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Peacock feathers form basis for reflective displays, could bring color to e-readers soon
Structural color -- that's engineer speak for a reflective display that mimics iridescence. And tech of that very sort could be trickling down into future generations of e-readers, thanks to current research by the University of Michigan. Using the "refined hairline grooves" of a peacock as a template, a research team led by Professor Jay Guo has found success in creating a prototype of one such high-res display by crafting nanoscale metallic grooves on silver-plated glass. Using the CMY color model (cyan, magenta and yellow) as its basis, the team was able to produce blues with a groove measuring 170 x 40 nanometers, reds at 60 nanometers wide and yellows at a width of 90 nanometers -- all with reflected sunlight and unaffected by viewing angles. At the moment, only static images can be reproduced, but Guo and his crew hope to add moving images to the format soon. If and when this reflective display makes it to market, you can surely expect e-reader battery life to go even more of a distance.
Qualcomm axes its own Mirasol production, will only bring some devices to market itself
Talk about flying under the radar. While everyone's focus on Qualcomm's results last week centered on the mobile chip business going gangbusters, the company quietly revealed during its fiscal results call that it's backing out of producing Mirasol displays itself. CEO Paul Jacobs instead wants the company licensing out the butterfly-inspired screens to interested companies and will limit its direct commercialization to "certain" devices. The company isn't explaining why beyond the plan more closely matching "addressable opportunities," although the absence of any widescale launches (and unconfirmed but repeated talk of low yields at The Digital Reader) suggests that factory output never quite reached critical mass. We're hoping that someone picks up the color e-reader torch before too long and delivers more than just the reference model derivatives we've seen to date.
Koobe's Jin Yong Reader gets Mirasol, brings color to Taiwanese hearts
It's no accident that Koobe's Jin Yong Reader bears a striking resemblance to Kyobo's eReader and Shanda's Bambook which we toyed with back at CES. But while those e-readers brought Mirasol to their respective South Korean and Chinese markets, Koobe's entrant will do the same for Taiwan. As for the trio's striking resemblance, know that they're all based on the same Qualcomm-heavy reference hardware, which pairs a 1GHz Snapdragon S2 with a 5.7-inch 1024 x 728 XGA Mirasol display. For those unaware, the addition of the latter part means the e-readers boast limited color on their non-backlit displays, all while retaining an E Ink-like low power draw. The trinity also feature a highly customized layer atop Gingerbread, and in Koobe's case, come pre-loaded with 15 novels by, you guessed it, Jin Yong. Naturally, pricing and exact availability have yet to be announced, but we're told they'll be available "soon." PR for those interested awaits after the break.
Kyobo eReader with Mirasol display gets video walkthrough, does things E Ink can't
Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology was supposedly inspired by butterfly wings, and its progress over the past year has been appropriately erratic. It was happening, then it wasn't, then it was again -- but only in the Korea-confined Kyobo e-Reader. Despite all the flitting about, however, some consistent promises have been made: a 'converged' screen that's like E Ink because it requires no backlight and lasts for "weeks" on a single charge, and like LCD in its ability to refresh quickly and handle color video. Thanks to Netbook News, we now have some eyes-on of the 5.7-inch, 1024 x 768 Kyobo in action, powered by a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon S2 and Android 2.3, and it's yours for the glimpsing right after the break. There's room for improvement, especially with color saturation, viewing angles and reflectiveness, but we're not quibbling -- this ₩349,000 ($310) device evidently lives up to its central claim.
Hanvon brings world's first color E Ink reader to CES, we go hands-on (video)
Hanvon is aiming to fill the chasm between monochromatic e-readers and color LCD-based tablets at CES this year with its all-new color e-reader. It features the famed 9.7-inch color E Ink panel, the first of its kind, and offers the rather spectacular resolution of 1200 x 1600. We managed to spend a few precious moments with a prototype unit and were impressed by the solid and thin construction and the excellent viewing angles on offer. Sadly, there's plenty of bad news here too: the E920's colors are muted and not really on par with what you'd expect from even a mediocre LCD, refresh rates are pretty glacial, and the touchscreen functionality is of the resistive kind, meaning you'll have to resort to using the integrated stylus for navigation. The biggest downer, however, is that China, the first market for this e-reader, won't be getting it until May at the earliest. That's a long time to wait for a $500-ish slate. Video after the break. Update: There was some initial confusion about the device's name and specs, which has since been rectified and the post updated accordingly. [Thanks, Michalis] %Gallery-113561%
Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail
The $249 Nook Color has decided its November 19th shipping date wasn't soon enough so it's jumped ahead of it with pre-order deliveries starting today. Barnes and Noble's Nook-with-a-hook will be cheering those who reserved or pre-ordered it as shipping ramps up through this week, and there'll even be some "very limited" quantities that you'll be able to buy at retail locations like B&N, Best Buy, Walmart, and Books-A-Million stores. All of them should be getting live units for the curious to try out the Nook Color as well. As to the older, less chromatically able Nooks, B&N is promising a firmware update next week. Skip past the break for the full PR.
Hanvon's color e-reader up for pre-order in China -- for just $530
We'll rarely be accused of being proper economists here, but we do have to question Hanvon's calculations in throwing up a pre-order price for its brand new color e-reader of 3,500 Chinese Yuan. That's the report coming out of DigiTimes this morning, placing the device at around the $530 mark in a market that's not exactly known for its rampant consumption of tech luxuries. Then again, what we're talking about here will indeed be the very first E Ink Triton-equipped device anywhere once deliveries commence in February, so there's the cachet of short-term exclusivity to look forward to. Or it might be very long-term exclusivity if nobody thinks that color is worth paying that massive premium over more conventional e-readers. We shall wait and see.
E Ink begins sampling color and capacitive touch displays, on track for late 2010 launch
E Ink Holdings, the company behind the power-sipping screens contained within Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Readers, is keeping to its schedule for the biggest overhaul of its display technology yet. Color panels are reportedly now sampling out to device vendors and China-based Hanvon has already answered the call -- it promises to deliver color E Ink readers by the end of this year. Two varieties of touchscreens are also being prepared: the first is a capacitive panel to sate the kids' need to flick and swipe everywhere, while the second will include a pen-friendly digitizer that should make annotations a doddle (or should that be a doodle?). Better response times and reflectivity are also being touted, though the big question is obviously when this good stuff will make its way into mainstream devices like the Kindle. If you believe Jeff Bezos, that won't be any time soon.
DMC's 5-inch Copia color e-reader landing this fall for $99, others to follow
It's fairly safe to say that DMC Worldwide's Copia e-reader family won't exactly make that estimated Spring 2010 ship date, but a new report over at The Wall Street Journal is cluing us in on a bit of a revised outlook. As of now, the first Copia suite of e-readers will "hit stores this fall in time for the holiday season," a suite that'll presumably include the 5-inch color (LCD) Wave 5 for $99, a 7-inch Wave 7 for $129, a 10-inch Ocean Color for $299 and a pair of E Ink-based options for $49 (Tidal) / $159 (Tidal WiFi). It doesn't seem as if the two Waves will include any sort of wireless connectivity, and given the LCD display, we're sure that battery life will be nowhere near as good as the marginally-more-expensive Kindle. That said, the user interface does look rather striking from afar, and if these manage to slip a bit further in price before that magical day in December, you could very well see a rush to stuff stockings with a member of this here family. Give those links below a poke if you're on the prowl for more detailed specifications.
Elonex 710EB color e-reader gets cheeky price bump, available for pre-order
Good golly, not another e-reader! Well, for once the Brits may actually be getting something rather affordable here -- we were promised a £99 ($152) price point when Elonex announced its 710EB e-reader back in April. Sadly, this 7-inch 800 x 480 color LCD device never materialized in mid-May, but a quick phone call to Elonex just now revealed a new launch date in early August. Before you cast your doubts, this is also semi-confirmed by the availability date on HMV's pre-order page -- we're just slightly mystified by the slight price bump to £119.99 ($184). Either way, here's hoping that we actually see something before the autumn rain keeps us indoor.
Delta Electronics to ship 13.1-inch color e-readers by Q2 2010
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.
Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays
It looks as if we're still waiting patiently for color e-ink to become a reality (at least in a mass produced shipping product), but if you're kosher with low-energy consumption LCDs, Paradigm Shift has the ticket. Similar to Sungale's Cyberus ID700WTA, the outfit's 5-inch EER-051 and 7-inch EER-071WF are both e-readers with color, but neither boast e-ink displays. The former includes 1GB of built-in memory, an SD expansion slot, an integrated MP3 player and support for just about any kind of ebook file (non-encrypted EPUB included). The latter steps up to 2GB of memory, and thanks to the Windows CE operating system, it'll also handle Office files and the like when it's not flipping text. Both devices are expected to ship in February through Delstar here in the States, with the 5-incher available in a rainbow's worth of hues for $149.95 and the big boy in black or white for $50 more. The full release is after the break. %Gallery-81074%
Packard Bell said to be planning color e-reader for late next year, convertible tablet too
The huge popularity of netbooks caught most manufacturers by surprise, and some of those who joined the party late definitely missed out on the most bacony of hors d'œuvres. Now many are eager to sink their teeth into the next two "big things," e-readers and tablets, and according to Actualitte Packard Bell has one of each coming next year. First up will be an 11.6-inch convertible netbook arriving in February, probably a slightly re-styled version of the Acer 1820PT, which will apparently launch with a netbook-specific content distribution system to push music and movies to its tiny little hard drive. More interesting is word of a color e-reader said to come sometime later in the year. No other details are known, leaving us to wonder who will provide the screen. Samsung, Bridgestone, Plastic Logic, and PVI are all planning to launch color products next year, meaning PB will have plenty of options -- assuming it doesn't just slap a traditional LCD in there and call it a day. That'd be a shame.
Plastic Logic deflates dreams, denies Spring 2010 release for color e-reader
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]
