Build Log · Story
How Newsboard started
Newsboard is a 7.8-inch e-ink display that shows the day’s news as a front page. I’m building it on my own, in Singapore.
Newsboard started from a problem I'd faced many times. Again and again I downloaded every kind of news app on my phone, and they always ended up collecting dust on my home screen after a week. Why would I tap on a boring news app when TikTok or Instagram is sitting right next to it?
Eventually I decided enough was enough. I'd start reading physical newspapers, and so my newspaper journey began. I wasn't committed enough for a daily subscription, so I went to the store every day and collected the papers myself.
But it always felt off, like I was missing something. Things were happening right now and being reported right now, and I was still reading yesterday's news. I'd compare the paper to a news app on my phone and get this feeling of dread about being left behind.
The world around me doesn't wait. It really doesn't care whether I've finished my little newspaper before it carries on with its hectic daily ride.
Getting the paper was annoying too. Without a subscription delivered to your door, you have to go to the supermarket or your local 7-Eleven and decide which publisher you want to trust. If they're all out of stock, bad luck. Newspapers also aren't tailored to your own taste in news. Soon this problem was really bugging me.
So I decided to create Newsboard: something that still carries the DNA of the newspaper, but in a more modern form. I found I read more news and knew more about what was happening in the world, and I was less distracted. All it takes is the right headline and a glance for you to get interested enough to read the story.
I know what people think: "Oh, there's still an app I have to go through just to see the full news article, so what's the point?" I understand that view, and I agree with it. In today's world it's hard to escape the mountain of notifications and distractions, and Newsboard can never solve that.
What it solves is having to keep a screen open just to see the news that will get you reading. What it solves is how hard it is to get into the habit of reading the news. What it solves is teaching people that news can be interesting when it's shown the right way. And what it solves is that empty space on your desk, waiting for something fu**ing sexy.
If you'd like one for your own desk, the reserve list is on the home page.