3 posts tagged “eink”

Some people may recall that Polymervision announced the Readius device for mid-2008, a roll-out electronic display for mobile devices..

www.polymervision.com/

(( I wouldn't be surprised if the project hit another delay, but it's certainly one of the most advanced ones in this category ))

I was just reading up on this for a possible Apple eBook introduction in the 2009-2010 timeframe.

The three eternal questions with eInk ((and especially foldable)) eInk Displays...

- When ?
- How much ?
- When in a colour version ?

Maybe we get a little bit closer...

Polymer Vision's vision, which it came up with three years ago (as a business spun out from Philips Research), is finally coming to fruition. The Readius is the size of most small mobile phones, but has a 5-inch screen that folds up to close.

It uses E-ink, the same technology used in the Sony Reader and Amazon.com's Kindle, but Polymer Vision worked with E-Ink to come up with a thinner version of the technology so it would roll better. In addition, the Readius uses organic semiconductors in the layer underneath the E-ink that process transistors at very low temperatures so there's no need for glass backing to keep the heat away, like an LCD panel. Also, the organic semiconductor layer is malleable, which allows it to bend when folded, and not break.

Right now, the device is on track for release sometime this summer, though no price has been determined yet. Polymer Vision is still negotiating with mobile carriers and retailers that will sell the Readius to consumers in Europe, North America, and some markets in Asia.

But lest you agree with Jobs that e-books aren't anticipating what customers actually want to do with mobile devices, Polymer Vision has grander plans than just books for its technology. Internally, the company calls it the "dream machine"--a device that folds like an actual book and reveals an 8-inch color screen that automatically gets all the mobile content you want wirelessly.

"In four to five years, you can do video on a mobile roll-able device," McGoldrick said. There are mobile devices on the market right now that allow for watching video, and in some countries, broadcast television. "But the reality is, who wants to watch TV on that small display?" he asked. McGoldrick said that it's not pricing, or network quality, that's keeping portable video displays down--it's the size of the screen.

Source: http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9891347-7.html?tag=nefd.lede

Sign me up for that "dream machine" :)

The title is not even a rumor, but a very vague idea of mine where Apple's MacBook / iBook could be headed in the next 12-24 months...

Intel Viiv is almost gone, another ((rather dull)) acronym is in: Intel MID. I wonder hope Apple will fit into these plans..

Instead, Intel will use a modified version of the brand on entertainment-oriented personal computers that use its dual-processor chips. They will be labeled Intel Core 2 with Viiv technology, said Jeffrey McCrea, a vice president in Intel's digital-home group.

Intel still has big plans for this year's CES show in early January. Among other things, it is trying to spur creation of a category of products it calls MIDs, for mobile Internet devices.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119766800257230083.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Macworld 2008 will for sure be interesting.

Personally, I'm still waiting for Apple's answer to the Amazon Kindle, ie. a notebook or subnotebook with an external/second eINk screen...

http://www.mac-essentials.de/index.php/mac/article/19414/

and a more detailed description of the most interesting feature...

One side features a screen made of material devised by E Ink, one of the recipients of investment by Intel Capital. It can display a picture, the calendar, or your schedule for the day.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070523_272039.htm

As for the name ? Apple iBook of course ((in my armchair dreams)), Apple has already registered and used the name in the past :)

Summary: iBook 2.0 coming in 2008 ((again in my armchair dreams)). An Apple version of the Amazon Kindle, even if it would arrive, Macworld 2008 is probably too early...