There is finally some news about the Sony Reader. Our valued member DiabloNL pointed us to this link (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1983739,00.asp) where a nice video review of the elusive device was posted.

The video contains little new information apart from the fact that the shipping date is given as "September or October", but it gives a nice overview of the device, it's handling and it's features.

You can find the original thread here (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6980).

My very first frontpage post...so please be gentle...^^

Nice first, Commander. I'm looking forward to this unit, I think it may be the one I'm getting! The video seems to indicate there is no touch screen. Odd.

Thanks,

nice video.

No, the Sony has no touch screen.

No, the Sony has no touch screen.
And thats the biggest advantage of the iLiad in my opinion. But that advantage comes with a price.

And thats the biggest advantage of the iLiad in my opinion. But that advantage comes with a price.


Touchscreen is indeed an advantage but if you just want to read books I think the Reader has the benefit of being smaller and lighter.

Touchscreen is indeed an advantage but if you just want to read books I think the Reader has the benefit of being smaller and lighter.

Thats true. And for half the price.

but at disadvantage of having to wait 2-4 months.

but at disadvantage of having to wait 2-4 months.


And that's exactly why I'm still thinking about the iLiad. ;)

The page changes look much faster than the Iliad's. A touch screen is missing, but the thing is only for reading and bringing customers to their book selling market.
You have to admit that it looks like it was drawn in the eighties. I'd love to see what Apple would do with the design part.
Even though I do not like Sony as a company, the engineering and creative people they hire do great work.
I'll buy one.
I wonder if someone is working on an interface that would let one write text faster than with a keyboard or stylus. Combine that with a small reader such as this and every student, journalist or writer would kill for it.

The page changes look much faster than the Iliad's.

That's due to the fact the Iliad software isn't final yet, and has to read each page before changing to the next.

When the software are finalized the Iliad will have the same speed has the Sony :p

May I quote John Cleese when I say:

My nipples explode with delight!

I think the Sony device is looking better and better. The iLiad is too much (money) for me, the V2 is too far away... The only competitor would be a modified V8, and that's only if LVD hurries up.

Patience. I need patience. Oooommmm.

Great video, DiabloNL!

I'd agree with you, lordvetinari2, except for the root-ki -- er, that is, Sony's DRM history. :D

A touchscreen is not necessary for simple reading applications; I turn that feature off in eReader on my Palm.

The only thing I find disconcerting is the flash to a full black screen as part of the page change. I understand why it does that, but after using a Palm and a eb-1150 it is visually going to take getting used to.

I hope there will be an option for left-justification/ragged right. The kerning on some of the lines in that video were real rough.

What I want to know is why we're getting a review that is still two to three months out, assuming it doesn't get "delayed" again.

The only thing I find disconcerting is the flash to a full black screen as part of the page change.

Actually, i read somewhere that this kind of pageturn is not even necessary. You could change the eink image without using the black intermediate. But that would leave slight ghost images from the last page. I personally would like to see, how bad those ghostings are, because the page turns are supposed to be faster aswell. (might depend on the processor, and could have been a development product, where this was mentioned)

That ghosting was one of the complaints I heard about the Libre.

I wonder if they could change the "flash to black" for a "flash to white", it would look less obvious. I wonder also if the flashing counts as a page turn energywise.

Hey guys ! instead of wayting on every company to see what they come up with, why don't we come up with a collective list of prerequisites and post it to them telling what the thing should be like ?

I wonder if they could change the "flash to black" for a "flash to white", it would look less obvious. I wonder also if the flashing counts as a page turn energywise.
From comments I've seen from the HanLin folks (same actual screen on theirs), they basically have two type of screen refresh available: Full and Half (for lack of better terms).

Apparently the Half is faster, uses lest power and doesn't flash to black, but it has some ghosting.

The Full is the black flasher, its slower, and does use more power, but has no ghosting issues.

I think flashing to white would be less obtrusive too. I'm guessing that since they all do the black, that there must be some reason for it rather than white. I'm hoping that the reason isn't that it just never occured to anyone to try the other way. :)

@yvanleterrible:
I think we've got a couple of threads along those lines, actually. :)
Now I know I saw them around here somewhere ....

Um, didn't he say launch would be September, and then correct himself to October? Looks like August won't happen then.

september earliest, i even heard december somwhere.

Sony got the reader to the shows as last december, seems logical that it'd come out a year later.

On the flashing:

The flashing is something you will have to live with for all E-Ink screens. They have to invert the old image (which means you are going from mostly white to mostly black). This is done to ensure all of the pigment chips are properly aligned for the new image.

Otherwise "ghosting" happens, where some pixels refused to change.

E-Ink shaved a second off of this compared to previous generation displays. Its visually annoying, very slow, and one of the big complaints about their devices.

The flashing is something you will have to live with for all E-Ink screens. They have to invert the old image (which means you are going from mostly white to mostly black). This is done to ensure all of the pigment chips are properly aligned for the new image.

Otherwise "ghosting" happens, where some pixels refused to change.

E-Ink shaved a second off of this compared to previous generation displays. Its visually annoying, very slow, and one of the big complaints about their devices.

Otherwise "ghosting" happens, where some pixels refused to change.

Does anyone know how eInk 'paper' ages? Will there be an increasing number of 'stuck' ink cells over time? Does the carrier medium thicken or evaporate or otherwise change behaviour? Will ink cells dissolve, and the 'ink' leak over the page?

Noone bothers much about the life-time of flash memory anymore, because the number of writes is now comfortably high ... what about number of 'pages' an eInk paper can show ... ?

ath,
The pigment chips are all isolated within pixel compartments (bubbles) underneath the display glass. They won't leak out.

E-Ink keeps age info close to the vest. Someone in their tech support forum asked that very question and didn't really get an answer. But since the libres are still working great, I don't think its an issue.

ath,
The pigment chips are all isolated within pixel compartments (bubbles) underneath the display glass. They won't leak out.

I was thinking that the integrity of those 'pixel' microcapsules containing the pigment subcapsules might be lost eventually. (I think there has been a note somewhere that spacing between upper and lower surface needed to be maintained. An accidental hit might do it ...) If it happens, the subcapsules would probably slobber around on the electrode layer, and that might upset the working of the pixels in that area. But perhaps that was older technology, and the problem is gone now.

Another possibility is that the subcapsules lose their charge ...

But since the libres are still working great, I don't think its an issue.

If it is one, it will come to light fairly soon. I don't know how keen Sony would be to adopt unproven technology, but I dare say the devices would have at least 5 years of life on general principles.

I was thinking that the integrity of those 'pixel' microcapsules containing the pigment subcapsules might be lost eventually. (I think there has been a note somewhere that spacing between upper and lower surface needed to be maintained. An accidental hit might do it ...) If it happens, the subcapsules would probably slobber around on the electrode layer, and that might upset the working of the pixels in that area. But perhaps that was older technology, and the problem is gone now.

Another possibility is that the subcapsules lose their charge ...



If it is one, it will come to light fairly soon. I don't know how keen Sony would be to adopt unproven technology, but I dare say the devices would have at least 5 years of life on general principles.


5 years would be more than enough. Within 5 years I will own a 32 bit color e-ink device that you can roll up. :cool:

Seriously cool Avatar diabloNL...you and tribble should do a contests...^^

Seriously cool Avatar diabloNL...you and tribble should do a contests...^^


Thanks but I'm afraid tribble would win in an eyewink. :p