Sony may soon offer an affordable alternative for transitioning from paper notebooks and textbooks to digital solutions. According to a Japanese press release, the company is developing a 13.3-inch flexible e-reader called Digital Paper. Designed for use in classrooms, the grayscale reader weighs about 0.78 pounds, is a mere 7mm thick, features a touch capable 1,200 x 1,600 pixel display and includes Wi-Fi, 4GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot.

The flexible screen for the Digital Paper device will be manufactured by E Ink, which is based in the U.S.

“Through actions such as replacing paper texts and materials used in universities with ‘Digital Paper,’ we aim to make classes more efficient and increase the learning effectiveness,” explained Sony in the press release.

Since the company is focusing on use in schools and universities, it is expected that Digital Paper will cost less than current tablets and e-readers.

“Digital Paper is capable of handling PDF format, but also supports file creation,” reports Digital Trends. “Users can highlight and take notes within documents, and potentially share notes with classmates via Wi-Fi. The device also comes with a stylus that attaches on the side. Oh, and the good news is this Digital Paper prototype touts three weeks of battery life, which could be extremely useful for students in developing countries who don’t have access to electricity at all times.”

“The company said it will market the device as a ‘solution’ rather than a consumer product, meaning it will likely be sold in bulk and along with cloud hosting and other support,” notes TechHive.

The device is scheduled for March 2014 availability. In the meanwhile, Sony plans to test the e-reader at major universities in Japan.