Joel Johnson from Boing Boing Gadgets recently sat down with Deputy Editor Peter Griffin of Esquire magazine and picked his brain over the E-Ink cover for the upcoming 75th Anniversary issue that hits newsstands in October.
Many an interesting tidbit were disclosed by Griffin that should excite both loyalists to the publication and hackers alike.
An E-Ink cover on a magazine would surely fetch more than the usual $5, but not true thanks to Ford, says Griffin. The inside cover showcases the Ford Flex Crossover SUV, which helped defray the cost to publisher Hearst keeping the price of the issue down.
Go Ahead and Hack Esquire
What can we expect from the E-Ink cover itself? Griffin divulges that we'll see a few images in various shades of grey appear and disappear with the order of text changing as well. It was also revealed that Esquire's publisher Hearst has a one-year exclusivity deal with the E-Ink, so we likely won't see any other publications on newsstands donning the animated covers.
Hard to Hack, But That's the Point, Right?
Hackers likely won't find an easy route to hack the cover. But Griffin points out the cover can be removed and manipulated through a custom circuit board. Griffin adds, a hacker will have to adapt an entirely new controller onto it to manipulate the cover or Ford ad. In fact, Esquire condones the process.
"We look forward to seeing what people do to it," Griffin told Boing Boing Gadgets.
The built-in battery is expected to last 90 days and the soldered battery is said to be easily replaceable. The cover itself will be about three millimeters thick to accommodate the overall rigidity of the binding, says Griffin.
The question remains, though. How might the company behind the E-Ink technology feel about this informal hack the Esquire cover challenge? If the 75th anniversary of Esquire sells at newstands at under $10 I suspect we will see a lot of hacked Esquire covers converted into what? Maybe a dirt cheap e-book reader.
