March 25, 2004
E Ink launching book reader w/Sony & Philips
E Ink just announced the
first consumer device to use their Electronic Paper technology: the
Sony LIBRIé e-Book reader. Six-inch diagonal display,
170ppi, 4 shades gray reflective screen with an almost 180-degree viewing
angle, weighing around 300g with four AAA batteries. Even better than the
viewing angle is the battery life: unlike LCDs, electronic paper takes
power to modify a screen, but not to maintain a static display. Sony's
tests show you can read around 10,000 pages on four AAA Alkaline batteries.
References
- First-Generation Electronic Paper Display From Philips, Sony And E Ink To Be Used In New Electronic Reading Device (E Ink Press Release, 24 March 2004)
- E Ink's Electronic Paper Commercialized (E Ink Press Release, 24 March 2004)
- Sony To Launch E Ink-based eBook In April (Timothy Lord, Slashdot, 24 March 2004)
DROOL!
You know of course that my major use for my palm is as an ebook reader... Please could someone buy me one for my birthday?
Posted by: Rebecca at April 17, 2004 10:33 AM170ppi?? That's horrible resolution. The human eye can resolve 1000ppi at normal reading distance. Reading for extended periods from low resolution computer displays with their inherent rasterization and aliasing is difficult and tiring. Until such time as the computer industry can offer an e-book display with 500-1000 pixels per inch resolution and at least 16 shades of gray, products such as the LIBRIé are DOA.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward at March 30, 2005 9:39 AM