Mirasol -- which readers is Q4? Let's speculate

[maxbookworm]

I am very excited to see what Mirasol reader is available at the end of this year. It sounds like it won't be the Kindle after all, right? Didn't I see a thread that Kindle had gone with a different vendor / technology?

I wonder if there's any chance it will be a Sony. I love the simplicity of Sony designs... but I wonder if they'd get the software right to make it a legitimate touchscreen web browser as well (that wouldn't be necessary, but it would be kinda nice to have).

What brand(s) to you predict (or wish) will partner with Qualcomm using that 5.7" screen?

[grndslm]

I'm very interested in hearing guesses as well.

I'm starting to wonder if 5.7" is enough screen for me. I wish somebody would just jump out and announce that a 9" eReader w/ mirasol screen will be available by the end of June, 2010. That would really be swell.

[maxbookworm]

Oh wow, a 9" Mirasol reader would be pretty cool!

For now though, I like the smaller size because it's so portable. I'm hoping a 5.7" with a touchscreen and small bezel could end up being around the same size as my PRS-300...

Then again, it seems like there's been so much vaporware this year... maybe Mirasol is further than we think!

[Crowl]

I don't think it really be worth my while getting a colour screen on a smaller reader until my existing b&w one dies, novels are fine on it and it is stuff like comics and magazines that would benefit from colour and they would also benefit a lot from a larger screensize too.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by Crowl

I don't think it really be worth my while getting a colour screen on a smaller reader until my existing b&w one dies, novels are fine on it and it is stuff like comics and magazines that would benefit from colour and they would also benefit a lot from a larger screensize too.

The higher resolution and much better speed would be my motivations for getting something with Mirasol. Problem is, the device is going to need more than just a fast screen. It'll need some brawny internals, and it'll need tight software integration to make use of speed in navigation and to take advantage of the higher pixel density.

I just worry that the first generation of devices with Mirasol will either be underpowered or will have crude software that does spiffy animations for things like turning pages. Judging by how gooey people were over that ridiculous page turn on iBooks, it seems all the more likely to be all they'll aim for now.

[cmdahler]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

The higher resolution and much better speed would be my motivations for getting something with Mirasol. Problem is, the device is going to need more than just a fast screen. It'll need some brawny internals, and it'll need tight software integration to make use of speed in navigation and to take advantage of the higher pixel density.

What is the resolution of a typical Mirasol display supposed to be? What is their planned DPI on the screen? A true dream-machine ereader would be a 9 to 10 inch screen at about 200 DPI or even more. Is that supposedly in the works?

[DawnFalcon]

None of them, the screens will be delayed again.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by cmdahler

What is the resolution of a typical Mirasol display supposed to be? What is their planned DPI on the screen? A true dream-machine ereader would be a 9 to 10 inch screen at about 200 DPI or even more. Is that supposedly in the works?

All they've got right now for the reading segment is a 5.7" screen that is supposedly 1024x768, or around 220ppi. Nothing bigger, though I'm sure stuff is in the works. I don't know how they intend to scale to larger sizes in terms of resolution though.

I too would love a larger reader with better than 200+ppi. Not holding my breath yet though.

[da_jane]

I saw the Mirasol screens at Tools of Change in February and the screens are impressive and the refresh was almost instantaneous. The problem i see with the Mirasol screens is that they are not touch screens so in order for the screen to be touch, there would need to be a third party overlay. This overlay will degrade the quality of the appearance of the Mirasol screen. Plus, the Mirasol rep admitted that the touch screens would be developed outside of the Mirasol co.

I really think that touch screens are the way of the future so I'm not sure what to expect from Mirasol screen readers.

[da_jane]

Here are some photos I took with my iPhone. Indoor light.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by da_jane

I saw the Mirasol screens at Tools of Change in February and the screens are impressive and the refresh was almost instantaneous. The problem i see with the Mirasol screens is that they are not touch screens so in order for the screen to be touch, there would need to be a third party overlay. This overlay will degrade the quality of the appearance of the Mirasol screen. Plus, the Mirasol rep admitted that the touch screens would be developed outside of the Mirasol co.

I really think that touch screens are the way of the future so I'm not sure what to expect from Mirasol screen readers.

Most Mirasol-based devices will probably end up with touch screens. There are many ways to incorporate touch that could be used, depending on the OEM. It is not limited to a low-quality resistive overlay, even if that's the cheapest option currently available. I don't know if companies intend to use PCTs or something similar, but that isn't Qualcomm's job really. That will be decided by whatever customers are producing products with Mirasol screens. There may be some special considerations that need to be made, considering the physical makeup of the screen, but there will still be a few options available for touch (or multitouch or pen input) with little to no visual degradation. Whether we see them in final products is another issue entirely, and mostly out of Qualcomm's hands (as should be expected).