Acer LumiRead L600 shows up under glass at Computex
By Joanna Stern 
posted June 6th 2010 6:39AM
posted June 6th 2010 6:39AM
Acer didn't make any sweeping announcements at Computex like it has in previous years, but it did show up with its new LumiRead L600 e-reader. While it was under glass for the entirety of the trade show, we were able to snag a peek at the ultrathin reader, which looks strikingly similar to the Kindle with its 6-inch, 800 x 600-resolution E Ink display, joystick and 37 key QWERTY keyboard. We couldn't get them to remove it from the display box, but the interface looked fairly streamlined, and we were able to sneak a shot of the ISBP bar scanner on its backside, which will allow for scanning a book in for a later online purchase. We wish we had more impressions for you, but we found out that it's powered by a 532Mhz Freescale iMX357 processor and has 128MB of RAM. We're hoping to actually toy around with one soon enough, but you'll have to deal with a gallery worth of shots below for now.
Hmm, freescale... that make the CPUs (there's three, one for the GUI on the PDM, one to control the radio on the PDM, and then one to control the pod clocked at 33,8,and 8 MHz respectivly) for my insulin pump...
wud have been nice if it was color using Pixel Qi
hahah we got a lil sneak peak at this with your "Onkyo DX1007A5B dualscreen netbook preview"
Looks alright for an e-reader...but you have to ask, whats the big difference from this one and the last few we've seen...
Looks like an ugly Kindle KIRF... but guess they all do.
what does it need a 532Mhz? does reading books really need that much processing power? and can it multitask?
Still trying to figure out why you need a keyboard on an ereader? If you've got need for simple note taking, just get something like the Sony prs600.
Looks like an Amazon Kindle KIRF.
When I look at this, I'm stunned to think that it passed all the meetings, decision points and tough design questions along the way.
But, as they say, spit happens.
oh dear kinle every one is after your white ass.
Oh god, not another one...
I'm pretty sure Amazon has a design patent for the Kindle look, which this obviously replicates. This design could potentially violate it, allowing Amazon to block import into the US. Other smaller companies have gotten away, but Acer is large enough that a block might be warranted.
I don't agree with it being a KIRF Kindle, since there are enough design cues different. The ambidextrous back/forward buttons are next to the keyboard instead of beside the screen. This results in what looks to be less bezel. The rectangular keys look more like a keyboard than the Kindles circular keys (to me at least).
Isn't it ISBN? not ISBP?
It has a lot of wasted space around the keyboard.
I'd move the arrow keys and that dpad to be next to the screen, and have the keyboard slide into the main unit when not in use.
For the most part, you wont need a keyboard
Instead of making competitors to iPad, manufacturers started making competitors to Kindle. Which is an ebook reader that got killed by iPad.