We had a sneaking suspicion that it was too good to be true, and now
Plastic Logic has stepped forward to officially kill our pipe dreams. Just days ago, the web was set ablaze when a Barnes & Noble representative mistakenly (or deliberately, for all we know) stated that a Plastic Logic-sourced
color e-reader was on track for a Spring 2010 release. Today, the aforesaid outfit has stated that the video report was "inaccurate and the individual (who was apparently filmed while attending a trade show was not an authorized Barnes & Noble spokesperson) was misinformed." Continuing on, we're told that while "color is on Plastic Logic's roadmap, it is not on the map for the Spring of 2010." Welp, that settles that... unfortunately.
[Thanks, Charlie]
posted Oct 13th 2009 12:21PM
officially not that disappointed
then why is the dude wearing a Barnes and Noble shirt?
Welp, I don't care.
SPRINT 2010!? OH EM GEE!
you know .. the new sprint ... Sprint PCS got old so how bout Spring 2010? .. haha
i meant Sprint 2010... I even typo'd a typo ... wow ..
Let's Bring on the color already
Still, color eReaders are just around the corner:
Perhaps a color Coo-er eReader in January?
"Interead (maker of the Cool-er device) plans to unveil new features, including wireless capabilities and color electronic ink, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, he said."
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/10/07/kindle-rival-cool-er-to-hit-qvc/?mod=dist_smartbrief
I lol'd at the picture
i meant Sprint 2010... I even typo'd a typo ... wow ..
I think they are just pulling a Sony. They don't want people holding off buying one now. Then when the color ones come out you get to buy another one.
Unlikely. We haven't even seen a tech demo of a colour e-ink screen yet. Besides I'd rather have a higher DPI black & white screen. I honestly don't see the fuss about colour. Almost nothing I read needs it - manuals, books, sheet music, newspapers, most scientific papers & most textbooks are or can easily get away with greyscale.
And no one heard about the PS3 slim until about right before it came out.
I think a colored reader would be perfect for kids books with pictures and drawings. Also there are plenty of wildlife and nature books that need color for identifying species. Books on home decorating.... Hundreds of reasons to have color.
You'll get a hearty response about color from the people who don't read books, but who really want to read their pirated manga on an e-reader.
Most people who have an e-reader would agree with you, though; There's no need for color. Most novels and non-fiction books don't have any color in them aside from the dustcover.
Mangas are usually (except covers, and maybe the first couple of pages) in black and white anyway, magazines, comics, and textbooks could all benefit more. Manga would primarily benefit from a higher dpi due to some of the really tiny writing used.
PlasticLogic is pure vaporware at the moment anyway. Great promo videos and boasting for a product no one actually has.
They act like they're the Second Coming, yet they have nothing to show for it.
I just don't see how some unknown company is going to come along and blow away Sony, which has been praying at the temple of e-Ink for years now.
So, not having a color e-Ink unit is hardly surprising. They don't even have a B/W one!
Surely it's not vaporware if there are working prototypes? The only things holding this back are software tweaking and marketing plans. If Sony has a thin, light, touchscreen ereader the same size as the PL one, sign me up. I love my Sony Reader. But there's nothing on the horizon that fits my needs like this will do in Jan '10.
Plastic Logic's device will be launched at CES in January
Ok. I knew this was going to happen. I have been watching Plastic Logic since I first learned of them - here on Engadget. I am starting to think that they will be bought before they deliver a product. Or someone else will deliver something equally compelling.
I will have to settle until someone produces a 10+ inch, color, writeable, e-ink display. I only want the damn thing so that I can stop printing so much. There are only a few books on the market that I'd read with one of these things. Color would be ideal.
VaporWare definition - hacker
In the Computer Underground (CU), it is a sarcastic term designating software or hardware that has been announced by vendors but is not yet available on the market.
vaporware definition - computer
Hardware that is not yet in production, but the announced delivery date has long since passed. At times, hardware vendors are criticized for intentionally producing vaporware in order to keep customers from switching to competitive products that offer more features. However, programmers are notorious for being awful estimators of time. As a result, shipping dates often slip over and over again.
Sometimes, the gap between management and technical staff in hardware companies is just as large as in user organizations. Dates slip because the project is not managed properly, which can be caused by management's lack of understanding of the scope of the project as well as a lack of knowledge of the competence of the technical staff. In addition, as hardware projects progress from stage to stage, new functions and changes always seem to creep in.
Andrew.I.Wood -- of course you're going to say that. It sounds very much like you work for PL. **cough, cough** MEIZU **cough, cough**
Anyhow, who wants a read that's that big. The whole charm of e-book readers is the small form-factor (like a paperback book). Sure, as a textbook replacement or something requiring diagrams and graphics, one might wish for something large, but not for "books" (i.e. novels, biographies, and the like). The large format Kindle is failing in its intended markets, from what I've read.