Asus DR-570 E-Reader To Bring OLED Display

MojoKid writes "Reportedly, Asus will be introducing the DR-570 color eReader by the end of 2010, but it won't be just another one in the crowd. In fact, it just might be a game-changer. The reader will supposedly have a 6" screen, but rather than using e-ink like every other reader out there, this one will utilize a color OLED screen. Word is the unit will last a whopping 122 hours on a full charge. It should also be able to run Flash applications, download books over 3G to Wi-Fi, and most likely surf the web, unlike any other reader out there." Asus will be rolling out two other ebook reader models this year as well.

Comments

vaga222

[Anonymous Coward]

122 hours on full charge? Really?

Does anyone have any information to back this up? OLED screen power requirements etc?

O RLY?

[Mr_Silver]

In fact, it just might be a game-changer.

Okay...

The reader will supposedly have a 6" screen, but rather than using e-ink like every other reader out there, this one will utilize a color OLED screen.

According to Wikipedia: " OLEDs typically produce only around 200 nits of light leading to poor readability in bright ambient light, such as outdoors "

They're proposing that an OLED E-Reader which cannot be read properly in sunlight will be "game changing". Forgive me for being not quite so optomistic.

Re:O RLY?

[TheRaven64]

I saw this a few days ago, and it sounds like a nice tablet machine. If it's hackable then I'd be very interested in one, especially if I can use it with a Bluetooth keyboard. As an eBook reader, it sounds pretty poor.

Of course, that's assuming that it just has an OLED display. One thing I've been hoping for for a while is a hybrid with eInk under transparent OLED. You'd designate different regions of the screen to the different displays, so you could have colour images and videos in boxes on a text page. For something like a web page, most of the text would be rendered on the eInk display, but videos and images would use the OLED, unless you were in low-power mode, then videos would be disabled and images would be converted to greyscale. Touch a button and it would make the eInk black under the image and use the OLED to show the picture.

Missing the E-ink point.

[onion2k]

The point about e-ink is that it's passive. It doesn't emit light. That's what makes it very easy to read for extended periods. Throw that away and you might as well go back to reading books on your laptop.

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[vlm]

Well, that and the screen doesn't have to refresh.

LCDs dont refresh. Please let that very tired meme die. Next meme up to bat, "e-ink refresh rate".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refresh_rate#Liquid_crystal_displays

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display

"Refresh rate: The number of times per second in which the monitor draws the data it is being given. Since activated LCD pixels do not flash on/off between frames, LCD monitors exhibit no refresh-induced flicker, no matter how low the refresh rate."

Sure that was an appeal to authority, quoting wikipedia. But lets think about it, a CRT flickers because an electron beam sweeps a fast decay phosphor. LCDs don't have a "sweeping electron beam" or a rapid decay phosphor. I suppose you could simulate a flickering CRT using an LCD by updating the entire screen at 120 Hz and alternating data and a black field.

If your eyes hurt looking an "old fashioned" LCD but feel great looking at a "new expensive" e-ink, then you probably have audiophile-itis, easily cured by following solutions:

1) Green marker around the perimeter of the LCD

2) Install the LCD in a $3000 brushed aluminum enclosure

3) Use monster cables instead of cheap interconnect cables.

Alternately your eyes might hurt when you look at a LCD screen because your eyes are screwed up. See an eye doctor before you go completely blind.

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[Anonymous Coward]

There is a difference between looking at the object that emits light and the one that reflects it.

For further reference, see: staring at the sun; staring at the moon.

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[ipX]

LCDs dont refresh. Please let that very tired meme die.

Er, yes they do. You've misunderstood the actually quite explicit wording of the wiki article. They don't flicker due to refresh, but they sure tear/judder/blur due to refresh. Do some acid and/or shrooms and tell me you don't notice the diff between 60Hz and 120Hz. xD

However, this is not directly relevant to an e-reader, unless it is being used for video.

3) Use monster cables instead of cheap interconnect cables.

No, it's Denon. Get ur references straight. :P

/flamebait

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[shadowrat]

I see a lot of people talk about this difference. What is the difference between looking at an object reflecting light, and an object that is emitting light of the same intensity?

I was an art student, so i had color theory. I have a good understanding of additive and subtractive color systems. It's been my understanding that you can create a certain color either through reflective or emissive means, but ultimately your eyes are receiving a certain nm of light at a certain intensity, it shouldn't really matter where that light was first (maybe overly simplistic. but i'm not certain how much scattering of light effects your eye-feel of what you see. i'm aware of the mechanics, but still think it has more to do with how other stuff in the environment looks than your comfort in looking at something).

with a light meter and a controlled environment, you could perform an experiment to see if people feel there is a difference between reading a kindle, or an lcd emitting the same intensity of light. I imagine with the right equipment you could measure the light and find it exactly the same.

I have performed a different experiment though. Look at a reflection of the sun, it's not much better than looking at the light source.

am i right? is this griping about lcd screens really griping about how we can't yet make a device that is crisp and clear without pumping way more photons than our eyes want?

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[OolimPhon]

So... your newspaper has a backlight?

Re:Missing the E-ink point.

[Tetsujin]

I see a lot of people talk about this difference. What is the difference between looking at an object reflecting light, and an object that is emitting light of the same intensity?

Well, that's the trick. With a photosensor an LCD screen can ramp up its display brightness to fit the ambient lighting - and ramp it back down again if it gets dark... But LCD screens often can't get bright enough to do well in sunlight, while a reflective screen will be reflecting some amount of light comparable to the ambient light.

I sort of suspect the OLED screen won't be as visible in bright light as the E-ink - but I haven't seen it, so...

I was an art student, so i had color theory. I have a good understanding of additive and subtractive color systems. It's been my understanding that you can create a certain color either through reflective or emissive means, but ultimately your eyes are receiving a certain nm of light at a certain intensity

Just want to correct something:

Light can be made up of one or more wavelengths of light. Purple, for instance, is a combination of light from the two ends of the visible spectrum - as opposed to violet, which is short-wavelength light. The different types of cones in our eyes respond to different, overlapping ranges of wavelengths. So if we saw true yellow light, it would trigger the red and green cones, because both types of cones respond to yellow light (but to a lesser degree than they would respond to red or green) - this is why the primary color system works. If we see light that contains red and green wavelengths, it's the same to us as if we'd seen actual yellow light.

Features, not bugs

[Monkeedude1212]

"It should also be able to run Flash applications, download books over 3G to Wi-Fi, and most likely surf the web, unlike any other reader out there."

So given enough time I can catch some nasty Malware - with no proper way to remove it besides opening it up and ruining the warranty?

Maybe...

[Primitive Pete]

I agree with your point about the passivity of e-ink (and I'm a kindle user), but I think it is also important to note the distinction between people who read, and people who look at the pictures (say, in Elle). There's probably room in the market for both products, and they may not experience too much conflict in user communities.

Reportedly

[dangitman]

Reportedly, company X will introduce Product Y, which will make sex-bots obsolete. Not only will it make sex-bots obsolete, it will run for 2,000 hours on a few drops of water-based lubricant. World hunger will be solved by Product Y, which will also be able to read Excel spreadsheets and shoot deadly laser bolts from its nipples. Analysts are excited to see beta versions of Product Y, and would gladly give their first-born children for a glimpse at the device.

Reality check

[McSnickered]

At the bottom of the article is the following update that might put things in a more realistic perspective:

----

Update - 1/18/10 - 10:25PM EST:

This just came in from our contacts at Asus here in the US. It looks like things are a bit premature at this point (of course) but it does appear that Asus will be making a major play in this arena in the near future.

"As for the status of the unit, we do have plans to bring a series of innovative products into this market sector. All details about the product(s) are still to be finalized with the goals of outstanding responsiveness and battery life being of prime importance for us to ensure a great end user experience. The mass production schedule is still under discussion as is pricing, availability, and channel selections. However, based on our history with mobile products, the digital reader series will be cost competitive with other solutions while offering a wealth of features.

ASUS believes that content and applications are the keys to success in the market sector. Once we have a concrete software and application plan, we will disclose additional information to you."

----

Re:but...

[shutdown -p now]

I thought the WHOLE POINT of an e-book reader is that e-ink displays are easier on the eyes for long periods than other display technologies.

Not really, there's also the very long battery life. Which of those two is more important depends on who you ask, though.

Two Words

[Arthur Grumbine]

Pixel Qi
With the ability to alternate between a black-and-white as-readable-in-direct-light-as-eInk mode and a standard color LCD mode, both with fast (normal LCD) refresh rates, and cost to manufacture on par with current LCD displays, this technology is the future of tablets (which will subsume the eReader market). And the first product, the Notion Ink Adam, is coming out this year.

Re:Emissive vs passive

[Carnildo]

Exactly. I got a good laugh out of that claimed 122 hours of runtime. Not with the screen showing anything it won't. Yes OLED has some important advantages over LCD but not that great. Unless it is going to have a huge ass battery pack sticking out current battery tech won't light up the screen for a hundred hours. Can't avoid the reality that emitting light consumes power. Of course there are ways to cheat the spec. Only light a small percentage of the pixels at less than full brightness and you might get that battery life but that is basically a rigged demo.

It's an ebook reader. If the default color scheme is grey text on black (think pre-Windows monitor), then yes, only a small percentage of the pixels will be lit at less than full brightness. Since that's the normal operating mode of the screen, I wouldn't call it a "rigged demo".