I so wanted Qualcomm to hit it out of the park with its Mirasol display technology.

Here’s tech that blends the readability of e-ink while able to reproduce color and handle video. It’s a win-win-win, particularly now that e-readers and tablets are burning up mobile marketplace.

Sadly, the first Mirasol products are failing to excite gadget lovers. And as the days drag on, its window of opportunity may be closing.

First, there were some early underwhelming hands-on reports of the first Mirasol-based e-readers. Colors were a little washed-out for the likes of some, but that’s forgivable if you consider how gray-on-gray some early e-ink devices first appeared.

Less forgivable is crashy hardware that chokes on the very content the device is supposed to handle. And now during CES comes word that the Bambook Sunflower from Shanda, a Chinese media company, will carry a lofty price tag of $475. Yeah, that’s iPad territory, as Slashgear rightfully reminds us. Oh, and that glossy screen isn’t doing it any favors for folks that like to read without glare. (Mirasol works just fine in matte, thanks.)

It’s been reported that Amazon has Mirasol tech in its labs. Hopefully they can do it justice. That’s if the tech ever sees the light of day outside of Asian markets.