EbookReader
Latest
Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO sports monochrome reflective LCD, $179 pricetag
The stranglehold E-Ink has had on the e-book market is slipping. We've seen the tantalizing promises of Pixel Qi, mixing a color LCD with a low-power reflective display, but in the here and now we've got a new LCD-based e-reader from Aluratek. Extensively dubbed the "Libre eBook Reader PRO," the unit uses an unnamed 5-inch monochrome reflective LCD panel, with 24 hours of continuous use off a battery charge. Not as great as E-Ink, but it should be plenty for most people, and the resultant $179 price is hard to knock. The Libre is ePUB and PDF compatible, and comes with a 2GB SD card -- just the right sort of barebones-yet-functional we appreciate. We'll have to see how well that LCD performs in person before we pull the trigger, but for people looking for an alternative to the premium devices out there (or something with a faster page refresh rate), it might just fit the bill.
First Nooks begin shipping as demo (and retail?) units hit stores
You've waited and waited and now it's happening: the first Nooks are shipping. Those of you who pre-ordered early will receive your Nook in the "next day or two," while anyone with a December 7th confirmation date will now receive theirs on the 16th -- delayed, sure, but at least it'll be home before the chubby man and his elves arrive with the in-laws. Select Barnes & Noble stores are also receiving the first demo units. A quick search with the handy Nook locator tool reveals broad availability of demo units across the US. Interestingly enough, we found a single store (Lincoln Triangle, Manhattan) showing an in stock "pick me up" option for what appears to be the ability to reserve a Nook for purchase, as unlikely as that sounds given the limited supplies. Still, if you're in NYC and like to gamble, and you just can't wait for the first firmware update to tweak the performance and interface issues we found, then you might want to arrive at 9am when the store opens. Update: We gave the Lincoln Triangle store a call this morning, and they definitely don't have any Nooks in stock! [Thanks, Kris]
Entourage Edge e-reader shows off its softer-ware side on video
Can't get enough of the Entourage Edge? We feel you. It's easily a sight for sore eyes in the pool of me-too e-readers, and while we've learned that it has plenty of power under the hood to handle quite a few desirable tasks, we've yet to really see the software do its thing in any real capacity. Until now, of course. The video posted up after the break is as good a look of the inner workings as we've seen, and the company has contacted us directly to affirm that the Feburary 2010 ship date is still on track. To be honest, we're really digging what we're seeing on screen, but a premedidated demonstration and real-world usability are certainly horses of different hues. Here's hoping we get a tick to play with a production unit ourselves at CES, but till then, you know where to head.
Caption contest: Ellen DeGeneres and her ʞoou giveaway
Look, sometimes show hosts can get a bit too excited, especially when it comes to Christmas giveaway segments behind a massive pile of gadgets -- most of which they've probably never heard of until ten minutes before the show. If you were Ellen DeGeneres here with the upside-down Nook e-reader, what could possibly be going through your head? Video after the break. Ross: ".ɹıɐɥɔ ǝɥʇ uı ʞɔɐq puɐ dn ǝɯ d1ǝɥ ǝsɐǝ1d 'ʞoou sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı" Chris: "Everyone gets a (deafening applause, people fainting)." Joanna: "Oh cute, Ellen pulling a Michael Jackson. Where is the closest balcony?" Vlad: "And with your purchase of the androgynous android, you get an added value ebook reader -- absolutely free!" Don: "The good news? B&N has settled its dispute with Spring Design. The bad news? You have to hold it this way." Richard Lawler: "Read this way, Twilight has an entirely different double meaning." Paul: "I'm holding it upside down because it's a non-working dummy unit and it doesn't matter." Nilay: "God I wish this was a car." Richard Lai: "Look!! It's got the same smile as me! It's just like a magical mirror." Ross Rubin: "Maybe one day, the Nook will be like me and finally come out."
Marvell's Armada chip bringing 'HD-quality video, 3D graphics support' to Entourage Edge
We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design's Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage's Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world's first "Dualbook" through the stormy seas that'll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we've no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with "full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing." More specifically, we're informed that "HD-quality video and 3D graphics" will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.
iriver Story reviewed, incites rebellion over price
If you didn't feel you got the whole Story yesterday, here's a pleasing helping of seconds, this time in the form of a full-on review. The PC Pro team rates iriver's Kindle emulator as a "serious contender," and places its readability on par with Sony's touch-less Readers. While congratulations are also meted out for a decent integrated MP3 player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the wide variety of supported formats, two issues stood out for the reviewers. One was that the support for Word, Excel and Powerpoint files was somewhat hit-and-miss, with zooming sometimes not working and rendering some files unreadable. But the major gripe related to the asking price of £230 including taxes (around $380), which the Story was not considered capable of justifying. Hit the link below for more -- even if your interest is purely academic.
Manufacturers redirecting R&D on declining GPS device orders?
If you enjoy the decimation of an industry as much as Google does then you're going to love the latest rumor sourced from DigiTimes' manufacturing moles. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, personal navigation device R&D teams at the manufacturing powerhouses of Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai) and Wistron have been shifted to other devices in the face of "declining PND orders." Seems logical as GPS-equipped smartphones snuff out their dedicated forebears with the same converged precision that turned wrist watches into items of fashion. The strange part of this DigiTimes rumor is that said manufacturers have shifted those PND teams to focus on e-book readers and (are you ready?) MIDs. Man, if the world's largest manufacturer of consumer electronics sees MIDs as a more economically viable option than personal navigators, well, maybe things are more dire for TomTom and Garmin than originally feared.
iriver Story unsheathed, still looks remarkably like a Kindle
If you're pro-ebook readers but anti-Amazon censorship, here's a decent alternative for your cashola. The Story reader from iriver has been undressed for our entertainment and rightfully praised for its trendy eco-friendly packaging. It's not an altogether unique device, but with an 800 x 600 E Ink display, support for ePUB, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and even Ogg / WMA file formats, it's at least versatile enough. Hit the read link to try and spot the other differences between this and Amazon's record-breaking piece of authoritarian hardware. Go on -- it's a real rush, we promise.
Nook ship date slips to January 11th, supply chain managers weep
Hardware construction is a funny thing. Sometimes, regardless of the money you throw at something, you just can't get products to come together any quicker. Evidently that's the case with Barnes & Noble's Nook, which has seen its estimated ship date slip from today to sometime after the holidays, and now to January 11th. There's still a sliver of hope that you'll be able to snag one from a high-traffic retail location on December 7th, but unless you're planning on abandoning ship and helping the Kindle have its new best month ever, the realistic choices are pretty clear: a) pay Tickle Me Elmo-like prices on eBay or b) drop an IOU in a nicely wrapped box, preferably with a cute puppy. We suggest the latter. [Thanks, Dave and Wes] P.S. - We're also hearing that pre-orders (even those placed moments after it was announced) are also being pushed back, though hopefully they'll still be received before December 25th.
Nook begins shipping, in select Barnes & Noble stores on December 7th
If you missed getting in your Nook pre-order there's still hope to nab the dual-display Barnes & Noble reader in time for the holidays. A Wall Street Journal piece says that Nook will be "available for sale or for demonstration purposes" in select, high-volume B&N stores starting December 7th -- a week later than expected as B&N tries to fulfill unexpectedly high consumer demand following the ereader's October 20th announcement. Of course, it's impossible to say if the sell-out translates to high sales or just poor planning on B&N's part as it dips a tentative toe into the fickle waters of consumer electronics. Nevertheless, anyone who ordered before November 20th will still receive theirs for Christmas while everyone else will receive theirs on January 4th as we already heard. Now if only Barnes & Noble would clarify what it means by "high-volume stores" we could plan our road-trips accordingly. [Thanks, Arthur]
Netronix looking to Android, 3G for its e-book readers
Google's little green man has been getting quite an education lately, popping up in a number of e-book readers (why hello there Nook, Alex, eDGe). Not to be left out, Netronix is reportedly also looking to work with Texas Instruments on assimilating Android into its product line, according to company chairman Arthur Lu (via DigiTimes). Neither are bad trends to follow in this still-infant industry, but the questions remains as to when and how it'll actually work. Also on the company to-do list? 3G and 3.5G capabilities, supposedly coming sometime in the middle of 2010. Bated breath? Hold it.
Samsung Go netbook gets $100 cheaper with one-year Times Reader 2.0 subscription
Publicly, at least, The New York Times has seemed perfectly kosher with the way things are moving in the newspaper industry. Rather than freaking out and wondering why they didn't make the move to digital earlier, it's apparently looking to push the digital distribution of its content via discounts and partnerships with hardware providers. In a rather unique and unprecedented move, the paper has today announced that prospective readers can receive $100 off of a Samsung Go netbook if they subscribe to Times Reader 2.0 for a year. The machine will come pre-loaded with the Adobe AIR-based application -- which pushes published content to one's machine on the double -- and will be sold exclusively through J&R Music and Computer World. Of course, NYT wants $179.40 for a one-year sub, so the deal's not exactly awesome or anything, but the offer stands for first-time subscribers until March 2010 if you're interested.
Sony's 3G-enabled Reader Daily Edition up for pre-order, content deals coming next month
Amazon and Barnes & Noble may be swiping the limelight, but Sony's clearly playing for keeps with its $399 Reader Daily Edition. The 7-inch e-book reader has just been listed for pre-order over at SonyStyle, and with it will come wireless access (via AT&T) to the company's own eBookstore. We're told that the company will "announce newspaper and magazine content providers within the next month," and of course, no monthly fees will be tacked on from browsing and buying books. If plans stay on track, we should see the first shipments leave next month -- so, is Santa treating you with one, or what? Update: Looks like not everyone will snatch one of these before that fateful day in December, so we'd suggest either settling on a Kindle / Nook or preparing your wallet to deal with 'Tickle Me Elmo' levels of eBay insanity.
Barnes & Noble accepting gift cards for ebook purchases starting mid-December
A few nasty rumors were circulating that Barnes & Noble wouldn't accept its own gift cards for ebook purchases, but thankfully, the outfit has come clean today to refute those claims. 'Course, it's possible that this change in policy was a direct result of all the bickering, but either way, the company will be accepting physical gift cards and online gift certificates as payment for ebooks really, really soon. The cards will work on purchases made at B&N's website and through the Nook itself (not to mention "other devices using the B&N eReader software), and we're told that the new policy will be in full effect come "mid-December." In other words, all those gift cards you just purchased as stocking stuffers for to-be Nook owners are good to go. Phew. [Thanks, David]
Nook for sale at Barnes & Noble stores on November 30th?
If you're looking to pre-order a Nook today you'll be greeted with a December 18th ship date from Barnes & Noble's on-line store. However, if you stop by your Barnes & Noble on November 30th, you might find the Android-based dual-screen ereader in stock and ready to take home for $259 plus the usual government tithe. This according to a B&N spokeswoman who told Computerworld that units will be for sale in stores on the 30th. Whether than means all 774 retail outlets or just the majors is still unclear but hey, at least you've got options.
BoEye MID700 unveiled with Android OS, vaguely familiar form factor
BoEye -- a company we've seen from time to time in the eBook reader space -- has been recently spotted at Dubai's GITEX with its own take on the Android MID. Aside from some obvious (and, quite frankly, tedious) comparisons to the mythical Apple Tablet, we don't have too much to report: some excessively iPhone-esque features, including silver bevel, capacitive glass touchschreen, and that familiar solitary button on the bottom of the screen; a front-facing webcam; and, of course, that open source OS you crave. If you ask us, our favorite part of the affair is the rumored sub-$300 price tag -- makes this one well worth keeping an eye on, at any rate. One more pic after the break.
Dual-screen enTourage eDGe ebook reader gets a little hands-on time
We're still reserving our doubts about the viability of the enTourage eDGe -- after all, at $490 you can buy yourself a respectable netbook and a halfway decent ereader for the appropriate occasion -- but we won't say that we're not interested. Just under a month after it hit the scene, the dual-screen device has landed (in prototype form) over at Gearlog, and while some of the features weren't functional, the physical build shouldn't change much when it goes final. At first glance, the whole thing just looks a bit dated, but then again, we've still got the ultra-fresh Nook on the brain. Hit the read link to have a look yourself, won't you?
Kindle for PC app out now, Mac version to soon follow
Amazon has just expanded the potential audience for its ebook format by a few orders of magnitude with the Beta release of its free Kindle for PC application. Doing exactly what it says on the (imaginary) tin, this will allow you to read the locked-down Kindle format on your Windows weapon of choice, though Mac users are left with merely the "coming soon" message you see above. Given that you'll now be able to consume Amazon's ebooks on your PC and iPhone, there's a risk that people might entirely sidestep the Kindle and Kindle DX for more familiar hardware, but clearly the company is willing to undertake it in order to get its wares out to a wider client base. We still think Amazon should do away with the proprietary madness and utilize a common standard like ePUB, but until then we can at least appreciate being given the ability to sync our Robinson Crusoe read across a few more devices than before.
Dulin's Books rolls out PocketBook 360, 301+ ereaders in the US
Upstart company you've never heard of suddenly selling not one but two ebook readers in the US? Yeah, these are rebadge jobs, but at least one of 'em -- the PocketBook 360 -- is a slightly new variation on a theme. From the looks of it, this one is a new / different version of an ereader most recently seen under the Mentor brand, and packs a 5-inch Vizplex display, 512MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, a Linux-based OS, your choice of black or white color options and, of course, support for a full range of ebook formats (including EPUB). The company's PocketBook 301+, on the other hand, is seemingly the same model seen as the Foxit eSlick and Hyper Gear ereader, and includes the same EPUB support, along with a slightly larger 6-inch Vizplex display, and some expanded media playback and game options. Look for it to set you back $275, while the PocketBook 360 runs $240. If neither of those suit you, an additional, stylus-equipped Boox model is also promised "soon" -- and, of course, is mighty familiar.
Foxit's eSlick ereader now supports EPUB, puts Kindle to shame
Foxit's eSlick isn't exactly the most exciting ereader of all time, but now things have changed slightly with the addition of EPUB support, making this $259.99 device a more affordable (although less pretty) alternative to the Sony Reader, and a more flexible option than the Kindle. We looked around and have yet to spot the new firmware's download link, but chances are devices shipped this month will come preloaded with the new code. Still, Barnes & Noble's identical price tag will easily overshadow this in a few weeks -- hello Nook, goodbye eSlick.
