Kyobo Mirasol-based ebook reader launched in South Korea

[pdurrant]

I'll want to see one in person before declaring greyscale eInk dead. And also a model without the front light.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by pata

The color e-ink displays currently in production can't do full motion video.

excuse the off topic but i had to correct this. The current Trition color film displays are capable of video

[pata]

dic

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

excuse the off topic but i had to correct this. The current Trition color film displays are capable of video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPdXAyvWZdI

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that just a prototype? Can any of the color e-ink displays in production, i.e. on the Jetbook Color and so on, display full motion video?

By the way, that Korean writeup seems to indicate that the Kyobo eReader doesn't do video either, or at least doesn't do it very well. The translation I'm reading is barely comprehensible though.

[zinj]

Originally Posted by pata

We can't even say for sure if the frontlight isn't also needed outside. We have yet to see one video/review of this device in actual real world conditions.

Shining a light on the front of a screen so that you can read it outside in daylight doesn't make any sense. I have used a Mirasol-enabled bluetooth headset daily for the past 3 years and I can definitely tell you that the more ambient light you have the better the display is. It is positively iridescent.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by pata

dic
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that just a prototype? Can any of the color e-ink displays in production, i.e. on the Jetbook Color and so on, display full motion video?

the display CAN whether the device is capable depends on what type of buffering they are doing and the processor etc

[paperwastage]

add Kyobo eReader to cart

try to feel your way around the cart ordering process via this

ship one to US?

I'm down for this(don't mind being the early adopter who pays $300+), but I can't make sense of this page (google/yahoo translator doesn't help much)

EDIT: It looks like its just gifts... going to pass on that. roughly 365500 won(~$350 USD) shipped to USA i think... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[pata]

I found some 'real world' footage (the last few seconds) of the Kyobo ereader displaying video:
http://clien.career.co.kr/cs2/bbs/bo...&wr_id=9307160

Has anyone discovered instructions in English for

1. ordering from overseas
2. a Quick Start Guide to setting up the eReader
3. Side loading apps and/or rooting the eReader

?

[Papi]

I'd like to see a video of the device with the front light turned off. The front light makes it look like a very bad LCD screen.

[markbot]

how come they always have a shiny reflective screen and not a matte one?

[pdurrant]

The Kyobo mirasol device appears to have a sheet of glass at the front, covering the mirasol screen and with a gap between the glass and the screen for the front light.

I hope that eventually there'll be a mirasol device without the glass and the front light.

[mersfire]

I just bought one and I have to say I'm greatly disappointed by this device and I've been looking forward to this technology for a long time.

I own an original Kindle, Sony PRS-505, Kindle DX (Pearl version), Kindle 3, Bookeen Orizon, and Nook Simple Touch. You can call me a kinda collector of eReaders. I also have an iPad2, Nook Color, Nook Tablet, and HP Touchpad (I should really start a review site).

My impression of the Kyobo reader

Pros
* It's Mirasol! (It's cool to have the first MEMS based display + color ePaper)
* Excellent outdoor visibility
* Build quality is excellent - the device feels very solid in the hand
* The design is quite nice and it fits nicely in the hand
* Video capable and has tablet like UI and features
* Color

Cons
* Front light that seems to constantly be on when indoors.
* When the front light is off, the display is extremely dim
(It looks like a 1st gen Palm Pilot display with color but no backlight)
* Color is very muted
* Severe color shift when viewed off angle (like 1st gen LCD)
* Display is not quite fast enough (compared to LCD) to show smooth transitions (aka, there's a lot of stuttering)

I definitely applaud Qualcomm for launching the technology. However, I'm not sure where the technology fits. E Ink looks more like ink on paper, so when compared side by side, E Ink wins hands down for reading. For tablet functions like Youtube or web browsing, the iPad or even my Galaxy phone is superior.

The one advantage Mirasol seems to have over LCD is the outdoor readability. I have a Pixel Qi mod'd device and I would say that it looks similar to reflective LCD, but the Pixel Qi display is much quicker (smoother).

I hope that Qualcomm can improve the color and response time of this device because I think most people will compare this device to a tablet device.

[pata]

Thanks for the impressions. Could you post some pictures and/or videos comparing the Kyobo ereader to the devices in your collection?

[mersfire]

Originally Posted by pata

Thanks for the impressions. Could you post some pictures and/or videos comparing the Kyobo ereader to the devices in your collection?

Sure, no problem!

Ambient lighting comparison (frontlight off)


Ambient lighting comparison (frontlight on max)


Dark lighting comparison (frontlight on max)


Daylight lighting (5000K light)


Three way comparison (frontlight off)


Three way comparison (frontlight on max)


By the way, I figured out that you can turn off the frontlight under the Android settings -> Display -> Display Brightness -> Set the slider to MIN (all the way to the left)

[mersfire]

I tried to do a fair comparison (I'm a huge fan of this technology), but one thing that surprised me was a very big viewing angle dependency. Luckily the best viewing angle is on axis, but slight shifts in angle really can affect the display.

After watching some Youtube videos, I have to say that video mode is decent, but I still find myself comparing this to a Nook tablet which does video infinitely better.

[Blue Tyson]

When do we get the big, fluffy Samoyed display?