The butterfly has landed: QMT announces world’s first e-reader to use a mirasol® display

We just marked another important milestone for mirasol display technology. Less than twenty-four hours ago and many miles away from most of you, the world’s first e-reader to feature mirasol display technology – the Kyobo eReader – was unveiled in Seoul, South Korea.

Having been with the mirasol technology nearly from day one, I revel with the many QMT engineers and employees who have dedicated themselves to the development of mirasol display technology.  This announcement is especially rewarding and makes good on our promise to bring to market in 2011 the world’s first e-reader to feature color and interactive content, outdoor visibility and battery life measured in weeks.  

This first device (read the release here) from Kyobo features a 5.7-inch XGA mirasol display and has been designed to address the needs of Korea’s education-focused consumer. The e-reader comes with free access to a variety of Korea-based educational content and users will be able to access additional premium content, including newspapers and periodicals, through the Kyobo Bookstore.  Most importantly, we believe this is the beginning of a re-calibration of what consumers expect from their e-readers. 

Kyobo's device targets the educational content market and requires a display that will support color and interactive content, long battery life, and outdoor viewing. Qualcomm’s mirasol is the only display capable of delivering all of these features, and it’s fitting that this launch happen in Korea, where, in 1996, Qualcomm launched its first commercial CDMA network.  I was honored to stand with our CEO Paul Jacobs and our counterparts at Kyobo to introduce this product.

While QMT’s commercialization efforts are still in their early stages, we will remain focused on low volume partners in international markets for ideal applications just like the Kyobo eReader. With a new fab in Taiwan coming online later in 2012, higher volume production will be possible. 

As we move through the steps to reach production capacity, we’re so excited to offer consumers in Korea the chance to experience the world’s first mirasol display-enabled product. Take a virtual tour of the new device here.

Stay tuned.