The guys and gals at MobileRead have scored hands-on time with the Cybook Opus and early impressions are good. They were smitten with the ergonomics of the device and its "gorgeous" 5-inch e-ink display, but oddly neglected to point out any weaknesses. Equipped with an accelerometer, 1GB of storage, microSD expansion slot, and a user-replaceable battery, the Opus is able to read PDF and ePUB files -- with or without DRM -- and organize them into folders. There are rumors of a €250 ($349) asking price, but the exact details of when and where it will be available remain unknown. Click through for a video of the reader doing its thing or hit the read links for more extensive coverage.

[Via Slashgear]

Read - MobileRead exclusive : sneak preview of the Bookeen Opus
Read - Cybook Opus: Discovering the reader, video

Samsung (and your local government) hasn't been shy with its plans for electrifying passports. Yet we still haven't seen video of its e-passport with flexible OLED display in action, 'till now. The 2-inch, 240x320 AMOLED displays a disembodied, rotating head in 260k colors and 10k:1 contrast when activated by an RF source reader. No details were provided as to when these might enter production but we have the icky feeling it'll be sooner than we want.

[Via OLED-Info]

It's funny, really. Years back, we figured this SATA HDD dock was a one-off device that would get swept under the rug as quickly as it reached prominence. And yet, here we are in May of 2009 looking at the latest iteration of a product that won't ever stop reinventing itself. Brando's Dual SATA HDD Multi-Function Dock with One Touch Backup (yeah, seriously) doubles up on elder models by holding two 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard drives, and it also accepts a litany of flash cards. Lastly, this adds an eSATA connector to the traditional USB 2.0 socket for a bit more flexibility, but we still can't justify the $89 price if you already own a predecessor (or three).

Color e-ink displays are starting to become less of a curiosity and more of a reality, but if the rumor from DigiTimes proves true it's going to be another year or so before we start seeing them en masse. PVI, makers of displays for the Kindle and Sony Reader, has apparently indicated that its attempts at creating a color display have been more or less unsatisfactory and it's going to take until 2010 at least to get its hues sorted out. That's the bad news. There is some good news, though, indicating that Sony's working on its own 8.5 x 11-inch reader utilizing the same screen as the Kindle DX. Since the last rumors about that display was pretty-much on the mark, we wouldn't be surprised if this one proved true as well -- and we can't wait to see what Sony charges for it.

[Via SlashGear]

Ah, the lovely world of rebadged e-readers. If you'll recall, we saw a nice trio of Astak Mentor e-book readers way back in May of last year, and now we're seeing a smaller, more curvaceous version pictured alongside those very devices. Early assumptions were that this new 5-inch model would also belong to PocketBook, but those rumors have already been laid to rest. What we're left with is a few solid images, a Mentor label and a mind full of mystery. It's almost like reading a Danielle Steel novel, but only in the emotional sense.

[Via MobileRead, thanks Nate]

It's a touch early to truly understand what's going on here, but it looks as if iriver Japan (read: not the same iriver Korea you're used to) is hoping to make a splash in the burgeoning e-reader market by popping out a device of its own. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much innovation going on, as we're pretty certain this is simply a rebadged version of the Netronix reader we spotted about this time last year. Word has it that the unit will handle PDFs and feature a simple joystick control scheme, an SD card slot and compatibility with music files. We'll be keeping a close eye out for any developments, but our gut tells us this thing won't make it far outside of Japan's walls, anyway.

Endless Ideas' original BeBook wasn't exactly the same smash hit as, say, Amazon's Kindle, but the company's hoping to refocus some of the spotlight back on itself next week in Germany. According to a succulent teaser page on the company's website, it has proudly announced that the next-gen e-reader will be on display at CeBIT, bringing with it WiFi and 3G capabilities, touchscreen navigation and wireless RSS support. Sadly, we're not giving any pictorial clues, but we are told to expect "a complete redesign." Consider our interest piqued.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Back in 2007 the NUUT beat the Kindle to retail by a few months, but its plain styling and lack of features meant it couldn't compete -- especially for the same $300 price point. Now the successors must battle for supremacy and this time it's Neolux running a bit late, just now announcing the NUUT2. It's a complete redesign that, oddly enough, makes it look more like the original Kindle, complete with an odd little auxiliary strip display. The NUUT2 has a 6-inch, 600 x 800 display offering eight shades of gray (twice that of the original but half that of the Kindle 2), 1GB of storage, SD card expansion, and WiFi as well. The biggest news is native support for PDF along with a bevy of other file types, but given this isn't likely to appear outside of South Korea it, like its predecessor, probably won't make much of a splash.

[Via MobileRead, thanks Emil]

So much for Amazon's attempts to quell Kindle 2 rumors, eh? Talk of a replacement (or a pair of replacements) for Amazon's popular -- but very oddly-styled -- e-reader has been in the mix seemingly since the first model started shipping, and Boy Genius Report has scored shots of something that certainly looks like it could be in the legitimate pipeline. The revised device appears to address complaints over the original's look head-on, rounding the corners and ditching the oddball angles; the scroll wheel has been replaced with a joystick, the SD slot is gone (don't worry, there's at least a gig and a half on-board), and around back, we have grills that seem to suggest integrated stereo speakers. The display is basically the same size -- no color here yet, sorry -- so unless the sharp edges on your first-gen piece are driving you batty, it looks like this could be safely skipped by current owners while roping in new buyers who wouldn't have considered it before. Thing is, was ditching the scroll wheel and that trick mirrored bar in favor of a joystick really the right way to go?

Sony's plan to launch an updated Reader today wasn't exactly a secret, but there are still some surprises to the new PRS-700 -- particularly the new six-inch touchscreen E-Ink display. Page turning is now accomplished by a swipe motion with faster refreshes, and there's a stylus and on-screen keyboard for searching and note-taking -- plus an LED reading light (not a backlight) for reading in the dark. Apart from that, it's basically the same deal as the PRS-505 -- internal storage for about 350 ebooks with SD and MS-Duo expansion and a 7500 page-turn battery life round out the package, as well as an updated online store. Of course, there's no Kindle-killing integrated wireless for the $400 price tag, but it'll be interesting to see how they stack up when the PRS-700 hits shelves next month.

Sony isn't exactly going for subtle in the invitation to its upcoming event on October 2nd. In addition to that picture up above -- which is decidedly bookish, if you ask us -- the press event is being held in "Bookmarks Lounge" at the "Library Hotel" in NY. If that's still too obscure for you, perhaps the "join Sony Electronics as we open a new chapter on digital reading" will tip you off. Yes, Sony did recently improve the Reader's software to work with more booksellers, but the hardware of the PRS-505 itself is nearly a year old, and Sony has found itself decidedly out-Kindled. Our money's on a new Reader, or barring that, some subtle, Sony-esque potshots at Amazon for having the nerve to show up late to the e-book party and swipe all the glory. Those jerks.