Patent Shows Amazon's Design for Two-Sided Tablet
Amazon was awarded a patent for a tablet sporting a screen on both sides.
Mashable has uncovered a patent awarded to Amazon -- called Multi-Display Type Device Interactions -- that reveals a tablet design sporting a screen on each side. The patent suggests that one screen will be e-ink-based for static reading, while the other will be LCD-based and optimized for watching video. A camera will also be embedded on each side to determine which screen the user is currently using.
"A device might alternatively utilize at least one camera to determine which side of the device is facing the user, and might activate the display on that side of the device to convey content," the patent reads. "A device might display notifications on an edge of the device, such that a current orientation of the device might be less important."
According to the patent, each display will be touch sensitive so that the user can move content between the two screens. Battery consumption will actually be improved, as slow-moving to non-moving content will be shifted to the e-ink screen.
"An electronic device including two or more display elements can provide enhanced functionality with improved rates of power consumption," the filing reads. "A user can cause information that does not change rapidly to be provided or moved to a relatively static display element, such as an electronic ink display, which enables that information to be displayed for a period of time with little additional power consumption."
The patent was filed by Amazon Technologies in Reno, Nevada on February 25, 2011 and finally granted on August 30, 2012. That said, don't expect to see a dual-screen Kindle Fire appear during Amazon's big reveal next week. If anything, maybe this will be the Kindle Fire 3 design for 2013, possibly eliminating the base Kindle device for good.

I could see a 'folding' tablet 'V' with screens on the right & left (or top & bottom), but this front & back will never see the light of day outside of a lab.
Oh, and isn't it nice how vague patents can be? "Well maybe it can do this, and possibly it will look like that..." No, exact description of the product youre covering and that alone, bad patents office, no treat for you
E-ink is a lot better for reading ebooks and the battery lasts forever compared to LCD. Pricing is a concern, but what does adding an additional screen cost, when all the rest is already in place? $20? $50?
Add covers on both sides and it's a go. There's also weight and thickness to consider, but how much extra is that anyway?
I agree about the two-sided screen being a magnet to break. But honestly all the device would need would be a sort of filp-cover on a hinge. You could just flip the cover over to the screen you are not using. I don't think the idea is that you would actually use both screens at once.
E-ink is f'ing awesome for reading. And while I don't mind reading on my Kindle Fire, it does wear on your eyes after awhile. A two-in-one device could be great. I mean, even better would be a switch that you can flip to switch the same screen from one to another, but I'm pretty sure this isn't even technically possible. Either way, to me this idea seems like it could be cool but it has to be executed with perfection.
e-ink is amazing for what it is designed to be used for (b&w text), offering months of battery life rather than hours or days. color e-ink and mirasol displays will make their way into the market soon, and could be a really neat option for portable devices that need color in full daylight settings, mirasol displays can even do passable 20+fps video if you need it to.
They are not for general computing, as led/oled display technology does a much better job for that. But for things that are largely text, and need to be viewed in daylight there really is very little out there to compete.
Uhmmm .. maybe but you do understand e-Ink and LCD are too different technologies. e-Ink is not back lit, why it's easy on the eyes and you can't use it in the dark, lcd is back lit why it's bad on the eyes but you can use it in the dark.
Now if it was made by samsung it would be the best thing since . . . Air.