Hi Everyone

I am thinking about buying an Iliad and is curious on when Iliad will adopt Vizplex? Would that be soon as in a few months time or not so soon as in perhaps end of 2008?

Does anyone has any idea? I don't want to place an order and then find out that Vizplex Iliad will be out next month. :p

Thanks
Quek

Certainly not in the immediate future - I think that's all any of us can realistically say. I would guess that we wouldn't see an "iLiad v2" before mid 2008 at the earliest.

As far as I'm aware, only 6" Vizplex screens are currently available. May be a while before larger screens start being made.

I believe that iRex has their own factory in the Philippines, so they may have it faster than we anticipate, but there's not so much as a rumor yet. :shrug:

I have never been sure where the iLiad screen comes from. The controller is made by iRex, and that is why they are the only ones today with 16 grey levels and 1024x768 resolution. The screen itself is EInk, but that may just mean that iRex buys the film from eink and assembles the display panels themselves.

The other 1st generation EInk readers all used 4 grey levels and 800x600 resolution because that is what was supported by eink's own controller and 6" panel. The early Vizplex 6" devices are still using this controller with a Vizplex panel. I think this includes the Cybook.

EInk's new Metronome display controller (http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/metronome.html) supports 8 grey levels and up to 1200x825 pixels. I assume the Sony 505 is using the Metronome controller, because it has 8 grey levels. If so, this means that other vendors will be able to supply 8" (1024x768) and 9.7" (1200 x 825) 8 grey level devices as soon a EInk makes the panels (http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html) available.

So, there seems to be little advantage to Vizplex at 8" for iRex. The real completion will come from 9.7" screens. I don't know if iRex can (or will) use the Metronome controller in its next device or not, but it has to have at least a 9.7" screen and 1200 x 825 resolution. Its real advantage going forward is the lead it has in software for a more general purpose device than a single-function reader. I hope iRex produces such a device next year, if it is delayed until 2009 they will likely loose their lead at the top end of the market.

PRS-505 got a new framebuffer driver, called "8track", which is provided by E-Ink (previous was called "librofb" and coded by Sony). There is some mention of "wavefom" too, so I guess it is Metronome.

The iLiads displays are built by PVI like all E-Ink displays today. I have seen a vizplex screen next to the iLIads screen and i have to say, that the differenz in contrast is barely noticeable. It is not really whiter. But it is alot faster in switchtimes.

I expect the iLiad to be available with vizplex sometime mid 2008. But that based purely on my personal gut feeling and not any hard facts.