The Toshiba Biblio Leaf Solar eReader.

Posted on 23. Dec, 2010 by Roy Jones in Computer, Design, Hi-Tech, High Tech's Future

What is it

After LG launched its first solar-powered E-book reader over a year ago, we were pretty confident that other companies will soon follow the trend. Justifying our hopes, Toshiba and KDDI have unveiled a uniquely designed e-book reader called the Biblio Leaf. Featuring a 6-inch e-ink display, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, the Biblio Leaf includes 2GB of memory which can be expanded via a microSD card. The device features front-mounted solar panels that juice up the onboard battery using renewable energy.

The Look

The device features an electronic paper display – similar to Kindle, with a resolution of 800 X 600 pixels. Measuring about 8.5?l x 5?w, the Biblio Leaf has a 6” tall electronic paper display. The device includes a touch stylus and features buttons to change pages and manipulate the display. The solar panel has also been included in the body itself, which is quite different and better than LG’s solar eReader that included a flip top solar panel.

Why it matters

Though eReaders don’t require a lot of energy, using them can still add something to your electricity bills. Since eReaders are easy to carry around, including solar panels can make things better for those with green ethics. The company claims that the solar panel will be capable to charging the battery enough for users to read up to 25 books or 7500 pages on a single charge.

The Bottomline

Since the device allows you to read books without worrying much about its battery, it could be a hit in the coming days. However, since the device will soon be competing with other solar-powered eReaders like the LG solar reader, the company will have to make sure that the onboard solar panels don’t take ages of direct sunlight to recharge the batteries.