I’ve been trying to track down the new E-Ink display covered Esquire magazine, which went on news stands today. Calling around to Barnes and Nobles around NYC, they seem to be all sold out – completely. Additionally, I was just told on the phone by an employee at the Union Square that earlier today some guys who claimed they helped make the cover, came into the store with big suitcases, and proceeded to buy every single copy of the new E-Ink magazine in the whole store. Additionally, I was told by the same employee that those guys were intending to go to all the Barnes and Nobles to buy them all. Crazyness.
After calling all the Universal Newsstands in the city, it seems that they have not yet received their shipments, but expect to get them Friday. Whether or not Universal News will have the E-Ink covers is still up in the air.
If I do actually get my hands on one of these, it will be interesting to see how it’s assembled, and if it is in fact “hackable”. Esquire, in their article about the cover, is actually encouraging hackers to experiment with the cover. I think this is exactly the right attitude towards sending new technology out to your customer base – acknowledge that there could be a possibility to do more with it, and support the dedication of your fans. It will be interesting to see how people do hack this. Also, Boing Boing also discusses Make Magazine’s first try at hacking Esquire E-Ink cover.