Sony Digital Paper System DPT-S1 Review
by Ganesh T S on December 17, 2015 8:50 AM ESTSoftware and UI Aspects
The Sony DPT-S1 runs a Linux kernel, but the user interface shows no signs of Linux running under the hood. The setup process is quite straightforward - the time zone, date, pen grip style and an user name are the minimum required things to get started with the unit.
The main screen is organized in two panes. The smaller-width left pane provides the main options - a 'Home' view, 'Documents', 'Note', 'Workspace', 'Web Browser' and 'Settings'.
The 'Documents' section allows users to explore the file system (local storage as well as network drives) for PDFs. The 'Note' section allows for creation of handwritten notes (they are saved as PDFs).
The 'Workspace' section enables users to open a set of documents and group them for easy retrieval at a later time.
Available settings include user name configuration, Wi-Fi configuration (the standard scan, WPS and manual configuration options). Under server settings, one can set up a WebDAV account for syncing with the internal storage in the DPT-S1. While most users tend to use Box.com for this purpose, I decided to take advantage of the WebDAV features in my local QNAP NAS. Various application preferences (including those for the web browser) are also available, as shown in the gallery above.
It is also possible to calibrate the pen input to make sure that the writing appears at the correct place on the screen. The button on the pen can also be configured as an eraser (default) or highlighter. Firmware can be updated either from within the device (OTA) or by connecting to a PC.
The web browser built into the firmware is passable. At short notice, it is possible to navigate to known download links and obtain PDFs instead of hooking the unit to a PC and transfer the downloaded file via USB. As of v1.5, it is possible to block pop-ups, enable or disable JavaScript.
The PDF viewer allows pinch to zoom, but the extent of zooming available is not close to what is available on PDF readers on PCs. The photographs below show the zooming function in action. PDFs can be annotated with the stylus / pen and they are visible when the same PDF is viewed on another device also. While annotating, it is possible to use either blue or red color (appears as different grayscale shades on the DPT-S1, but in the proper color on other devices), and the text can either be bold or normal.
Graphics-heavy PDFs do take some to load, but, once loaded, navigation and zooming have acceptable speeds.
Writing notes with the pen / stylus takes some getting used to. After a few scribbled notes, I was able to get the hang of things. It is possible to adjust the thickness of the lines as well as the color of the text. The software also allows the various toolbars, tabs, side menus etc. to be hidden. This allows maximum use of available screen estate for the document.
Since the DPT-S1 targets professionals, the firmware is quite stable and bug-free within the set of available features. We do have some suggestions for improvements in our concluding remarks.
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Murloc - Friday, December 18, 2015 - link
screen diagonals, case bay dimensions, jack plug length etc. are in inches everywhere in the world because of historical reasons and because they're standard sizes (not the screen diagonals but the other things), so the number in inches could be replaced by any other name just as well, so it doesn't really matter how long it really is for consumers who have to understand if the optical drive will fit in a case. You could call them A and B instead of 5.25'' and 3.5'' but there's no point really.Levish - Thursday, December 17, 2015 - link
I'd grab one around $350 to read ebooks / manuals.Not sure if doable if dropping the digitizer / pen input / touch input.
Not like there are any available alternatives in Eink.
Amandtec - Thursday, December 17, 2015 - link
As someone who suffers from eyestrain something like this is a godsend. But I want it to be able to handle email, run Word and Excel, and have built in sim slot and and cover based keyboard.ganeshts - Thursday, December 17, 2015 - link
I think you are looking for an E-Ink monitor / notebook - maybe something similar to this: http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/06/30/dasungs-1... : I am not sure why these 13.3" E-Ink devices are not coming to the market fast enough.Coup27 - Saturday, December 19, 2015 - link
I think everybody suffers from eye strain if stare at white on a computer screen long enough. Make sure you are using the colour invert feature of Windows magnifier when spending hours in Word, Excel etc. Makes you work white on black instead of black on white and that is a godsend. High contrast for Chrome does the same thing for webpages also.I am a designer and use AutoCAD most the day. They realise this and work with a black background. Why Microsoft and most websites insist on as much white as possible dumbfounds me.
phoenix_rizzen - Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - link
If you wear glasses, consider getting your next pair tinted yellow. A 10% yellow tint has done wonders for eye strain and dryness at work (staring at a computer screen for 7 hours). I'm tempted to try a 20% yellow tint on my next pair.Also really helps with driving.
Beany2013 - Saturday, December 26, 2015 - link
I've noticed less eyestrain now that I'm using Redshift to auto-tune the blue out of my screen after dark. I know that's not what it's there for (it's meant to help you sleep better by pulling the blue out of the image - which means you get all melatoniny and drowsy at night) but it seems to help quite a bit.Redshift is the linux variant, I have Twilight on the Android phone, and I'm sure a Windows/Mac OS X variant exists, too.
surft - Thursday, December 17, 2015 - link
Wioshing E-ink in color (i.e. Prism) would be made available in consumer portable products. I'd like to read my huge library of Franco-belgian comic albums on the go more often.nathanddrews - Thursday, December 17, 2015 - link
Me too, unfortunately the color e-ink available to us is lacking on saturation. Comics/magazines are just so washed out that it's just not worth the asking price. We'll get there someday.AndrewJacksonZA - Friday, December 18, 2015 - link
@surft: "my huge library of Franco-belgian comic albums"Billions of blue blistering barnacles!