Cheryl Goodman of Mirasol told us at the 1st annunal e-Reader Conference in San Francisco that they will be releasing a device by the end of the year. True to their word, we finally have the fabled device available via the Kyobo Book Centre in South Korea. They are going to be releasing an e-reader today, running on the Google Android 2.3 OS for $300.00.
The new Mirasol features a 5.7-inch capacitive color touchscreen with 1024 x 768 pixels. It is projected to be a speedy device with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 processor. You can surf the worldwide web with the built in WIFI to purchase books and browse the internet. The hyping factor is the new Mirasol based color e-paper technology that allows you to read even in the dark.
Kyobo Books is the largest bookstore chain in South Korea and it will offer close to 90,000 ebooks to purchase. Not only can you sate your literary thirsts, but they will also offer videos, audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, and graphic novels. Additionally, the device features video lecture content exclusive to EBS, a leading Korea-based provider of educational material; content sharing through Korean social networking services; English language text-to-speech capabilities; and searchable content through the popular Diotek dictionary application.
“Kyobo is a recognized content leader focused on bringing unique and innovative experiences to its customers,” said Clarence Chui, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc. “Kyobo’s customers will be the first to enjoy the exceptional color e-reader experience and long battery life that only mirasol displays can provide.”
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.