Your iPhone 6 will soon have an e-ink display that automatically changes images thanks to this popSLATE case

Since we check our smartphones way more often than we probably should, battery life is usually not as great as we'd wish. Russian phone maker Yota is trying to solve this with the YotaPhone, which sports both a regular screen, and an e-ink one that can display various information without the need to turn on the power-hungry regular screen. If you own an iPhone, though, you really have to turn its screen on each time you want to check out something. Well, a company called popSLATE thinks it can help with this issue.

Meet the popSLATE case: a protective case with a built-in 4-inch, shatter proof e-ink screen that acts as an always-on display. Made for the latest iPhone models, the popSLATE case places its e-ink screen on the back of your iPhone, allowing you to customize it with any screenshot, map, or photograph that you like (via Bluetooth). Images are displayed in grayscale, and won't change automatically: you have to do it manually via a dedicated app, or with a dedicated button found on the side of the case, which lets you swap between the last 8 images.

The popSLATE case has a 240 mAh battery of its own (which lasts up to 7 days), and can be recharged via microUSB. Available to buy since January, the popSLATE case is currently pretty limited in functionality. However, in the future, possibly starting the coming months, popSLATE will add features to the case, including the ability to automatically display images and information based on your location, or on the time of the day.

Interestingly, popSLATE first showed off this unique case back in 2012, when the company started an Indiegogo campaign to fund its launch.

Right now, the popSLATE case for iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, or iPhone 5 costs $129, and it looks like it can be shipped almost anywhere in the world (check out the popSLATE website at the first source link below). Would you buy one?


sources: popSLATE, The Verge