The “mirasol” technology mimics iridescent butterfly wings by deploying charged, colour-inducing membranes over a layer of mirror. It’s a technology that, if integrated into Kindles today as-is, would increase battery life by an estimated 20 per cent.
Instead, Qualcomm uses that extra power efficiency to drive colour and higher refresh rates for smooth video. They contend that a Kindle with their more capable display could run about a day with its current battery.
The catch? The lead photo is a non-functional prototype (with a functional, frozen-image display). Qualcomm is offering the tech to third-party partners, and they expect you to see mirasol tech on the market by late 2010. [SlashGear]
Mike Biggs
November 19, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Sheesh, just buy a freaking netbook already! The Asus EEE and Lenovo S10 etc are well under $500 now, and you get a colour screen too. *crazy I know!!* And they can do much more than read a “book”. I dont see the point of e-book readers…or waiting til 2010 to get current tech in them.
Report PermalinkZac
November 19, 2009 at 3:06 PM
Clearly you have never seen an e-ink display in person..
Report PermalinkMike Biggs
November 20, 2009 at 12:03 AM
@Zac …I work for IBM, so I dont think an “e-ink” display would exactly excite me. Low quality, low refresh rate, low resolution, low contrast. But it isnt the screen tech I’m raising. As a device, exactly what does an e-reader have that a netbook doesnt? Thats all I’m saying. Expensive bit of kit for something with a very narrow range of use. Next they’ll offer 3G connectivity, USB ports, SD card readers, 32bit colour, 6hour battery life…nothing new in the portable scene.
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