Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that Mirasol e-reader display Qualcomm was hoping to release this year? Yeah, it’s not happening. Speaking at a press briefing in San Diego yesterday, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs confirmed that the 5.7-inch panel has been abandoned after failing to meet expectations. Instead, the company will devote its attention to the “next version” of the technology, which has Jacobs feeling optimistic:

“We have a really interesting roadmap — we’re starting out on e-readers because we figured having E Ink as a competing technology was a good way to get started. But if you think about the power consumption of the screens that are out now [on tablets], they’re very bright OLED screens that use up a lot of the power of the battery. We don’t today have as vibrant color as an OLED display – but we have a roadmap that gets us to a much brighter color.”

Presumably, this roadmap would include that low-power “converged e-reader” we heard about a few weeks ago, slated for release by the end of the year. Jacobs also mentioned that Qualcomm is planning to invest a billion dollars in its Taiwan Mirasol plant, which might help produce the kind of volume that, say, Amazon would demand for its Kindle displays. It’s all speculation, of course, but Qualcomm certainly seems to have some big plans in store for the rest of the year.

Qualcomm CEO confirms death of 5.7-inch Mirasol e-reader display, looks forward to ‘next version’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polymer Vision’s latest display rolls up, still doesn’t ship out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gadgets need to be rounded up and thrown in a cell right alongside meat glue, child pageants and other notorious public enemies. The crime? Stressing people out, according to researchers at Ipsos Mendelsohn. The evidence? A survey of affluent Americans with a household income over $100,000 who moaned that their lives are more “complicated” than they were a decade ago. Damningly, the vast majority of these respondents also admitted that their lives are more “technology-infused” than a decade ago. The researchers also highlighted evidence from a separate poll of affluents, showing the growing prevalence of certain gadgets that add to the “complex calculus” of our lives: E-reader ownership has doubled over the last eight months, smartphone ownership is up to 52 per cent, and a third of affluents either own a tablet or expect to buy one soon. Sufficient proof, it seems, to send these poor devices down for life — especially if we disregard all the other things that have stressed out rich Americans over the past decade (recessions, deficits, bad TV serials) and the possibility that busier people might actually need more technology to help them cope.

Gadgets convicted of making us miserable, dodgy stats used as evidence originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not to be outdone by Kobo, which just unleashed its latest E Ink reader yesterday, the folks at Barnes & Noble are back with the latest update to their line of Nook devices. The “all new” Nook has the same Zeforce infrared touch layer as the aforementioned Kobo, and lasts up to two months on a single charge. The Pearl E Ink screen boasts “80-percent less flashing” during page turns, something that many fans of the devices have resigned themselves to having their eyes assaulted by. B&N is also quite proud of its streamlined interface which it brags has 37 less buttons than the Kindle 3. Around the back is a soft-touch rubber surface that should feel great in the hand while reading, though, we’ll have to wait to manhandle one ourselves to be sure.

The new Nook has a redesigned home screen with your current reading list and suggested titles. It also adds a few new features like FastPage Zoom forward, which lets you jump to any page in a title, and (finally) displays the number of pages left to go. Inside is Android 2.1, 2GB of storage, which can be expanded using the microSD slot, and a WiFi radio — but sadly no 3G. You’ll also be able to share quotes, lend books, and update your status on social networks using Nook Friends, which debuted last year with the Nook Color.

You can pre-order online and in stores now and the updated Nook should start shipping to customers June 10th. You’ll also be able to pick one up at BestBuy, Walmart, Books-A-Million, and Staples for $139 at the same time.

Update: We just got a brief hands-on with B&N’s svelte new Nook, and it’s a sexy piece of hardware. It’s incredibly light and thin (quite a bit thinner than its predecessor) and the rubbery back feels pleasant in the hand. We were only able to poke around the software for a short while, but it’s certainly more responsive than the original Nook (as you’ll see in the video below). While there is less screen flashing during refreshes there is still some, and it actually might be more jarring now that you’re not seeing it every page turn.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video)

Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What do you do just before you decide to upgrade your old device with some new hotness? You sell the old stuff on eBay, right? Well, B&N doesn’t seem to have any better ideas than you as it’s started offering its classic Nook e-reader for $99 on the online auction site, undercutting its own price by $50. This is the WiFi-only dual-screen unit, as you might surmise, not the Color tablet that’s been treading dangerously close to being a fully fledged Android slate. If you’re an E Ink loyalist on a budget, this might just be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, though don’t blame us if Barnes & Noble comes up with a fancier, more lustworthy model in the time it takes for that free delivery to reach your door.

[Thanks, Sheldon]

Barnes & Noble selling Nooks for $99 on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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