Ever heard of Mirasol? Chances are you’ll be hearing a lot about it soon: it’s prepping sensational colour e-reader technology that’s easy on the eye but still handles video, and to show it off, it teased us with a modular e-reader with detachable control pads. Fancy a bit of gaming without any of the eyeburn? Read on for the details and pictures.
Mirasol, a subsidiary of phone chipmaking giant Qualcomm, has been turning out tiny, clever colour screens for a while, but starting in the Autumn of next year, it’ll upscale its technology to 5.7-inch displays designed for e-readers. The display isn’t eInk, but a different technology that uses flexible membranes and a mirrored screen, which once set to a certain colour don’t need power to maintain. In other words, it allows for smooth colour e-reader displays without impacting battery life.
Mirasol’s screen isn’t backlit so is incredibly easy on the eye (221 dpi resolution), is full colour, and though the proof of concept here is a still, will even allow for 30Hz refresh rates – in other words, smooth video. Mirasol demoed video running smoothly on a smaller colour panel, and it was certainly watchable.
BenQ promises colour e-reader for 2010
But what about the e-reader Mirasol is demoing it on? It’s a prototype from a manufacturer called Foxlink, and it comes with detachable slots on one side, that allow for plug-ins such as gamepads into the side. Think of it as the e-reader equivalent of the Ricoh GXR.
Take a look at Mirasol’s technology in our gallery right here, and get excited, people: this could be powering the colour e-readers you see on sale before Christmas next year.
Out 2010 | £TBC | Mirasol
Colour E-ink (like) displays is just the digital photo frame I have been looking for.
– No backlight to annoy you while watching movies.
– with a decent battery (say a months worth with 2-3 pic changes a day) I can have it on my mantlepiece with out any unsightly wires
– 221 dpi could be better but there is worse photoframes out there selling pretty well
It could potentially work well for this – the photo wouldn’t glow at night, just like a real photo frame. And without screen refreshes, the battery would last a very long time too. The colour’s not quite there yet for photo quality (it’s pretty weak at white), but for rendering it on e-reader devices, it’s amazing.