E-bookReader
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iREX DR 800SG e-reader now shipping via BestBuy.com
Despite being listed on Best Buy's interweb pages for well over three and a half months, it seems only just now has iREX taken the chance to officially ship its DR 800SG e-reader out to the hungry e-tailer masses. Price is back to being listed at the proper $399.99 tag and given the recent proliferation of e-readers in the market, we can't blame you if you're not immediately reaching for your wallet. Press release after the break.
Samsung's sliding, handwriting-recognizing SNE-60K e-reader hits South Korea
Well, here's one e-reader that won't have too much trouble standing out from the pack -- not only does Samsung's SNE-60K boast a 6-inch touchscreen with support for handwriting recognition, but it has a fairly unique slider design that hides some of the additional controls (no QWERTY keypad on this one, though). Otherwise, you can expect built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, MP3 support (no word on storage) and, judging from the icons on the screen, at least a few other basic applications. Still no indication of a release over here, but this one is now available at Kyobo Bookstores in South Korea for 429,000 won (or about $375).
Bookeen Orizon to ship this May with multitouch Sipix display
We're still patiently waiting for Sipix's color e-paper to hit the commercial realm, but 'til then, we suppose we'll pretend to be content with the monochrome variety. Bookeen, which obviously has a hard row to hoe in the slam-packed e-reader market, recently announced what appeared to be a relatively ho hum reader in the Orizon. Today, however, we've learned that it'll ship with a multitouch 6-inch Sipix display (800 x 600 resolution), and it'll be available for purchase this May in the United States and UK. For those who've forgotten, it will arrive with WiFi, 2GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, an accelerometer and support for PDF / ePUB formats. Still, if the rumored $250 price point sticks, we sort of doubt those to-be Kindle customers will turn their back on an always-on connection, but hey -- if the hackers step it up, this whole multitouch thing could really be enticing.
Energy Sistem debuts Energy Book 2061 e-reader
Energy Sistem may be best known for its PMPs (and curious spelling choices), but it also recently dipped its toes into the e-reader waters with its Energy Book 1060, and it's now already followed it up with its new Energy Book 2061. Not exactly any game-changing features here, but you will get a 6-inch Vizplex display, along with 64MB of internal memory (plus an SDHC card slot for expansion), an MP3 player, ePub and PDF support (among other standard formats), and a promised 6,000 page turns on a battery charge. Still no official word on a release over here, but this one should be available in Europe next month for €258, or about $350.
Notion Ink Adam gets detailed, pictured in its latest form
The folks from Notion Ink certainly haven't been shy about showing off their Adam tablet in prototype form, but they unfortunately haven't been revealing anything more than the most basic specs. That's now changed with MWC, however, which seems to have made Notion Ink quite a bit more talkative. As we'd heard previously, the Adam is Tegra 2-based with a dual-core ARM CORTEX -A9 processor, and it packs a 10-inch transflective screen with a 1,024 x 600 resolution courtesy of Pixel Qi. Also now confirmed is a swiveling 3-megapixel camera, three USB ports, an HDMI out for full 1080p video, a promised 16 hours of battery life, built-in WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth, and some welcome touches like an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and, of course, an accelerometer. As you can see above, the device has also undergone yet more changes from the last prototype we saw at CES, and you can check out a few more pics (and the rest of the specs) by hitting up the links below. [Thanks, Prateek and Nasman]
How would you change Barnes & Noble's Nook?
We know that some of you chaps are still waiting for your Barnes & Noble Nook to arrive, but by now, we're hoping that the vast majority (read: all) of you that were jonesing for one can finally say that yours is in-hand. For those that got one during the madness that is the holiday rush (or yesterday... that works too), we're interested to know how you'd do things differently. Are you kosher with the dual-screen approach? Is the user interface smooth enough? Would you tweak the e-book buying process? Do you wish you would've held off for some magical Mirasol-based device to hit "later this year?" Be sure to toss out your opinions in comments below, but make sure you think before you type -- the Nook sees and hears all, don'tcha know?
Brother's SV-70 e-book reader is a little bit cheaper, still $1,100
Remember the SV-100B "Document Viewer" from this time last year? It's okay, we had to look it up too. With its $1,500 MSRP and exclusive release in Japan, it hardly made waves over here. We're expecting the SV-70 to have a similarly ripple-free reception in the States, since it too probably isn't coming here, but there's no telling how Japanese businesspeople will take to it, ditching the Bluetooth module that gave its predecessor a bit of charm, and even the lowly 2GB microSD card that was formerly included on the way to a lower (but still high) $1,100 MSRP. Other specs remain the same, including a relatively expansive 9.7-inch, 1200 x 825 display, 100MB of internal memory, microSD expansion slot, and 83 hours worth of battery life. Why, that's plenty of time to read even the lengthiest of pseudo-inspirational corporate memos.
Openmoko brings improved keypad / scrolling and math equations to WikiReader
It sort of blows our mind that OpenMoko has managed to sell more than a smattering of its $99 WikiReaders (you know, considering just how limited in scope this thing is), but evidently there's a huge demand out there for improvements. The company has just rolled out its Spring 2010 update, which adds math equations, fluid scrolling, and enhanced navigation. Reportedly, the latter comes in the form of an improved touchscreen keypad, which is said to make "finding Wikipedia entries easier and faster and makes enjoying one of the largest reference archives known to mankind even better." We won't bother pointing out the gross exaggerations in that there comment, but at any rate, existing users can download the update today free of charge. Don't all hurry over at once and crash the servers, okay?
Cube's 6-inch capacitive touchscreen e-reader is a Windows Mobile 6.5 fantasyland
If you're a sucker for immaculate specs at a discount price then the Cube e-book reader might be the device for you. The Chinese outfit is said to be working on a 6-inch, E Ink reader built around the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system with baked-in WiFi (sorry, no mention of 3G data) for "remote server synchronization." And as declared in the image above, the Cube e-reader features a capacitive touchscreen just "like the iPhone." Apparently, it'll do more than just display e-books though, with a touted ability to make VoIP calls, browse the web, send and receive email, and download music and photos -- all this for just 999 Chinese Yuan or about $146. Sure, go ahead and build it Cube, but until we see a product render at least forgive us for being skeptical.
Samsung E61 e-book reader outed, brings physical QWERTY keyboard to lineup
The pair of Samsung-borne e-book readers we espied at CES just became a trio. E6 and E101, please give a round of applause your new on-screen brother, the E61 (pictured next to Kindle). What sets this guy apart from the rest is a physical QWERTY keyboard, but otherwise boasts a 6-inch, 600 x 800 resolution screen and all other amenities found in the E6, including a removable battery should you find yourself thousands of pages into a book and no charger in sight. PC Professionale was on hand to get hands on with the device, and we also spotted a touchscreen keyboard on the E101 -- nothing to write about, but it's good seeing just how we'll be navigating the dictionary when needed. No word on its release date, so for now we're gonna assume it falls under the same "early 2010" timeframe we heard with the other two.
E-reader statisfaction study shows 93 percent of users are happy, just not you
The wind sure changes very quickly, eh? Just a week ago the University of Georgia revealed that many of its study participants -- Athens residents who were given a Kindle to play with -- weren't happy with their e-reader experience, but yesterday a new study reported something fairly contrasting. Rather than doling out touchscreen-less e-readers to a group of people, the NPD Group surveyed more than 1,000 e-reader owners in late November last year, and found out that 93 percent of them were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their devices, while only 2 percent "expressed any level of dissatisfaction." The report also reveals that wireless access is the favorite feature for 60 percent of the users, while only 23 percent chose the touchscreen. Compared to last week's report, this probably shows that consumers who actually buy e-readers don't really care about the touch feature, whereas those on the outer circle are mainly waiting for more -- and no doubt cheaper -- touchscreen e-readers. Seriously though, only 34 percent wanted color screens? Those guys sure are easy to please.
Amazon buys touchscreen startup Touchco, merging with Kindle division
In what we're hoping bodes well for future Kindle iterations, Amazon's pulled out its credit card and picked up New York-based startup Touchco, who specializes in -- you guessed it -- touchscreen technology. The company will be merged with Lab126, a.k.a. the Kindle hardware division. Here's why we're excited: the startup claims its interpolating force-sensitive resistance tech can be made completely transparent, works with color LCDs, and can detect "an unlimited number of simultaneous touch points" as well as distinguish between a finger and stylus. Current cost estimates put it at less than $10 per square foot, which The New York Times says is "considerably" less expensive than the iPad / iPhone screens. We're not expecting to see immediate results with this acquisition, but given the proliferation of touch in the latest batch of e-book readers, it'd be foolish of Amazon not to join in on the fun. Ready for the Kindle 3 rumor mill to start up again?
iPad or Kindle: will our wallets decide?
In quite a few ways, Apple's iPad and iBooks announcement today was a shot across the bow of Amazon's Kindle. Sure, Apple played nice, even saying that Amazon has done a "great job of pioneering" the e-book space, but you can't help but think that Apple thinks of itself as the evolution of the Kindle, not mere competition. Steve Jobs says that Apple is going to "stand on their shoulders," and that doesn't sound quite as benign as perhaps he meant it. So, how do the devices stack up, specifically as book consuming devices? Well, for starters, one of these things costs a whole lot more than the other... let's break it down after the break.
Delta Electronics to ship 13.1-inch color e-readers by Q2 2010
It's a funny thing, really. We wait years upon years for color e-ink to become a reality, and today -- of all days -- we finally hear that a sizable one is coming to market in just a few months. Reportedly, Taiwan's own Delta Electronics is hoping to ship a 13.1-inch color e-reader (along with an 8.1-inch monochrome version) by the middle of this year, both of which will rely on e-paper technology from Bridgestone. If you'll recall, we got an early glimpse of this stuff right around this time last year, but it wasn't until today that we heard any followup whatsoever. There's no mention of expected pricing and the like, but we're told that the refresh rate is well faster than the black-and-white solutions out there today. Frankly, this thing better check email, play back video and wash our laundry as well -- the reign of the standalone e-reader is just about over.
ASUS DR-950 to be released in April for a likely £250
ASUS hasn't exactly been tight-lipped about its DR-950 e-reader -- you know, with it outing photos and all -- but apparently the 9-inch E Ink, touchscreen reading device will be ready for buyers in April. ASUS told the guys at Electric Pig that it's currently in process of shopping around for content partners, but plans to have the e-reader to market by springtime with a price tag in the range of £250 (about $354). Not too bad, though it's tough to get too jazzed about a black-and-white model with the OLED color DR-570 version on the horizon.
Acer to launch e-reader, app store, and Chrome OS netbook this year; wants to 'change the Microsoft-Intel environment'
Man, Acer's on the warpath. The world's second-largest PC manufacturer seems hell-bent on radically changing the status quo, telling Bloomberg today that it's "aggressively pursuing" Chrome OS "so there's a change to the Microsoft-Intel environment," with plans to be among the first to ship in Q3. That's somewhat ahead of Google's own schedule for reaching v1.0, so yeah, it's definitely aggressive -- and it also sounds like a strong hint towards an ARM-based Chrome OS machine in our future, but Acer wouldn't confirm anything. Still, those are basically fightin' words, especially since Acer's framing the future as a choice between "either" Windows or "Google's defined OS space." Acer also promised to fully detail a 6-inch monochrome e-reader by June with an initial focus on European markets, and we're also informed of a forthcoming free / cheap application store that will be compatible with Android, Windows Mobile, and, obviously, Chrome OS. And lest you thought Acer was ignoring the Apple tablet madness that permeates our world, we're told that an Acer tablet is in the works, accompanied by the candid admission that the Taiwanese giant is waiting to see what Apple has in store before finalizing its own plans. Yep -- things are getting a little nuts.
Lenovo to launch Tianji iBook EB-605 e-reader?
Looks like everyone wants a slice of that steaming-hot e-reader action these days. Right in front of us here is the Tianji -- or in our language, Phecda, a distant star -- iBook EB-605, which is purported to be launched by Lenovo at some point this year (and we first heard about such plan back in December). Features include a 6-inch electronic ink display, Samsung ARM 400MHz processor, newspaper subscription, music player, picture browser and support for a variety of digital book formats including EPUB (hooray!) and MOBI. ZOL also spotted the SIM card-like icon at the top, which might suggest a thing or two about its wireless capabilities, and estimates a price tag of under ¥2,000 ($293). No word on international release yet, but hey, the more the merrier either way! Update: eagle-eyed reader charlied spotted this e-reader in its no-frills form from Oaxis. The good news is that WiFi and SD card slot are featured as well, but no mention of a SIM card slot so ZOL's probably wrong about that icon. Shame.
Kindle's active content given 100KB free monthly bandwidth allowance
We were wondering how Kindle's impending active content (read: apps) would be harnessing that free Whispernet bandwidth. As it turns out, there's just a smidgen allowed for gratis. According to the terms laid out by Amazon, there's a 70 / 30 revenue split, with that smaller percentage going to Bezos and co. "net of delivery fees of $0.15 / MB." The price tiers is a little simpler: apps can be free if their download over 3G is less than 1MB and they use less than 100KB per month, per user. Apps between 1MB and 10MB require a one-time purchase fee that offsets the bandwidth usage, and likewise a subscription fee is needed for those that plan on allowing over 100KB of a monthly data streaming. (To put that in perspective, this post -- just the copy -- is 4KB. That image above is 120KB.) Anything over 10MB requires a download over WiFi, and the maximum file size is 100MB... and if anyone manages to justify a 100MB app that runs on a greyscale E Ink display, color us impressed.
BeBook Neo e-reader launches with WiFi and WACOM capabilities
We're still patiently waiting for Endless Ideas to launch a 3G-equipped e-reader to compete with the masses, but 'til then, we suppose we'll have to be satisfied with the WiFi-toting BeBook Neo. Boasting a 532MHz Freescale CPU, Vizplex display (800 x 600 resolution), 512MB of internal storage, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB 2.0 connectivity and an SD expansion slot, the 6-inch, February-bound Neo brings to the table very little that we haven't seen elsewhere -- in fact, it's a dead ringer for Onyx International's Boox. Naturally, you'll find support for a multitude of file formats (ePUB, PDF, HTML, JPG, PNG, etc.), and the internal battery is good for 7,000 page turns on a full charge. The company is also playing up the unit's ability to access a wide variety of third-party ebook venues, which gives you the option of purchasing books from any given outlet rather than a predefined store. There's also WACOM tech built in, which should delight those who love to annotate and add text mark-ups. We're told that future software updates will add a multitude of new features, but it's tough to say if that promise is enough to coax you into dropping $299 on a pre-order. %Gallery-83700%
ASUS DR-950 touchscreen e-reader spotted in the 'wilds' of ASUS UK's office
Sure, we'd love to be hanging out with this device in person, but we suppose this is second best. ASUS UK has some shots of the upcoming DR-950 e-reader, sporting 9-inches of grayscale SiPix e-paper. It admittedly looks pretty great under these idealized lighting conditions, and the homescreen interface looks simple and oh-so-touchable. Hopefully we get to put the device through its text-to-speech, 3G and ePub paces soon enough. %Gallery-83697%
