure, the E Ink market's been slow getting started, but there's a lot of research going on, and it's feeling like this technology's popularity is about to explode. Fujitsu has done promising development work with its color E-paper prototypes, and companies such as E Ink and other researchers have also made great strides with their concept devices, some of which (pictured above right) are about as thick as a stack of three US quarters. This is tech to watch, because someday all printed materials could be delivered this way. — Charlie White

via eFlyBook and blueChute