Kyobo Mirasol eReader Flaunts Color E-Paper On Video

Qualcomm still hasn't announced any plans for a mirasol-based ereader outside of the Kyobo model launched in Korea this week, so we're having to make do with vicarious enjoyment such as this live demo of the color device in question. Fresh to YouTube and apparently filmed at a display section in one of Kyobo's retail stores, the eReader looks pleasingly responsive with its 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

The color e-paper is the star of the show here, however, and it looks fantastic with Qualcomm's front-light LED illumination system. That uses a bezel-mounted light source to mimic direct sunlight on the transflective display: unlike a regular LCD panel, which is washed out in direct lighting, the mirasol screen only gets brighter the more light shining on it.

There's an interesting point in the video, at around the 1:10 mark, where the front-light goes out and the mirasol screen is left to work solely with ambient lighting. Colors become more muted at that point, though it's worth remembering even without the LEDs the screen quality can be impressive.

We're hoping to get our hands on a Kyobo unit soon, and Qualcomm is expected to make more mirasol product announcements at CES 2012 in January.

[via The Digital Reader]