e-book reader
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BeBook Neo e-reader deemed solid, well designed, expensive
Hey kids: Sick of e-readers yet? If not, the kids at trusted reviews just got their hands on what they consider one of the nicest thus far. This 6-inch display-sportin' bad boy has some heft to it -- the reviewers felt that at .66 pounds it might be too much e-reader for some people. Still, it seems well-built and designed for holding for long periods of time. All in all, it's not earth-shattering, as much as "a well thought out refinement" of devices the reviewer has seen before. On the other hand, there is no finger input, MP3 playback is still not supported (an issue to be dealt with on a future firmware release, apparently), the much-ballyhooed Wacom pen notations, while nice, are only available on certain docs, and the UI (which relies on a jogwheel) is counter-intuitive, at first. So, it's pretty damn nice... but is it £238.29 (about $350) nice? Hit the source link to decide for yourself.
LiSeng Vbook cuts the Entourage Edge down to size
The Entourage Edge may be many things, but pocketable it is not. LiSeng looks set to address that shortcoming with its own Vbook, however, which packs a pair of 5-inch screens into a foldable form factor that should at least fit in a large coat pocket. That, naturally, includes one E-Ink screen and one LCD touchscreen (800 x 600), the latter of which handles all of the device's Android duties. While it's still in the prototype stage, the device will apparently run Android 1.6 when it's released, and pack a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of Flash storage, and built-in WiFi, along with the usual features on the e-book side of the equation. Still no indication of a price or release date, but you can check out a quick video of the device after the break, and some additional hands-on pictures from our pals at Engadget Chinese at the link below.
Paradigm Shift debuts $130 EER-051D e-reader
They may not quite have dipped into impulse buy territory just yet, but e-readers are definitely getting cheaper, as evidenced by Sony's $169 Pocket Reader, Kobo's $149 eReader and, now, Paradigm Shift's $130 EER-051D. Despite appearances above, this one supposedly has a 5-inch color screen, and packs an FM tuner along with the usual MP3 support, plus a photo viewer, 2GB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and support for most popular e-book formats (including DRM-enabled ePub books). As you might have surmised from its nondescript appearance and model name, Paradigm Shift is also pitching these at OEMs looking to do a quick rebadge job, but it will apparently be available in the US in its current form through Delstar Wholesale Electronics as soon as next month. Press release is after the break.
Kobo's $149 eReader gets reviewed
So, how much e-book reader can $149 get you? Well, Kobo's eReader might not be heavy on the feature set, but based on the general impressions from Electronista's review, we'd say quite a bit. In exchange for dropping the 3G, WiFi, color screen and audio playback frills of the Kindle and Nook, Kobo's barebones device puts a pretty and intuitive face on simple book reading for a pretty lovable price. The biggest complaint hinges around some slow performance when closing and opening books, but with 100 pre-loaded titles and a fairly budget friendly online library, it seems like the device has you covered when it comes to actually reading things. We also covered Kobo in our iPad book and comics roundup, if more hardware isn't your thing.
Barnes & Noble Nook seen lying in wait at Best Buy
We've already had a pretty clear indication that the Barnes & Noble Nook would be going on sale at Best Buy soon, and we now have our firmest evidence yet courtesy of a tipster who has found Nooks aplenty lurking behind the scenes at the retailer. What's more, as you can see in the shot of an inventory screen after the break, it seems all but certain that the launch date is indeed April 18th, although there's still no confirmation of a price -- we wouldn't be counting on any discounts over Barnes & Noble itself, though.
Smart Devices announces R7 e-book reader to a world in apathy
It's a fact of life: Every company gets into e-readers sooner or later. Therefore, Smart Devices has surprised no one by announcing that it will be branching off from its usual MID fare to launch one of its own. The R7 sports a color LCD (no E ink for these folks!), 7-inch (800 x 600) resistive touchscreen, buttons, and some form of storage (presumably). How's that for vague? We do know one thing, however -- seeing as how the company has been peddling the same functionality with its MIDs forever, and seeing as how the budget e-reader is the new budget mp3 player, this thing better be either really awesome in the specs department, or really really cheap.
Spring Design Alex review
We realize that the e-reader market is about as crowded (not to mention overwhelming) as a Walmart on Black Friday, but ever since the dual-screen Spring Design Alex surfaced and we mistook it as the Barnes & Noble Nook, we've been incredibly intrigued by it. Though its 6-inch E-Ink display and 3.5-inch Android LCD form factor may seem like a riff on the Nook, the Alex has quite a few more tricks up its sleeve, including a full Android browser and the ability to extend what appears on the LCD to the E-Ink screen. And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the unorthodox extras baked into the $399 Alex. Still, games and gimmicks only get you so far, and you're probably wondering if it has what it takes to pull up next to the majors like the Kindle or Nook and knock them from the top. We've got that answer and lots more details on what it's like to use two screens rather than one just after the break in our full review. Join us, won't you? %Gallery-88668%
Spring Design Alex finally up for pre-order, Borders eBook store launching in June
Well it's about time, Spring Design! After missing its February ship date, the company is finally ready for you to whip out the plastic and pre-order its Alex -- that dual-screen, Android-based ereader we liked so much at CES. While you can shell out the $399 today, you'll still have to wait until mid-April for the mailman to drop off the package. We'd like to say the wait stops there, but we've also learned that early buyers won't have access to the promised Borders eBook store until June. When we chatted with Spring Design CEO Priscilla Lu last week she confirmed that Borders will officially launch its store in the "June time frame," which will be around the very same time that the 3G version of the Alex will be ready to hit the market -- at least there's access to Google Books and an micro-SD card slot for sideloading in the meantime. With so much coming down the pike it may be worth waiting a bit more time for this one, but our own Alex arrived just last night so no matter what it'd behoove you to wait a few days for our review before you hit the source link to pre-order. Update: Well, this is odd. Even though this news hit the wires today, the shop page on Spring Design's website is definitely non-functional right now. Instead, you'll see a message to check back soon. We'll keep doing just that until we see signs of life... or hear otherwise. Update 2: And we're back...the pre-order page is finally up! %Gallery-88293%
Entourage Edge review
Is it an Android tablet? An e-reader? Just a sweet gadget with two screens? Truth is the Entourage Edge is a little bit of everything, and that's exactly why we've been so intrigued with the "dualbook" since we fondled it at CES. Finally ready to make its shipping debut, the $499 dual screen device is aimed at students, but really it's for anyone interested in a combination 9.7-inch E Ink reading / note-taking experience and a 10.1-inch Android web tablet. It's sounded very cool to us for quite a while, but there's always a difference between hype and reality. Does the Edge live up to its promise or attempt to do too much? The only place to find out is after the break in our full review. %Gallery-88032%
Barnes & Noble promises B&N eReader app for iPad near launch
Need a bit more evidence that the e-book download business is a whole lot different than the music download business? Then look no further than Barnes & Noble, which has just announced that it plans to make its B&N eReader app available for the Apple iPad "around the time" of the device's launch. Details are otherwise a bit light, but the app will be free, and is apparently "designed specifically" for the iPad, giving you access to all of the books, magazines and newspapers available in Barnes & Noble's eBookstore. Could a Kindle app be far behind?
Is Amazon hiring devs to build a robust web browser for Kindle?
Are you a software dev with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, familiarity with current Web standards, and experience with browser engines, Linux on embedded devices, and Java? If so, do we have the job for you. Lab126, the group at Amazon responsible for the Kindle, wants you to help "conceive, design, and bring to market" a new embedded browser on a Linux device. Might this be a sign that the company is ready to start taking web browsing on the e-reader seriously? We don't know, but it sure sparked some interesting discussion over at All Things Digital. As Peter Kafka points out, a decent browser for the thing is pretty much a no-brainer in light of the Apple iPad. On the other hand, the idea of a robust browser on the Kindle has its own complications. What about subscription content like the New York Times -- why would anyone pay for something that's available for free on the web, if you're using the same device to view both? And what about all that new data traffic? Surely AT&T will have something to say about that. Of course, we've been hearing enough scuttlebutt about a mysterious next-gen device being developed at Amazon that perhaps this has nothing to do with the Kindle whatsoever. Who knows? These are all questions that will have to be answered sooner or later, but in the meantime we can say with some certainty that E ink is definitely not the best way to troll 4chan.
Samsung E60 e-reader coming with Barnes and Noble content this spring for $299
Samsung still hasn't committed to a formal launch date for the e-reader line it launched at CES, but the company narrowed down the launch date from "early 2010" to "this spring" this morning -- which makes sense, seeing as spring has nearly, uh, sprung. We're only hearing about the six-inch E6 at the moment, along with a new Barnes and Noble partnership -- we're not sure anyone will pick the Samsung over the popular Nook, especially at the $399 price point we heard at CES, but at least there's a built-in content ecosystem. Interestingly, we're not hearing anything about the 10-inch E10 or QWERTY-equipped E61, both of which would fill large gaps in the B&N-enabled lineup, but we're looking out for more info -- we'll let you know. In the meantime, you can watch a video of all three devices right here. Update: Samsung says the E6 will be $299 at launch, which is a nice little drop. As for the E10 and E61, all we're hearing is that they "may be coming soon," so who knows what's going on. Update 2: The model name's been changed since CES -- it's now the E60, not the E6. %Gallery-81782%
Spring Design's Alex e-reader hits the FCC
Spring Design's Alex e-reader has certainly had one of the more interesting product launches in recent years and, with an actual release now seemingly imminent, it's finally turned up in the FCC's hands. There's not many surprises left at this point, but the agency has at least treated us to a peek inside the device, and offered us our first look at the device's user manual. Head on past the break for a few more exciting images, and hit up the link below for the complete rundown, FCC style.
Sony Reader Daily Edition reviewed: unworthy of cost premium or love
For all the fuss made at its launch back in August, Sony's Reader Daily Edition has all but dropped off the map in terms of interest. Remember, Sony's response to the Kindle gave us a 7-inch touchscreen device with free AT&T 3G data for a street price of $399. Now we've got a proper in-depth review of the thing. On the plus side, the interface is simple and easy to understand right out of the box with nice, oversized icons suitable for your meat digit manipulation. Unfortunately, the Daily Reader was also sluggish. According to Laptop, it was common to suffer a delay of a few seconds after tapping an icon or other interface item. Worse yet, about a third of the time the Daily Reader's touchscreen display wouldn't respond to taps or swipes at all. Conversely, page turns responded with a relatively snappy (for E-Ink) one second delay -- faster than both the Nook or the Kindle. The EPD display was also a bit "dull" compared to non-touchscreen e-readers like the Kindle and Nook thanks to the additional screen layer that enables touch -- a common issue that affects all touch-enabled e-readers, we might add. This resulted in some eye strain in medium to low light. Connectivity also proved a sore spot. AT&T's network would inexplicably drop out during testing. It was plenty fast, however, when available, capable of delivering new books to the device in just seconds. Performance still lagged both the Kindle and Nook during comparison testing though. Laptop's verdict isn't surprising then, finding the $140 premium you'll pay for the Daily Reader difficult to justify compared to the EPUB supporting Nook or Kindle 2 with its better design and superior content selection. It's worth noting that Laptop did not test the Daily Reader's library finder services that lets you check out e-books from the local branch for free for a period of up to a month. A shame; as library nerds we think that's one of the killer features compared to the competition.
ASUS DR-900 e-reader hands-on
After weeks of hearing about the DR-900 (or DR-950) e-reader, you had to know that we'd sprint (okay, walk at a brisk pace) over to ASUS' booth to finally handle the touchscreen device in person. The 9-inch ebook reader was quite light in hand, and though we didn't have Amazon's Kindle DX with us, it appeared very comparable in size. As far as the reading experience goes, the preloaded text-based PDFs looked crisp on the 1024 x 768 display and as per usual the e-ink display took about a second or two to refresh. Unfortunately, here's where we tell you that the former touch experience was less than stellar -- we had to press quite hard to select the homescreen icons and light finger taps didn't register when we tried to type "engadget" into the address bar. We got the hang of having to press firmly, but we're happy there are the up and down arrows on the right edge for alternate navigation. Perhaps it will all be fixed up once it heads into production, though we don't have details on when that will be. What we do know is that there's a just lovely hands-on video for you after the break. %Gallery-86939%
Macmillan trying to sell readers 'hardcover' ebooks
John Siracusa drew my attention to an article by Macmillan CEO John Sargent on the agency model, availability and price, in which he says that the company actually plans to keep their hardcover/paperback separation even while selling ebooks. While new hardcover ebooks will sell for $14.99 and $12.99 ("a tremendous discount from the price of the printed hardcover books"), the company will aim to sell "ebook editions of paperback new releases" for as low as $6.99. As Siracusa goes on to say, "now let us all sit back and ponder the concept of 'paperback' and 'hardcover' ebooks." Macmillan is sticking with an old pricing scheme even in a brand new marketplace. Just what exactly makes the difference between a "hardcover ebook" and a "paperback ebook"? Read on to find out.
Qisda QD060B00 e-reader hits the FCC
We've already seen MIDs, high-res phones, and a few other odd devices from Qisda since it spun off from / encompassed BenQ, and it looks like it's now trying its hand at another e-reader as well. Still no official word about this one, but the device does look like it'll hold its own with a 6-inch capacitive touchscreen (16 levels of gray), along with built-in WiFi, a microSD card slot for expansion, and support for all the basic formats you'd expect (including ePub and PDF) -- the e-reader itself is also Linux-based. Coming from Qisda, it's also possible that this one will be picked up by someone else and rebadged before its released, although there's no indication of that just yet. There are plenty more pics (both internal and external) to be found at the link below, however, along with the device's user manual.
Nintendo to release 100 Classic Book Collection for DS on June 14
The Nintendo DS's dual-screen design has always invited book comparisons, and the new DSi XL even more so with those two 4.2-inch displays, so now's as good a time as any for Nintendo to announce that its 100 Classic Book Collection will be coming to American shores on June 14 for $20. Joystiq says they're expecting the book list to be the same as the Euro pack, so expect some choice public domain works here -- we doubt this has got any of the big e-book players shaking in their shoes, but just wait until Miyamoto releases the $129 Wii Eye Motion Detector with packed-in Mario's Read Speed mini-game. Then it's gonna get crazy.
Barnes and Noble CEO describes Nook as 'single best-selling product,' critical to success
In a conference call with investors yesterday, Steve Riggio described the Nook as a great success and the company's best selling product. The former is predictable, but the latter is kinda weird. You typically wait to have more than one own-brand product in order to describe anything as "best-selling," but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's comparing the Nook against books published under the B&N name. It's still disappointing that, much like Amazon, Barnes and Noble refuses to issue actual sales figures. The closest we get to that is Steve's boast that the Nook's release has fueled a 67 percent increase in online ebook sales -- an effect that would have been even greater if the company had more stock of the device to sell. In the long term, he sees the Nook as a stimulant of traffic and sales, both in its retail and online stores, and a central component of his company's strategy. As to the iPad? Steve skirted that question by noting that B&N ebooks are also available on PC, Mac, iPhone and BlackBerry devices. Which is good to know.
Spring Design's Alex pushed to first week of March
February 22nd came and went with nary a word from Spring Design about its Alex availability. Now, after a bit of prodding, we're being told to check back during the first week of March; that's when you'll be able to order your dual-screen, 3.5-inch Android and 6-inch EPD e-Reader. So, $359 for Alex or $499 for the iPad launching just a few weeks later... decisions, decisions.
