Compal AI Book Concept: A Laptop with an E Ink Palm Rest and Stylus Support

Dual-screen laptops have been around for a while, but the Compal AI Book concept laptop combines two screens in an unusual way. Instead of a palm rest and touchpad, below the keyboard there's a color E Ink touchscreen display with support for stylus input. You can use this screen like a touchpad, but you can also use it to write notes with a digital pen, make drawings, or view content… even when the laptop's screen is closed.

That's because the E Ink display is designed to extend out a tiny bit when the lid is closed, giving you a slim strip of ePaper that can display notifications or other content. Since E Ink can display a static image indefinitely without consuming any power, this works even when the laptop is turned off. The E Ink screen is also attached to the laptop with a hinge that lets you flip it outward so that it's visible even when the laptop is closed and the primary screen isn't visible.

Compal is a company that manufactures laptops, tablets, phones, and other devices including TVs and wearables for a wide range of clients including Apple, Acer, Dell, Framework, and Lenovo. It's unclear if the Compal AI Book will ever be anything more than a concept. Compal recently won an IF Design Guide award for the concept, but the company often submits far-out concept designs for considerations for the award, and few of them have actually become real products that you can buy.

But it's always interesting to see the company's vision of what's possible for current or next-gen PCs. Unfortunately, as the name of this concept laptop suggests, part of that vision includes AI… for no particularly good reason. The IF Design Award description notes that you can display "AI-generated content" on the E Ink screen, but given that you can also display that on your phone, tablet, laptop screen, or just about any other display these days, that's hardly a point of distinction. At this point, a screen that's incapable of displaying AI content would be much more interesting.

The concept raises interesting questions about the future of laptop design and the potential for E Ink technology in computing devices. While the AI integration feels tacked on, the core idea of an E Ink palm rest with stylus support could offer genuine utility for students, artists, and professionals who need to take notes or sketch ideas quickly without opening their laptop or draining battery life.

Would you find an E Ink palm rest useful on a laptop? Let us know in the comments below.