Kyobo eReader launches in South Korea with mirasol and Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Image by juhansonin via Flickr

Kyobo Book Centre has unveiled the world’s first eReader based on the new mirasol display technology by Qualcomm. This color e-paper display technology will allow for an enhanced reading experience as well as offer bright colors for pictures and video and exceptional battery life. The Kyobo eReader with mirasol is on sale starting today in South Korea and will initially be targeted at education customers.


We’ve mentioned the mirasol display before, Qualcomm’s new technology that aims to change the display markets while offering a technology that promises exceptional color, video-capable e-paper eReaders with amazing battery life. For more information head to mirasoldisplays.com or watch their innovation video here. Essentially using mirrors to reflect light back and control the color at the same time it offers an extremely efficient technology that will work great indoors, and look even better in direct sunlight. Basically a front lit technology rather than conventional backlight displays that are power hungry and become washed out with brightness from the sun or other sources while being used.
The Kyobo eReader will be using the newest mirasol 5.7″ panel with a 1024 x 768 resolution, a 1.0 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and running atop Android 2.3 Gingerbread with what we are hearing will be a locked down and custom UI — although I’m sure the Android hacking world will get on that right away.
Kyobo, Korea’s largest bookseller — will offer 90,000 ebooks for the mirasol eReader, as well as video education content and many other educational options, integration with social networking services and English text-to-speech support. With magazines for the down-time between study classes and possibly 3 weeks of battery life this will be one interesting eReader. The Kyobo eReader is available today starting at $310 USD in South Korea but we have no details on when or if it will see any other markets. Most likely we’ll be seeing more from Qualcomm and their mirasol technology at CES 2012.

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Samsung Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE hit Korea

Samsung is showing off new versions of the awesome Galaxy S II smartphone that is selling in droves. So far, the Galaxy S II has sold 10 million phones around the world and continuous to sell strongly. Samsung has announced a couple new versions of the smartphone that are landing in Korea. The new smartphones include the Galaxy S II LTE and the Galaxy S II HD LTE. As you can guess, both of the new phones support 4G connectivity via LTE technology.

The S II HD has a 4.5-inch WVGA 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus screen. The smartphone and runs Android Gingerbread for the operating system and has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The phone is 9.5mm thick and it has an 8MP camera sensor and records 1080p video. Internal storage is 16GB and it has NFC, an 1850mAh battery, and WiFi inside. The phone will hit SK Telekom. The other smartphone is the Galaxy S II HD LTE.
This phone has an even better screen packing in the world’s first HD 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD panel. Other than the screen, the other features are the same as the non-HD version announced. This phone will also come to SK Telekom, LT, and LG U+. A launch date for either device was not offered. There is no word on when or if the two new devices will come to the US and other countries.
[via Slashgear]

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Samsung to appeal for an iPhone 5 ban in South Korea

It has been reported that Samsung has planned to ban the sale of the Apple iPhone 5 in South Korea, even before the device has been released. According to a report by Korea Times, which cited several sources which are knowledgeableabout the matter, Samsung will sue Apple for violating some of its wireless communications patents the moment the California based Apple launches the sequel to the iPhone 4 into the market.
According to the newspaper, through the lawsuit, Samsung will file a case to get the court to ban the sales of all iPhone 5 smartphones in the country. A source from Samsung told the media that as long as Apple does not all-together exclude its mobile communications functions, it will be impossible for the company to sell its products without infringing its patents. The source said that the company will maintain its radical stance against Apple in the lingering legal battles.
The report in the Korean Times is just the most recent development in the ongoing patent warfare between Samsung and Apple. In the space of the last few months, both the companies have revved up their bitter battle over patents, spreading it throughout the world. Currently, the two companies have ongoing patent lawsuits in Australia, US, parts of Asia and Europe. And as of yet, Apple has an upper hand over Samsung.
The manufacturer of iPhones and iPads managed to convince the court to get Samsung to show it three models of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 before the company decided which one would be approved for sale in the country. Some time ago this month, sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 were successfully stopped by Apple in Germany, after a ruling from a German court which temporarily banned sales of the Samsung flagship tablet throughout Europe.
However, the dispute doesn’t only cover tablets, as it has been claimed by both the companies that the smartphones manufactured by the other violate their patents. Apple, especially, has been very critical of Samsung for the last few months, as the California based company filed a lawsuit against it in South Korea alleging that its products were copied. The company said in its complaint that the products manufactured by Samsung blatantly copy its own products in appearance in order to capitalize on the success of the iPhone and the iPad.

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