Prototype kits for bigger E-paper displays available now

Now that the Kindle DX is available, the E Ink Corporation has made its 9.7" E-paper display prototype kit available to the public. E Ink's imaging technology is used in all commercial e-readers today.

E Ink's Broadsheet AM300 prototype kit is based around a Gumstix single-board CPU with a Marvell XScale PXA255 processor that runs at speeds up to 400 MHz. The unit is also equipped with a Bluetooth transceiver, MMC card reader, and USB and serial ports. It comes pre-configured to run as a simple 8-level greyscale e-book reader, but supports pen input, basic animation, windowing, and 16 greyscale levels. Before today, the AM300 was only available in the 6" screen size, such as the one on the Kindle 2.

The Broadsheet AM300 9.7" E-paper Prototype kit costs $4,000 and is available for pre-order now. Shipments are expected to begin on May 27.