E Ink -- Engadget Mobile

e-ink posts

Toshiba Biblio e-reader handled, deemed extremely small

by Laura June posted May 25th 2009 @ 11:58PM

We heard that Japanese carrier KDDI au had unveiled a Toshiba "e-reader," and now we're getting a first look at it. The e-inkless Biblio has a 3.5-inch, 960 x 480 LCD, with WiFi, 7GB of onboard storage, an electronic dictionary, and a 5.1 megapixel camera. The device features a slide-out keyboard which displays a numeric pad in the portrait orientation and doubles as full QWERTY in landscape. There's no word on pricing or availability for this bad boy as of yet, but we'll keep our eyes peeled and our ears to the ground. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba Biblio e-reader handled, deemed extremely small

Sharp's solar 936SH and 934SH with "memory LCD" headline latest SoftBank lineup

by Chris Ziegler posted May 19th 2009 @ 2:03AM

As you might expect, Japanese carrier SoftBank's summer 2009 lineup contains the usual science-fiction array of ridiculously well-equipped handsets -- plus 3G photo frames and a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 with embedded WWAN -- but the real news here might be a pair of lovelies from Sharp. The mirumo 934SH (pictured left) features a 3-inch external display that can display time, date, weather, news, and other information without consuming any power between changes; sounds like E-Ink, though Sharp describes it simply as a "memory LCD." You've also got an 8 megapixel camera, a waterproof shell, and a UV sensor that can help you determine just how quickly you need to slather on the SPF 30. Next up is the Solar Hybrid 936SH, a phone suspiciously similar in concept to the device Sharp is working on for SoftBank competitor KDDI au. Clearly the big draw here is the big solar array up front that'll give you one minute of call time or two hours of standby per 10 minutes of charging, but you've still got IPX7 water resistance, an 8 megapixel camera, and a full wide VGA display at your disposal. Look for the 934SH in June and the 936SH in August -- if you happen to be in Japan, anyhow.

Gallery: Sharp 934SH for SoftBank

Gallery: Sharp 936SH for SoftBank

Samsung's e-ink texting Alias 2 now on sale at Verizon Wireless

by Tim Stevens posted May 11th 2009 @ 7:29AM

Samsung's e-ink toting Alias 2 now on sale at Verizon Wireless

Electronic ink ain't just for readers. Samsung's Alias 2 is here, making use of a cleverly segmented display to make a mighty-morphing, e-ink keypad, which you can now get thumbing at Verizon Wireless -- right on time, no less. The price with a two-year contract is $129.99, but another $50 instant discount brings it down to a tick under $80. Go get your text on.

[Via PhoneArena]

Samsung Alias 2 and Motorola Rival a445 appear in the wild

by Nilay Patel posted May 7th 2009 @ 1:13PM

Got enough electronic ink yet this week? Hope not, cause here's the Samsung Alias 2 in the wild, complete with that segmented E Ink keypad. Apparently mode changes happen smoothly and quickly, so our usability fears now just boil down to feel -- those buttons do not look fun to press. We'll see when it launches on May 11.

Oh, and teenyboppers on the V might want to check out the blurry pic of the Motorola Rival a445 / Rush 2 after the break -- it's not going to blow your mind, but we hear you're into the colorful QWERTY slider scene these days. You scamps.

Continue reading Samsung Alias 2 and Motorola Rival a445 appear in the wild

Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed?

by Chris Ziegler posted May 1st 2009 @ 9:35AM

We're hearing that the Alias 2 is on track for a release in less than two weeks from now -- May 11, to be exact -- which would mean that we're just a few short days away from seeing the very first E Ink handset launch in the States. Yes, that's right, we said it -- after all the heated debate over the technology powering the Alias 2's configurable keypad, our tipster tells us that new information floating down from corporate confirms that the device is using E Ink, which would explain why it's able to maintain state even with the power off. We still think it's one awfully ugly phone, but this might be one of those all-too-frequent cases where cool tech ends up winning our hearts anyway. As for pricing, the tipster thinks it may come in at $79, which seems improbable even with deep contract discounting and a big mail-in rebate -- but if by some miracle it does end up being accurate, they're going to be selling tons of these to text-heavy geeks like ourselves.

[Image via PhoneArena, thanks ehjun]

E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

by Darren Murph posted Aug 3rd 2008 @ 1:17PM

For those still thinking that flexible displays are far from being widely accessible, think again. E Ink has just announced that its Vizplex Imaging Film-based displays will be used in handsets by Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications. For starters, the Hitachi W61H (already available) boasts a 2.7-inch E Ink display that can scroll through 96 different images whenever a call is received or the clamshell is cracked open; the Casio G'zOne (shown after the jump) will feature the same technology on its secondary "silhouette display." Details beyond that are pretty scant, but the real news here is that these displays are finally making their way into reasonably affordable handsets. Open up the flood gates, we say.

[Via SlashPhone]

Continue reading E Ink fits Vizplex displays into Casio, Hitachi handsets

Hands-on with Polymer Vision's e-ink Readius

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 14th 2008 @ 10:06AM

The long wait is over, the Polymer Vision Readius has finally made an appearance and from our quick -- and loving -- glance, it's the stuff. Featuring Bluetooth, dual-band HSDPA, tri-band GSM / EDGE, expandability via microSD, and it'll also SMS -- albeit, without a keyboard, it'll be tough -- and can make calls. The cellular calling and messaging features are likely an afterthought since connectivity to get at the content via the Readius portal was the goal. The site will push content to your device based on choices made there for feeds, newspapers, mags, audio books, and whatever else Polymer Vision sees fit to add. The device will support books in HTML, text files, and PDFs, though, we expect as they gain ground with partners the list may expand. Hit the gallery for a pile of pics of it in action.

Gallery: Hands-on with Polymer Vision's e-ink Readius

Polymer Vision's Readius e-ink phone coming mid-2008 to Italy

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 3rd 2008 @ 8:03PM

It seemed obvious back in mid-December of last year that Polymer Vision wasn't going to nail its timetable for production versions of the 3G-equipped, e-ink wonder known as the Readius. Now word is that the company will have a commercial version of the phone / e-book reader available sometime in mid-2008 in Italy via Telecom Italia -- provided that everything goes according to its diabolical plans. If you'll recall, the device features a foldable, grayscale, 5-inch QVGA display, and boasts a slew of features, including HSDPA, a 400MHz ARM CPU, and a battery life up to "six times longer" than current mobile phones. We'll admit we're intrigued, but don't make us wait too long over here, okay?

Prototype mobile showcases e-ink keypad

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 3rd 2007 @ 4:51PM

An e-ink primary display on a cellphone? Eh, that's so 2006. On display at Japan's CEATEC show this week is a prototype clamshell that flips the concept on its head, moving the e-ink down below. The benefits are pretty obvious -- different keypad configurations can be shown in different phone modes, a tactic that's been explored before -- but unlike phones that use OLED or LCD displays, e-ink only requires power when it's being changed, so you get the combined benefit of configurable keys while consuming virtually no additional energy over a standard layout. Combine the concept with physical ridges between keys and we figure this could be a pretty killer setup since you wouldn't be losing tactile feedback, either. We see a good fifteen or twenty concept phones for every device that actually sees production, but since some folks bothered to throw together a physical prototype here, we're cautiously optimistic this thing might see the light of day.

[Via Ubergizmo]

Epson working on mobile-to-printer e-books

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 6th 2006 @ 8:23PM

It may not have the same sort of high-tech impact as e-ink, but there's something to be said for reading stuff the old fashioned way with a nice, thick stack of paper -- and Epson would like us to use our phones to do it. The Japanese company has hooked up with Sammy NetWorks to include its muPass platform in printers and phones for managing DRMed e-book content via IrDA -- in other words, buy a book on your phone and beam it straight to your printer over an infrared connection. Epson and Sammy are thinking that the setup will be perfect for distributing periodicals (magazines, newspapers, and the like), individual articles, and out-of-print or limited audience material that can't be justified for a regular production run on the press. Integration should be a snap for phone manufacturers, since Sammy's now managed to cram the muPass system into software. War and Peace, anyone?