The transparent layer sits over the top of the reading surface. Flex Lighting claims that the film is only 50 microns thick, making it practically invisible even when the LED is turned off. Considering that this addresses the only significant weakness of e-readers – being unusable in the dark – this technology is great news for e-readers indeed, and should help them make a stand against the multitasking tablets. Here’s a demo of the prototype:

Flex Lighting’s tech is kind of the reverse of Pixel Qi’s screen. Maybe these two companies should collaborate to create an all-purpose display. Check out The eBook Reader for more details on the LED film.

[via Engadget]

If you bought one of those ad-subsidized Kindles – and now regret it – there is hope for you. Amazon is offering a way that you can ditch those ads and it’s as easy as coughing up that extra fee you saved buying this tablet in the first place. You simply go into the Manage Your Kindle page and unsubscribe from the ads there.

You can kill the ads right now if you want. I would not have been surprised if Amazon had asked for a premium to remove the ads as a punishment, so it’s good to see that all you have to do is pay the difference between the subsidized and the price of the normal reader at any time.

The PadPivot has two main parts – a curved base and a reusable and washable adhesive panel – connected by a ball-and-socket joint. You can use it on a desk like you would any other stand, but if there’s no flat surface nearby, just bring your thigh into the equation. I’m not sure if the base can accommodate thighs of all sizes, but it does come with a complementary thigh strap to further secure the base. The PadPivot can easily be fully disassembled and folded when you’re done using it.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the PadPivot from BestBuy for $40 (USD). Thigh not included.

[via Ubergizmo via OhGizmo!]

Using a material they call “Electronic Liquid Powder” inside their screens, these displays consume very little power, and Bridgestone says they’re almost as sharp as reading actual paper. That said, at a resolution of 800 x 600 for the 13.1″ version, the pixels will actually be quite large – somewhere around 75dpi.

The AeroBee screens can display up to 4096 colors (using filter layers), and offer the ability to instantaneously change state using a stylus input. While a full screen refresh takes 1.3 seconds, but drawing on screen is basically instantaneous. This makes them especially conducive for use for note-taking, schoolwork and sketching.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Bridgestone is currently showing off a 13.1″ diagonal (A4) version of the screen, but is also working on a giant-size 21″ (A3) version as well. The AeroBee is being OEM’d and runs on Linux, so it should be fairly easy for device makers to take advantage of the platform. They also say the screens can be made to be flexible, so maybe someday we’ll finally get that rollable electronic newspaper we’ve been waiting for all these years.

[via DigInfo.TV and Akihabara News]

Developed by a team from Osaka University, the Paranga is a mechanical device that acts as a controller for an E-book reader, providing readers with the sensation of actually flipping pages. The system can detect how much the book is bent, then page flips are detected using a paper-covered roller. Here’s a video the guys at DigInfo TV shot, showing off the Paranga in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Funny thing is that it’s not accurate enough yet to detect individual page turns, so in the prototype it’s used to just play with a flip-book animation. The concept seems interesting enough, but the fact that any version of such a device would add unnecessary bulk to the svelte E-reader, it’s kind of a non-starter. Perhaps they’ll figure out a way to create some sort of miniature haptic device that feels like turning pages without all the mechanical components, and then they’ll have something. For now, the concept is nothing more than an amusing novelty.

[via YouTube]

Toshiba and KDDI partnered up to come up with the Biblio Leaf, a solar-powered ebook reader. It has a 6-inch display, WiFi, 3G, a stylus, and 2GB of memory, which you can expand via a microSD card.

The solar panels are front-mounted. Whatever. I have no problems plugging my devices for a few hours, and with most E-Readers having weeks of battery life on a single charge, I don’t quite get the point. I suppose if you travel to locations without electricity for long periods of time, it might make sense. Maybe it would be good for education in developing nations, though. I’m just curious at how long it takes to charge the Biblio Leaf with the solar panel. It’s probably going to take a while.

[via DVice]

Mirasol has managed to create a display technology called IMOD (interferometric modulation), which produces an extremely low-power, highly reflective screen that can easily be read in direct sunlight. As a matter of fact, early claims are that battery life bests LCD and OLED by 8 to 15 times in real-world usage.

In addition to cranking out color images, Mirasol’s e-reader displays will be able to handle video at a refresh rate of up to 15 frames per second. While it’s not as fast at refreshing as an LCD or OLED display, battery life and readability for books should be way better – at least from the prototype photos I’ve seen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There’s confirmed release date for the first Mirasol-based readers will hit the market, but Qualcomm has indicated that a first-gen device could arrive as early as the Fall of 2010. I can’t wait to get my hands on one and check it out up close and personal.

[via Xataka]

The Skiff Reader has a huge 11.5″ diagonal touchscreen, and a native resolution of 1200×1600 pixels at an astoundingly sharp 174 pixels-per-inch. Just how sharp is that? The screenshot below is only at 72 pixels-per-inch, and it’s already pretty impressive.

The next-gen metal-foil e-paper display (made by LG) is also shatterproof and crackproof. With a screen like that, this is truly the first e-reader that I’ve seen that could give newspapers and magazines a run for their money.

While it has a great large screen, it still has a super svelte thin profile magnesium body that’s every bit as nice as anything you’ve seen on any e-reader before it. The reader can run for about a week on a single 2 to 3 hour charge, and has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and 4GB of on-board storage (and an SDHC slot for additional memory). In addition, Skiff has signed a deal with Sprint to provide 3G network access for downloading content, and they also will sell Skiff Readers in Sprint stores.

No word yet on pricing or a release date – only “later this year”, but the Skiff is definitely one to watch.

The so-called “dualbook” gives you everything you’d expect from an e-Book reader, but includes a complete netbook computer, running on Android OS. The left-hand panel of the folding computer is a touchscreen e-Ink display, while the right side is a full-color LCD touchscreen. The e-Ink panel measures in at 9.7″ diagonal and 1200 x 825 resolution, while the LCD is 10.1″ diagonal, with 1024 x 600 resolution. When folded, the eDGe measures a compact, but pragmatic 8.25″ (h) x 10.75″ (w)  x 1″ (d). At 2.75 pounds, it’s definitely not as lightweight as other e-Readers, but it’s comparable in heft to most netbooks. Battery life for the e-Ink side is rated at 16 hours, while you’ll only get about 6 hours of use with the LCD screen turned on.

The netbook side includes a web browser, media recording and playback, e-mail, and contact management among other things. Initially, the eDGe will work only on WiFi networks, but you’ll be able to use it on 3G networks with and EVDO or HSDPA modem down the road. You can read books in ePub or PDF formats, watch videos in 3GP, MP4 or H.264 formats, or listen to audio in MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG and M4A among other formats. What I really like about the screens is that they also support pen-based input, making them great for quick note taking and doodles too.

You can check out a web-based demo of the eDGe’s interface here, but the hands-on video from netbooknews below gives you a glimpse at a working prototype in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The enTourage eDGe ships in February 2010 with prices starting at $490 (USD), with a $40 upcharge for premium colors. They’re accepting pre-orders now over on the enTourage website. This is definitely one to watch.

This knock-off – from a company called “Wefound” – is a dead ringer for the Kindle 2. From the slim white case to the 6-inch screen, to its nubby little keyboard, the Wefound E-Book reader is sure to raise the hackles of Amazon’s legal team. Other than the fact that the default character set is Chinese, and the square navigation joystick has been replaced with a round one, it looks nearly identical to the Kindle 2. (Although I’m sure under the hood, it’s not).

Just like the Kindle 2, the Wefound claims it will be able to download books over a cellular connection (you need to provide your own SIM card). They plan on releasing their E-Book reader by the end of the year in Japan for about $210 (USD). Me I’d rather plunk down an extra $90 bucks and get the real deal.

[via E-Ink Info]

These handmade Kindle bags from the Borsa Bella marketplace at Etsy are simple, stunning wristlets designed to cradle the e-reader–and to look damn good while doing it. I love the convenience of a wristlet, and these bags have a wide, sturdy strap so you can attach it to anything from another bag to, well, your wrist.

The Kindle bags are available in a variety of fabrics and sizes from Borsa Bella at Etsy for $25.