Hands-on with Qualcomm's 30FPS mirasol, we talk tablets
updated 09:20 pm EST, Fri January 7, 2011
Qualcomm mirasol 30FPS display reaches CES
Qualcomm at its CES booth had its new, second-generation mirasol display on show in prototype form. The model hits the promised 30FPS, twice as much as the old model, and was noticeably much improved. Video and animations were now what you'd expect and were clearly good enough for certain use.
The six-inch display still showed some of the limits of mirasol. It's very power efficient and readable in broad daylight, but the colors are still very washed out; it will be awhile before a device worthy of showing photos or regular video arrives. A prototype display nonetheless felt very light in the hand and would easily be an upgrade for most conventional e-readers.
When prompted, Qualcomm still didn't have firm information for mirasol devices, though in the past it said they would be e-reader and tablet hybrids that would arrive early this year. We asked the company about rumors of tablet-sized displays, but it couldn't be coaxed into an answer; it's been claimed that a 9.7-inch model might arrive in the future that would provide an iPad-like experience. The company would only say that full-fledged tablets were in the roadmap.
