Delta Electronics to ship 13.1-inch color e-readers by Q2 2010
By Darren Murph 
posted January 27th 2010 10:14AM
posted January 27th 2010 10:14AM
It's a funny thing, really. We wait years upon years for color e-ink to become a reality, and today -- of all days -- we finally hear that a sizable one is coming to market in just a few months. Reportedly, Taiwan's own Delta Electronics is hoping to ship a 13.1-inch color e-reader (along with an 8.1-inch monochrome version) by the middle of this year, both of which will rely on e-paper technology from Bridgestone. If you'll recall, we got an early glimpse of this stuff right around this time last year, but it wasn't until today that we heard any followup whatsoever. There's no mention of expected pricing and the like, but we're told that the refresh rate is well faster than the black-and-white solutions out there today. Frankly, this thing better check email, play back video and wash our laundry as well -- the reign of the standalone e-reader is just about over.
Surprised the headline to this wasn't "Could this be the rumored apple tablet?"
@AndrewSLC Hey, it actually could be a good use to that screen, but I'd rather see that on the HP Tablet..
@Johanu
I would rather not see that on the HP tablet, and it come from a much more awesome company, like ASUS!
@AndrewSLC
While I am sure that Darren was noting the Apple Tablet in his remarks, I think the death of E-Ink will be due to the Pixel Qi display tech. And yes I know Engadget is freaking out about the Apple Tablet, but they are also flipping shit over that Pixel Qi display.
E-Ink chose today because they are gasping for air.
The thing is you will never be able to use e-ink to run videos and all that.
The best solution is to create a table like the HP Slate, and on the back of it, have an e-ink display for reading books.
Why bother?
Well e-ink uses less energy than a capacitive or resistive screen.
It is also supposedly less strain on the eyes, and trust me, it should make a big difference.
This way you have both in one package.
@enhacore
Yes, e-ink is easier on the eyes. It has to do with the pixel pitch and dpi. While most screens have ~100-150 dpi paper has something like 800. Its actually easier for the eyes to focus on the higher dpi of the paper (and likewise e-ink). This has been proven in many studies. Refresh rate also plays a role of course, but not as much I believe.
@enhacore
Have a screen on the back? So, no matter how careful you are, you can successfully get the screens scratched in a matter of hours?
I'd rather prefer the Microsoft Courier approach.
@enhacore There is actually a liquid ink version in development & has been shown off in B&W & soon will be available in colour!!!, this can display moving images & full 24fps video.
@Rex True, the Courier approach might be a solution, but keep in mind, that it gets thicker. It also makes it harder to handle, having to open both ends. I don't think scratching is a problem for e-reader screens, they don't have to be as sensitive as the touch screens for tablets.
Finally if you want you could have just a cover that switches over. When you use the E-Reader with e-ink, you move the cover over the tablet screen, when you use the tablet, you move the hard cover over the e-reader screen.
This cover would be thin but of good quality to prevent scratches.
This would make the dual screen much thinner and easier to handle than the Courier.
@Newwales http://www.gammadynamics.net/index.html
Liquid Epaper tech.
@credo
... what?
19" 1280x1024 is 86dpi, and a 17" is 96dpi
24" 1920x1200 is 94dpi, and a 26" is 87dpi
Granted, that's somewhat close to the low end of your scale (100-150), and generally speaking laptop screens have higher pixel densities, i.e.
13.3" 1366x768 is 118dpi, 14" is 112dpi, 15" is 104dpi
... but only a few small screens get anywhere near the high end of your estimate. As for e-ink, the pixel density is nowhere NEAR 800dpi; a 5" screen with 800x600 resolution (typical for a small reader) has 200dpi, and the pixels are hardly invisible if you look closely. There's nothing revolutionary about a black and white screen with 200dpi resolution, either, since technically color screens have 3x the stated pixel density in one or the other dimension.
I like e-ink, don't get me wrong, and I'm not trying to bust your nuts, but... yeah, 200dpi is about where e-ink is. And I imagine that the effective pixel density on color displays will be even lower, since every version I've seen uses RGB sub-pixel triplets.
'Frankly, this thing better check email, play back video and wash our laundry as well -- the reign of the standalone e-reader is just about over.'
epic facepalm.
@BigKing
I knew that was going to be a new meme from the tech blogs!
They know that Apple's device will be way to pricey compared to e-readers ( a competitor to whatever e-book functionality that tablet has), which do what they do as well as can be done.
Soooo, how do you tell people that those devices are now insufficient? Well set an artificial bar saying that they need internet access, e-mail, games, and movies + music...or whatever else Apple's tablet (Note not a e-ink reader) will do.
Little advice for e-book reader manufacturers from a certain Rebel Alliance general: "IT'S A TRAP!"
Dont try to do what this thing does because then the tech blogs will beat you over the head claiming that you will never be as good as Apple's "Ebook reader". No mater what you produce, they will ALWAYS rule it insufficient.
I'm telling you, they are setting you up.
@LAY
Again, these E-Ink dudes picked today to say when this stuff will role out. They did it because of the Apple Tablet. I'm not going to hype the tablet because it will most definitely be a niche device. They did choose today for some last resort reason.
Regardless of Apple, E-Ink is dead in the water because there are better technologies out there. E-Ink will not be able to compete as a tech within the year. Mirasol and Pixel Qi are going to kill the idea of a standalone E-Reader. They have the readability of E-Ink, but also have refresh rates that make video and all sorts of other things possible.
"the reign of the standalone e-reader is just about over."
errrrrrrrrrr..............no it isn't. If Apple are putting out a device on which I could realistically read a book on, then what you say stands......
......But they're not, so quiet!
Finally. Amid days and days of "Manufacturer announces new E-Reader priced to sell at $WayTooMuch" postings, we see something interesting. Thank you Engadget.
Colour e-ink manufactures should start developing digital picture frames. The energy-hungry glowing LCDs that are sold as such now are horrible in just about every environment. Matte e-reader screens (which are obviously much easier to look at) would make for much nicer in-home photo displays.
@SockMonkey This is exactly what I am waiting for.
@SockMonkey
I agree with you 100%.
With photo displays refresh rate is not a concern. Why use an LCD and consume that much energy when you could use e-ink?
Also I don't know if this technology is in already or not, but those photo frames should have some automatic shutoff during night.
@SockMonkey
Count me in for this too. This would be far superior in almost every way when compared to a backlit TN panel with crap for viewing angles (and a picture display panel, viewed as it is from all sorts of angles, really needs better than TN technology). They're so obviously NOT a real photograph that it can be somewhat jarring, and... I don't know, it just kills it somehow. They're nice enough, but a good color e-ink display, subtly framed, would just be RIGHT. People would look at it like, "hey, nice photo... holy crap it changed!"
If you want you e-reader and video in the same place I am still looking at the Entourage Engage. Duel screen one color touch with android 10 inches and an e-reader screen. Closes over like a netbook and only 1 inch thick when closed. Down side is that it does weigh in at 3lbs.
@hawknj you mean the Edge? That's what should dominate for a while, but I doubt people will care enough about being able to read without eye-strain to go for it. For me though, it's the perfect choice. Except that it has those HUGE bezels.
If that is a reference to today's apple announcement then I think it remains to be seen.
I am wondering what kind of screen apple is gonna have.
If it is mirasol or pixel qi or something else innovative then it will be fascinating.
If is just a 10 tablet with lcd and proprietary apple software with a very locked down interface then... meh... not soo much.
I think it is a mistake to say the age of stand alone e-readers is over. It is based on the false premise that consumers want devices that do everything. If that were the case everybody by now would own an iphone, yet they and other smart phones are a small % of the market. There still exist pure audio mp3 players and certainly there are any number of mids that cover video too.
While there will be some fraction of people who want the kitchen sink, that does not mean the elimination of the category used by those who do not.
finally COLOR!
This is what I've been waiting for. Hopefully they can put a price tag of under 200 on it...and I'm sold. I would only use this for magazines...so I dont need no pricey ipad for that.