Amazon Developing a Dual-Display Kindle Tablet; E-Ink Back and Full-Color Front

[dgstorm]

Now here's novel idea that shows Amazon is thinking outside the box and providing value to its customers. Amazon just patented a dual-display tablet, with a screen on both sides. At first, you might think, why would I want that? If you delve deeper into the patent, you see a great reason why. One side of the tablet will have your traditional full-color display, while the other side uses Amazon's Kindle E-Ink/E-Reader style display. That's pretty clever, because it gives tablet users and people who love to read e-books the best of both worlds.

For now, the technology doesn't quite exist yet that would allow you to have a full-color display that can also dual as a flat E-reader. The glossy touch screen simply is not conducive to the E-ink technology, but until some genius engineer figures out a way to merge the two technologies properly, this new patent from Amazon makes for a brilliant work-around. For now this is just a patent, but you can bet money that Amazon is already working on bringing this concept to market. We will keep an eye out and let you know as soon as we see anything concrete.

Source: Kindle-FireForum via BGR

 

[BJPalmer85]

sign me up. I love my kindle and have always wanted a tablet. I hope they drop this before my kindle craps out. Ill be on this on day 1

B

 

[FoxKat]

There is already a low-power full-color (well muted...but still) display technology out there by Qualcomm called Mirasol (Iridescent Displays - Technology Review).



These are not either back-lit (like LCD or Passive LED) or direct radiating (such as OLED or Active Matrix LED), they are reflective, meaning they use the ambient light in the room or in direct sunlight to display. It seems this could merge with the "e-ink" technology to accomplish that goal.

I am waiting for the real thing to come along, where the display looks exactly like printed paper or photographs, full color and vibrant. I am sure we'll see it in our lifetimes, if not within the next decade.

 

[Big Ry]

That things gonna need like a 10,000mAh battery

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[tjk629]

I feel really bad. I saw this, and thought it said Apple instead of Amazon. Blah, too much Apple this week. :blink:

 

[johnomaz]

Great, now I have to buy my wife one of these. She loves her eInk Kindle and is the primary reason she doesn't want a tablet (though we bought a Transformer Prime and ended up selling it, it just say as she used her Kindle).

 

[johnomaz]

That things gonna need like a 10,000mAh battery

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Not really, one one screen is on at a time and eInk is VERY good on battery life. It only uses power to change the image dislayed and then no power at all.

 

[nikecar]

i'd be afraid of damagin the other side.

 

[Bilgediver]

Actually the pixel qi screen seemed similar

Sent from My Droid RAZR MAXX with Tapatalk.

 

[FoxKat]

Actually the pixel qi screen seemed similar

Sent from My Droid RAZR MAXX with Tapatalk.

Pixel Qi -  See our Blog for latest about Pixel Qi Very similar in performance...good find! I suppose we'll watch for both.

 

[Xplorer4x4]

Dual Display should be Dual Sided in the title imo. Dual Display makes me think a set up like a Nintendo DS or that Pantech Tablet that came out awhile back that had 2 screens. Anyways, I am not sure I see a big market for this. Geeks may prefer the e-ink display for pure reading, but I think the casual user will find the typical LCD screens used for tablets are sufficient.