Daylight Computer – New 60fps e-paper tablet

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Display technology & image quality

  • Not traditional E‑Ink; it’s a custom monochrome reflective / transflective LCD branded “LivePaper.”
  • Uses IGZO, variable refresh (6–120 Hz). Marketed at 60 fps; company says panel can do 120 but software isn’t there yet.
  • 190 PPI, 256 grayscale levels, no color. Chosen to increase brightness via larger aperture rather than higher DPI.
  • Uses a backlight shining through micro‑perforations in the reflective layer (not a frontlight), aiming for better contrast and unchanged pen feel.
  • Not bistable: unlike E‑Ink, it needs power to maintain an image.
  • Some users worry about lower contrast vs paper / E‑Ink and about backlight bleed in early videos; company says current production units are improved.
  • Comparisons made to Pebble, OLPC, old Palm/Sharp MIP/transflective displays, and recent RLCD monitors.

Hardware, OS & openness

  • Android 13 on a MediaTek Helio G99 (midrange SoC), 8 GB RAM, 8000 mAh battery, microSD, Wacom EMR pen, extra mappable buttons, pogo pins.
  • No LTE in v1 (cost and certification); no mention of headphone jack in the thread.
  • Custom “Sol:OS” is essentially Android with a different launcher and “calm” defaults (e.g., notifications off, potential app‑delay features).
  • Bootloader unlock tool is promised so users can flash LineageOS or other ROMs; interest in mainline Linux/postmarketOS; company is open but unsure of resources.
  • Some want full open‑sourcing of drivers/firmware; others say an unlockable bootloader may be sufficient.

Performance, battery & use cases

  • Early testers report smooth scrolling, PDF zoom, and handwriting, with low ghosting; coding, SSH, terminal, VS Code (remote) and Obsidian seen as viable.
  • Example tests: ~67h reading without backlight, ~30h YouTube or reading with some backlight; one engineer reports charging every ~2 weeks with 1–2h/day.
  • Tradeoff vs E‑Ink: worse standby life but much higher responsiveness.

Price, positioning & future products

  • Price around $729–$800 (includes stylus and some accessories). Many see it as expensive vs iPads, Boox, Supernote; others argue it’s fair for first‑gen, low‑volume custom hardware.
  • Strong demand for: external “dumb” monitor version, larger (A4/13") panels, laptop, phone, and Pebble‑style watch using this tech.
  • Full refund if users don’t like it; shipping currently limited to select countries, frustrating some.

Website, marketing & trust

  • Heavy, scroll‑hijacking site widely criticized; some devices crash or stutter on it.
  • Confusion and backlash over initial “e‑ink/e‑paper” framing and one sped‑up demo video; others point to real‑time videos and upcoming third‑party reviews.
  • “Blue‑light free” messaging and lack of clear specs/company info on the main page draw skepticism.