Barnes and Noble 'confirms' color Plastic Logic e-book reader for Spring 2010 (video)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Oct 9th 2009 3:52AM
posted Oct 9th 2009 3:52AM
In no uncertain terms, a Barnes & Noble representative at what looks like the CTIA show says that a color (color!) Plastic Logic e-book reader will launch in Spring 2010. Now, we're not sure if Daniel Joresson is authorized to make announcements about its Plastic Logic partner but he did so nonetheless. The Plastic Logic e-reader will feature a color screen about the size of a paperback and runs the "Barnes & Noble e-book reader application." It's not clear, but it sounds like the B&N application will also be available for cellphones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. Right, similar to the Kindle app. So how does this jibe with rumors about a 6-inch Barnes & Noble e-reader from Plastic Logic launching as early as next month? Easy, the first version will be grayscale while a new model featuring a color display will launch in Spring. In fact, Plastic Logic's own web site says that its color reader is "around the corner" and expects to be "first to market with a large, flexible color display" -- take that Sony and Amazon with your PVI built E Ink-based displays. Watch the flirtatious B&N reveal after the break.
[Thanks, Tom]
Read -- Plastic Logic FAQ (color reader)
Read -- Video
[Thanks, Tom]
Read -- Plastic Logic FAQ (color reader)
Read -- Video
Wow, color! That seriously changes things. I'm curious how they did that, and flexible!?
Dang, I'm glad I held out. I'm still reading PDFs on my tablet.
Color eInk prototypes have been shown for awhile. They use the tried and true method of a color filter array overlaid onto the display (though in this case they're using RGBW). An inevitable drawback to this is that it cuts down on the contrast and resolution, though perhaps the eInk itself has been improved enough to reasonably compensate.
This is huge. Somehow they've lowered the price far enough?
I think the next question is, will Amazon preempt this move by introducing a color e-ink device for Christmas?
ha ha. the sarcasm is cute.
however, some folks don't want or need a tablet computer, an iphone etc. but they do read and an ebook reader without any bells or whistles (video, photos, voiceovers etc) is just what they what. And BN is actually very smart to be providing a basic reader, if the price is right, to those folks. Plus the app for those that have something already.
Even many schools are embracing the ebook reader for texts and despite some naysayers, the electronic book is here to stay. and in the case of the nonfiction book (how to texts and such) will probably overtake print books because of the bells and whistles that can be added.
How about refresh rate? The other problem of e-paper!
Probably even worse for color screens. I remember some Japanese color eInk prototype needed 8 seconds to fully display a color image...
@L
You're thinking of the FLEPia display. Engadget and several other blogs and news sources repeatedly mistook this for eInk. In reality that's a completely different technology; it's a form of bistable LCD. From what I've seen the refresh rate for color eInk is no different from the existing B&W incarnation (which makes sense, since it's the same basic screen just with the addition of a color array).
There's no refresh rate. The cells are on or off. If you mean by the refresh rate when flipping pages, it's faster than flipping a page in a real book. Certainly, it's fast enough for reading purposes, unless you have some Heroes super Mohinder-Peter-ability.
So, does that mean there're going to be three types of Plastic Logic Products?
1. 8.5"X11" b/w screen in Jan. 2010
2. 6" b/w screen in next month
3. paperback sized color screen in spring 2010
the large screen one has the potential to be disruptive in the text book market especially if they can incorporate a way to write notes on the display which are stored with the doc. It is still not quite as good as a real text (harder to flip back and forth between pages in different chapters and certainly harder to 'skim' for the page/section you are wanting to find). Of course the number of books and weight/space savings are offsetting pluses and it is the right size to display virtually any text book (or any professional or scientific publication) full size without dancing around adobe pdf inability to reflow gracefully.
If I have learned anything from Apple's marketing it's that it's that they don't sell futures. They don't kill their current products by telling you what's coming next. That seems to work for them. Some people aren't going to buy the black and white one because they know the colour one is coming. Actually for me this works quite well. I save money because on Engadget I see what new stuff is coming out in the next few months and decide to wait for it before I purchase anything. By the time that item is released I've already seen something new and exciting to wait for.
"Actually for me this works quite well. I save money because on Engadget I see what new stuff is coming out in the next few months and decide to wait for it before I purchase anything. By the time that item is released I've already seen something new and exciting to wait for."
So then you never buy anything?
there is another advantage to the Apple tactic as well. You don't look like a moron when you have to delay something due to unforeseen issues. get it ready for primetime and then you give up the info
The B&N application is already running on iPhone and Blackberries. It's only missing Android, which is probably why people are wondering if one of the readers will run Android.
I've actually been using this ebook app on my G1 called Aldiko http://www.cyrket.com/package/com.aldiko.android
Free app on the marketplace and it is pretty amazing.
Nice;) Can't wait to buy one!
This could be interesting, if it is running Android. Then, you could run all the cool apps in the Android market, as well.
Video might be tough, even with a colour screen, but things like:
1. listening to music,
2. browsing the web (using Fast Flip would be cool!),
3. reading/writing email, IMs, SMS, etc.,
4. viewing/editing docs (with Google Apps, Zoho, Quickoffice, DocumentsToGo, etc.),
5. viewing maps,
would be great!
Fast Flip & eInk screen - not gonna happen in a loooooooooooong time.
Not to mention, the color screens will better lend themselves to ad-supported newspaper and magazine subscriptions...
Hmm, color's an unexpected bonus to me, that would come in handy for simple web browsing. I'm really just waiting for the damn prices to come down though.
I would not rely on an ebook reader for web browsing. It's likely they won't support flash or any video content for a very long time, if ever.
Use a laptop/netbook.
Use an ebook reader to, you know, read books.
@Erasure25
Actually, the ePub spec allows video, flash, or whatever other media types you want to throw into your publication. However, it doesn't require support for those types, so most (all?) reading systems don't support them. I'd be ok with no-flash, no video internet access though.
But like you said, an ebook reader is for...reading books.
It will be interesting to see if either Barnes & Noble, or Plastic Logic, force uTube to pull the video down...
Here are the things stopping me from jumping on the eBook bandwagon (and I suspect others)
1) Size - I need it with a good size screen in a small enough package that it can fit nearly in my pants pocket like a paperback does (or a purse of a woman), so that means more screen then plastic border and keyboard (yeah looking at you kindle)
2) Price - The reader and books for it need to be cheap enough so that a stop by the library actually becomes the inconvient option, my guess is $100 is the sweet spot for the mass traction but no higher then $200.
3) Usability - Kindle is still a clunker. The iPhone shows how it can be done, the tech just needs to catch up.
4) Backlight - I mean sheesh this is a no brainer. Reading in the dark before going to bed, on a night flight, whatever. In this day and age of backlight for TVs, laptops, PSP, DS, etc there is zero excuse to not have one on these devices. The Gameboy got one more then a decade ago. More then anything else the lack of a backlight is a dealbreaker.
5) Color - Actually not that important to me, but considering the use of PDFs, textbooks and more, it's a necessity if trying to expand beyond duplicating the paperback experience.
It seems that B&N's device might hit some of those point but until a book reader can hit all five key areas, frankly you are just wasting everyone's time and money.
"Backlight - I mean sheesh this is a no brainer..."
In fact it is physically impossible to backlight eInk. It's NOT transmissive like LCD. Sony did get around this with the PRS700 by using a frontlight... sidelighting with the addition of a diffuser to spread the light out more evenly... but this, along with the touch membrane, significantly diminished the display quality.
1. Get a briefcase. E-ink is supposed to be really flexible so maybe in 5 years you can fold it in your pants pocket.
2. The iPods are around $200-$400 and they're popular. I want an E-reader that can play music and browse the web, now that would be worth $400. No more eye strain and a pocketable laptop.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ44Z-g1WUU
Plastic Logic has a pretty good GUI making it easy to take notes and switch tabs.
4. I'm pretty sure the lack of a backlight is what makes e-readers so readable.
5. I'm more concerned about refresh rate. It would make reading so much faster if an e-reader could incorporate Spreader (google it) so you don't have to move your eyes.
Are you serious? A backlight? That defeats the entire purpose of e-ink type displays. Why not just read off an LCD then?
Try this. Put a flashlight behind a page in a book and try reading it for a few hours. How do your eyes feel? Was that really easier than reading a regularly lit, high contrast e-ink screen (or regular printed piece of paper)? No, it wasn't.
You do not understand; no, do not even *begin* to understand the purpose of these readers. Please, educate yourself and then get back to us.
There is a perfectly good reason not have baclighting. It is tiring on the eyes. You may have personally developed a skill for reading backlit screens and if so, you are ahead of the rest of us.
The light source and the amount of light used for backlighting is not conducive for reading for great lengths of time. You are much better off using a natural light source - one that reflects of the front, the way that it occurs when you read a book or look at a piece of paper. When they are able to produce a backlight source that more closely matches natural light, and assuming you can dial this up and down, you will have suitable backlit e-Reader. Until then get a tablet PC and ruin your eyeballs.
For someone who wrote such a long winded paragraph about ebooks, you are totally ignorant of what they are meant to achieve. Please tell me the last physical book that you read that had a backlight. And try reading on the iPhone's 3 inch screen for 3 hours. Tell me if you get cramps from flicking the page a billion times. Also tell me how your eyes feel.
But I take you have never owned an ebook reader so really, you have no personal experience on what the device does, how it functions, and the benefits of having said device. All you know are the things the "popular" media have fed into your brain about how "iphone iz numba 1!" and everything should be tiny and have an LCD. Trust me, you do not want a 3 inch LCD ebook reader.
I agree... until we can actually put college textbooks, company memos, reports etc.. in a reasonable size and in color on this thing.. it's nothing more than a play toy.
-Tom
I've been waiting for this product for a while. They appear to be approaching this very cautiously, and will have all their ducks in a row when it launches: on-line newspaper/magazine/book subscriptions, and lots of interactive capabilities. I'm also happy if it brings some competition to the Kindle, of course, which has justifiably benefited by being the first out of the gate. This will really up the ante.
This screen would be awesome for photo frames which have always needed to be non light emitting to be truly effective replacements for normal photos. The refresh rate wouldn't be a problem there either.
Wait for "Pixel Qi" - the enhanced LCD technology with trans-reflective screen. It will be cheaper and almost as good for reading as e-ink
Color eInk would still have an advantage in that it can produce color images in any situation the screen is visible in. The Pixel Qi technology is B&W (or at least mostly desaturated) while in its reflective mode.
*BTW I'm not trying to dismiss Pixel Qi. I think it'll be a major boon for laptops and many other portable devices. Though at the same time eInk can still serve its own niche.
I have Sony 505 at home (I bought it as a gift to my gf) and to be honest... it's hardly ever used. I still print my PDF's (Sony doesn't handle charts etc.), sometimes I even read books on my Nokia E51 because it's easier to carry around when I'm on a bus or train.
e-ink is well overpriced and I think a lot of people agree.
If we could have tablet-netbook with Pixel Qi display for something around today netbooks price, it would be a real winner
@allerune
I think the people that agree are people who are not avid book readers. They are looking for these all-in-one devices that can browse the web, download magazines, view technical charts, play music, watch videos and .... and.. etc. Best to get a laptop of smart phone for that.
There is a group of people (basically, people who already own ebook readers and have for some time) who value reading as a worthwile hobby. People who are just looking to pass the time by reading for 5 min while standing in line at a store should not get a $300 ebook reader. That just makes no sense. A smart phone would be a better choice.
But for those who spend hours at a time reading books, an ebook reader really is convenient. I know from literally years of experience of owning a Sony 505 and using a phone/pda as a reading device. The phone/pda sucked big time. Eye strain, having to flip pages constantly because of the tiny screen, horrible battery life. Bleh. But for quick reading of news and other small bits, a phone works fine, just not for hour(s) of reading.
@Erasure25
Your opinion sounded like someone who reads a lot against someone who doesn't read :) I read a lot, sometimes spending 2-3 hours a day reading. E-book reader like Sony 505 is nice to read novels and... only novels. It is terrible with any other reading material (quick review of something from chapter 1 while reading chapter 5 is a pain, the same with searching stuff, not talking about taking notes...).
I have Sony 505 available but I still print books (IT & Stock exchange books). If it were such a nice device I wouldn't have to do it !!!
BTW. I also find myself novels on my phone rather than Sony 505. I have a lot of books in pdf, txt, html files and use mobipocket reader which automatically converts them and loads them into my phone (I know, Nokia has tiny screen, but I'm planning to get a decent 3-4 inch PDA soon). It's just simplicity thing. I can't be bothered to convert books and load them into Sony...
It sounded to me he ment the casing would be color.
I don't know all the details but thats the way it read in the quote.
I don't care how, give us a builtin light. Also, make the device so it fits in a pocket. These companies need to accept that digital readers don't need to be the size of a paperback, let alone larger. A 6" screen plus those HUGE boarders built into the case means the thing isn't fitting into a standard pocket. Make the device a bit thicker and cut out 90% of the boarder. Then make a model which is ONLY a digital book reader and sell it for under $100us.
I disagree. They need to keep making ebook reader that are 6" or larger. I hate flipping pages constantly. It interrupts the reading experience. I for one will be seriously looking at the Sony Daily Edition when it comes out. I am comfortable enough in my (homo)sexuality to carry a man-bag LOL. Of course, they can make smaller ones as well to fit that particular niche. Sony has a smaller one for $199.
I'm not getting my hopes up just yet. The is only going be be cool if B&N does away w/ obnoxious DRM that locks books to one brand of reader. I have a Sony 505 reader for nearly 2 years now and love it but I've only purchased ONE book b/c I can't wrap my head around the fact that if I ever want to buy a different branded e-reader I won't be able to take my books with me. This scenario is true with the Kindle too. Too bad b/c I'd rather read digitally. The other thing that is annoying is that quite often eBooks cost a lot more than their counterpart dead tree editions.
these devices are really limited by the e-ink screen technology.. the screen updates are worthlessly slow for anything but static text page reading
You mean like.... reading books?
You mean like.... reading books?
double post
For reading books I'd rather have higher contrast than color. I guess color would be nice for magazines, comic books, and photo viewing.
>> it sounds like the B&N application will also be available for cellphones including the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices
So where does that leave us losers on WinMobile? TiVo even has a phone application, for the freakin Blackberry!
Microsoft's e-reader of course http://www.microsoft.com/Reader/
*Falls over laughing* Sorry dude. Nothing but luv for MS, but I had too. That app and their store has been out for 8 years now and its been nothing but a joke since day one.
Finally a Reader that can display colors. Now Lets bring ESPN,SI,Geo and Manga.. Finally