Seiko Epson's Awesome Prototype eReader

Seiko Epson from Japan has a new prototype of a new ereader with an outstanding resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels covering a 6.7" display screen (making a dpi of about 230). That's crisp! It's about 3 times more resolved that a standard LCD screen. Standard ebook readers have dots-per-inch of around 170ish. The size is 120 x 180 m, about the B6 paper size.

Judging from the photo, the text is even crystal-clear looking from an extremely steep angle (you can make out clearly the graphs and text). There isn't much glare on the screen too at this angle. Imagine reading them at a normal angle. All seems good with this prototype now, except that you can't miss the fact that it's real sharp - at all sides, and thin too. This can be either both a good thing or a bad thing. It may look sleek, but the pointy end can be a bit uncomfortable.

Info on the detailed specs is limited as this is just a prototype. But the available specs tells us that this is pretty amazing. Take into consideration that this is just a prototype and the commercial ones will only get better.

• Overall size: 7.1" x 4.7" x 0.1" (extremely thin compared to other dedicated ebook devices)
• Display: 6.7" screen, 1200 x 1600 pixel resolutions, E-ink technology couple with proprietary TFT design.
• Weight: 57 g
• Contrast ratio: 8:1
• Reflectivity: 43%
• Refreshing time: 0.7 s
• Battery life: 1400 page turns (this prototype uses only a single cell battery)

[via Gizmodo , Technabob , and MobileRead ]

Multi-Touch Screen for an Ereader?

The time is just around the corner - for ereader displays to incorporate multi-touch screen technology. The starting point has already presented itself through a student project. But a complete assimilation of the two technologies could go as far as one can imagine. I mean, how can you not wander when looking at a technology as alien as this:



This was taken at the CeBIT 2008 expo last week in Hannover, Germany. (CeBIT is in German for "Centre of Office and Information Technology). Probably a 'Minority-Report'-like ereaders wouldn't be around the corner just yet. So, how about something slightly less futuristic but more real and relatively 'simple' to combine with the current technology. Multitouch screen would have to wait for now:



It's less 'multi' but less 'touch' too. Incredibly, all the gestures seems so relevant to what we would want in our ebook readers. Any guess when one will be available? I'll put my bet on 2009. What are you waiting for, Kindle 2?

Livre: A New Ebook Reader?

The multi-touch screen technology by Jeff Han has been by far the one that puts me as close as possible to the future. And if there's one thing that anyone should bring in after watching its YouTube inauguration, it should be that "it's got to be integrated into everything tech as soon as possible". Now there's one that's coming up or at least has something close to it, albeit not commercially, yet. It's Livre, an eBook Reader designed by a Monash University student (Nedzad Mujcinovic) that won the Australian Dyson Student Award 2008.
To best summarize Livre: to go forward one must look back. The main feature of Livre is that it tries to be as book-like as possible, physically, than the rest. That means no buttons, no controls, and thicker. In fact, judging from its look, it's as thick as the real book. The system uses eInk technology, of course, integrated with a touch-input screen. And get this - pages are turned by sliding your finger across the page, while double and triple finger gestures advance the page-turning much quicker. All gestures are mimicking back the old ways of reading books. Its realistic feel is added by the inclusion of the soft leathery cover.

Here's how things look now - multitouch screen and eInk are the real deal now. They're more realistic and make things simpler for the user. How to best mix and match these two together into those gadgets out there is going to be something interesting to watch. What's next for Livre, or Nedzad?