A new electronic display is poised to challenge LCDs after Qualcomm teamed up with a South Korean bookseller Kyodo to introduce a new e-reader. Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc. (QMT), a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, and Kyobo Book Centre, Korea's largest seller of books, have announced the retail availability of the world's first e-reader to include mirasol display technology, which features vibrant color in bright sunlight and consumes less power than LCDs.

The mirasol display is the industry?s first to use interferometric modulation (IMOD); a micro-electro-mechanical systems-based technology capable of creating color from ambient reflected light. Qualcomm's mirasol displays are bi-stable, energy efficient, offer refresh rates to support interactive content and are highly reflective, allowing for easy viewing in a wide range of environmental conditions, including bright sunlight.

Qualcomm's mirasols have already been used in a few Chinese and South Korean phones, and in an MP3 player on the U.S. market.

The Kyobo e-Reader features a 5.7" XGA format (1024 x 768 pixels) mirasol display (screen resolution of 223 ppi) and Qualcomm?s 1.0 GHz Snapdragon S2 class processor. Kyobo's custom application interface sits atop an Android 2.3 base.

Kyobo's e-Reader is now available for purchase at the full retail price of KRW349,000 (US$310).