E Ink has announced a new trackpad for laptops with a color ePaper display — the same as in "readers." Unlike traditional solutions, the company suggests using it not just as an additional display for the OS, but as a separate area for working with artificial intelligence.
According to E Ink, such a touch panel will allow you to view generated text summaries or have a dialogue with a chatbot without switching windows. Thanks to ePaper technology, the screen consumes energy only when updating the image, which reduces the load on the battery.
A similar idea has been implemented by Asus, which has already released laptops with displays in trackpads, but E Ink emphasizes energy efficiency and ease of use of ePaper specifically for text. Also, as in the former Touch Bar from Apple, such a trackpad can be used for notifications, quick actions or playback controls.
The company is not revealing any specifications or launch plans at this time. The announcement mentions compatibility with Intel AI PCs with AI features, but there are no details about the OS or specific manufacturers.