I’m not sure if I buy this, but Dave Zatz of “Zatz Not Funny” is reporting a rumor that suggests Amazon’s upcoming Android tablet could have a very interesting, idiosyncratic screen display format. According to a friend of Zatz’s who was seated on a flight next to someone who claimed to be a highly-placed Amazon exec, the tablet will feature both a color LCD and an e-ink screen—but unlike the Nook and the Alex, these screens will not be on the same surface. Instead, they will be on opposite sides of the device, like the faces of a coin. ...

The images at the left are from the HYDIS website's "Outdoor Readability" pagefor examples of their AFFS technology's display qualities as compared with Trans-reflective TN and and Conventional TN outdoors. AFFS is HYDIS' signature TFT-LCD technology (thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays). In 1998, FFS was patented by HYDIS and "exceeded conventional IPS (in-plane switching) technology by offering wider viewing angles and improved transmittance."  In 2003, FFS became Advanced FFS, "with a 180 degree viewing angle and authentic color." According to HYDIS, "The AFFS technology applied in VIEWIZ tablet applications ensures perfect readability in any environment, even under bright sunlight, and allows you to enjoy the entertainment longer with...

A recently-discovered Apple patent application offers an intriguing look at a possible future for the iPad (and perhaps iPhone/iPod touch as well). AppleInsider reports that Apple is looking at placing a translucent e-ink display between the LCD display and the touch-sensitive interface layer allowing for selective display of content by regions. E-books could be displayed in the ink format, while pictures and video could use the full-color LCD-screen. While a similar duality of purpose can be found in switchable displays like the Pixel Qi screens we’ve mentioned a few times, this Apple-patented system would go one better in...

Mashable has an article (citing an IDC study) about the 17 million iPad units shipped in 2010, but it also focuses on the number of e-book readers that were sold. In the e-book field, they peg the Kindle selling 1.14 million units in the third quarter of 2010, but instead of Barnes & Noble the Pandigital Novel takes second place with 440 thousand units, followed by the Nook in third at 420 thousand. I find myself more than a little suspicious of these numbers, however, given that I know Amazon doesn’t ever reveal how many units they sell, and...

That's 4 1/2 out of 5 in the review by Editor-in-Chief Lisa Gade. The Nook Color is a wonderful surprise. As a long time E-Ink bookworm, I didn't expect much from Barnes & Noble's LCD reader. But B&N has turned out one of the hottest consumer electronics items of 2010 and perhaps 2011. The Nook Color offers an excellent reading experience thanks to its retina-friendly IPS display with high pixel density and wide viewing angles. Reading on an LCD has never been this pleasant and my eyes are feeling good when reading in my usual 1 to 2 hour sessions. That...

 CNet's David Carnoy weighed in on the debate over whether or not e-book reading on LCD screen causes more eyestrain than when reading on an e-Ink screen.  For him, it doesn't matter, but he apparently understands that for other humans it can be a problem though he prefers to think that it's not due to the LCD screen that others have a problem. In my own case -- with a focus only on words one after another against a background that puts light right into my eyes, there's quite a difference. I (and others report the same) can read...

Om Malik reports on GigaOm that Mirasol’s low-power, sunlight-readable displays, previously scheduled for launch in 2010, are now expected to come to market in early 2011. Gizmodo notes that this is also about when the new displays from Pixel Qi are going to come out. It will be interesting to see what the sudden availability of not one but two low-power sunlight-readable display options is going to do to the e-reader market. The current best solutions for color reading involve LCD, which is washed out by direct sunlight. Will new-display readers drive LCD readers’ prices down? Or will...

There is always a lot of discussion about which screen is better for reading ebooks: and LCD screen, which is often less expensive, or eInk-type screens, which are often more expensive. Interestingly, the arguments often revolve around eyestrain, but I’m not so sure that is the real separator. Today, editors rarely work on paper. We all almost always read and edit manuscripts on monitors. Some editors still cling to the older CRT (cathode ray tube) technology — I still remember trying to fit 3 CRT monitors on my desk — but nearly all have gone modern and use a LCD...

Mary Lou Jepson has posted on Pixel Qi’s blog about a number of new developments coming soon—most notably, the development of a new 7” Pixel Qi screen for tablets and e-readers. In addition to posting some user comments about how easy to use the 10” Pixel Qi DIY netbook conversion kits are, Jepson reports that Pixel Qi has “now fully completed [its] first tranche of series B finance,” and says that 7” screens are being planned for mass production sometime in the first half of 2011 (but samples may be available as soon as Q4 2010). ...

The New York Times looked at the current state of color e-reader technology on Sunday, with an article discussing the current potential solutions (LCD, e-ink, Mirasol) and the ways in which they are currently or could soon be put to use. Meanwhile, Kindle Review suggests that a new color Kindle could be coming soon. The major e-reader companies—Amazon and Barnes & Noble at this point—have made no announcements concerning color yet, but a number of the smaller players such as Sharper Image and Pandigital are coming out with color LCD readers (presumably to try to capitalize on the...

LG, one of the companies that makes the LCD touchscreens for the iPad, reported on Thursday that it was having trouble keeping up with Apple’s demand. LG’s CEO, Kwon Young-Soo suggested that Apple might have to delay the launch of its iPad in some countries due to issues of screen supply. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that iPad smugglers are doing a land-office business buying iPads in Hong Kong, where it was just introduced, and sneaking them into China to sell at a markup. Even the iPhone, which is carried in China by China Unicom, is briskly...

Amazon has been granted a 2006 patent on a device which has a dual screen LCD/electronic ink display. The relevant part of the patent is as follows: A handheld electronic device comprising: a housing; an electronic paper display disposed in the housing and having a first surface area; and a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed in the housing proximate the electronic paper display, the LCD having a second surface area that is smaller than the first surface area of the electronic paper display. This certainly looks as if it would cover both the Nook and the Spring Design units. It...