Pilots & Production plus a Nomination
CES went very well and we have more business because of it. Pixel Qi-ers are working hard at scaling more product more quickly. As we have said before, we have started production and are mostly working through the pilot builds with a variety of device makers right now. You will see our screens in a range of devices in stores soon, but sadly I can’t say with who and when due to non-disclosure agreements.
Additionally: There is major consolidation of the LCD industry underway right now and the ramp for new products are sometimes getting slowed down - not us so much - but we do see other projects slowing down dramatically. We are concerned because this slows innovation in our field and keeps it commodity based (and very predictable) during the consolidation - easier for the bankers, but worse for the people wanting innovative screens.
Meanwhile: I got news from IEEE/EETimes that the Pixel Qi screen has been nominated for an award: “the most creative electronics design of the year”. We are completely amazed by this, delighted that IEEE and EETimes are watching us and most honored to be nominated.
- Mary Lou
Congrats on the nomination! Hopefully it helps the rest of the industry see that there is plenty of room (and demand!) for innovation in the display market.
If we expect display technology to approach print quality we need high-DPI, sunlight-readable, efficient and inexpensive displays.
It’s great to see Pixel Qi get the recognition it deserves for achieving and surpassing those goals!
If we want display to *overtake* print, we need flexible, lightweight, video-capable, full-color, multi-touch solutions to let the digital medium shine. These points alone represent a great deal of innovation, let alone the non-obvious and creative possibilities that we might produce with versatile and ubiquitous displays.
Thank you Dr. Jepsen and Pixel Qi, for leading the way.
P.S. It would be helpful if you kept us updated as the devices featuring Pixel Qi screens are released to the public. As far as I know Notion Ink is the only company that has gone public and I’m already waiting for their release (ignoring the iPad) to get 3qi in my hands. It would be great if I had a healthy array of devices to choose from.
“You will see our screens in a range of devices in stores soon.”
Now I guss all these devices are all in 10.2″ right?
When and how could we have the DIY kit as mentioned?
I totally sign the demand for updates. Though you may not want / may be required not to publish information on future devices, it would be a shame if we here missed out 3Qi-Devices, because the blogs we read didn’t mention them.
Most of all I’m concerned about the nature of those upcoming devices. I just can’t see myself using a tablet for considerably productive tasks.
A right, about overtaking print… I don’t see this happen right now. I.e. viewing pdfs of considerable size isn’t a pain only due to the screens but also due to the software available. There’s nothing yet that could well replace possibilities like putting your thumb between the pages of a book or putting two pages from the same document side by side to another in order to compare them. Well… Actually there are WAYS. But they are more like productivity-slowing baubles then like actual solutions. I’d sure like having you prove me wrong on that point though.
Congratulations! May the Force be with you )
@Yu
I can see using a tablet for copy reading and minor editing: highlighting troubled parts, writing short notes, stuff like that. That might be even more convenient than reading on the same notebook that you’ve typed it. But — yes, I can do without a tablet and I can’t do without a keyboard.
It’s funny how these days computers are seen more as consumer electronics than tools for work. I mean, even most of ThinkPads are widescreen, and they’re meant for business.
I was wondering if any solar type source of energy for e-readers/netbooks for outdoor use will be available soon and guess what - LG is going towards this :
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/12/lg-says-its-launching-a-product-to-compete-with-apple-and-amaz/
Is this possible for PIxel qi screens to add the feature of solar cells into displays? Is this possible at all?
Just to mention: No one answered the question on DIY-Kit-availability. With no convertibles even being announced to carry 3Qi-Technology, this becomes increasingly interesting…
Well, we’re in March and there’s not a single Qi3 device on the market yet. Chances are, the recession isn’t helping. There’s also the fact that for at least one device (the Adam), what we’re waiting on is for Nvidia to get their fabs for the Tegra 2 up and running. There’s 3 devices confirmed with that chip (Boxee Box, Adam, ICD Ultra) and none of them are probably arriving ’til June.
Personally, I wouldn’t expect to see a DIY kit until there’s at least a couple of Qi3 netbooks or tablets out on the market. Personally, I’m more interested in seeing follow-ups, both in larger (12″? Think Joo-Joo and higher-end netbooks) and smaller (4.3″ for PMP’s and whatnot) form factors.