Kaite releases Memo Pad Mini and Memo Pad Note

January 18, 2023 By Michael Kozlowski Leave a Comment

Kaite is a Japanese company that has been making e-paper note taking devices for the past four years. They have made their mark on the industry by releasing a series of e-notes that feature microcapsule technology and not E INK. The price points are normally very affordable and best of all, they are battery-free. They have just announced their first new products of 2023 and is a departure from the A4 and A5 sized screens of yesteryear. Instead, one is very small and the other more rectangular.

The Kaite Memo Pad Mini is their smallest one to date and has a square shape with fairly large bezels. The entire device is tiny and comes with a stylus with a little brush eraser on the back. The writing experience is fluid and robust. It is somewhat waterproof, so it is safe even if it gets wet with water or a beverage. The writing surface will not fade or bleed. Even if it gets dirty, it can be washed lightly with water for hygienic use. The dimensions are W 3.5 x D 3.5 x H 0.1 inches (90 x 90 x 3.5 mm); Weight: 1.1 oz (30 g) The device is available from the Good e-Reader Store for $39.99 and comes in three colors; Blue, Grey and Pink.

The other Memo Pad is is called the Note and is rectangular in shape. It comes with the same stylus and eraser as the Mini and the drawing experience is a little bit better, since you have far more room to write. You can also expect it will be immune to spills, as long as you wash it off afterwards. You can also buy this from the Good e-Reader Store for $49 and comes in four colors; Grey, Pink, Blue and White.

So what is the big draw about both of these Memo Pads? The screen is using a microcapsule technology that is called ‘clean paper technology.’ The screen is full of microcapsules that are filled with iron partials. When you draw on the screen with the pen, the black partials are raised to the surface. The nib of the pen is made of a magnet, this is how they are able to have such a vibrant and responsive drawing experience. When you use the eraser on the top of the stylus, it sets the capsules back to their defaults. Best of all, these do not have an internal battery, so it can be shipped anywhere in the world, since it is not labeled as a dangerous good.

There is an app that you can download for Android and iOS that will take a picture of your screen, no matter the viewing angle and convert it all to data. You can then make edits, crop or rotate it, within the app. So you have some light editing functionality. It can be saved as a PDF or PNG and exported to cloud storage, email account or to local storage.

I really like what Kaite is doing. Their products are similar to the Boogie Board, however the advantage Kaite has, is the screen looks like paper, so it has a very soft grey background and the text is really sharp black. Kaite devices have a good build quality and don’t like cartoony, like their competitors.

Michael Kozlowski has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Filed Under: E-Ink, Clearink, Plastic Logic and E-paper News