Panasonic shows off color ebook reader

Looks like Panasonic is ready to take on Sony's Librie. While the Sony ebook reader hasn't been a huge commercial success, it's won plaudits for its sharp, highly readable grayscale display. Now, Panasonic, which previously produced the less-than-stellar, grayscale, dual-screen Sigma Book, is showing off a prototype that offers full-color and a resolution of 210 ppi on its 5.6-inch screen. The company also says the reader will incorporate Li-ion batteries with a six-hour lifespan, and a USB port for uploading ebooks. No idea yet if it'll use proprietary software like the Librie (it probably will) or if it'll ever be available outside of Japan (it probably won't), but we'd still like to get a look at that screen. The reader is expected to be available in Japan in about a year, for about $360.

[Thanks, Kevin]

[benhc911 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

ppi? do you mean dpi? or am I just out of the e-book resolution loop?

[Will @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I think Sony's might have been a bigger commercial success if they'd, I don't know, say, perhaps, sold it here, and provided good content for it. Pisses me off, because I'd love a quality ebook device. Something all the portability and benefit of an actual book, but with the ability to carry several thousand in my pocket.

[james @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

The end of the bookshelf as we know it! Now you can have a bunch of coffee table books at your fingertips! well that is the idea right?

[phat @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

face it. we'll have to wait for a nice white apple ebook reader + iTunes store that offer ebooks (for some reason) before ebook will take off here in the US.

[jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

ppi is for pixels, dpi is for dots, which usually equate to the same thing, but dpi is used more for printers, which don't really use pixels. unlike this ebook reader.

[otakucode @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

ppi = pixels per inch. Screens don't have dots.

And ebooks will never take off in the USA. Publishing is a niche industry here. Take an informal poll. Ask your friends and coworkers what the last book they read was. Most of them will laugh at you and say "I don't READ" just like they'd say "I don't have sex with my SISTER".

[Dan Schwartz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I agree that an interface similar to what iTunes has to offer would be an ideal way to get to materials. I have a pretty grim view of how long that will take.

People were amazed when Apple annunced the iTunes music store becasue no one thought it was really possible to get the big five labels to all agree to a single set of terms. It was seen as a huge task to achieve.

Back to books - there are literally thousands of publishers out there, and most of those publishers have solid agreements with printers.

Getting these publishers to first agree on a format to sell books in, then to convince them that this format is secure is something that's not going to happen for a long time.

Which bums me out. I'd happily pay $10 for a book when it first comes out (and maybe $5 after it's been out for a year) and be able to cary hundreds of these books around with me. Once publishers make the switch they'll no longer have to deal with the cost of physically producing the books any more - which in turn means big saving for the consumers and enormous profits for them.

[Jack Oniel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Um, most people just use their PDAs to read ebooks because they already carry that around and its got a decent color screen. Stand-alone ebook readers will never take off, not even if they give them out for free.

[Woody @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I have a pocket PC and would buy an inexpensive ebook reader that was cheap, and easy to recharge. Frankly, I'd rather not use the PPC's battery to read a book, and the screen is frustratingly small. Triple the price and add the ability to watch video and I'd hit it.

[PHug @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I agree with #8...
If your "tech savy" enough to want an e-book chances are you already have a PDA or Smart Phone.
Why carry PDA + E-Reader when you can do the 2-in-1 thing?

Only way i can see a stand alone E-reader selling is if they slap a cartoon character logo on it and sell it to children

[Vance @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Six hours of battery life? Why bother. Jeez, we might as well just use our laptops. I thought one of the strengths of the upcoming e-readers was their eternal battery life.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I have the Sony Librie, it's beautiful screen makes it a pleasure to read any of the documents (pdfs, txt, comics, manga, rtf, html, etc) that I've transffered to it (Sony effectively lifted the DRM a while back). I don't have a PDA and couldn't enjoy a book on one (especially outside) because of the screen. I don't need a PDA because my phone allows me to store all my contact info/send emails, etc.

[Weber @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

A bit expensive in my opinion, but the price, no doubt, will drop.

I personally would probably just use one of these to read a book around the house, rather than taking it on commute or something. I mean since the screen supposedly reflects light like paper, my eyes would definitely have an easier time reading an e-reader compared to a laptop or PDA.

[Will @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Exactly, Joe. What I'd really like is a single device for music and books. That's it, just music and books, no video, no recording, no radio. No phone, no contacts, no clock. With a screen about the size and contrast of a mass-market paperback. Come that, the whole device about the size of a mass-market paperback.
Yes, please.

[ari @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I would be so happy with a sub $200 reader here in the states. All I'd need is a backlight, it could be color or black and white, text is text. So in summation; affordable, backlit for maximum readability, smaller then an average hardcover book, above average battery life, usb 2.0 (wifi/BT if I want to stretch it), and the ability to read multiple formats.

I won't hold my breath.

[Vance @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Joe, how long does the battery on your Librie last?

[south @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Joe, thanks for letting me know -- I'd happily buy the Librie if not for its ridiculous DRM. I've held it and lusted after it often.

[Bruce Finfrock @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I have an RCA REB 1100 ebook reader. I love it. I usually have around 10 books on it at any one tome, but could have several more if needed. I read it on my lunch breaks and on vacations. It is no longer made, so I would like to see new devices to replace it when it dies as all electronics eventually do.

[Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I use my fujitsu tablet with microsoft reader as it stands now around the house, and when traveling. I like it for those applications however, I would definitely buy a book that would be easier to read outside, in the metro system, etc... and not be a major financial loss to get stolen/ lose.

[BigDrew @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I got hooked on eBooks when PeanutPress was an independant company. I quickly tired of reading on that tiny screen that palm was selling at the time, and now happily carry the REB1100 around with me. Pretty sad that the hottest eBook reader in the US was made by RCA for a content provider long since driven out of the industry.

That being said, something like the new Jenke V8 would be a godsend. If eReader.com can make a decent living for several hundred employees and still kick enough dough up to PalmOne to keep their heads above water, why doesn't anyone think that Apple realeasing the iLibrary within the soon to be annonced rebranding of ITMS as i Tunes Media Store is viable? Combine apple's design with an eInk display and you have a great reader with amazing battery life.

[Eto @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I don't need music, backlight or any other crap. I just need an electronic alternative to a pocketbook or a textbook, so that when I go out, on holiday or to school(!), I can take an x number of ebooks with me and read. As a decent alternative, it would have as much text on 1 page as a regular pocket (saying the LIBRI?ets you show 10000 pages doesn't mean much if you don't know how much text can be shown on 1 page) and the batteries should last at least the length of 10 books. It should, of course, have no DRM and be able to show all types of documents, including PDF, lit, text, html, .doc etc.
And one really, really, really important thing: the device should be very durable.

The important part is the price. $300+ for an ebookreader is insane. I will buy one once they drop below $100.

By the way, otakucode is out of his mind. In 2004, net book sales (only part of the publishing industry) were $23.7 billion. If that's a niche industry, I am a helicopter.