Mirasol has a high enough refresh rate to allow web navigation and video playback, albeit with some flicker.
That means a display density of 223 pixels-per-inch, which is twice the resolution of an iPad but falls short of the resolution in Apple’s Retina display. The result are devices (still only available in Asia) with 5.3 inch, 800-480 pixel screens.
The Mirasol display, which uses tiny mirrors to refract light in a way that is reminiscent of irridescent butterfly wings, has apparently been especially hard to manufacture, because it’s taken more than four years to ramp production volume to the point that this display could be sold to consumers. The KYOBO eReader, Hanvon C18, Bambook Sunflower and Koobe Jin Yong Reader all use full-color Mirasol displays Ultimately, it’s this sort of display that will give us true replacements for printed material. Displays like this one are different from the backlit LCD panels on tablets in that they are reflective and require an external light source to be viewable. Sad to say the Hanvon C18 will not be available to North American residents – another e-reading device would have been great to have on the market to help lower the prices more for us consumers.For those of us who still think tablets are a less enjoyable reading experience than plain old glossy magazine paper, the good news is that the elves at Qualcomm have been busy turning their Mirasol color e-ink display into something more than perennial vaporware.
Unfortunately for anyone outside of China they will likely not see this device as it is specifically designed for the Asian market, but they could see the mirasol screen being utilized in the near future. It will be out on shelves around mid February of 2012 however neither Hanvon or Qualcomm have disclosed how much it will cost. If you are looking to get your paws on this nifty e-reader then you will not have to wait too long. Additionally users can utilize the handwriting recognition feature termed Hanvon Input that is unique to this device. The Hanvon C18 will have access to thousands upon thousands of e-books, over a hundred different newspapers, and more than three hundred magazines. Thanks to the mirasol display you can also safely assume that the battery will last you weeks and it will also be able to support video as well as other media formats.Ī big draw to the Kindle and Nook is the book selection however Hanvon has this covered.
Hanvon C18 runs on a 1.0 GHz Snapdragon processor and it runs on a custom Google Android core Operating System. The display is a 5.7 inch XGA touchscreen that utilizes the mirasol technology as mentioned above. So, back to the Hanvon C18 e-reader, what makes it different from other e-reading devices like the Kindle or Nook? Well, for starters it is incredibly light – it weighs only 300 grams which is just over half a pound! Next, this device is only 10mm thin making it simple to fit into any purse, book case, or incredibly large back pocket! The Hanvon C18 is not the only company to use the new mirasol display in fact it’s the third company within two months to utilize it in an e-reading device which means we can definitely expect to see Qualcomm’s new display more widespread in the future. Overall the Mirasol display uses 1/10 th of the power to create a vivid image than an LCD screen does. Mirsol is a type of display screen that utilizes soft indirect light which is then tuned and reflected back at the viewer. Mirasol is a technology Qualcomm has been working on for several years and it is a solution to the energy consuming LCD displays that other devices utilize. It’s called the Hanvon C18 and Hanvon utilized Qualcomm’s new energy efficient mirasol display for their new e-reader. Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs had the pleasure of announcing the thinnest and lightest e-reader at the CES 2012 the other day. While both the Kindle and the Nook have incredible features and are fantastic e-reading devices, a new contender recently emerged overseas and was just announced at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 10 th. In the United States there is fierce competition between e-readers, especially between the two biggest names in the business: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.