The original Popslate, launched last year, gave form to a great idea: turning the back of your phone into an E-Ink display. However, like with most first-generation products, Popslate did have its teething problems. First of all, you had to charge it with a different cable. Moreover, it only displayed still images pushed from an app.
The second generation Popslate finds a solution to both these issues, while adding plenty of functionality to the device. The new Popslate charges through the Apple-preferred lighting cable but also packs a backup battery that adds around nine hours of talk time, reduced to four hours if you’re browsing.
While still shatterproof, the second generation is also thinner than the original one and the display has improved, upgraded from 115dpi to 200dpi. Popslate is also no longer limited in functionality – through the three capacitive buttons at the bottom of the display, you can switch between apps and scroll through content. The display is also dynamic, as Popslate pulls content directly from a number of apps.