Sony announces price and shipping date for 13.3in Digital Paper

Sony has announced that its long awaited 13.3in E-Ink Digital Paper will be available in May, at least in the US.

The device has a resolution of 1600 x 1200, and is approximately 7mm thick. It can display an entire letter-sized (A4-sized, more or less!) document in full-screen (16-level greyscale) with no need for zooming or scrolling, and the display is a touchscreen, having an attached stylus.

It's aimed at the business world and productivity - as opposed to being some giant novelty e-reader - replacing paper in the workplace, with the stylus allowing professionals to jot notes on documents and more easily share and collaborate.

The price clearly marks out that territory, too, with the tag set at $1,100 (£660) in the States, not exactly within reach of the average consumer. It will save on a lot of paper and printing costs when it comes to the enterprise world, though, or that's certainly the idea.

Digital Paper is apparently perfectly readable in bright sunlight, Sony claims, and it has built-in Wi-Fi, 4GB of memory with a microSD slot for expansion, and will last 3 weeks on a single charge.

Bob Nell, director of Digital Paper Solutions at Sony Electronics, commented: 'This is a true replacement for the vast amounts of paper that continue to clutter many offices and institutions. It is very easy to use and optimised for reading and annotating contracts, white papers, scholarly articles and legislation. The 'notepad' feature will have universal appeal, and notes can be shared with clients, colleagues, and co-workers.'

As to when the device will hit UK shores, Sony hasn't yet said anything about that, or the exact pricing for this country either.