Asus Plans Dual-Display E-Reader 199
adeelarshad82 writes "Yet more confirmation has emerged that Asus plans its own e-book reader. An Asus representative in the UK appears to have confirmed this, with the additional details that there may be a value-priced as well as a premium version. The article guesses at the price point for the low-end model — around £100 ($192). Unlike current e-book readers, which take the form of a single flat screen, the Asus device has a hinged spine, like a printed book. This, in theory, enables its owner to read an e-book much like a normal book, using the touchscreen to 'turn' the pages from one screen to the next. Asus showed off a prototype of the device at the CeBIT trade show in March." Reader NeverBotedBush adds, "Asus's e-reader will likely have color touch screens, a speaker, a webcam, and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls." The color screen rules out using E Ink technology, so long battery life seems to be unlikely.
Re:Color screen rules out E-ink? What? (Score:3, Informative)
I can.
Ordinary e-Ink + additional technology [photobucket.com].
Re:sign me up (Score:2, Informative)
Instant. I can the text on the page as I'm turing it. If someone is interrupting me and I have to re-read the last paragraph on the last page because I forgot it, I can do that really fast on real book.
With eInk, you have to put up with the switching delay.
I know they're getting better, but it is an issue right now.
I think a big part of the problem is that the full screen has to turn one color then the other to prevent ghosting. That effectively doubles refresh time and that "flash" makes it much more noticeable than if, like the LCD I'm typing on right now, it only switched the pixels that changed.
eInk works great once you have the page displayed, especially if you have a large screen. Wouldn't something iPhone sized (or a little bigger) with an eInk screen be pretty great? Imagine the batter life! But all the page refreshes would make it rather annoying to use.
If we could get something with a refresh rate akin to an old passive matrix LCD, we'd be in good shape. What was that, 50ms or so?
Re:Backlit screen = yuk (Score:3, Informative)
speaking of OLPC, this looks like the XO-2 (Score:1, Informative)
OLPC's XO-2 concept [laptopmag.com] was similar to this - a dual panel color touch screen readable outdoors (like the XO-1's single panel non-touch screen). I don't know if they're going forward with the XO-2, but the XO-1.5 is nearing it's unveiling.
Re:Backlit screen = yuk (Score:1, Informative)
He has a point. The press release doesn't mention what technology the reader uses. Pixel QI is supposed to be coming out with a type of LCD fab based (so it's as cheep), color, sunlight readable display, but hasn't mentioned any partners yet. Maybe Asus is working with them?
Re:sign me up (Score:3, Informative)
ebook reader tipping point (Score:4, Informative)
I'm walking into the Stop and Shop the other day, and I look over at a beat up car, the kind in which you typically see some old duffer checking his scratch tickets and reading the Herald. Only this old guy was checking his scratch tickets and reading his Kindle. I thought, Perhaps this moment is time zero.
Re:So let me get this straight... (Score:3, Informative)
The touchscreen can't be used for fingerprint analysis.
Re:Backlit screen = yuk (Score:2, Informative)
Re:So let me get this straight... (Score:2, Informative)
15 seconds of trying to make sense of an article I can't read without a subscription:
This is a tablet PC with a built in fingerprint reader AND a touchscreen.
Next time spend 30 seconds before making a snarky comment. Also, try reading the fucking article you link to.
Dual-screen Asus Origami prototype (Score:3, Informative)
Another vote for the 3Qi (Score:3, Informative)
Ask anyone who has used an OLPC, and they will tell you that not only is it possible to use an LCD in full, direct sunlight, the image quality actually improves; the stronger the light, the better. The OLPC's limitation, however, is that daylight-readable version is monochrome only.
The 3Qi is the commercialized next generation of the same screen technology. It adds EPaper, color, and video [pixelqi.com] to the line up. Mary Lou Jepsen, the engineering genius behind the company, is trying to get the power requirements down far enough to allow 20-40 hours of run time, using current battery technology. The current version of the 3Qi is apparently not able to achieve that kind of power management without changes to the motherboard, but is still able to reduce power requirements by 20%.
Engadget did a series of side-by-side video comparisons [engadget.com] with the Kindle earlier this year, and the results are very impressive.