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Memomate combines an e-ink tablet with a battery pack and a wireless charger

Memomate combines an e-ink tablet with a battery pack and a wireless charger

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There’s a lot going on with the Memomate, a device that combines a 6.5-inch e-ink display for note-taking with a 10,000mAh battery pack for recharging your devices while you’re on the go, and there’s an optional wireless charger thrown in for good measure.

An odd combination, to be sure

It’s not that any of the things it does are necessarily bad. People like taking notes on the go, and they need to keep their devices charged. But the idea of combining them into one package just seems a little weird. (Maybe the idea of a portable wireless charging pad is a little bad since the technology is still too slow and finicky in terms of lining up devices with charging coils to make sense over using a wired connection while on the go where speed and reliability are far more important, but I digress.)

In addition to the aforementioned 10,000mAh battery, there are two USB ports for outputting power and both Micro USB and Lightning ports for charging up the pack. (Don’t go looking for Apple’s MFi blessing here, though, so there’s no guarantee on how well it’ll work.) As for the wireless charger, it’s built into an optional case that draws power off an integrated USB cable that you plug into the pack.

Then there’s the e-ink display, which is pressure-sensitive for a more accurate writing experience, although the software is decidedly bare-bones. There’s no option to save any of your notes or drawings on the device, just a single delete button that wipes the screen clean for you to write again like a digital Etch A Sketch. The company’s official recommendation is to save drawings by using your phone to scan the screen.

There’s no way to actually save your drawings on the device

Still, if you’re interested in cutting down on the clutter in your bag, and you’re okay with the idea of an e-ink display over old-fashioned pen and paper for your note-taking, maybe the Memomate makes sense.

As you might have already guessed from such an eclectic device description, the Memomate is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo. For $45, you can get a Memomate without the wireless charging case, while a $54 pledge will get you the upgraded, wirelessly charging model. The company claims that it’ll ship both versions this October, but obviously use your own judgment before backing due to the crowdfunded and untested nature of the device.

Update July 26th, 1:15pm: Updated article to reflect that the Memomate uses generic e-ink technology, not actual, licenses E Ink-brand tech.