Qualcomm has unexpectedly revealed a new mirasol mobile display, a 5.1-inch panel running at a whopping 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. Last we heard of mirasol, Qualcomm was dousing production plans and focusing on licensing out the low-power technology instead, having seen production issues and the dominance of E Ink undermine its market. However, this new
We haven’t heard about Mirasol for a while now, but Qualcomm’s reflective display tech showed up in a few proof-of-concepts on the SID Display Week floor. We got a look at a previously announced 1.5-inch panel embedded on the top of an “always-on” smartphone and on the face of a smartwatch. Though a rep took care to emphasize that these were just mockups, he said the screen will soon show up in some third-party devices.
More interesting, though, was the company’s next-gen display: a 5.1-inch panel sporting a stunning 2,560 x 1,440 (577 ppi) resolution. Viewed up close, it delivers crisp images, but the reflective display kicks back a silvery tint and colors don’t pop as they do on other handsets. But while the sky-high pixel count may not tell the whole story, the screen offers one huge plus: a 6x power advantage over LCD and OLED displays. In practical terms, that means devices could go days without charging. Don’t expect to see this guy in your next smartphone, though: by “next-gen,” Qualcomm means this tech has a few more years in the R&D phase before it’ll be ready to hit a licensee’s production line. For now, make do with our hands-on video after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Wearables, Mobile
Qualcomm announced that it’s shutting things down in the Mirasol screen department. The e-reader displays, which can show color and can be read in direct sunlight, were apparently too difficult to manufacture and install in tablets. More »
Talk about flying under the radar. While everyone’s focus on Qualcomm’s results last week centered on the mobile chip business going gangbusters, the company quietly revealed during its fiscal results call that it’s backing out of producing Mirasol displays itself. CEO Paul Jacobs instead wants the company licensing out the butterfly-inspired screens to interested companies and will limit its direct commercialization to “certain” devices. The company isn’t explaining why beyond the plan more closely matching “addressable opportunities,” although the absence of any widescale launches (and unconfirmed but repeated talk of low yields at The Digital Reader) suggests that factory output never quite reached critical mass. We’re hoping that someone picks up the color e-reader torch before too long and delivers more than just the reference model derivatives we’ve seen to date.
Filed under: Displays
Qualcomm axes its own Mirasol production, will only bring some devices to market itself originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Qualcomm has quietly confirmed that it is backing out of mirasol display production, instead looking to license the color e-paper technology amid struggles to mass-produce the screens. The news was announced by Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs as part of the company’s financial results call last week, and described as being a strategy to “better align our updated roadmap with the addressable opportunities.”
According to Jacobs, “only certain” of the mirasol products previously on Qualcomm’s roadmap – i.e. certain sizes of display and certain ereaders – will now be produced and sold by the company itself. Instead, it will look to third-parties who want to adopt mirasol instead.
“With respect to QMT, we’re now focusing on licensing our next-generation mirasol display technology and will directly commercialize only certain mirasol products. We believe that this strategy will better align our updated roadmap with the addressable opportunities” Paul Jacobs, CEO, Qualcomm
mirasol’s path to the marketplace hasn’t been an easy one. It’s been several years since we first saw the fruits of Qualcomm’s labor in small screens, and took from a 2009 reveal to late 2011 for the first mirasol ereader to go on sale.
Along there way there have been various delays and postponed or cancelled launches, and Qualcomm has apparently struggled to meet output goals from its manufacturing facilities. There have been roughly four mirasol product launches, all using an Android-based ereader reference design of the company’s own making, though market feedback has been muted.
Exactly who might jump in and license mirasol remains to be seen; Qualcomm did not mention any potential partners during the results call. The decision echoes that of Plastic Logic, another next-gen screen company which shifted its focus from device production to licensing and partnership deals, in the face of increasing competition within the low-power display market.
[via The Digital Reader; via SeekingAlpha]
Mirasol production doused as Qualcomm chases licensing instead is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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