Archive for the ‘mirasol’ Category

Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle

You know that Kindle you’re so in love with? Man, that’s so 2009. Mirasol showed up at CES with a display technology that’s been in the works for around a decade, and it has finally reached the point where ODMs and OEMs are talking shop about integrating said panel into all manners of future devices. In the past, the company has stuck to making screens for relatively minuscule devices, but its latest display is a 5.7-inch XGA color screen that would fit just perfectly within your next e-reader. We spoke at length with executives, and they’re currently predicting an ebook reader running Mirasol in Fall of this year. What we’ve heard “around” is that the device will actually be new Kindle running a Mirasol display — we can’t confirm it, but it sounds logical. What’s interesting, though, is that this panel is not only color, but it can play back video when used with the right processor. In other words, a powerful enough Mirasol reader could double as a small tablet, and we imagine you could actually browse the web with some level of enjoyment. The demo we were shown was nothing short of stunning, and we were told that it could scale up to fit within 9 to 10-inch slate / tablet PCs. It requires no backlighting whatsoever, and instead relies on ambient light to show its stuff. We were told that future devices would be priced competitively, even to LCD / e-ink rivals, and we can safely say we’ll be bummed if we hear the word “delay” when autumn rolls around. Don’t make us frown, Mirasol.

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Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm’s Mirasol Ultra Low Power Display Is Almost Magic [Qualcomm]

Ebook readers suffer because they use E-Ink, which isn’t in color and doesn’t refresh fast enough to do video. Qualcomm is quietly showing off its Mirasol display, now in full color with 30-frame-per-second video. See for yourself:

The video was shot by IntoMobile. As they describe it, the tech sounds like a massive DLP chip—that is, a panel covered with tiny reflective mirrors. Each mirror can change color but it’s a passive screen, with no backlight (like most LCDs) and no self-illumination (a la OLED). They get lit up by whatever light is in the room. Saving energy is the key here—anytime you eliminate a light source, you cut way down on the juice. No word on when this will appear on devices, but it’s Qualcomm, so you can bet there will at least be some experimental products before too long.

Speaking of experimental products, Time’s Josh Quittner points out, on his blog, that several of Qualcomm’s components could go together to make a formidable ebook device. Besides this screen, they’ve got the multi-network mobile chipset (Gobi), a respectable mobile CPU (Snapdragon), and a powerful media delivery system (MediaFLO). Forget the Kindle—who needs Amazon? Oh right, books. [IntoMobile via Netly]