CES09: Microsoft color flexible epaper?

[athlonkmf]

Here's a movie of microsoft showcasing new technology. Skip the boring parts with the tablet pc and MS-surface table, and you get to see a very interesting 30 seconds of the prototype "flexible display that's like eink"

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/e...putingDemocast

[griffonwing]

I'd love to see it, but I refust to install yet another videostream plugin. Why did Microsoft create this "Silverlight" video plugin? I'l look for it on youtube.

[jaxx6166]

I just saw it, and I have to say I was fascinated by the tablet PC and the table PC and all that. It's like a sci fi nerd's wet dream.

Anyway, here's the link that I saw it from, WITHOUT the annoying SilverLight nonsense.

http://media.pc.ign.com/articles/942/942849/vids_1.html

[ProDigit]

This is one of the reasons why we should start thinking of scanning and creating colored versions of ebooks.

So far I've always made 256 tint greyscale (8-bit) covers. But we would do better by creating color ones; live with the fact that the ebook gets10% larger in filesize, and enjoy the book in color when the market opens up to color-e-reading devices.
So far the PRS-505 does not seem to show any difference between an original (color) picture, or it's 8bit greyscale version.

[Alfy]

Oh god... If Microsoft comes up with the first colored e-ink device, it will be back to using Windows again... SIGH!

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

This is one of the reasons why we should start thinking of scanning and creating colored versions of ebooks.

So far I've always made 256 tint greyscale (8-bit) covers. But we would do better by creating color ones; live with the fact that the ebook gets10% larger in filesize, and enjoy the book in color when the market opens up to color-e-reading devices.
So far the PRS-505 does not seem to show any difference between an original (color) picture, or it's 8bit greyscale version.

or you save your original scanned files in the format they were intended to, and then convert in the future.

[ErwinOtten]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

or you save your original scanned files in the format they were intended to, and then convert in the future.

YEAH, I would really like to see you convert a 256 tint greyscale picture into a color-version

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

This is one of the reasons why we should start thinking of scanning and creating colored versions of ebooks.

I always create ebooks with color pictures, unless the originals are black and white.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by ErwinOtten

YEAH, I would really like to see you convert a 256 tint greyscale picture into a color-version

One might expect that people here can understand that

So far I've always made 256 tint greyscale (8-bit) covers.

means the original covers were converted to 8-bit covers. Not that the original covers were 8-bits

[ProDigit]

Yeah, I know of Amazon also doing research to color e-ink displays.
Highly probably you'll lose 1/3th of the resolution (eg: 800x200,or 267x600 pix) due to RGB needing 1 pix.
They'll need to increase display resolution, and probably increase performance of the processor too.

So far I see little benefit. Besides the cover, a book usually is B&W.
Perhaps it would be interesting for mobile internet devices;that support anything but displaying moving images (like flash, .mov, .avi, or moving GIF's).

So if they want to keep the 800x600 resolution, battery life will go from 8000 pageturns to 2600 pageturns, or from 2 weeks on a PRS-505 to 4,5 days of battery life.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

So far I see little benefit. Besides the cover, a book usually is B&W.
Perhaps it would be interesting for mobile internet devices;that support anything but displaying moving images (like flash, .mov, .avi, or moving GIF's).

So if they want to keep the 800x600 resolution, battery life will go from 8000 pageturns to 2600 pageturns, or from 2 weeks on a PRS-505 to 4,5 days of battery life.

I think the draw here is to store not just books, but things like how to books and manuals which are often heavily illustrated.

Also think of comic books. I know people who have enough of those to fill half of a garage. All in plastic covers arranged in long cardboard boxes.

[Virag]

Looking at the video I think it has a lot of potential. I personally would be interested in using something in color that size for art technique books, knitting and other craft books, and if it could run Painter or Photoshop and use a pen wacom style then it'd be great for digital art. I'd prob. never be able to set it down in that case. I'm may overshooting the tech there a bit in my understanding of it though. Color e ink would be very nice for crafts that require color coded charts like color stranded knitting or cross stitch and I could imagine buying color cook books to use at home on a device that way.

[ProDigit]

video and moving pictures, with the technology of today require too much computing power,and battery draw.
You'll never get that in a device the size of a PRS-505 with current technology;the battery would last less than 30minutes.

[John Bailey]

Originally Posted by Alfy

Oh god... If Microsoft comes up with the first colored e-ink device, it will be back to using Windows again... SIGH!

Yep. Microsoft formats, Microsoft DRM and books created only with Office and available from the Microsoft store. At least the blue screen would be properly rendered.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by John Bailey

Yep. Microsoft formats, Microsoft DRM and books created only with Office and available from the Microsoft store. At least the blue screen would be properly rendered.