So I was wondering if there would ever be a Mudita Laptop?? For essential things.
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I’d love an E Ink laptop, but I don’t think I could ever give up my MacBook. I only use my laptop for work related purposes, so I need to see the color and features. I still think it is a great idea!
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At the moment, there is no plan to create an E Ink laptop but thank you for your question @HeyItsKJ_Vlogs. If anything changes, we will send out an update!
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Hi HeyItsKJ_Vlogs! I am very curious on what an essential laptop would do! It may be an interesting concept 
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Thank you!!! Xx
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Please consider creating a laptop in the near future. After seeing your companies phone, I searched all over the internet for a minimalist laptop for college. I’ve been highly disappointed. There is absolutely nothing out there. I hope to forever be a supporter of this company and having all of my personal devices come from Mudita would be amazing.
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Yes, an EInk typewriter would be wonderful 
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I remember some other companies making an E-Ink Typewriter. I would love to see a Mudita E-Ink Typewriter as long as transferring the documents to a PC or laptop was easy. I could see it being really good/fun for bloggers/writers like myself.
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Yeah, transfer, or even online sync.
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Hi everyone, I’ve thought about and wanted a product like this (e-ink laptop) for some time. In my search for this type of product, I stumbled upon this blog post about a conceptual e-ink laptop that seems to align (at least partially) with both the comments on this thread and with Mudita’s mission. Here is the post.. The idea of having a laptop that is intentionally limited in its use-case seems like the laptop equivalent of the Mudita Pure. Cheers!
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I really like that!
There was a team of several people in Minnesota in 2004 who created a dozen or more zero-EMF laptops…everything was shielded and zero- EMF, including the power supply, but they didn’t have the funds to go to the next step. It was called The Elemi (sp?) project. One of the people involved in this project is named Frank DiCristina https://buildingbiologyinstitute.org/find-an-expert/certified-consultants/building-biology-environmental-consultants/frank-dicristina-bbec/. We need to get him and the rest of his team connected with the Mudita Team, and other experts like Brian Hoyer of ShieldedHealing.com who created the first zero-EMF sauna https://shieldedhealing.com/products/incandescant-nir-sauna. We need computer that have monitors that no longer emit high magnetic fields which are harming us, and we need low electric and magnetic fields throughout the unit!! Mudita help this dream become a reality, with a safe e-ink display!
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There was a team of several people in Minnesota in 2004 who created a dozen or more zero-EMF laptops…everything was shielded and zero- EMF, including the power supply, but they didn’t have the funds to go to the next step. It was called The Elemi (sp?) project. One of the people involved in this project is named Frank DiCristina https://buildingbiologyinstitute.org/find-an-expert/certified-consultants/building-biology-environmental-consultants/frank-dicristina-bbec/. We need to get him and the rest of his team connected with the Mudita Team, and other experts like Brian Hoyer of ShieldedHealing.com who created the first zero-EMF sauna https://shieldedhealing.com/products/incandescant-nir-sauna. We need computers that have monitors that no longer emit high magnetic fields which are harming us, and we need low electric and magnetic fields throughout the unit!! Mudita help this dream become a reality, with a safe e-ink display!
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Dear Felicia,
Thank you for your comment and for sharing all this information.
It is very interesting and for sure we will take a look. 
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Thank you Joanna, I spoke to Frank Dicristina yesterday on the phone and told him about your company. He said he would love to connect. You have his information, and now he has your website information. I hope you and he and Brian Hoyer and Pawel Wypychowski can all connect and work together. Pawel is in Poland I believe, so I hope you can connect with him regardless, if you haven’t already. https://www.patreon.com/pawelwypychowski Pawel’s interviews are so interesting and uplifting.
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You are wonderful @Felicia_Hobert!
I’m happy that you joined our Forum. We will try our best to contact Mr. Frank DiCristina, Mr. Brian Hoyer and Mr. Pawel Wypychowski.
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I’m very behind this idea. I’d been working on ideas to kind of hack one together with a Raspberry Pi when I stumbled across that laptop design above, and eventually stumbled onto all of this! I think implementing it as more of a 2-in-1 design/e-reader or an E-reader accessory might be more straightforward than a whole dedicated laptop, but I’m still working out a lot of ideas in my head for my own more rudimentary DIY design. Might share some of that here as I sketch things up and work on it.
An edit with some general thoughts since my post:
- Keyboard cover with a 2-in-1 style case might afford a dual purpose. Add in the keyboard as well as external battery supply and extra USB-C ports for connectivity and other features all in one unit.
- To keep things simple and keep costs down forgo pogo pins or bluetooth and have it connect to a main tablet section (e-reader/e-note device) with the usb-c connector on the tablet itself. I’ll sketch out a rough idea of what I mean when I get a chance to, but the USB-C expansion through this will be key to some convenience and functionality additions that I’m sure people would appreciate having included in the device.
- Keyboard cover as a full dock as opposed to a “floppy” cover. Less Surface Pro, more Yoga Book. Give it a full folding hinge that can swing back behind the display, but is sturdy enough to be set down and used as a laptop without a kickstand. Maybe a sturdy housing that closes around the tablet piece and plugs into the USB-C connector. The battery and keyboard mentioned above should provide more weight than the tablet itself in order to ensure the hinge remains sturdy enough and it feels like you’re using a proper computer.
- Main device a USB-C powered e-note/e-reader. 10" or 14" display. I’m leaning towards the low end of 10" as this is used in many small tablet form factors and still affords enough room (just) for a full qwerty layout with respectably sized keys, while also being small enough and accessible enough for most people to carry without a keyboard attachment and use as a tablet alone. 14" is mentioned for the same reason there’s a larger iPad Pro in Apple’s lineup: Appeal to the artists out there. More screen real estate to sketch with, always a plus for those who want it for that purpose.
- Sync, get updates, access the internet, all through usb-c connection with the Pure or another model of Mudita Phone if one were to present itself. Also provides a space to access podcasts/music services and get those downloads, and even act as a backup device for the Pure. No internal WiFi. Uses hard connections via USB-C to phone or adapters for Ethernet.
- This could be facilitated through either of the added USB-C ports in the case, one on either side I imagine, so that there’s always a free port for charging along with the convenience of being able to charge from either side of the device in this form.
- Lightweight Linux implementation (a Mudita Desktop OS, if you will) with basic tools, a lot of the same basic functionalities as the Pure. Limited scope in that mode. Add some drawing tools, some writing tools, all as optional app toggles in settings (cut down on the need for a shop or repository for applications to download from, everything prepackaged or bundled in with updates). Can connect to sister devices with USB-C for local area sharing/networking and collaboration on projects. All in keeping with making these devices as free of wireless connections or a need for them as possible.
- Optional developer mode in settings. Once enabled grants terminal access, a full web browser (something privacy respecting), and allows developers to add external repositories, download Linux apps, etc. It also makes the produce capable of becoming more of a full computing experience for those who really want it (people who like the form factor and function but want a “PC”). How workable or realistic this idea is might vary, and probably depends more than a little on the processor being used. Not sure about the availability of good apps that aren’t x86 for this purpose, and running on an ARM processor I feel is a more reasonable choice than turning towards Intel or AMD’s more powerful and power hungry processors for a device like this. Still, having a text editor like Atom or other Linux developer tools as an accessible option I think is important. Why?
- Ecosystem. This is a very important word in tech, and I think one that has it’s value grossly overlooked. Why do I say this? Apple. This is why Apple succeeds. A tightly controlled development, focused software for hardware relationship, all designed to communicate and work with each other natively, leading to a very natural use case and a consistency across devices and even operating systems, and all needs being met by one device or another. Give the developers the tools they need to build apps, projects, ideas, and improve Mudita’s products FROM a Mudita product. Their test platform can then be the very platform they’re coding on. I feel this fits in with the open-source philosophy as well.
While a final product might seem expensive in terms of the keyboard itself (making these kinds of keyboards customized for a specific product is no small task, it’s no wonder Tablet PC keyboards can be expensive for what they offer) this takes one product (a tablet) and makes it two (a tablet and a laptop) one of which is entirely optional as an upgrade to the other. It’s also open to people to provide their own usb-c compatible keyboard or adapters and use a traditional flip cover that folds into a stand to get the same functionality, if they wish. It’s not a product anyone feels “forced” into.
And of course if I’m going to be talking about ecosystem eventually I’m going to point to that one product category that none of these forum posts have seemed to mention yet; Wearables. One thing at a time though, and each in their own place (and thread). I’ll mull some ideas over before I put up my thoughts on the wearable front.
I’d add more or throw in some sketches faster, but while I am currently on leave from work and thus enjoying a bountiful amount of “free time”, I’m also the father of a very energetic toddler. His naps only last so long. I hope to have some time between tonight and maybe an hour early tomorrow morning that will afford some mucking about with pencil sketches or maybe even a quick mock-up in Blender if I can manage it.
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It would be wonderful. Thank you!
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A couple changes so far from prior ideas (and after making some terrible sketches, I’m no artist). Firstly, Tablet and Keyboard I think are just going to be their own units. An e-note and an accompanying optional cover or keyboard case. Not exactly 2-in-1 but does prop it up into a laptop form factor with the keyboard. I think it’s easy enough to just remove and use as a drawing tablet if you wish, and the idea in my design for the keyboard should make a comfortable place to rest it on your own if that’s the intent. This device probably has more of an artist or writer target market, or just people who prefer the larger format for reading and other light activities. I think I’m inclined to still lean towards a linux implementation here of some sort, or even an “upgraded” RTOS based off the software running on the Pure (I have no idea how possible this actually is, just kind of throwing ideas around, but simplicity in both form and function I think is a key part of this line of products so it may make sense).
The laptop will be it’s own separate design. I’m aiming for a healthy middle ground with this, as I see benefits to laptops in various form factors and of different sizes (I sell my current machine and purchase a new computer, often even running different operating systems, about once a year just to try out new devices and ideas different companies have. I can’t fully express my love of some of the creativity I find in this industry well enough). I think as a device that may be used by developers but also by casual users and writers there need to be a few simple considerations.
- Size is important. While a developer might make use of more screen real estate or multiple windows, the average user is probably looking to this device as a simple and straightforward home computer with limited functionality, in line with the other Mudita products. If the aim is to reduce clutter in our digital lives, we need to reduce this in the device as well.
- For most users (average “I just need a computer” people) I’d usually recommend a 13" laptop form factor. This has changed slightly in recent years with the reduction of bezels in a computer frame, and I honestly see no reason to not aim for the same here, meaning either a smaller device or a 14" screen. Part of my aim is also keeping costs down, so avoiding the need for a “custom” e-ink display is important as e-ink is generally a little more expensive in the first place. With that in mind, and looking at what’s currently available on the market, that leaves me with the smaller device option and a 13.3" screen.
- “But developers need screen real estate!” you say? “Productivity can be improved when I have a second monitor to work from!” I wholeheartedly agree. The solution? Implement a software feature allowing the tablet to act as a secondary display over the USB-C cable while connected to the laptop. Voila. Two screens.
- Trackpads! What are they good for, absolutely… something, I’m sure. While I was inclined at first to just eliminate this and go with some simple and straightforward form of keyboard navigation, the ability to point and click somewhere in my mess of a paragraph to make edits is just too important to pass up. A decent trackpad feels like a must. Maybe it doesn’t NEED to be used to navigate, but the option being there I think is just a kindness to the user and to those who are familiar with it. I do think the pointer icon needs to be something non-traditional though. Smooth and rounded, just like the devices. Less sharp. Something to consider and workshop, I guess.
- Aim for 1mm key travel, keyboard typing experience needs to be a priority. I can’t stress this enough. As a writer in my heart, first and foremost, the typing experience on a computer can make or break a machine to me. The feedback needs to be responsive, I need that tactile feeling, tapping a piece of plastic that barely moves drives me nuts, and wobbly keys or noticeable keyboard flex stand out to me. I’m sure software devs feel the same. When I think of excellent keyboards my mind immediately jumps to the magic keyboard on the iMac and newer Macbooks, the keyboard on the Dell XPS, or Lenovo’s Thinkpad line (god, if only every keyboard could be a Thinkpad keyboard). I do think there’s a room for a little “originality” here, though. I admit to being a little partial to the round key design, more like a traditional typewriter and in my most recent memory, similar to what was on the Google’s in-house Pixel Slate keyboard. While I have my complaints about that keyboard cover’s design (and most tablet PC keyboards), the shape of the keys and the feel of them wasn’t just unique, but once I’d adapted to it I thought was actually rather enjoyable. That style of key in a full laptop form would be a delight for me to see, and as an added bonus, could possibly have the appearance and feeling of a concave take on the buttons used for the Pure (ah, symmetry in design language).
- Speaking of symmetry in design language, I’m trying to keep the form as similar to the Pure as I can as I work on these (hopefully by the end of the week I’ll have something visual for you if I can manage it). The body reminds me of a smooth stone, the keys almost make me think of go-ishi (the stones used in the game of Go). I want to keep that across the designs, but also be aware of the kinds of expectations in modern products. While the tablet will be larger than the phone or a smartphone, it’s going to be a bit thinner as well. The laptop, on the other hand, can have a little bit of thickness and weight to it while still being thin enough to be considered an “ultrabook”. Luckily, looking at products in that category, taking aim at the same thickness as the Mudita Pure isn’t as unreasonable for this machine as it might be with a lightweight tablet (which needs to be thinner to help cut down on that heft). Having something that feels solid and has some weight to it can be a comfort in this device. It also allows a feeling of congruence with the Pure when connected for syncing or temporary network access, with both devices laying flat on a desk being so aligned that you could rest another object atop them and have it lay flat. I think that would catch peoples attention.
- For the tablet cover I’m working on a design that should feel reminiscent of a Composition Notebook for both the basic cover and the keyboard stand. At the same time I’m thinking about the materials (likely some cloth on the outside, again aiming to keep that design language across the products, keep the same product colors. For the cast I’m thinking the binding would match the Charcoal Black, the cloth of the cover that makes up the rest would be a gradient in the middle of the Charcoal Black and Pebble gray in tone. This would mean when in use with a Charcoal black device there’s a nice two tone switch, and with the Pebble Gray we get a pleasant flow from dark to light as well as that illusion of an actual notebook filled with paper. The logo on the “front” cover would be placed so that when looking at it vertically it appears as a regular notebook, either in the upper section, larger and centered like a composition book, or in the lower right hand corner (no real reason here other than when considering a corner placement and smaller logo for that minimalist appeal, this was the placement I felt looked the “best”). This would then be facing down towards the table when opened and a keyboard is in use. For the keyboard cover variation the back would also have the logo (smaller and I’m feeling like somewhere in the upper left corner) so that it appears normally from the back when in use as a laptop.
Just a few updates to my prior thoughts, still working on this in the free moments I have. Hoping to have something more substantial relatively soon, depending on how much work I’m able to put into it. I’ve always enjoyed sketching up ideas for devices like this as a sort of hobby, so this is good fun for me to work on.
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For people interested in lowering electromagnetic exposure there are also WiFi routers with minimised radiation https://www.jrseco.com/ (I’m not affiliated with them).
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