Comments on: Kyobo Mirasol eReader with Android hands-on

By: Andrei

Andrei — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:58:00 +0000

E-ink has colors! Go check hanvon’s and jetbook readers!
After seeing the mirasol, I’m puzzeld with all this hype and buzz around it. It’s dull, LCD like, not 30fps but around 10fps (they start refreshing the screen before the previous frame was written generating horrible aliasing, especially with straight edges). And no, you can’t use it for weeks – with it’s frontlight on, the battery lasts about 10 hours – they even say it will last some weeks….if you read for half an hour a day, with the display brightness set to auto. And is set to auto, during day, the experience it’s worse than even an LCD. Pick any tablet on the market and use it only half an hour per day – how long will it last?
Reading half an hour per day with my e-ink based e-reader…well thats far more than a few weeks.
The contrast for mirasol is not that high – if you put side by side e-ink and mirasol, e-ink is by far the winer for contrast, white background and reading experince.
The colors shift viguorosly with angle – and that’s intrinsic to the technology (the tunning of the optical cavities changes with the angle as the optical path is longer for non-normal rays). This is why mirasol is not going to produce larger displays, and you’ll never see a computer monitor using it (or you’ll see the corners red instead of blue and gray instead of red – again, this comes from the tuning of the fabry-perot optical cavities).
And some other issues – the Kyobo device is not stereo – although it has 2 masks, it has only one speaker in the left side, the reader is much more heavy than any other e-ink based reader I’ve come across (the front part, beneath the glass, it’s not plastic – it’s magnezium!), the screen is glossy, and judging by the pictures released by mirasol this is because of the way mirasol produces the displays.
For around 350$ – 350E – value for the money? ZERO.
Future for Mirasol – not that much.
Better check e-ink (they’re already capable of producing around 10fps – search some bookeen videos on youtube – and yes, I’ve seen that device and it’s my favourite). And wait a couple of years for 10fps and colors on e-ink. Or maybe liquavista (aqouired by samsung).

By: Il Bui

Il Bui — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:28:00 +0000

Thanks for the video. Tells the story. THIS technology will be the one that is used for future e-text books in schools. Also, will be used in future Amazon & B&N readers.

By: Il Bui

Il Bui — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:27:00 +0000

e-ink has NO color.

Go rent IQ

By: Il Bui

Il Bui — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:27:00 +0000

How so? Precisely…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:01:00 +0000

If you can’t make it look smooth, don’t animate it.

By: Cory Gunther

Cory Gunther — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:27:00 +0000

good things take time

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:26:00 +0000

Colors are ugly, flat, lifeless, only marginally better than e-ink – and about four years later. Unless you’re on safari in Africa without a power source I don’t see how a “battery life of weeks” is an advantage over anything, especially with colors as dismal as this has.

By: i believe

i believe — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:02:00 +0000

amizzo: overrated how?

A colour display with battery life of weeks – that’s not overrated, that’s awesome.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Mirasol is easily the most overrated display technology ever.