I don't think these colours look washed out. They look sharp and bright to me, (mirasol on the right, colour e-ink on the left).
It does look good in the comparison you linked. It is being backlit though, while the E-ink is not. Maybe the mentioned blandness is more of a problem when used fully passively.
It seemed to have been a good competitor regardless, and it's sad that it got mothballed.