Seiko epson creates hi-res e-ink display

This new electronic paper display from Seiko Epson crams an astounding 1600 x 1200 resolution into a 6.7-inch diagonal screen. That’s nearly 2-million pixels in a device that’s about the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper folded in half.

According to my rough math, the display cranks out over 230 pixels-per-inch, about 3 times that of the typical LCD computer screen. Perfect for use in electronic book readers, the flat panel measures in at just 3mm thick, and can display 1400 pages on a single button-cell battery.

While Seiko Epson hasn’t revealed any products which use the new display, it’s only a matter of time before we see these in real world devices.

SONY PRS-505 Digital Book Reader Announced in USA

The new paperback book-sized reader has the capacity to hold up to 160 books, The company provides credits for 100 classic books such as the work of Shakespeare and Jane Austen on an eBook store called the connect.

Users can use the digital book reader for around 7,500 pages views. Moreover, the new digital book reader comes with new control to mimic page-turning. This enables the user to navigate the device quickly.

The SONY PRS-505 Digital Book Reader will be available from this month for $299 (approx: Rs.12000) in US through the Sony Style stores.

Nokia N97 Phone (First Touch-Screen Nseries Phone)

Well, this is a rarity. For the first time in a long time, Nokia launched a surprise announcement with the latest Nseries handset, the N97. Already the first Nseries touch-screen phone, the N97 also packs in a slide-out/tilt-able QWERTY keyboard (can someone say arc slider?) and the usual badass Nseries features.

There’s definitely a lot to like with Nokia’s second official touch-screen handset. Unlike the cheaper 5800 XpressMusic, the quad-band N97 is all about the high-end, with the looks and features to match.

For starters, it’s not a small handset. Measuring 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm, the N97 also weighs in at 150 grams - that’s 5.3 ounces. Compare that to the original Nokia N95 (120 grams), and the current Xperia X1 (145 grams). Expect some heft with this phone, although not as much as the Nokia N90 aka “the brick.” (173 grams)

So first up in the feature section is the touch-screen, which is a generously-sized 3.5 inch, 640×360 widescreen (16:9) display. It’s impressive despite the fact that the screen is resistive rather than the more sensitive capacitive.

The camera is the high-end industry standard 5 megapixels, with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, TV-out, and 30 fps video to boot. With 32 gigabytes of internal memory plus expandable memory that supports up to 16 more gigabytes, my guess is that you won’t be running out of space any time soon. Compare that to last year’s N81 which I believe had a grand total of 5 megabytes of internal memory. Phones have definitely come a long way.

Music features are pretty much what we’ve come to expect from Nokia. Stereo speakers, A2DP, and even the 3.5mm jack.

Battery life, at least on paper, looks good. The N97 uses a 1500 mAh battery, which is good enough for 6.6 hours of talk time (GSM) or 5.3 hours (3G). Sweet.

There’s always a huge drawback when it comes to this much awesomeness, and the drawback in this case is the wait. The N97 ain’t comin’ out until the first half of 2009, which is damn long time. There might even be an Xperia X2 by then. Don’t forget to add +5 months to that date if you live in the USA.

Finally, expect the N97 to be priced at 550 euros, or $698 USD.

Nokia E63 Phone (E71 Clone)

The Nokia E63 takes the E71 a step sideways.

Today Nokia dropped an E-bomb on the world with the (completely random) announcement of the E63 smartphone. Essentially it’s a budget E71, with the exception of a couple nice features aimed towards the consumer market. Since it’s an Eseries device, it still retains business-y features such as the ability to switch work/personal modes. More details inside.

In a nutshell, here’s the differences between the E63 and E71:

Nokia E63

Size 113 x 59 x 13 mm
Camera 2 megapixel camera
Audio Jack 3.5 mm standard audio jack
Talk Time 11 hours
GPS No


Nokia E71

Size 114 x 57 x 10 mm
Camera 3.2 megapixel camera
Audio Jack 2.5 mm audio jack
Talk Time 10.5 hours
GPS Yes


-”Better” features are highlighted in bold.

The E63 isn’t what I’d call a step forwards or backwards, even though it loses the GPS and the higher pixel count camera. It’s more or less a step sideways. The way I see it, Nokia is just starting to recognize the trend towards Blackberry-ish devices with full keyboards. Look at the success of recent Blackberry models as well as the Palm Centro, a phone that I personally think has a horrible shape and design:

Three Vertu Ferrari Phones Hit the Streets

Nokia’s uber-expensive Vertu line of non-smartphones now has an uber-expensive name attached to it: Ferrari. And Nero, Rosso, and Giallo.

The Nero is a limited-edition Vertu, and besides being obscenely priced, it’s the only one of the three with an overlaid red sapphire crystal earpiece. There will be a mere 2,009 Ferrari Nero Vertu phones sold, so get yours before they’re gone.

All three phones share PVD-coated ceramic battery covers that resemble Ferrari car hoods, Ferrari-specific themes and ring tones featuring the exclusive Ferrari engine sound. No word on actual features, but we’d expect private access to the Vertu Concierge and Vertu Bunker (Fortress). And possibly 3G and wi-fi, if the previous Vertu Signature is anything to go by.

Get the lowdown on the Vertu Ferrari Ascent Ti collection at Sybarites.

Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic Starts Shipping

The 5800 XpressMusic is shipping...to select countries.

Originally code-named the Tube, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touch-screen midrange smartphone has officially started shipping to select countries, according to a Nokia press release. It’s part of the XpressMusic line, which generally means a lot of music-oriented features and plastic, but in all honesty the device is one of the few affordable touch-screen phones out there.

How affordable is affordable, you ask? Try 279 Euros ($359), unsubsidized.

Unfortunately, the list of countries actually getting the 5800 is rather…random. Included are Russia, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Finland, but a previous article also mentioned Indonesia and the U.A.E. Of note is the lack of most European countries, excluding Nokia’s own native Finland. A previous article by Reuters suggested that Nokia’s strategy might be to focus on the more emerging markets rather than the established ones first.

Nokia 2608 Phone (CDMA-ified 3555)

Continuing Nokia’s time-honored tradition of releasing dumbphones aimed at the CDMA market, the Nokia 2608, at first glance, actually looks like a slick phone. It’s very similar to the 3555, complete with the seamless back, although the keypad more closely resembles a Nokia N90 than anything. And it looks extremely thick.

In terms of features, however, the 2608 is pretty lacking. There is the standard integrated loudspeaker, “quick-press” flashlight, FM radio, some LED indicators for missed calls (something I wish was on every phone), and voice recorder. Nothing really out of the ordinary, except “quick touch access to one’s PC”, which I’m still trying to puzzle out. Is it VNC? Or simply a USB cable connection?

The Nokia 2608 hasn’t been priced yet, but the official bulletin board press release states that it’s the cheapest CDMA phone around. Expect the phone to hit select markets (not including the USA) some time in the first quarter of 2009, when it’ll be overshadowed by the release of the N97.