[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by mdp

Err - the way you use your device is not an argument.

My impression is that one of the heaviest migrations from dead-tree to eReading is in genre (i.e. Romance, SF&F, etc) fiction. I would therefore suggest that "the way {I} use {my} device" is hardly atypical.

I am questioning the unsubstantiated assumption that "video-capable and colors" are the Holy Grail of eReading.

...for example, you do not need to annotate your novels, do you? Nonetheless...

What proportion of eReader users use annotation sufficiently heavily that increased refresh rates (which have been slowly improving under eInk in any case) would be a major selling factor?

What is the market for color on an eReader? Comic reading? If so, the colors on Clearink would have to be very vivid to compete with the OLED display on the tablet that I use for that format. If not, then the market needs to be articulated rather than simply assumed. I would also suggest that the very anemic response to earlier (admittedly imperfect) color technologies does not seem to indicate a large, pent up, demand for this feature on eReaders (as opposed to tablets/phablets/smart-phones, which already has it).

...and the important matter is what /will/ be valid technologies having matured...

This might be a valid assertion if there was evidence that ClearInk had prototypes/developer kits out there for eReader manufacturers and opinion leaders to review, rather than having to rely on a video of a trade-fair display, let alone that they could guarantee consistency of quality (always a bugbear in the display market).

High framerates and the dimension of color (and battery efficiency) _are_ important for an always-ready display.

You have not provided any evidence that this is sufficiently ubiquitously true in terms of how people use their eReaders for your emphatic "_are_" to be valid.

I would also point out many uses of tablets/phablets/smart-phones, involving such things as as high-quality video playback, wireless and cellular communications, gaming, etc tend to have a fairly heavy battery draw, limiting the ability of a battery-efficient display to contribute to a battery-efficient device under such usage patterns.

Now, every criterion has a weight, and its value is contextual, and current options already offer a lot. The possibilities, needs and purposes are many, and it's a good thing that the scene is evolving in the macro area of displays and in the specific territories of single technologies and products.

Yes, but this makes a case for caution and market research, rather than simply jumping on the latest bandwagon.

About ClearInk and the past attempts: they have an edge. In fact, they come after past failures.

That assumes that they've learned sufficiently from past failures. Only time, and the availability of actual products for review, will determine if this assumption is valid.

It remains ludicrously premature to say "To Onyx: Stop using e-Ink! Use ClearInk instead!"