January 18, 2010

SiPix sneaks into CES thanks to Jinke

At CES, Jinke announced 6 and 9-inch panel e-readers.


At this point, after so many introductions, I'd be short of things to say about them except maybe "They're white" or "One is a Kindle clone" if it were not for the fact that they sport not E-Ink displays, but SiPix displays.


SiPix is the main direct-technology competitor to E-Ink, with a fairly similar electrophoretic display technology. They haven't been very active to date in the larger sized displays, sticking to smaller sizes and segmented displays....but now it looks like they are up for the fight!


Multi-Touch
Engadget reports that they will be multi-touch displays, the first I've heard of on eReaders.


But why multi-touch? I can't see anyone doing "the pinch" or the "rotate" multi-touch gesture on photos or web pages with these devices with their slow-update displays.   So, apart from the title, what good is multi-touch here?




Connectivity will be Wi-Fi and optional 3G. The $275 price for the A6 6-inch is not bad, especially compared to the very similarly spec-ed Samsung model for $399. 


Verdict
Competition for E-Ink is good for consumers and device manufacturers, but I'd wait until I have seen the SiPix display close-up, and heard how reliable the first models of the production line are before I jump in and buy one.



No comments: