Hanlin's V9 e-book reader with 9.7-inch e-ink display previewed

Although there's no arguing that the 6-inch e-ink display used in both the Kindle and the Sony PRS-505 looks beautiful, we're not exactly huge fans of endless scrolling -- which is why we're pretty intrigued by these shots of the Hanlin V9 that just popped up on the Mobileread forums. The update to the V3 features a 9.7-inch display that definitely cranks the overall dimensions, but being able to view a full letter-size page seems like a tangible enough benefit -- and the addition of WiFi, EV-DO, and handwriting recognition just sweetens the pot. Apparently there are some issues mass-producing that screen, but when they get sorted pricing will land somewhere between $599 and $699 -- numbers that will probably keep this thing at the intriguing curiosity level for now.

Read - Hands-on with the V9 at Mobileread
Read - V9 product page

[Electromodo @ Jan 16th 2008 3:32PM]

I just purchased Sony Reader 505 and love it. I was thinking of Kindle first, but PDF support means a lot to me.

I think it is actually comfortable to read PDFs on Sony Reader if you choose landscape orientation, as the fonts become bigger. You will have to scroll twice per PDF page but it's OK for me.

The huge Hanlin size will find the supporters, but I would prefer the compact size and Sony reader is perfect for that, IMHO.

There is another huge screen eBook reader - iRex iLiad made by German company. It has 8.1" touch screen, WiFi and retails in US for $700. It is a bit more compact than Hanlin, but has a limited user base.

[jeff @ Jan 16th 2008 11:02AM]

full page size is a big deal. right now sony reads pdfs, but without processing with rastafarian first, the pdfs are sometimes impossibly small to read. i actually prefer the small reader size, but the nuisance of formatting content first outweighs that largely. the *horrible* itunes-like store model with louay pricing and really lousy content dictates that the content must be from pdfs and otherwise user-supplied. right now i don't read from it any more because i haven't had the time to preformat them.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 16th 2008 11:04AM]

are you kidding me? i think Hanlin is going to have a tough time selling something that big. It looks bigger than most hard-back books.

[Dan @ Jan 16th 2008 11:47AM]

I agree with Jonathon, a reader that huge kinda defeats the purpose of the e-book readers, to be portable and on the go.

That unit is waaay to huge to justify it's benefits. I see this being used in certain industry that require a hands-on device for instructional purposes, but not as a mobile reader.

[WorldCTZen @ Jan 16th 2008 11:52AM]

A step in the right direction for educational and professional use. The smaller readers are great for mobile consumer or reading novels, but lousy for reading academic textbooks or professional tech manuals. Having a full-page reader means being able to display full-page pdf documents without down-sampling, which can mess up schematics. The price point is still a problem. Perhaps with adoption by college campuses similar to some universities' laptop requirements, this could be subsidized to being affordable for students.

[diner @ Jan 16th 2008 4:28PM]

Yep. A lot of people don't seem to get it. The smaller readers are useless for academic/professional uses while this should be much better. Those are also areas where a e-reader can be highly beneficial because text books, stacks of journals, manuals etc are can be pretty large and heavy.

[insertAlias @ Jan 16th 2008 11:52AM]

I'd still probably go with the kindle. It just seems more like something I could take with me wherever I go.

[Superprime @ Jan 16th 2008 11:55AM]

If it's that huge it better have a great resolution. IF it has resolution only then will it sell

[carlwf @ Jan 16th 2008 12:13PM]

Not to be overly picky, but you don't 'scroll' with a Kindle...you page.

That's why pdf is such a difficult format for e-book readers...pdf is designed to be cross-platform but not cross 'screen-size'. When you zoom a pdf on Windows, Mac, or Linux, you have to scroll up/down or side-to-side to see all of the document. The pdf format doesn't re-format the content to fit the page size. e-book readers re-format the content to fit the page size/font size selected. When you select a larger font on Kindle, you get fewer words/page.

Buying something that large, at a higher price than Kindle, just so I can read a pdf file...not worth it to me. Trying not to be a fanboi, but after three days with my Kindle...I really like it...just the right size. I can hold it with one hand, flip pages with the hand I'm using to hold it (so I can eat or drink with the other). If I really need to read pdf files, I'll fire up my laptop.

[carlwf @ Jan 16th 2008 12:14PM]

One other comment - will be interesting to see the battery performance on this thing. I don't do much web browsing on my Kindle, pretty much just reading, like with a paperback book, and the battery could easily last several days (reading for 3 hours straight barely moved the battery meter).

The success of this is going to greatly depend on how they target their market. I have a laptop that has wi-fi, broadband, touchscreen (tablet pc), etc. I don't really want all that on my e-book device. The apparent goal of some companies to force into convergence escapes me...I really don't need a single device that tries to do everything...usually it won't do everything as well as I want, and the form factor will reduce usability.

[Ty @ Jan 16th 2008 12:24PM]

"People don't read anymore."

- Steve Jobs

[L @ Jan 16th 2008 12:47PM]

Thankfully that's just not true.

[Kiru Mamoru @ Jan 16th 2008 12:49PM]

Could someone please explain to me what the benefit of using electronic paper versus, say, a reflective black-and-white liquid crystal display? Surely an LCD could have a 150dpi resolution (or higher) and display 64 levels of grey (or more) and be perfectly readable in normal light with a bright white background... right?

[Superprime @ Jan 16th 2008 1:02PM]

1. Battery power. An eink does not need to be refreshed. Once it's switched to an image it doesn't need to redraw it until the image changes. An eink reader can run on AA batteries with weeks of use.
2. Not transrefletive. In english it means it's easier on the eyes because it's very close to ink on paper

[Kiru Mamoru @ Jan 16th 2008 4:08PM]

1: Regarding battery power and refreshing, there are in fact LCD displays out there that can retain their settings without power being supplied. The individual elements are on/off only but you could use sub-pixels of varying sizes to make shades of grey.

2: A transflective display is a display that has both a backlight and the ability to reflect ambient light. I was suggesting the use of a purely reflective LCD, as electronic paper itself is solely a reflective medium.

Actually, as I was researching this further, I discovered that there is in fact a company that does use a liquid crystal technology for e-paper applications... I won't link it because I don't want to look like I'm spamming but anyone who's curious can look at Wikipedia's article on Electronic Paper.

I'm sure I have no idea what I'm talking about but I would imagine that LCD technology has a much greater longevity than the various ink-and-paper-and-whatnot technologies being introduced and utilized... if flexibility is not the goal (and clearly with these readers like the Kindle it is not) then I'm not sure what the benefits are for using the latter, rather than the former (except that they seem high-tech and cool... kinda like using OLEDs for TVs...).

[Numetheus @ Mar 11th 2008 2:28PM]

e-ink displays offer a much higher contrast than LCD, don't require any backlighting, and gives the impression you are reading something on paper. Lots of people can't read things on an LCD of any type for extended periods of time because of eye strain, but can on e-ink. THAT is the primary reason for e-ink displays. I can read e-ink for very long periods of time (several hours). On an LCD I would get uncomfortable and have to take breaks frequently. Try stairing at letters on an LCD constantly for a few hours and you will see what I mean.

[George$ @ Jan 16th 2008 1:20PM]

The large screen is for special purpose use. For example, you're a college student. Much of your handouts are given out in 8.5x11 PDF's (with pictures, mathematical formulas, chemical formulas, ect.) A big e-reader (with note-taking ability) allows you to carry just one e-book, instead of printing out a bunch of handouts and carrying loose-leaf pages. Expensive, but handy for the purpose. It's not designed for small portable reading. (There are other devices for that.)

[Ian @ Jan 16th 2008 2:38PM]

This is all well and good but in the end it's about content. Kindle has content. Does this thing from...um...who, have that?

The size is good. But if I have to do a bunch of stuff to get content onto it...bleh.

[Garst @ Jan 16th 2008 3:20PM]

I like have the small screen of my PDA to read e-book. I'm a very slow reader so the constant need to "flip" pages actually makes be fell like I'm actually reading fast.

[rxse7en @ Jan 16th 2008 4:05PM]

These ebook readers seem like overkill. I guess I've just become accustomed to reading ebooks on my phones. Portable, backlit, bookmarkable, easy to read, autoscrolling all in the free Mobipocket Reader apps for phones. Dying for a book reader for my new iPhone, methinks that Jobs' statement might have something to do with that...hopefully.

[jgrnt1 @ Jan 17th 2008 9:20AM]

I have an iRex iLiad -- 8.1 inch e-ink screen with an integrated Wacom tablet and WiFi. It's a great ebook reader, but I can take notes on it at meetings as well. It is also Linux based and a lot of stuff is being ported to it. It is expensive ($699 US), but the added functionality makes it worth the price for me. If I just wanted an ebook reader, the smaller devices might suffice (Sony, Cybook), however, the larger, 1024x768 screen sure is nice. I used to read books on a VGA Pocket PC (iPAQ 4700), but I don't think I could ever go back to a screen that small.

http://www.irextechnologies.com

[charlie @ Jan 18th 2008 5:02PM]

the pictures show 2 different readers. on one there are buttons on each side and on the other there is just that bar on the one side. which is the real thing?