Thursday March 25, 2004 11:32 AM EST
By: Fabrizio Pilato
Philips, Sony and E-Ink have come together to announce the Worlds first consumer application of an electronic paper display module in the Sony LIBRIé e-Book reader. The black and white ink-on-paper look of the plastic display film is 170 pixels per inch (PPI) and resembles newsprint.
Easily read in bright sunlight or dimly lit environments, the reflective screen designed by Philips only uses power when the image changes. A user can read more then 10,000 pages on four AAA Alkaline batteries. This technology also makes the e-book light and highly portable, measuring only 126mm x 190mm x 13mm thick and weighing approximately 190g. The 800 x 600 screen resolution is 6-inches of electronic ink plastic film, capable of displaying four shades of gray.
Readers can download published content such as books, newspapers, comics and internet sites. The storage capacity is only 10MB and can hold around 500 downloaded books, if that is not enough you can add a maximum of 512MB with memory stick PRO.
"In today's mobile world, we know that the quality of the experience and ease-of-use are important in driving consumer adoption of mobile devices. Up until now, consumers have been less willing to adopt e-reading applications because of poor display quality on cumbersome devices," said Mr. Yo****aka Ukita, General Manager, e-Book Business Dept, Network Application & Content Service Sector, Sony Corporation. "This display solution provides a level of text clarity comparable to paper. Combined with our thin, lightweight device design, this novel e-Book reader offers users an enjoyable experience and the freedom to access material at their convenience."