Wow. I think Barnes & Noble’s has got it right. E Ink-based displays last a long time because it doesn’t consume any power when information is not being updated–perfect for an ebook reader application. But it doesn’t update quickly and is very awkward when navigating through a menu system or even simple scrolling. Touch doesn’t work very well either precisely because of the slow response. On the other hand, LCDs do that quite well and that’s probably why it is hanging out below the E Ink display. As you can see from the picture the LCD can display a keyboard, book choices (from, of course, Barnes & Noble) or maybe related content, reference material, footnotes, endnotes, appendix, etc. I believe this is a positive evolution of the ebook reader.
Source: “Exclusive: First Photos of Barnes & Noble’s Double Screen E-Reader” – Gizmodo
Ross Young is President of YMR, primary solar and TV analyst and proud owner of a 4kW rooftop solar system. Ross co-founded YMR with Barry Young in May of 2009. Prior to forming YMR, Ross was VP of New Market Creation at Samsung Electronics’ LCD Business, reporting to the LCD CEO, where he tracked, analyzed and assessed the solar market and supported their market intelligence efforts in notebooks and TVs. Prior to Samsung, Ross was the founder and CEO of DisplaySearch, the leading flat panel display market research, consulting and events firm. Ross has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the display display. Please welcome him, learn and enjoy from his posts, which I hope will be many in the future.
Small Things 13.5 years ago, I started my first newsletter, The DisplaySearch Monitor, which basically launched DisplaySearch which was sold to The NPD Group in 2005. The first issue was just 5 pages and it consisted of analysis of news and data that I translated from Japanese display magazines. I still remember sitting on the couch two days before I left for the SID Conference telling my girlfriend, who I later married, that I really should start a newsletter. She told me to stop talking about it, apparently I had been mentioning this for some time, and just do it already. I chose a clip art image of a monitor as my logo and cobbled something together. At SID, I made hundreds of copies and put them outside the conference rooms. People started taking them and subscribing. The price was just $395. The DisplaySearch Monitor grew to over 150 pages per month and was one of DisplaySearch’s most popular products for a long time. That was how DisplaySearch was born. I am glad I got off that couch. (more…)
Verizon is betting big on DROID, a smartphone by Motorola that will run on Google’s Android 2.0 smartphone OS. DROID will be Verizon’s anti-iPhone. And this is the message:
- iDon’t have a real keyboard.
- iDon’t run simultaneous apps.
- iDon’t take 5-megapixel pictures.
- iDon’t customize.
- iDon’t run widgets.
- iDon’t allow open development.
- iDon’t take pictures in the dark.
- iDon’t have interchangeable batteries.
- Everything iDon’t
- Droid Does
There have been many well-equipped smartphones that have challenged the iPhone hegemony but have failed to topple it from the crown. There is a massive and dedicated following. And for good reason: the iPhone does a lot of stuff very well and better than others. The iPhone can be considered the best implementation of multitouch and UI on a smartphone platform. Another reason? The App Store is huge with more apps than all the other app stores combined. But, there is an Achilee’s Heel: AT&T. The carrier’s 3G network is spotty and voice connections can be less than satisfying. My guess is that Apple will ditch AT&T when the exclusive runs out. I think Apple will develop an iPhone that will work with any network in the near future. So does Verizon, a carrier that touts its network superiority over AT&T and all the others, combined with Motorola’s DROID smartphone have a chance at successfully beating out the current AT&T-iPhone combo? We’ll see. In my opinion, my bet is on the current champion. (more…)
What is it? 11.6-inch notebook PC with a 1366 x 768 resolution that lasts about 7 hours. It weighs just 3.5 pounds and a bit thicker than an inch. The P3110 sports a 1.3 GHz Pentium SU4100 and the lower-end P3010 features an 1.6 GHz Athlon Neo MV-40.
The Good & Bad: The 7 hours of battery life is certainly a positive. For a 11.6-incher it is a bit on the porky side at thicker than an inch and weighing 3.5 pounds. CPU power seems to be a bit lacking too with the top end sporting a 1.3 GHz Pentium SU4100; it has two cores though. The price better be aggressive or the P Series doesn’t have a chance against netbooks that are cheap and getting more powerful by the day. Source: Engadget
Image source: Mobile Burn
“Smooth as silk…” - Wired
Pros: Slim (about 20mm thick), Light (just 2.76 pounds), Nicely rounded edges (but what premium portable PC doesn’t?), Excellent tactile feedback on the keyboard, Not overly sensitive trackpad (I guess it’s difficult to get this right, but can’t you change it in the settings?), Removable and beautiful 12-cell battery for 12 hours.
Others: 1.6GHz Atom Z530 CPU, Windows 7, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard disk, 10.1-inch LCD, HDMI port, USB (3) ports, Headphone-out, Microphone-in, SD reader, Ovi software for easy sync between the Booklet 3G and your Nokia phone.
Expensive AT&T will offer the sleek Booklet 3G for just $299 with a $60 per month contract for two years. Contract-free the Booklet 3G will go for $600. Here’s the math: $299 + $60 x 24 = $300 + $1,439 = $1,729. That’s a LOT of money (that AT&T is getting from you)! The better bet is to buy it for $600 and sign up for AT&T’s U-verse Internet service for your home and get free WiFi at Starbucks and other places. I believe you’ll need to sign up for at least the Pro ($30/mo) from U-verse that gives you 3 Mbps downloads to get the free WiFi. The reason why this works is because wherever you are there will almost always be a Starbucks nearby. Check out the video of the Booklet.