Another Day and Still Eink Keeps Trying

We have seen so many eInk 'lookie likie' ebook readers we are somewhat punch-drunk and find ourselves asking how many will survive, what differentiates one from another, and if eInk is a mere digression and limited life technology when it comes to ebooks?

E Ink claim that they will have a colour e-paper reading panel by the 1st quarter of 2011. The claim by Sriram Peruvemba, VP of marketing at EInk in PC World is that they will introduce colour e-paper displays shortly. Although prototypes are working in E Ink’s labs, it will take up to 3 years to actually reach the market. Is it too little too late? Will black and white readers survive long enough under the threat of full media and colour tablets, mobiles and netbooks?

Then there is Qualcomm’s mirasol technology which is planned with touchscreens later this year. You can see Mirasol technology at their web site www.mirasoldisplays.com/reader.

Then there is the likes of new ereader entrants such as Asus and their DR-900. The DR-9000 has a 9”, monochrome touch-screen display with a 1,024x768 resolution and is no thicker than a pencil. Asus has already proved themselves in the laptop world, so is this an natural extension? The DR-900 is WiFi and has a built in Web browser and can access RSS feeds but appears to be very limited in the formats it supports and today can’t support DRM files.