Archive for the ‘Color eReaders’ Category
Two more epaper technologies fail no comments
Plastic Logic, whose large format flexible screened Que ereader made a big splash at CES 2010 before being canceled after the launch of the first iPad, and who most recently had an educational ereader using its novel plastic electronics in trials at a few Russian schools, has abandoned plans to manufacture its own ereader and will instead focus on licensing its technology out to others. Plastic Logic had just unveiled a new color epaper it had developed, but which now may well never see the light of day. (Via Financial Times)
Now comes word (via DigiTimes) that Delta Electronics and Bridgestone have given up on producing their much delayed QR-LPD color epaper. Delta had already said some time ago that it had suspended plans for releasing an ereader based on the color epaper created by Bridgestone, but would continue conducting R&D on the technology. Reasons cited include the much lower price of LCD displays and the fierce competition between devices.
The ready adoption of LCD displays by consumers has torpedoed the development of non-backlit color displays and flexible screen technology. These technologies are very expensive to develop and devices using them are seemingly impossible to deliver to market at a price that is competitive with LCD. Sure, there are users who really, really want a good reflective color display – but apparently not enough of them who are willing to pay the higher price to support such devices. I’m guessing that the only way we will see an ereader with color epaper hit the market and have a chance of success is if Amazon or another content-centric company releases it at near or below cost.
Samsung supposedly will put the electrowetting display technology it acquired from Liquavista into production next year. I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns into a no-show as well, but my fingers remain crossed.
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Glow in the dark Kindle incoming; Color Kindle probably not no comments
A source has reportedly told Reuters that a front-lit Kindle is in production and will be launched in July. Although Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight was the first ereader with a front-lit screen to hit the market (not counting Sony’s PRS-700 a few years ago), expectations have been that Amazon had its own similar glow-in-the-dark ereader in the works. According to Reuters’ source the pricing should be very similar to the current Kindle Touch.
The article also throws cold water on the rumor from last week that Amazon would be releasing a color Kindle using E Ink’s Triton display. That particular rumor did seem rather suspect. Besides the questionable readiness of E Ink’s color EPD display for prime time and mass production, I think it is also questionable whether a large enough market now exists to support the release of a Kindle with a reflective color display unless it could be delivered at under $200.
While such a device could be very important for some users (scientists, technicians and students who need to view a lot of documents with color graphics or fans of graphic novels, for example), I wonder if there is enough demand to make for more than a niche market, since most users seem content with backlit LCD displays, which are cheaper and with their more vibrant colors and faster response times are better for things like web browsing and gaming.
Perhaps a color display would make a sensible option for a next generation Kindle DX, as the larger screen format is also useful for the type of user I imagine would most want a reflective color display and be willing to pay for it. Many Kindle owners who just want to use their ereader for reading normal ebooks with few or no illustrations probably are not interested in paying a significant premium for a color e-ink screen. If E Ink Holdings could get the cost down to almost the same level as the current monochrome displays that would be another matter.
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Amazon to release color Kindle ereader this year? no comments
Digitimes is reporting (or rumoring) that Amazon will likely release a color Kindle utilizing a color EPD from E Ink Holdings in the second half of this year. According to the report, Amazon will be ditching the Neonode IR touchscreen used in the Kindle Touch and instead use a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen for the new ereader.
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An electrowetting-based ereader in 2013? no comments
We may see a color ereader based on electrowetting display technology next year, according to Johan Feenstra, CEO of Samsung LCD Netherlands R & D Center (SNRC), who spoke at an event in the Netherlands yesterday. According to Feenstra, the display is ready for mass production. Samsung acquired the technology when it bought Liquavista at the beginning of 2011.
Personally, I preferred the appearance of the electrowetting display demos over the Mirasol displays I saw at CES. The colors were somewhat muted and not as vibrant, but the electrowetting displays looked better suited to ereading to me. Of course, a successful ereader is not just a shiny piece of hardware — it must be supported by a plentiful and competitively priced source of ebooks. If the display is used in an ereader that is connected to the Nook Store or in a color Kindle it could be successful in the North American market.
Or could it? Most users who want color seem to be happy with LCD displays which, with their more vibrant colors, are better suited for use with video and photos, gaming and other uses where color is important. Color is less important to long-form readers. I think this might be a tough sell now, at least in the US. If Liquavista could have launched this display in a pre-iPad (not to mention pre-Nook Color and Kindle Fire) world I think it probably would have had a much better chance of success.
(source: ereaders.nl)
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Mirasol-based ereader launched in Korea no comments
Kyobo Book Centre, Korea’s largest bookseller, has launched a new color ereader utilizing Qualcomm’s mirasol display. 
Unlike LCD displays, mirasol display technology is reflective rather than backlit and therefore has the potential to be used in color ereaders and tablets that are easier on the eyes than those with LCD displays. Sunlight is also no enemy of mirasol, which is completely viewable under bright lighting conditions. Like other reflective display technologies, mirasol also enjoys excellent battery life.
The Kyobo e-Reader features a 5.7-inch mirasol touchscreen display in XGA format (1024 x 768) with a resolution of 223 ppi. The new ereader runs a customized version of Android 2.3 on Qualcomm’s 1.0 GHz Snapdragon S2 processor.
Size of the device is 6.85 x 4.68 x .51 inches and it weighs just under 12 ounces. Slightly smaller and a couple of ounces lighter than the Kindle Fire.
The Kyobo e-Reader is priced at KRW349,000 ($310 USD), with discounts for members of Kyobo’s loyalty program. Kyobo’s ebookstore currently has around 90,000 titles.
Last year there was speculation that Amazon or another large player would launch a color ereader with a mirasol display, which of course didn’t happen. The last mirasol demos I saw were at SID 2011 and included a number of simulated ereading apps. I was rather disappointed by the readability; most of the demos I had seen prior to that concentrated on mirasol’s skills at displaying color images. Indeed, shortly after SID, Qualcomm canceled plans for a mirasol-based ereader that probably would have been out by now. Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said at the time that he was not happy using the then current generation of mirasol in the planned ereader.
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Delta to begin production of QR-LPD color epaper this year? no comments
You may remember QR-LPD (quick response liquid powder display), the color epaper display developed by Bridgestone under the brand name AeroBee and to be used in color ereaders manufactured and marketed by Delta Electronics? There were reports a few months ago that Delta had shelved plans to release a QR-LPD based ereader but would continue its R&D efforts on the technology.
Today the Taiwan Economic News is reporting (based on reports by a Japanese news agency) that Delta and Bridgestone now plan to go ahead with production of QR-LPD epaper displays in a variety of sizes by the end of the year. According to the report, an 8.2-inch display will be used in an ereader that will be the first to feature Chinese handwriting recognition.
I remember being less than impressed with the QR-LPD prototypes that Delta had on display at CES. The page refresh rate seemed much too slow to me for use in an ereader — hopefully Delta has been able to improve this. Otherwise I would imagine that the display has more potential for success in the signage and advertising industries.
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PocketBook unveils new reader tablet no comments
PocketBook International is introducing a new color reading tablet at IFA 2011 in Berlin. The new tablet, dubbed the PocketBook A 10, features a 10-inch TFT screen and runs Android 2.3.4.
Some of the features of the PocketBook A 10:
- 10-inch TFT display; 1024 x 768 resolution; Multitouch capacitive touchscreen.
- Processor: TI OMAP 3621 – 1GHz.
- Memory: 4GB; MicroSD card slot (up to 32GB).
- Dimensions: 207 x 244 x 15 mm (8.15 x 9.6 x .6 inches); Weight is 670 g (23.6 ounces).
- Battery life is around 6 hours or slightly more, depending on usage.
- Plays music (MP3, WAV) and video (AVI, MKV, MP4).
- Built-in accelerometer.
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional 3G.
- Internet browser and email client.
- Text-to-Speech function.
- Microphone; 2Mp front-facing webcam.
The PocketBook A 10 has a black and white casing. The back is not flat but has a raised portion that is designed to make the tablet more ergonomic. The TTS feature supports multiple languages and the A 10 comes with 47 built-in dictionaries for definition and translation. The release from PocketBook says that the tablet will have access to the Android Market, but since the A 10 is running Gingerbread I’m not sure how that will work. Pricing TBA.
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New Pandigital Nova ereader/tablet at Best Buy no comments
Best Buy is listing a new reading tablet from Pandigital. The Nova features a 7-inch LCD touchscreen (600 x 800 resolution) and runs Android 2.3. 
As with the other Pandigital ereaders, the Barnes & Noble Nook ebookstore is integrated. The Pandigital Nova is priced at $169.99 and is currently shown as expected to ship in 1-2 weeks.
Some of the Nova ereader’s other features:
- MicroSD card slot.
- Mini USB 2.0 port.
- Wi-Fi (802/11b/g/n).
- 4GB internal memory.
- Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.25 x .5 inches; weighs 13.8 ounces.
Update: The Nova is one of three new 7-inch tablets from Pandigital. The other two run Android 2.2 and are named the Planet and the Star. Pandigital also says it will announce a fourth tablet in September.
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Fujitsu demos newest color epaper no comments
Fujitsu showed off the latest version of its color epaper at the International Digital Publishing Forum last week. The display appears to be faster and the colors more vibrant than previous versions. The prototype is also thinner and lighter than the displays previously used in Fujitsu’s FLEPia color ereaders. Fujitsu is now using Linux rather than Windows to operate the display.
The video below is from DigInfo TV.
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Qualcomm takes Mirasol ereader back to the drawing board no comments
Pocket-lint is reporting that Qualcomm has canceled an ereader product using
the Mirasol display that was planned for this year. Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs is quoted as saying that he wasn’t happy with the product and decided not to launch it with the current generation of Mirasol. Jacobs also said that the planned device was “a low volume ereader product,” which I’m interpreting as meaning it would have been quite expensive.
Qualcomm is continuing work on the technology and hopefully we will see devices using an improved version of this low-powered reflective color display, but that’s not likely this year.
Most of the prototypes I’ve seen were flaunting the Mirasol display’s prowess at showing color images, but at SID 2011 I got a good look at a Mirasol demo running an ebook simulation. It did seem to me that while Mirasol’s reflective color display is quite good at color graphics, it is not as good as e-ink for reading ebooks.
This bit of news probably lends more credence to the rumors that Amazon is using an LCD screen for a forthcoming tablet.
