When Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs killed the first 5.7-inch Mirasol e-reader and both the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet opted for LCDs, we figured a color e-paper device wasn't in the cards for Christmas this year. Well, it still isn't, at least for us, because South Korea is an expensive plane ride away, but Qualcomm's indeed delivered a Mirasol e-reader to that particular nation. The Kyobo e-Reader (not to be confused with Kobo) has the allegedly canceled 5.7-inch, 1024 x 768 resolution Mirasol panel on board with a respectable 223ppi and touchscreen, as well as a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 (single-core) processor running Android 2.3. The device claims to allow "weeks of reading" on a charge, assuming you set the back front light to 25 percent brightness and spend only 30 minutes reading every day. Qualcomm says you can find it on sale in South Korea today for 349,000 won, or about $305 in American currency. Video below!
Mirasol color e-reader finally a commercial reality, at least in South Korea
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Comments
I don’t know about everyone’s opinion on color e-ink, but this is so exciting to see! I’m glad to see the push for e-reader display development is moving along.
How about a review of Kyobo, The Verge?
Posted on Nov 21, 2011 | 10:53 PM EST reply Recommend (7) Flag actions
To me, the constant vendor push of inefficient and wasteful technology practices for the purpose of bling and “spec” one-upping is nothing short of irresponsible.
Software and hardware designers have become increasingly lazy in the rush to shove new products out the door. Or at least, their Dev Leads and Product Managers are irresponsible.
This tech is ready and exceptional. It would have been brilliant for Amazon to launch it in the Fire, distinguishing themselves from the competition in the key area of battery life. Instead, they decided to dance with The Apple head on with an IPS display. Now, while it would be brilliant for the iPad3 or Kindle Fire II to step up this game, I have my doubts that they will for the next rev’s.
Sad, for a nation, world, and culture that never ceases to find new ways to waste the energy they don’t have. It will come, with time. It has to, to hit anything close to saturation. However, failing to rapidly adopt such technologies soon will cost us precious years of adoption, and dearly for energy costs.
Posted on Dec 03, 2011 | 11:55 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
This sort of screen isn’t all that great for full motion video; refresh rates are more around 10-15fps, not the 24-30 you’d need for streaming TV shows and movies.
Posted on Dec 08, 2011 | 12:37 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I want that screen on my Kindle Touch so badly.
Posted on Nov 21, 2011 | 11:52 PM EST reply Recommend (2) Flag actions
New display technology, like this, is badly needed in the gadget world.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 12:05 AM EST reply Recommend (2) Flag actions
Watching that video was…. like porn; I just had a nerdgasm.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:00 AM EST reply Recommend (3) Flag actions
Please, Amazon, next year make the Kindle Colour. Or replace the Kindle and Kindle Touch with something like this. Please?
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:42 AM EST reply Recommend (3) Flag actions
text discription mentions a backlight :s, isnt the best thing about e ink is it isnt a light emitting device?
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:46 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
The theory on mirasol is that it is an LCD, but that it can still be seen if you turn the backlight off. It’s supposedly reflective in that state, much like e-ink.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 2:59 AM EST reply Recommend (1) Flag actions
Front light. My bad.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:24 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Backlight? Is this some sort of e-ink hybrid thing?
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:58 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I don’t know what it is but it looks damn good. If the price gets down it could be a perfect reader with Kindle app.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 3:33 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
FYI, Kyobo is a big name book retailer in Korea. Like a B&N or what Borders used to be, therefore perhaps one could use this as a direct analogy to the Nook.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 10:42 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Wait, it has a backlight? I thought the whole point of e-ink was that it was a purely reflective display and didn’t need a backlight. Also, there was some pretty bad graphical tearing and refresh artifacts in that video.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 10:47 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Oh, Mirasol isn’t e-ink at all. It’s a different kind of bi-stable electromechanical display that uses a membrane instead of charged ink droplets.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 10:48 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Also, “backlight” was my mistake. The device has a front light.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:25 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
It is reflective. The screen is made up of really tiny reflective surfaces which turn at different angles to reflect different color light. The frame rate is slow because of the mechanical nature of the pixels. Slow framerate of Mirasol displays are a known, that’s why they are intended for e-readers and not tablets.
Posted on Nov 22, 2011 | 1:32 PM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
Here’s hoping by the time I feel like upgrading from my
Kindle 3Kindle Keyboard there’ll be a decent eReader on the market that sports one of these displays.Posted on Nov 23, 2011 | 4:34 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
I can see how Apple makes an iPad / Reader with that techology. That would be nice.
Posted on Nov 23, 2011 | 11:46 AM EST reply Recommend Flag actions
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