Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen
Details are scarce, since the official launch won't happen until January 7 at CES next year, but Plastic Logic is looking to crash into the "pro" segment of the e-reader market (currently mostly occupied by the Kindle DX) with its upcoming QUE proReader. The unit uses E Ink Vizplex tech in a shatterproof display the size of a regular piece of paper at 8.5 x 11-inches, and has 3G wireless capabilities courtesy of AT&T and a business-centric ebook store at QUEreader.com which will be powered by Barnes & Noble. There's also a touchscreen interface, but it's unclear if that covers the entire display, or is something more akin to the leaked photos we've seen of the Barnes & Noble reader. The device is "less than 1/3-inch thick," and can handle PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents, including tools for "interacting with and managing the content," which sounds beyond the scope of most e-readers on the market currently. We'll have to wait and see how useful the interface really is, and how much damage (if any) that touchscreen sensor does to readability, but a bit of diversification in the ebook space sounds like a good thing on paper. Full PR is after the break.
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Premiering January 7 at CES: QUETM proReader by Plastic Logic
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – OCTOBER 19, 2009 – Plastic Logic revealed today its plans to unveil QUETM, the first proReader designed for business professionals. Premiering January 7, 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Central Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center at Booth 11840 anchoring the e- Book Techzone), QUE is an essential tool for busy professionals, providing access to a dynamic ecosystem of content.
With QUE, Plastic Logic is expanding the eReader category, which to date has focused on leisure reading devices and casual users. QUE is designed to simplify the multi-faceted lifestyle of the modern businessperson, and to quite literally lighten their workload. In addition to connecting its users with their business and professional newspapers, books and periodicals, QUE supports the document formats business users need (including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents) and features powerful tools for interacting with and managing the content.
"The QUE brand stands for a premium reading experience," said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic. "QUE enhances business performance and gives you a competitive edge. More than an eReader, QUE means business."
Extra thin, lightweight and wireless-enabled, QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs less than many periodicals. The innovative QUE proReader features the largest screen in the industry, an intuitive touch screen user interface, and provides access to a file cabinet's worth of documents, plus your favorite-and most necessary-publications.
QUE stands out in a crowd because it's a business reader, but it's also unique for its shatterproof plastic display. This exclusive technology from Plastic Logic, along with E Ink Vizplex® technology produces an outstanding reading experience. Its battery can last days, instead of hours.
QUE users will be able to connect to content and download wirelessly via Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network, the nation's fastest 3G mobile broadband network. QUEreader.com will offer the most significant collection of business reading available on any eReader. The QUE store is powered by Barnes & Noble, the worlds' largest eBookstore.
Full product specifications, availability and pricing of QUE will be announced on January 7, 2010 at CES.
The QUE for CES starts at http://www.QUEreader.com.
About Plastic Logic
Plastic Logic's mission is to lead a revolution in the way people acquire, organize and consume information. We are using our proprietary technology leadership in plastic electronics to create a range of innovative products. Our first product, QUETM, the proReader for business professionals, will enter the marketplace in 2010. Founded in 2000 by researchers out of the Cambridge University Cavendish Laboratory, Plastic Logic has research and development in Cambridge, England; high-volume, state-of-the-art manufacturing in Dresden, Germany; and executive management, product engineering, sales and marketing headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information about Plastic Logic, please go to http://www.plasticlogic.com.
Media Contacts:
Krause Taylor Associates (for Plastic Logic)
Betty Taylor
650.480.4060
bettyt at krause-taylor dot com
Dana Smith
510.524.2066
danas at krause-taylor dot com
