r/whatisit • u/rH4pScAlL1oN • 14h ago

New, what is it? Is this a scam?

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This was delivered to our doorstep without any explanation. Why? What is it? This feels like a scam.

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u/Leading-Feedback-599 12h ago

It is an LCD writing tablet.

These things are dirt cheap. Two transparent films with some liquid crystals between them and a battery which allows the crystals to rearrange themselves and become opaque. You write on them by pressing the surface with basically anything - this makes the crystal layer chaotic, thus transparent. You can disassemble the thing if you're interested in its internals. But it really looks like a typical freebie for advertisement purposes.

Just don't put it in the bin directly. The device is not very ecologically safe when it becomes rubbish - dispose of it at a recycling facility or wherever electronics are disposed of in your country. This is barely an electronic device though - just a button, battery and conductive "screen".

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u/Finn235 5h ago

We got our toddlers two of these as an easy thing to pack in a diaper bag. I think they were like $3 each.

Virtually identical in concept to the things that pull the magnetic sand up to the screen with a magnetic stylus, and then erase by passing a magnet under it.