PocketBook will showcase 6 new eBook Readers at CES in January. Five of them will have the usual E Ink displays, but the most interesting new model is called the PocketBook Mirasol, and it has… you guessed it, a Qualcomm Mirasol display.
The Mirasol screens have some of the properties of E Ink. You can see the screen without a backlight, and that helps improve outdoor visibility greatly while consuming much less power than a typical LCD display. The screen also has a much faster refresh rate than a typical E Ink screen, making it easier to interact with on-screen links and menus.
On the other hand, The Digital Reader reports that the Mirasol display will only be able to handle about 12 frames per second, which is well below the 24 to 30 fps you’d want to comfortably watch video on this kind of device. So don’t expect miracles from the PocketBook Mirasol. It’s still just an eBook reader at its core.
Update: It looks like the PocketBook Mirasol won’t be available until the third quarter of 2011.
Mirasol displays are some of the properties of E Ink. You can see the screen without backlight, which helps to improve visibility outdoors while consuming much less energy than a conventional LCD.
Ratgeber
I hope the 12 fps is a cpu issue, it actually breaks my heart a little. The demo Mirasol’s been showing was capped at 15, so I can’t see why this would be less.
I emailed Mirasol for commentary on the 12fps, they told me there is no reason the screen can’t handle 24-30fps. I love being outside with my gadgets! I’m crossing my fingers and toes that its a cpu issue!
Possibly my next ereader, if they can boost the framerate. I’m guessing the low number could be due to the processor. Perhaps since this is an ereader it uses the same cpu as non-Mirasol models, and all it needs is a faster processor.
And more money. Any word on pricing?
Cool. You picked up my story.
I just thought I’d tell you that I forgot to add a detail: the Pocketbook Mirasol is scheduled for Q3 2011.
I knew there was a catch. Q3 2011 really means Q2 2012.