Multimode Displays from PixelQi due next month!

[kaas]

from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-...eed&subj=Crave

The famous Mary Lou Jepsen just introduced a new display to be mass produced very soon:

"Her company's first product, 3Qi, arrives in the next month. It's, as she puts it, three different kinds of displays as one: a low-power black and white mode, an e-paper mode, and a high-resolution color LCD TV mode"

For those of you who do not know her, she was the mind behind the the OLPC's famous (and cheap) display which could switch modes between high res., reflective black and white (readable under the glaring sunshine) and a colour mode with background light...

Exiting stuff! I wonder if it was that display they showed RobertB during their conference...

cheers,

kaas

[wallcraft]

A few more details at Pixel Qi and this does sound like the mystery screen of the Astak Spectrum.

[Blue Tyson]

Holy multi monitors, Batman!

[kaas]

I could not have expressed myself more eloquently!

[Phogg]

Here is good news

[Pascal Scheffers]

This is bound to be interesting. I have an OLPC XO-1 (well, three of them actually) and the screens are truly marvelous. Readable in the sun - and it feels like it is the most natural thing, until you grab your normal laptop and hurt your eyes trying to decipher the screen.

But the XO screen, backlight off with my eyes needs at least a 60w light source close by to be readable. The 3Qi is being described as paperwhite, if the pixels can be black... I just bought my PRS-505 but I think I'll be buying one of the first things sporting one of these screens. Now if only they would post some nice, tantalizing, pictures for us.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by Pascal Scheffers

... But the XO screen, backlight off with my eyes needs at least a 60w light source close by to be readable. The 3Qi is being described as paperwhite, if the pixels can be black......

Frankly, I'd wait and see, before getting too excited. May is when the first SAMPLES come out. For me at least, if reading books (b/w) is not at least as good as the current crop of e-inks, all the other modes are simply irrelevant.

The fact that we have seen no real product images floating around at this stage, gives me a slightly skeptical pause.

[kaas]

I was sceptic of Jepsen's promises for the XO untill I saw the XO live. Now I am ready to believe that she can walk on water
The most amazing part was that she created something that did not require a new and radical approach, but rather improved greatly on a technology, yet still made it possible for manufacturers to keep their old equipment in order to produce the new screens. Voila, instant mass production capabilities!

I am eagerly awaiting the release...

cheers,

kaas

[wallcraft]

Mary Lou Jepsen’s Blog had a new post yesterday:

samples of our screens are due at the end of May/early June. These samples are being made in the ample spare capacity of one of the largest LCD manufacturers in the world - and thus can be moved into high volume mass production quickly - this fall really.

... one can unplug the existing screen in a 10″ netbook and plug our new screen right in.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by kaas

I was sceptic of Jepsen's promises for the XO untill I saw the XO live. Now I am ready to believe that she can walk on water
The most amazing part was that she created something that did not require a new and radical approach, but rather improved greatly on a technology, yet still made it possible for manufacturers to keep their old equipment in order to produce the new screens. Voila, instant mass production capabilities!

I am eagerly awaiting the release...

cheers,

kaas

Dear All:

I think kass is exactly right! This is not going to take months and months of Alpha versions and Beta versions. They greatly improved on an already proven technology. So, yes, this could go into production quickly; and should not add a ton of weight.

I think all of us are worried about the weight of a large screened eBook Reader. Anybody want to comment on what they feel the maximum weight should be for a 10 inch unit? I am expecting around 14 ounces. That is about the weight of the older Kindle 1.

[kaas]

Hi Robertb,

have you ever experienced the Rocket Ebook ( https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Rocket_eBook )? It weighted 22 ounces and was a "fatty". Yet, in my opinion, it was one of the best designed ebook readers there are- even today. If you look at the picture, you will see that it could be comfortably held with the left or right hand, or even with both...
Maybe you could get a used unit from ebay and check the ergonomics yourself?
Does anybody else think that the ergonomics of the Rocket Ebook were pure genius?

cheers,

kaas

[Xenophon]

@Kaas: If you search this thread for REB-1100 or Rocket or REB-1150 you will find that a bunch of us beat Robertb about the head and shoulders until he did exactly what you suggest. I think he's finally gotten the message about the high quality and desirability of that design (any comments, Robertb?)... but Astak is not currently ordering large enough quantities of eBook readers to motivate the factories to do new physical designs just for them.


Xenophon

P.S. I really meant the ginormous Astak reader thread, not the thread I'm answering in. I'm so used to seeing Robertb posts over in that other thread that I momentarily spazzed.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Anybody want to comment on what they feel the maximum weight should be for a 10 inch unit?

The iRex DR1000S is 20 oz. I have not heard complaints about its weight. A related issue is battery life (heavier battery for longer life). In part, the smallest acceptable battery size depends on how good the power management is.

[Charybdis]

What is exactly this display?

Does this screen have backlit? Is it an e-paper with video refresh speed? Is it an LCD display without backlit?

I would really like a full-color, video speed display, which has absolutely no backlit, so that it does not hurt the eyes.

[Jadon]

Originally Posted by Charybdis

What is exactly this display?

It's the One Laptop Per Child screen, improved. The OLPC screen was a 7.5-inch diagonal LCD display, 1200x900 monochrome-mode, with a lesser color mode (840x630, I think). It had a backlight, but it could be turned off, so there's no reason to think this one won't also be able to be deactivated. The screen had e-paper-like reading in sunlight. And it's a video display that can handle full motion. This version is also a touchscreen. Basically, you get the reading experience of e-ink, plus the options of color and backlight, with good but not super-long-eink battery life.