Yes, PaperTerm is niche, but the more you look around, the more you see people suggesting a portable terminal-only device, so I don't think the niche is all too tiny. The e-ink screen and battery life are the killer features.
Plenty of us around here basically live in the terminal and if such a device existed at a reasonable price, I think uptake would be pretty good. It presents itself as a tool, not a do-everything panacea. It could be extended in small ways to fit the distraction-free-writing crowd and the like without compromising on its killer features. Basically a tool for a few niches--sysadmins/devops, developers, embedded device communications, distraction-free writing. Put a good terminal-based browser on a server (e.g., further develop brow.sh) and it opens up a huge number of other niches.
Plenty of us around here basically live in the terminal and if such a device existed at a reasonable price, I think uptake would be pretty good. It presents itself as a tool, not a do-everything panacea. It could be extended in small ways to fit the distraction-free-writing crowd and the like without compromising on its killer features. Basically a tool for a few niches--sysadmins/devops, developers, embedded device communications, distraction-free writing. Put a good terminal-based browser on a server (e.g., further develop brow.sh) and it opens up a huge number of other niches.