Samsung Papyrus e-book reader on track for Korean launch this summer
By Donald Melanson 
posted March 24th 2009 5:28PM
posted March 24th 2009 5:28PM
Samsung had an early version of its Papyrus e-book reader on hand at CES, but it looks like a spruced up version of the device is now making the rounds in Europe, and the company has taken advantage of the opportunity to dish out a few new details. The biggest of those is word that the device will launch in Korea this June, after which Samsung will reportedly "aim" to see it released "eventually" in the US and the UK. As for the handheld itself, it's an A5-sized device, and packs a touchscreen that makes use of an included aluminum stylus, along with 512MB of internal memory (with no memory card option) and, of course, a stylish leatherette case. You won't get any Kindle-style cellular connectivity though, or apparently any WiFi either for that matter. On the upside, Samsung is apparently looking to keep this one under the $300 mark, although it's not quite ready to get official with a price just yet. Of course, all of that assumes it doesn't get into a tangle with Sharp over the name, which seems like a distinct possibility.
[Via TechRadar]
[Via TechRadar]
Uh oh, looks like they let a crackhead define time zone boundaries again...
The infinity sign in the middle is the location of the 13th dimension.
I'd get it if I featured a Geochron as a screen saver.
They can always call it the Samsung "Parchment" or the Samsung "Hieroglyph". I actually kind of like "Hieroglyph", anyone wanna copyright it with me and sue later when someone adopts it?
must they do EVERYTHING that Sony does.. jeesh - it even looks like their Reader.
Come on, it's got a unique design (compared to Sony's). This is the second ebook reader after Sony's to actually look credible and for the same reason - there's very little there except the screen.
Shame it also shares the Sony readers' lack of wi-fi support, though. 3G is unnecessary, but an integrated store would be really nice when there's a touchscreen to take advantage of.
@W.Park (shamelessly plogging): Apple didn't do too badly out of those 'standalone mp3 players', you know? Sony copied their infrastructure wholesale with a semi-locked-in itunes equivalent software (apparently not very good but you get the idea). Doesn't seem to be taking off like a rocket, but then, compared to music, very few people actually read books on any medium...
"Aim"? "Eventually"? Man, now all we people can be thankful that Samsung actually considers to sell us their stuff at some point, can't we`?
I like pudding.
Why would you not CENTER the screen!? wtf.
Um, about 96% of the population use their right hand to hold stuff - so, a wider bezel on the right side makes ton of sense if you just think about it for a TINY moment...
I like the look of that think, just not the color. Vomit green = not hot.
Let's see, black text on a brown screen. Looks nice.
You're colorblind because that's obviously blue.
/s
I like the color.
I like that Italian green too.
The complete lack of wireless connectivity is a downer though.
I thought it was more of a swedish blue.
What, that pale green? Are you kidding me?
I think it looks like sea-foam green carpet from the 60's.
Looks pretty interesting, if it's less than 300 I'd probably grab one.
In case anyone (like myself) didn't know, A5 sized is 8.3" by 5.8" or 148x210mm.
Why would I want something that has less power than a PDA that was made 10 years ago. Companies should invest money to make readers for existing platforms. I'll be impressed when they come out with paper-thin versions of these...or if they make this one super cheap.
Damn, I read that as "samsung-papyrus-e-book-reader-on-track-for-koran-launch..."
Which would be way cooler.
eww, why did they name it Papyrus? That's like the worse looking font on my computer.
Yuck! What is with the disgusting color scheme?
I really don't think these standalone ebook readers get it. They are just like the MP3 players that came out for you to find, rip, transfer, and fiddle to get content on the player. The iPhone Kindle app makes transfer of books a no-brainer, and I am planning on getting a Kindle 2 based on the ease of use. Amazon is focused on selling books as its core business, and the various Kindle flavors (I suspect they'll release a browser based version) support this.
I wrote a review below.
http://golfism.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/review-of-iphone-kindle-app/
Will the electronic tech bring the revolution of culture aspect?
i cant find any mention of papyrus by samsung themselves anywhere!! is there any reference to it on one of thier own sites? or a press release somewhere maybe?