We’re just a little over halfway through the week and it’s already been a big one in the eReader world. The big news is that E Ink has announced the development of Triton, their new color eInk platform.
Triton is capable of displaying up to 4,096 colors by means of an RBG filter over top of their already impressive 16-shade black and white eInk display system. Because it’s still a static display like the black and white models currently available, the addition of color does not impact the battery life; you can still expect devices using Triton technology to last for a good month or so of reading as Amazon’s Kindle 3 is said to achieve.
(I still haven’t gotten my Kindle 3 to run out of juice even after this long. Well, except the time I left the WiFi on for several straight days, anyway.)
Color isn’t a big priority for me in an eReader, but it is definitely something I’m curious about, especially because it does look pretty good so far. A bit unsaturated maybe, but we have very few images to go by; I’m looking forward to more peeks as they get this tech closer to adoption by manufacturers.
I should say adoption in the west, actually. That’s the other big news this week; Hanvon, a Chinese manfacturer, debuted a gorgeous Triton-based color touchscreen eInk reader at the FPD International 2010 trade show in Tokyo.
Color models won’t make a lot of difference if, like me, you mostly read novels, but magazines, newspapers and comics are all going to start looking a lot more attractive shortly, and the prospect of touchscreen as well? I’d love a reader with that ability.
So what say you readers? Are any of you on the fence about eReaders? How do you feel they compare to the likes of the iPad, the old (and new) Nook? Will color touchscreens change your opinion one way or the other? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share them in the comments.
E Ink’s Triton Press Release (pdf)
(E Ink story via CrunchGear; Hanvon story via Engadget)
Happy to have you here!
I want a reader than can handle technical PDF documents without requiring reflow. Screen size of iPad, but lighter weight and easier on eyes. Color e-ink in larger size screen seems the perfect solution.
I have been hemming and hawing about getting an e-reader for a while now. I looked seriously at the Kobo and Kindle but kept holding back waiting for…something. Now Borders is going under (what does that do to Kobo?) and Kindle has a solid grasp of the market but I want touch screen and color. I don’t want an I-pad because I want to use it primarily for reading – and with IPad I would just get distracted by the 100 million apps, internet, e-mail and all the other crap that I am avoiding by sitting down with a book now. When I see and can put my hands on the right e-reader I will know it and it looks like we are getting really, really close here. Yippee!
Yes indeed. Amazon says no Kindle 4 in 2011 and I say that’s just fine and dandy if it brings us a colour touchscreen Kindle 4 in 2012. Even just a colour Kindle 4 would be more than worth it! Touchscreen would be okay, but I can live without it easily.
Color is essential not only for magazines, but also for web pages – many don’t need fast refresh and video (though it may enlarge the market). Eye strain and outdoor usability are 2 major differentiators of e-ink vs. LCD. However, as the 600dpi 150:1 contrast paper remains the reference, adding a touch screen overlay can only hurt the image quality and bat. life, while increasing price and size.
Color . . . color good . . . must have color!
I actually got to see prototypes of color e-ink displays at CES last January. It was pretty cool and looked good. As to whether I would prefer that over an iPad or Android tablet, well, I don’t have a tablet yet. I’d have to spend a few hours reading on one to compare the eyestrain from that display versus the e-ink display to know for sure. However, having one device that does a whole bunch of things versus just reading books…that would be nice.
Interesting. My own take is that the dedicated eReader with eInk is the obvious way to go; but I do read a lot, or I used to anyway. It’s only now that I have the Kindle that I’m finding myself reading constantly again. I don’t think I could do that on an iPad – I certainly found the experience on the iPod less than ideal – but I am interested in getting a next-gen iPad, so maybe I’ll get the chance to do a direct comparison soonish.
I have a Sony ereader and an iPad and I don’t think that I am going back to the ereader even if the battery life is much better. My iPad is able to do everything I need and I can’t see how the color display on a ereader would convince me to buy one. The battery life on the iPad is good enough and I don’t read outside often enough.
I think you’re right, if you’re a novel reader, this isn’t going to change anything. However, if you’re like me and have a 2 year old daughter that loves to read full color Dr. Seuss books, then this is pretty cool. The great thing about e-ink is that it doesn’t strain your eyes like LCD does. So I’m curious if the color e-ink is the same way. From the pictures it looks pretty cool!