The electronic ink of a Kindle and Kobo may not be the only paper-like experience you can find, as TCL’s NxtPaper tech finally makes it out of development.
Reading off a screen tends to feel like reading from a screen, which is one reason why there are other technologies and approaches that can help. You can lower the brightness to make the screen feel more like paper, or even use an alternate technology that isn’t the standard LCD, such as the electronic ink screens used in eBook readers.
And then there are other methods, such as one TCL has been looking into over the past couple of years. As part of a commitment to improve screens for the benefit of people’s eye health, TCL has been working on a technology that aims to keep your eyes happy and healthy, while still being able to view a screen, albeit a screen of a different sort.
The idea is to get a screen to emulate the look of paper, kinda sorta, cutting back on both blue light and glare, while still allowing you to experience something that is clearly still a colour screen, even if it lacks the extreme brightness of others out there.
The result is something TCL calls “NxtPaper”, and is coming in the NxtPaper 10s Tablet, an Android tablet sporting the unique NxtPaper screen technology that reduces blue light by up to 73 percent, lacks glare, and uses a multi-layered approach to screen protection to make the screen easier on the eyes overall.
It’ll rely on a Full HD 10.1 inch panel, but it’s not one made to be so bright, it’ll sear those eyelids at all times of the day. Rather, it’s meant to be easier on them, and it’s one TCL says is important now more than ever.
“The TCL NxtPaper 10s arrives at a time when Australians are more concerned than ever about the impact of screen time on their eye health and we know we are offering a unique tablet solution for all Australians focused on work, entertainment and learning,” said Joseph Corrente, Channel Manager for TCL Communications in Australia and New Zealand.
The catch in NxtPaper may well be the specs, because they’re not super amazing. Inside, there’s an eight-core Mediatek processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage, which adds up to an experience that feels like it’ll be a pretty ho-hum mid-range tablet experience.
Don’t expect to game or do anything remarkably taxing with a spec list like that, though TCL’s inclusion of a keyboard and a “PC Mode” could help make the whole thing a little easier to swallow, even if it’s not that sort of tablet.
However it will come with a price tag to make it slightly easier on the wallet as well as the eyes, fetching $499 in Australia now, with availability at Big W, Target, and other online retailers, complete with a TypeCase keyboard accessory alongside.
