Hands on: Hanvon C18 e-reader with Mirasol display
updated 02:00 am EST, Fri January 13, 2012
Claimed thinnest Mirasol reader
Many companies came to Las Vegas this week to show off their high-end tablets, however a few companies, including Hanvon, brought along their latest e-book readers. Qualcomm helped show off Hanvon's C18, which Electronista had a chance to try out on the CES show floor.
The C18 is claimed to be the thinnest and lightest e-book reader to integrate Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology, which enables the device to present color content and take advantage of touch input.
As expected, Mirasol still lacks the color quality of LCD displays and the contrast ratio of traditional e-ink technology. The 5.7-inch 1024x768 panel is slightly smaller than that of a Kindle, though the C18 is a bit heavier.
We walked away from the C18 with mixed impressions. Mirasol and a few other technologies, such as Pixel Qi's panels, are still the only practical options that provide color presentation in extremely bright environments. We still prefer e-ink for e-book readers and AMOLED or IPS panels for color tablets.
Hanvon has yet to announce pricing information for the C18, which will initially arrive in Asian markets.
