Qualcomm's Mirasol color technology to be put on the Kindle later this year?UPDATE 1-3 - Good video - the others are done in poor light. Maybe a color Kindle in the Fall 2010 if quoted statements are accurate.
See my earlier blog article with more information on the technology, and voicing a hope.
This is what FoxNews Science and Technology writer Clayton Morris writes today:
' Exclusive: Tech Behind Next-Gen Kindle Revealed?I hope it's true, and if it is, maybe Jeff Bezos may be surprised a partner would give this hint. Or maybe not -- it could be a "The Kindle won't be killed" thought.
I'm floored by Qualcomm's new display technology, Mirasol...
Imagine three solid weeks without recharging your device! The company boasts that its display uses a "low power, video capable, sunlight viewable, color display that will shake up the e-reader market and open new doors for publishers."
Sound like a hefty proposition? Perhaps not.
When pressed about who its partner might be in 2010, a company spokesman asked me, "You know that device that everyone reads books on? Well, it's going to be a game changer on a device we all know."
Like tens of thousands of other people, I read ebooks on a Kindle. Is the Mirasol color screen coming to a Kindle near me? One can only hope. What other eReader would someone assume I use? '
Big-screen DX cover
You can access your books, periodicals, or the full Web* with Amazon's light 6" 
![[Valid RSS]](http://andrys.com/valid-rss-rogers.png "Validate my RSS feed")
Having just gotten my Kindle 2 for Christmas, I was hoping it wouldn't be made "obsolete" by a killer Kindle 3 coming out within a few weeks. Looks like this display is several months away. Also, I've got to wonder what the price point will be.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteIt would be competitive - the technology isn't as expensive. I just saw a video, and the colors are rather muted, but it's very clear, otherwise. Looks very magazine-like. It's on the same page as the story. Fast displays too.
At least a few months -- I think at that point they'd be ready to produce enough to start and then the device-makers have to be able to make it work with the device's programming, which would be modified for the new display's capabilities.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteNote that the latest article says "Fall"...
Hmmm, Fall would be good for me. I could buy one of these new ones for me and give my Kindle 2 to my youngest at that point. I sure would love to see a Kindle 3 with SD card slot and user replaceable battery, too. Thanks for posting this. Pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe SD cards seemed to cause problems for tech support - incompatability - people taking out cards and putting in new ones meant a lot of re-indexing and sometimes freezes or battery drain. It was in the K1 because it had almost no storage to speak of. I looked at mine the other day and it hat 57 megs left. No place for PDFs for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe iPhone has a non-user-replaceable battery - they last for a long time. The thing is that the two disadvantages made for a slimmer unit, so it's a toss-up. Maybe they can design around that.
I guess production would get crazy if they offered different models based on storage space, much like the Ipod. I hadn't thought about the issues that would naturally arise with an SD card. I'll be more sympathetic to the developers.
ReplyDeleteThe battery is causing me concern, although time will tell whether my concern is warranted. I use my Kindle 2 a whole lot. I am having to recharge every other day, so I do wonder what that will mean for my overall battery life.
Overall, even if nothing changes, I am thrilled with my purchase of several Kindle 2's for my family and would do it again!
Am writing up my thoughts about the iPad show today but re the battery, are you putting Wireless OFF when not needing it?
ReplyDeleteAverage battery life for that one is about 3 years. Some say 10 but certain things make it more like 3. It goes down whether or not you use it, in time.
Your basic warranty covers battery replacement and shipping the first year. If you have an Amazon extended warranty, it covers it the 2nd year also.
The Kindle 2 looks to have locked in the #1 e-reader slot. I don't see how the iPad affects it. I use my netbook's Kindle for PC sometimes but there is just nothing like reading on the Kindle for ease on the eyes and a strange kind of calmness.