The e-Reader story of CES 2010
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 9th 2010 4:18PM
posted January 9th 2010 4:18PM
The biggest (literally) and most impressive electronic ink devices at the show are easily the
Otherwise, the CES show floor is absolutely littered with electronic ink also-rans, hybrids, and new screen technologies looking to knock-off the incumbent Kindle, underlying E Ink technology, and Amazon juggernaut. If we're lucky, that's exactly what's going to happen later in the year. Read on to find out why.
If electronic ink is your thing then CES 2010 is the place to be. We've already told you about Orizon from Bookeen, the RCA Lexi, iriver Story, the Jinke SiPix readers, Hanvon WISEreader, the Cool-er readers from Interead, the Ocean and Tidal series from Copia, and a pair of E6 and E10 e-book readers from industry heavyweight Samsung. And these are just the most interesting of the dozens of new devices on show.
Spring Design's dual-screen Alex is all kinds of sexy, even better than the Barnes & Noble Nook thanks in part to the Armada processor's ability to cut through Android like an angry Jedi. And by inking a deal with Borders, Spring Design has a real chance at usurping the (unholy?) alliance that brought the Nook to Barnes & Noble. Regardless, by all account this appears to be the hardware Barnes & Noble should have chosen for its dual-screen reader.
We're also seeing an incredible variety of display technologies gunning for current and future generation e-Readers. The most compelling remains Pixel Qi -- a hybrid LCD technology that can be switched from a standard, full-color LCD backlit mode to a Kindle-like monochromatic reflective mode viewable in direct sunlight (while consuming 80% less power than standard LCDs). Better yet, 10-inch Pixel Qi displays have just started to roll off the assembly lines. The only confirmed Pixel Qi device at the show is the impressive Notion Ink Adam tablet. Besides Pixel Qi, Qualcomm, Fujitsu, and Philips are trotting out their Mirasol (with a rumored Kindle destination), FLEPia, and Liquavista display demos, respectively, while LG Display is demonstrating its Metal-Foil e-Paper display for the first time on the Skiff Reader.
Finally, we've got knfb's Blio; the PC and mobile device software that gives you access to millions of books in their original format.
Put it all together and we begin to see the story of a 2010 e-reader market that extends way beyond just e-books to include newspapers and magazines augmented with audio and full-color animations, video, and imagery. As such, dedicated monochrome E-Ink devices like Kindle and the Sony Reader will be forced even deeper into the niche they now serve as the year plays out. One thing's for sure -- monochrome electronic ink displays are not the future of e-readers. If you ask us, the smart money is on multi-purpose devices running hybrid displays from Pixel Qi (or similar) like Notion Ink's Adam. Not only does this avoid lock in to a single content provider, but you maintain full Internet access with the ability to subscribe to materials from Skiff, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Blio, Google, and iTunes, for example, while enjoying the type of rich multimedia experiences that main stream media publications are keen to pursue.
Kindle, and its E Ink peers, are officially on notice.
I don't know why these E-Readers are getting so popular...
@Matej Bajan Reasons 1: People are getting hype with the idea that their personal tools are becoming electronic as well.
2. The feeling of not knowing something, then waiting for it is highly addictive. As they said 'curiosity kills the cat".
3. The same reason why people are so exhilirated with the Apple Tablet, which begs the answer "I don't know yet"
I don't know if this could be the future for reading book as well. Seeing the Skiff details: http://bit.ly/skiff-reader-amazing-details and its specs
But something tells me that this won't ever replace the good ole book we used to know, you know the one composed of papers? lol -- Perhaps, not even in this coming decade.
@Matej Bajan Because once they come to a price that is actually reasonable they have the potential to be what cell phones are today.Think beyond just the potential of a portable library,
@Altairantares Yeah, the portable library of books by the same author is really compelling. Say I'm reading the Lord of the Rings and would like to refer back to a previous book on the fly. That would be nice.
@wisemensays
begs the answer?
nice try
@Matej Bajan
The thing is consumer tech movements like this, unfortunately, depend on the lowest common denominator. Only when grandma knows what it is, does a new category of device get this kind of corporate support and momentum. Corporations are vultures, they prey on carrion.
Personally, I started reading eBooks off my Palm Pilot Professional a long time ago and didn't buy a book till Mobipocket software went free. Three years ago I bought my mom a Cybook for Christmas after she finally started reading ebooks off of the Kaiser I bought her. I've been putting ebooks on her various "smart"phones since she was willing to make the switch from "dumb"phones. However, it took that long for my Mom's generation to be willing to make that switch from paper to digital. As soon as she was I got her a Cybook.
Now three years later, the "carrion" of reading digitally is dead enough for the vultures to swoop in. Incidentally, the vultures ate Mobipocket in the process, so now I'm going to have to move my mom to a new book platform :(. I'm thinking she is ready for Calibre.
Get a new picture.
Serious question, are e-readers in such demand that EVERYONE has to come out with one? I understand that really up until now the Kindle was the only one, but I'm not sold on the idea that physical books are done just yet. There are still a few magazines that I buy regularly and would rather continue to do so vs. owning an e-reader of sorts.
@XChrisX
They will be once they come down in price and more people learn about them. Blogs and online articles have largely replaced print magazines; but print "rags" are still around. Radio and TV may have challenged the newspaper, but rumors of the death of the hard newspaper were greatly exaggerated.
Such media will continue to live on, but people would have a new choice as far as how to get their media. As for me, I would rather have everything on an easy-to-read and portable device like an e-reader. Hard paper is nice, but in the long run, e-readers are nicer to use every day, I think.
@XChrisX Personally, I've grown weary of the stacks and stacks of magazines laying around my house. The Dream is to have an eReader with enough capacity to store them all in one device from here on out. I get this month's issue of any variety of magazines sent directly to my device via 3G, and there it stays. I'm not as concerned about color as much as I'd like to see an eReader that's at least as big as your average magazine opened flat (11X17, maybe a dual screen eReader with 2-Ea. 8.5X11 screens). Multi-media would be nice, but the BIG advantage eReaders have over conventional display technologies is once a page is displayed, power consumption is minimal. Multi-media content would put a serious ding in battery efficiency. The beauty of e-ink is it only uses power with each turn of a page. There are very few other electronic devices available today that can approach the battery efficiency of a properly designed eReader.
@XChrisX In such demand? I doubt it. However, most of the ones out right now just don't cut it when it comes to refresh rate and supported formats.
@BigD145 By demand, I really meant necessary. So many new e-readers, and I bet many of them go unoticed. The idea was cool when there were only a few of them out, but I don't think the world really needs all of these new e-readers. I'm just not sold on the idea that this is the next big thing. Has Amazon been so overwhelmed with interest of their Kindle that all of these new companies many of us have never heard of until now, saw the need to capitalize on this tech? /rant
@XChrisX There was a report that eBooks outsold real books at Amazon this Christmas. Might have been from Amazon's PR department though. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/amazon-kindle-books-outsold-real-books-this-christmas/
I suppose one question now is the postion that the iPad will play in this market- the cost of the iPad will limit its effect immediately I guess but it looks to be more portable than a laptop... http://www.juniperresearch.com/analyst-xpress-blog/2010/01/28/how-is-the-ipad-going-to-affect-the-ereader-market/
Agreed that multiple-function stuff is the best.
ex. Mirasol.
I'm expecting the tablet market to grow, or a booklet market a la Courier, but nothing on that yet :/
Since when did we start bloating the main page with the ENTIRE story?
@credo
well that's weird, now theirs a "read more" link... hmm maybe it takes a few.
@credo
@#$ yes I know there's. I'll just stop talking now.
They're getting popular (from a manufacturer standpoint) because they are all drooling over the chance to lock people into devices that will give them a constant revenue stream. Whether it be newspaper subs, or books, magazines, whatever they think they can offer.
That's just not going to happen though. They will remain a niche. I have a Sony PRS because I read books and it's a great device for reading books - not comics, not pdf's, not even newspapers. Books. Most of these devices offer nothing but the same and there really isn't that many people left in the word who actually 1) read books and 2) know e-ink exists or 3). give up their comfy paper books. Certainly not for the amount for hardware being thrown around.
What's more important right now is a standard, working file format so people can buy content regardless of what device they buy. Like an mp3 for music instead of aac, wma, mp3, ogg, mp3, etc. We're back at the beginning with the printed form and ever vendor is hoping they will reign supreme as the sole provider. ePub is starting but not everyone is game (*cough* Amazon *cough*) so it confuses the public when they buy a book and can't read it.
@beheybirder
I disagree. They want to enter the digital delivery business to continue to sell books, not lock in customers. They need to keep the book industry alive in the age of free digital content. Once authors start publishing for free with ads attached to each page they are thru. I think they might be worried about that more and less focused on an iTunes style revenue stream, but that would also be nice for them.
I'm thinking the main use case for eReaders is commuters? Right now u see a hellavalot of people on trains trams and busses struggling to read on a too-small smartphone screen. And they're all carrying backpacks anyway, and a laptop is too big and nerdy (and non-private).
As one of the first owner of a Sony Reader, I have read (and read and read) using it. It DOES WELL replacing the novel. What is now lacking is a way of replacing pictures, graphics, and diagrams that just do not fit (too tiny) on a smaller reader. That is why I am looking forward to the Skiff.
Contrary to ALL of the press, the Que is NOT an 8 1/2 by 11 inch screen sized reader! It is just a 10 inch diagonal screen in an 8 1/2 by 11 inch plastic frame. You can clearly see that in the Engadget's demos. The skill is much larger, supports PDF and ePub and will be my next purchase.
Product Specifications
* Connectivity: Cellular (GSM), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), USB, Bluetooth ® 2.0
* Memory: 8 GB (Approx. 7.6 GB available for user data)
* Display (viewable area): 10.5-inch diagonal, 944 x 1264 pixels at 150ppi, 8 gray levels
* User Interface: Full Touchscreen, Virtual Keyboard
* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, charging via computer or wall charger
* Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" x .3"
* Weight: Approximately 17 ounces
From the Que website. The Que reader does NOT have a A4 sceen, just the form factor is letter sized. I wrote Thomas (the poster) about his error. The Skiff is the largest screen going towards production at the show.
@johnpombrio You're 100% right. What a scam. For the longest time they've been saying:
"It’s large 8-1/2" x 11" shatterproof display"
But we now see that it has a 10.5 diagonal as you pointed out. NOBODY includes the bezel in the definition of display!
http://buyque.barnesandnoble.com/Home-and-Gift/e/814311010043/
Thanks John!
@Thomas Ricker
I'm happy with the coverage by En too. Great article, great links for me since I haven't dropped by in awhile.
@Thomas Ricker Thanks, Thomas. I wrote Plastic Logic a "feedback" about this. I wonder if they are going to bother to respond.
It's not that I have anything against the Que, but I was REALLY looking forward to a giant E-reader that could do magazines and textbooks full justice. To find out MONTHS later that all of their promo about a letter sized display was bunk shattered my faith in the company. Que has been reluctantly scratched off of my list.
Terrific reporting, Engadget. Thanks! Now the long wait for the desired e-reader begins. . .
E-Reader (or E-Books) will never go mainstream outside of the typical CE status symbol "Hey I can afford a Kindle." The biggest potential for E-Reader/E-books is for textbooks, for school and college, but knowing the politics and publishers, it will never (I repeat, NEVER) happen.
@pika2000
I agree and disagree. Right now its all tech-hype, but if some smart company becomes smart and configures the e-readers to work in a corporate environment (e.g. with handwriting, push-down capabilities, syncing, notes, mark-up on PDFs, work with Lotus Notes / Outlook, etc), they would be a winner. There is a huge demand out there to replace your pen/paper organizer, that is of good battery life and good size.
@eddiehosa Hardware is only a small part of the whole ecosystem. Content it the key here. If publishers and their archaic business model don't want to change (and I don't see they will change, if ever), than e-Readers/e-Books will only become a status symbol CE, not a utility.
@pika2000 That's what they said when mobile phone first came out.
@pika2000 I disagree. A lot of people read books for fun, and those books are often large, expensive, and not convenient. I want a Kindle because it's a heck of a lot more portable than the hardcover books I read, when I move I don't have these damn heavy boxes of books to move (books are always the heaviest things in a move!), and I don't have to go to the book store to buy a book I want to read. Sure, I could get that from my phone or a laptop computer, but without the e-ink display, reading wouldn't be a relaxing experience.
@Pavidus Mobile phones do not depend on content.
@Dreamwriter You completely missed my point. I never say anything about people not reading or whatnot. My point is the content owners, the publishers. Imagine if the recording industries refuse to do a deal with Apple's iTunes, we won't see the iPod as mainstream as it is today. Same thing with e-Readers. How long have Sony been doing e-Reader? The killer app for e-Reader are textbooks, and thus it will never happen.
Does it really have to be so necessary to stick 3G modems in these things? It so obviously makes it a nightmare to sell, as not only do the manufacturer have to get an agreement with mobile networks worldwide, they also have to get an agreement with an ebook store/stores to sell them through the device. Just look at Amazon's Kindle- the only way you can get one outside of the US is to order it from the US with an AT&T SIM that roams on local networks, only works with the US store, and is unable to display pictures in newspapers/magazines. This seeming demand for 3G is holding ereaders back, surely just putting wi-fi on them should make them easier to sell?
Plus I don't believe the book publishing & retailing industry have really learnt from the music industry re. DRM- if you buy a Kindle you're largely locked into their format (unless you have books on certain unprotected formats), if you buy readers from most other manufacturers you can't download books from Amazon (instead buying them at stores that do them in Adobe protected epub) It really discourages competition and assumes that the customer is dishonest and shouldn't be able to read what they want on the device they want.
All in all, Dead Tree Format isn't dead yet(and that's coming from a happy Sony Reader owner), if the industry continues in the way it is going.
@diamonddogs
For me the 3G is what makes the Kindle great here in Australia. WiFi would be useless for me as the only place it would ever get a signal is in my home or the local McDonalds. My sister visited from overseas and constantly complained about there was nowhere for her to get a signal for her iPod touch. So I get the impression overseas are awash with open wifi?
I agree with the 100% of diamonddogs's comment.
I've never understood, why do you need long-range wireless on e-readers at all?
Too lazy to have "the market" on your computer, and then just sync over your normal 802.11 network? Or USB? Or one of the new short-range ultra-fast wireless things?
It doesn't have to connect to a computer, it could very well just connect to your smartphone for internet access (you have one you carry everywhere, right?).. Why do you need a whole separate radio?
Nevermind that the 3G makes it ridiculously expensive in minor countries, nevermind that it's not available everywhere, nevermind that it keeps you tied to them (if they say it stops working, it stops working), it just seems so wasteful to me
Engadget can we have a comparison (spec) chart section on the website for these types of "flood" gadgets? Thanks.
I work in a corporate environment with clients, professionals, executives, etc and I can tell you these would be the key success factors for a popular e-reader:-
1) Ability to take notes, both handwritten and typed. The e-reader should have handwriting recognition capability, and for times when you need to take faster notes, a blackberry-sized (or slightly larger) keypad/keyboard.
2) Ability to draw notes, or mark-up on existing documents, effectively replacing the "pad and paper" / portfolio.
3) Needs to be able to continue to operate for at least 5 business days without a charge.
4) Wireless syncing capabilities to the user's desktop, preferably either through wi-fi or 3G.
5) Integration with IBM Lotus Notes / Microsoft Outlook. Better yet, have a blackberry-type push-down support for messages, emails, alerts and calendar synchronization anywhere where there is a cellphone signal. RIM should look into this.
Uses:-
- Taking notes throughout the day when you are in the office or not "mobile" (e.g. on the plan, in a meeting room, etc, but not on the road or at lunch/in a restaurant).
- Replaces the agenda / organizer / paper notebook.
- Keep organized with to-dos, calendars, etc.
- Keep informed through newspapers, magazines, news-feeds, etc.
- Essentially, an extension of the deskop / laptop.
There is a demand for such a product, especially in professional environments like accounting firms / law firms. Tablet PCs are too big, heavy, have short battery life and create too much heat. Blackberries are good for ultra-mobility but its too small to be taking notes from in a serious meeting. Palm handheld devices were also no good due to limited battery life and the smallness of it.
@eddiehosa
I forgot to mention that they could also consider retrofitting some solar cells on those to extend batter life (or infinite)?
But yes, essentially, whoever can get the "right mix" / balance for the corporate market first, would come out a winner (just like how RIM was successful)
@eddiehosa Did you watch the demos on the Plastic Logic QUE? It is pretty close to checking off all those items. I don't think it does handwriting recognition, and the keyboard is a soft keyboard. but notes annotation document support and Outlook/organizer features are all there.
Personally, I would like to have an e-book reader, if only they would come below $120 or so. coz when I want to read those books by Jules Verne, Jerome K. Jerome, Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells etc. & the only place they are available is gutenberg.org, then an e book reader would come in handy, but only if it would be cheaper than getting those e-books printed! Plus we often would like to read magazines which are not available in our own country. We could download them from the internet very easily.
as far as the argument of replacing good ol' books, I don't think that will happen, at least in the next 50 years
Same reason paper has been pretty popular for quite some time, at home and in the office?
This is all exciting news! Just like 3D, the time for tablets has finally come.
With all developments in technology, the determining factor is the enabling technology - not necessarily the idea - matures. With airplanes and helicopters it was an engine powerful enough. With digital cameras it was the megapixel cmos. With smartphones it was Apple's refinement of the concept.
The current problems of e-readers are monochrome displays, poor refresh rates, inability to handle multimedia convincingly and limited compatibility. Displays such as Pixel Qi's wil allow tablet pcs and readers to merge and it will be the iphone all over again.
If you are in doubt, just imagine an iphone with a 10" screen. That is something I'm looking forward to!
I read from a paper back novel at least 4 or 5 days a week. I wish I could try an e-Reader before buying due to the high prices, but I don't know anyone who has one. I wish Barnes/Borders would rent them out for people to try first.
Also, I would like to see a hybrid device with an e-ink screen on one side and an LCD on the other. That would make the perfect tablet or netbook but the price would probably be too high.
I only want an eReader if I can get it to keep the formatting. People are paid good money to think about layout and design... if I wanted something else I'd read a txt file.
IMO: the e-book/e-reader device to beat, right now, is the Notion Ink Adam. It's also the "device to beat" in the mid-range tablet category ... which means, Apple has to do better than that, if they ever actually enter the market.
Sadly, e-readers will fail.
@mugatu "Sadly, e-readers will fail."
I agree. Just like all those clumsy little PDAs and electronic organizers that were around before and just after the Palm Pilot was released.
E-readers are too limited and redundant. You'll still need a laptop or smartphone to communicate. You'll still need a desktop or laptop computer to do work or create anything. And you can read e-books on all of those other devices.
I truly think that color will be required before any of these goes mainstream. Seriously, why pay 300 to 1000 bucks for 1960s grayscale? RGB was even available in the 80s.
Que and Skiff are the only real leaders from CES, but both are still vaporware with projected dates. Anyone can showcase a mock up at CES. Where's the beef? Lower those priced for grayscale and give it editing capabilities and there is an intermediate winner. Until color comes out in November or apple talks us into a slate with a 4 hour non replacable battery for 1000 bucks.