(Click here for a larger view of Fujitsu's Flepia)

Fujitstu's film-substrate-based screen technology (Click image for further information)

Fujitsu first announced plans to create a color e-reader in 2007, and samples of the company's Flepia made their debut last month in a Tokyo railway station restaurant, the "Termina Kinshicho Fujiya," where they were available for public testing (see video later in this story).

Now, Fujitsu has announced pricing and availability for an updated design that will go on sale in Japan next month. Compared to the early test units, the Flepia offered for sale adds Bluetooth, has greater contrast, has 1.5 times the brightness, and improves redraw speeds by 70 percent, Fujitsu claims.

The Flepia apparently uses Fujitsu's own "film-substrate" display technology, which was first announced in 2005. The technology offers some flexibility, as pictured above. While the Flepia doesn't exploit this capability explicitly, a flexible display might help with the device's longevity, given its thin profile (0.47 inches, or 12mm thick).

As with the Kindle's electro-phloresecent display (EPD, also known as "electronic paper display"), the Flepia's screen requires power only to "turn the page," Fujitsu says. The device's lithium-polymer battery will hold up for 40 hours of continuous operation, assuming that readers change pages once per minute, the company claims.

Fujitsu originally proposed releasing both eight- and 12-inch versions of the Flepia, but the version going on sale next month has an eight-inch touchscreen display. Advertised resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels, and the screen can be set to show 260,000 colors, 4,096 colors, or 64 colors. Page refreshes take 1.8 seconds in 64-color mode, five seconds in 4,096-color mode, or eight seconds in 260,000-color mode, according to Fujitsu.

The Flepia devices tested in February included web browsers, as pictured below. Perhaps because of the time required to refresh images, Fujitsu no longer bundles a web browser with its e-reader, but the device includes two popular Japanese e-book viewers, BunkoViewer and T-Time, according to the company.


The original Flepia was pink. The new model is black or white.
(Click to enlarge)
Also, it is apparently possible to install third-party applications on the Flepia. The device's Windows CE 5.0 operating system "enables use of an Internet browser, e-mail, and various software," Fujitsu claims, adding that users can view and edit Microsoft Office documents. A software keyboard and stylus are included with the device, letting users enter text as well as just reading it, the company adds.

The Flepia comes with a Marvell applications processor, an unspecified amount of RAM, and an SD expansion slot that accepts cards up to 4GB in size, according to Fujitsu. Other cited hardware features cited by Fujitsu include 802.11b/g wireless networking, Bluetooth, a USB 2.0 port, six function keys, a five-way controller, stereo speakers, and a headphone jack.

Features and specifications listed by Fujitsu for its Flepia include:

• Processor -- Marvell XScale CPU
  
• Memory -- n/s
  
• Display -- Eight-inch display with 1024 x 768 pixel touchscreen display; offers 64-, 4,096- and 260,000-color modes
  
• Keys -- Six function keys and five-way controller
  
• Storage -- SD slot accepts 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of RAM
  
• Wireless:
  • 802.11b/g
    
  • Bluetooth
• Other I/O:
  • USB 2.0
    
  • Headphone jack
    
  • Stereo speakers
• Expansion -- SD slot
  
• Battery life -- 40 hours, assuming one page "turn" per minute
  
• Operating temperature -- 5 to 35 deg. C (41 to 95. deg F)
  
• Dimensions -- 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.49 inches (240 x 158 x 12.5mm)
  
• Weight -- 13.58 ounces (385g)