Other devices are starting to break the mold, like the Barnes & Noble Nook with its two-pane design providing color support in a smaller LCD screen. But mobile chip-maker Qualcomm is hoping to leapfrog past the race to color e-Ink panels with its own display technology dubbed mirasol, a low-power and highly reflective (good for reading in direct sunlight) project it hopes to take to the market by late next year. Now the company is showing off a 5.7-inch prototype capable of both full color display and video playback, without sacrificing too much in the way of battery life.
Interestingly, the technology behind mirasol is similar to what enables a butterfly's iridescent wings to shimmer. Qualcomm is working with unnamed partners to get a variety of eReader devices based on mirasol onto the market by late 2010, most likely at similar pricepoints to current eReaders available now. The plans include multiple devices both with and without full QWERTY keyboards and touchscreens.
Do you have an eReader device currently? Would you consider upgrading -- or are you holding out -- for a digital book reader that supports color?