Anand's Thoughts on the Kindle 2 and Marvell Making Affordable eBook Readers ( Techies notes)

Anandtech ^ | November 3rd, 2009 | Anand Lal Shimpi

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

2010 is supposed to be the year of many things. I’ve heard it called the year of Android and more recently, the year of the ebook reader.

I used to read a lot when I was a kid at the behest of my parents. My mom always tried to enforce a balance between video games and books. That unfortunately stopped as AnandTech took off. Most of my recreational reading turned into trying to understand datasheets or reading other reviews, the rest of the time was spent writing.

My first and only ebook reader was Amazon’s Kindle 2, and while it didn’t reinvigorate my passion for reading, it did a lot better than expected.**************************************snip*********************************

Marvell’s ARMADA 166E: With Built-in EPD Controller

A couple of weeks ago Marvell announced its ARMADA line of ARM-based SoCs, among them was the ARMADA 166E. Based on Marvell’s PJ1 ARM CPU core, the 166E is designed for applications with low performance requirements like digital photo frames and ebook readers. The 166E is also the world’s first application processor with an integrated EPD controller. Not only does the integrated EPD controller reduce board size (you integrate one more controller), but it also reduces cost: you don’t need another package with an integrated NAND flash and you don’t need another DRAM.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just learned....that the Kindle uses a MEMS technology for it's screen...see this thread I started:

The MEMS juggernaut----Commentary: A Silicon Valley revolution is coming