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You may have thought Barnes & Noble's NOOK range of ereaders was dead, but the bookseller has made a surprise new addition to the range, the NOOK GlowLight 3. Following on from 2015's NOOK GlowLight Plus, the new ereader eschews LCD touchscreen and broad tablet functionality, unlike B&N's more recent models, and instead goes back to an e-paper display. That's paired with an always-on ambient lighting system, that can change light tones depending on when you're reading.

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Ebooks have been around for around a decade now and although they have become a force to be reckoned with, they never really made paper books go extinct. Especially in Japan, where, unlike their Western counterparts, comics, more popularly known around the world as “manga”, continue to be enjoyed in their original paper format. One Japanese company is trying to change that by combining the best of both worlds into an ebook reader that can be used to read one and only one content: 18 volumes of “Hokuto no Ken”, or “Fist of the North Star”.

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This is how dual screen smartphones should be. Except, perhaps, for the less than premium specs. Last month, Meizu revealed its own take on the idea of a phone with screens front and back, ending up with a strange design that has yet to be proven in practice. The again, Russian phone maker Yota had two chances to make a dual-screen phone work, neither of which exactly took either local or international markets by storm. Not one to easily throw in the towel, Yota has partnered with a Chinese manufacturer to bring a third gen YotaPhone to life, one that may have even less chance of succeeding compared to its forebears.

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The Meizu PRO 7, when it comes out in the next or so months, is going to be one strange phone. That's going to be true whether this latest bit comes to pass or not. Putting a second screen on a phone's back isn't exactly new. There's even a Kickstarter for offering something similar for the iPhone 7 pair. But whereas previous implementations put a full-sized e-ink screen on the back, the Meizu PRO 7 will supposedly have a "mini" screen instead. And it might not even be grayscale e-ink at all.

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The YotaPhone seems to have struck a chord among some smartphone users. The ability to have some information, or picture, always on display even when the phone's screen itself is off definitely useful. And having a handy ebook reader with you all the time is something bookworms would love. But the problem with the YotaPhone is not only was it limited to Android, it also meant having to buy a new phone, even if you were already an Android user. iPhone users, on the other hand, were out of luck. Now, however, they have fighting chance with the InkCase i7 finally launching on Kickstarter.

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One of the biggest complains about smartwatches is how quick they are to die during the course of the day. What if you had a watch that could at least last for days while still have some of the fashionable options of smartwatches? That's what Sony subsidiary Fashion Entertainments sought out to do with its e-paper wearables. Now in its second run, the new Sony FES Watch U is now available for purchase, in Japan at least, offering a smartwatch that is really more a fashion accessory than a geek toy.

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Ebook readers use e-paper displays for two reasons. First is the innate nature of such screens, which are easy on the eyes and batteries. Second is the cheaper costs of such components, which translate to a more affordable retail price. If you thought the latter would be true of the Gvido music sheet "tablet" and its two 13-inch e-ink screens, you'd be shocked to find out the truth. Because when the Gvido launches later this year, it will cost just as much as two 12.9-inch iPad Pros.

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2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrids are in fashion these days. In fact, analysts like IDC tout them as the saviors of the PC industry. But the form factor is also seeing some interest in more than just PCs. They've also come to tablets and even e-ink readers. Yes, you heard that right. A company by the name of Onyx International has just revealed its Onyx Boox Typewriter prototype that is, for lack of a better term, a 2-in-1 e-ink laptop. And that's not the only interesting, or strange, thing about it.

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This week the folks at Sony have announced a joint venture with the brand E-Ink, resulting in a team-up the likes of which could be huge. This is not a rumor, it's a real-deal announcement from both Sony and E-Ink, and it's part of a timeline that's unfolding in Sony's device collection as we speak. This is not the first time Sony has dabbled in E-Ink devices - not by a long shot - but it could be a sign of odd and awesome gadgets to come.

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Like it or not, it seems that companies are beginning to rethink the venerable keyboard, especially when it comes to mobile devices, both laptops and tablets alike. Microsoft started it with the Surface covers and then Apple jumped on board with the cloth-like Smart Keyboard. Things came to a head with the Lenovo Yoga Book's "Halo Keyboard". Now it seems that Microsoft might be on the verge of yet another invention, one that combines a few of those ideas together into one e-ink keyboard cover.

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If you've been following the smartwatch trend at all, you likely remember hearing about Sony's interesting E-ink wearable. Dubbed the FES (Fashion Entertainments) Watch, it uses low-power e-paper technology on both the face and wrist band. It doesn't have any of the "smarts" we've come to expect from our timepieces, but it can change patterns instantly at the press of a button.

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We live in a somewhat schizophrenic digital age. On the one hand, the pull of the paperless workplace or classroom is irresistible. On the other hand, the psychological and practical benefits of writing with pen and paper are hard to dispute. For years, modern users have been torn between this digital and analogue dichotomy. The answer, however, might be upon us, if reMarkable is to believed. Putting out digital device of the same name, the reMarkable tablet is, in a nutshell, an e-ink reader you can write on. And it is as conflicted as the problem it tries to solve.

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