Kyobo Mirasol-based ebook reader launched in South Korea

[SCION]

Well, hopefully amazon will revive their DX line with this. Probably the only way we'll get a more useful size screen.

Everyone touted how fabulous the iRiver Story HD is, but that never took off. Stuff has to be practical in day-to-day use given all of the other choices that exist.

[vishcompany]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

...
You have to start somewhere...

This.
Colour eink is just coming out right now. In 3-5 years from now, it will be way further. And cheaper.

Originally Posted by grumbles

No reflective display is ever going to have the contrast that active (or backlit) displays have.
...

And this.
I'm completely ok with less vibrant colours (compared to a backlit LCD screen), as long as it is light and the battery lasts weeks (compared to hours). As for apps: reading, light surfing and emails is basically enough. If there is more, even better.

[pata]

Originally Posted by idle

Is it? There are 6-inch e-readers below 200 grams. This is twice the weight of Sony T1. For some people it might not matter, but I do feel the difference.

Oh, I was comparing it to other color display reading devices as well, not just e-ink ereaders:

Sony Reader WiFi			5.9 oz
Samsung Galaxy Note 			6.3 oz
Kobo Touch 				6.5 oz
iRiver Story HD 			7.30 oz
Nook Touch 				7.48 oz
Kindle Touch (3G) 			7.5 oz (7.8 oz)
Hanlin V3				8.1 oz
Kindle Keyboard (3G) 			8.5 oz (8.7 oz)
Kyobo eReader 				11.9 oz
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus 		12.2 oz
Nook Tablet 				14.1 oz
Kobo Vox 				14.2 oz
Kindle Fire 				14.6 oz
HTC Flyer 				14.8 oz
Blackberry Playbook 			15.0 oz
Nook Color 				15.8 oz
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 			15.8 oz
Kindle DX 				18.9 oz
Ectaco JetBook Color 			19.5 oz
Asus Transformer Prime 			20.6 oz
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 		21.0 oz
iPad 2 (3G) 				21.3 oz (21.6 oz)
TouchPad 				26.1 oz

[idle]

OK, next time I'll be more precise. I just never thought to compare the weight of 6-inchers and 10-inchers.

[Greg Anos]

Weight - <shrug> I use a Hanlin V3 (8.1 oz) with a cover (1.5 oz). I'm use to 9.6 oz already. I can handle another 2 -3 oz.

As to screen size. 5.7 inch is from their pilot production line. Their big Fab is slated to go on-line in late 2012. I expect at that time other size formats will become available.

I suspect if you took off the touch scdreen, and the LED front light, you'd get the weight down to the Hanlin V3 level...

[Burgher]

Just made a comparison of the screen with frontlight turned on and off:

[zinj]

Good one!

[Namekuseijin]

The future no doubt. Should be great right now for reading, comic viewing and as a photo frame.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by idle

Ugh. Not for me, then.

A 200-pages hardcover weights about 400g. Why people these days cry so much when they are presented such new marvels... perhaps we should go back and live in cellars and read old dusty tomes... people didn't complain then.

[5thWiggle]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

A 200-pages hardcover weights about 400g. Why people these days cry so much when they are presented such new marvels... perhaps we should go back and live in cellars and read old dusty tomes... people didn't complain then.

Sure they did. It probably went something like this:

Scribe #1: Did you see this new "book" thing?

Scribe #2: Yeah, small, isn't it?

Scribe #1: And all the pages are in one place! All together!

Scribe #2: Ooof! It's really heavy.

Scribe #1: Too heavy! Not for me! Even though I have to carry my Bible in a basket, I'm sticking with scrolls!

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The display is a 5.7" diagonal, 1024x768 pixel (223ppi) full colour display. More info about the ebook reader and the display are at the mirasol website.

Touchscreen, colour, scrolling, video, weeks of battery life, and a built-in 'front light', so it can be used in low-light levels.

$310. Kyobo Platinum club members can purchase for $265.

I wonder who'll be the first to use the display in a ebook reader available in the rest of the world?

Unlike The Digital Reader, I think people will pay more for a device with a reflective, hi-res, high speed colour display that gives weeks of battery life.

With the cheapest Kindle at $80, for those who just want to read, and a Kindle Fire at $200 for those who want colour, magazines, comics, video, etc..., how large a market is there in between?
How many people who have to have both eInk-like outdoor performance and colour in the same device?
It isn't as good as eInk in some ways (eg battery life), and it isn't as good as the LCD displays in other (eg contrast).
It seems like a technology that has arrived several years too late.
Five years ago this would have been incredible. Now ... ehh.

[pata]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

With the cheapest Kindle at $80, for those who just want to read, and a Kindle Fire at $200 for those who want colour, magazines, comics, video, etc..., how large a market is there in between?
How many people who have to have both eInk-like outdoor performance and colour in the same device?
It isn't as good as eInk in some ways (eg battery life), and it isn't as good as the LCD displays in other (eg contrast).
It seems like a technology that has arrived several years too late.
Five years ago this would have been incredible. Now ... ehh.

You're conflating different topics and misdirecting your criticism:

• First, the technology, mirasol, is simply in a different category from e-ink right now. Mirasol is more akin to OLED/SAMOLED which also has its own tradeoffs compared to LCD—which haven't stopped it from doing alright in the marketplace. Once Qualcomm has their factory up and running (mid-2012) they could easily be supplying the screen for next generation of the Kindle Fire.
• Second, this device isn't competing with the Kindle Touch or Kindle Fire simple because Amazon isn't selling those Kindles in S. Korea and Kyobo isn't selling their eReader in the USA. Kyobo is the S. Korean version of B&N (sidenote: if B&N released this device as the Nook Color+ for $260, do you think it would flop?) and the comparison should to to devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus or 7.7 which start at $400. The Kybodo ereader is for all intents and purposes an Android tablet with a custom launcher; it has slightly better hardware specs than the Kobo Vox. For the price, I imagine it's quite competitive.

Originally Posted by kartu

Is i tme, or contrast is somewhat underwhelming and viewing angle simply poor? I expected much more from this technology.... =/

I noticed some more details from that video. It appears English will be an option for the system menu...




Has Kyobo stated which file formats are supported out of the box?

[zinj]

Originally Posted by pata

I noticed some more details from that video. It appears English will be an option for the system menu...

That would seal the deal for me.

[kartu]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

With the cheapest Kindle at $80, for those who just want to read, and a Kindle Fire at $200 for those who want colour, magazines, comics, video, etc..., how large a market is there in between?

Considering that most users aren't aware, that 80$ K4 has cheapo screen, probably not many would even hear about its existance..

I personally WOULD be interested, if not PRS-700 style "builtl in light".

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by pata

[*]Second, this device isn't competing with the Kindle Touch or Kindle Fire simple because Amazon isn't selling those Kindles in S. Korea and Kyobo isn't selling their eReader in the USA.

The post I was responding to finished: "I wonder who'll be the first to use the display in a ebook reader available in the rest of the world?

Unlike The Digital Reader, I think people will pay more for a device with a reflective, hi-res, high speed colour display that gives weeks of battery life."

I was addressing that question.

Kyobo is the S. Korean version of B&N (sidenote: if B&N released this device as the Nook Color+ for $260, do you think it would flop?)

Well none of us have seen it, but given the information posted in this thread, yes I think it would flop at that price. Competing with the Fire and existing NC2, it is worse at being a tablet, and competing with the eInk readers it is worse at being a reader. Again, my question is how much of a market is there in between those two products? How many people buying a tablet would accept a poorer tablet to get some eInk like properties?

Something which was as good as eInk at reading, and as good as LCD at being a tablet could be a market changer, but this doesn't seem to be there yet.

Why would you buy this rather than a Fire/NC2/Vox? And how many other people would do the same?

and the comparison should to to devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus or 7.7 which start at $400.

With only 2GB of memory, no GPS, front or back camera, and so on? I don't think so.