Asus DR-570 E-Reader To Bring OLED Display 70
MojoKid writes "Reportedly, Asus will be introducing the DR-570 color eReader by the end of 2010, but it won't be just another one in the crowd. In fact, it just might be a game-changer. The reader will supposedly have a 6" screen, but rather than using e-ink like every other reader out there, this one will utilize a color OLED screen. Word is the unit will last a whopping 122 hours on a full charge. It should also be able to run Flash applications, download books over 3G to Wi-Fi, and most likely surf the web, unlike any other reader out there."
Asus will be rolling out two other ebook reader models this year as well.
Reality check (Score:5, Informative)
At the bottom of the article is the following update that might put things in a more realistic perspective:
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Update - 1/18/10 - 10:25PM EST:
This just came in from our contacts at Asus here in the US. It looks like things are a bit premature at this point (of course) but it does appear that Asus will be making a major play in this arena in the near future.
"As for the status of the unit, we do have plans to bring a series of innovative products into this market sector. All details about the product(s) are still to be finalized with the goals of outstanding responsiveness and battery life being of prime importance for us to ensure a great end user experience. The mass production schedule is still under discussion as is pricing, availability, and channel selections. However, based on our history with mobile products, the digital reader series will be cost competitive with other solutions while offering a wealth of features.
ASUS believes that content and applications are the keys to success in the market sector. Once we have a concrete software and application plan, we will disclose additional information to you."
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Re:Missing the E-ink point. (Score:4, Informative)
Well, that and the screen doesn't have to refresh.
LCDs dont refresh. Please let that very tired meme die. Next meme up to bat, "e-ink refresh rate".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refresh_rate#Liquid_crystal_displays [wikipedia.org]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display [wikipedia.org]
"Refresh rate: The number of times per second in which the monitor draws the data it is being given. Since activated LCD pixels do not flash on/off between frames, LCD monitors exhibit no refresh-induced flicker, no matter how low the refresh rate."
Sure that was an appeal to authority, quoting wikipedia. But lets think about it, a CRT flickers because an electron beam sweeps a fast decay phosphor. LCDs don't have a "sweeping electron beam" or a rapid decay phosphor. I suppose you could simulate a flickering CRT using an LCD by updating the entire screen at 120 Hz and alternating data and a black field.
If your eyes hurt looking an "old fashioned" LCD but feel great looking at a "new expensive" e-ink, then you probably have audiophile-itis, easily cured by following solutions:
1) Green marker around the perimeter of the LCD
2) Install the LCD in a $3000 brushed aluminum enclosure
3) Use monster cables instead of cheap interconnect cables.
Alternately your eyes might hurt when you look at a LCD screen because your eyes are screwed up. See an eye doctor before you go completely blind.
Re:Missing the E-ink point. (Score:2, Informative)
I was an art student, so i had color theory. I have a good understanding of additive and subtractive color systems. It's been my understanding that you can create a certain color either through reflective or emissive means, but ultimately your eyes are receiving a certain nm of light at a certain intensity, it shouldn't really matter where that light was first (maybe overly simplistic. but i'm not certain how much scattering of light effects your eye-feel of what you see. i'm aware of the mechanics, but still think it has more to do with how other stuff in the environment looks than your comfort in looking at something).
with a light meter and a controlled environment, you could perform an experiment to see if people feel there is a difference between reading a kindle, or an lcd emitting the same intensity of light. I imagine with the right equipment you could measure the light and find it exactly the same.
I have performed a different experiment though. Look at a reflection of the sun, it's not much better than looking at the light source.
am i right? is this griping about lcd screens really griping about how we can't yet make a device that is crisp and clear without pumping way more photons than our eyes want?
Re:Missing the E-ink point. (Score:3, Informative)
I see a lot of people talk about this difference. What is the difference between looking at an object reflecting light, and an object that is emitting light of the same intensity?
Well, that's the trick. With a photosensor an LCD screen can ramp up its display brightness to fit the ambient lighting - and ramp it back down again if it gets dark... But LCD screens often can't get bright enough to do well in sunlight, while a reflective screen will be reflecting some amount of light comparable to the ambient light.
I sort of suspect the OLED screen won't be as visible in bright light as the E-ink - but I haven't seen it, so...
I was an art student, so i had color theory. I have a good understanding of additive and subtractive color systems. It's been my understanding that you can create a certain color either through reflective or emissive means, but ultimately your eyes are receiving a certain nm of light at a certain intensity
Just want to correct something:
Light can be made up of one or more wavelengths of light. Purple, for instance, is a combination of light from the two ends of the visible spectrum - as opposed to violet, which is short-wavelength light. The different types of cones in our eyes respond to different, overlapping ranges of wavelengths. So if we saw true yellow light, it would trigger the red and green cones, because both types of cones respond to yellow light (but to a lesser degree than they would respond to red or green) - this is why the primary color system works. If we see light that contains red and green wavelengths, it's the same to us as if we'd seen actual yellow light.
Two Words (Score:5, Informative)
With the ability to alternate between a black-and-white as-readable-in-direct-light-as-eInk mode and a standard color LCD mode, both with fast (normal LCD) refresh rates, and cost to manufacture on par with current LCD displays, this technology is the future of tablets (which will subsume the eReader market). And the first product, the Notion Ink Adam, is coming out this year.