e-book reader
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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%
Apple Tablet rumor roundup: publishers and carriers edition
This day simply wouldn't be a day between January 18, 2010 and January 27, 2010 without a new gaggle of Apple Tablet rumors to sift through, and while we're gritting our teeth as we skim every word, we've the latest and greatest most far-fetched rounded up here for your perusal. The rumor: The Apple Tablet will "strike a familiar chord with owners of the original iPhone, with similarities in industrial design trickling all the way down to the handset's button and connectivity components." Our take: Honestly, we can believe this one. Apple has had a great deal of success with the iPhone, and we've already seen the "tablet PC" as it's known today take a nosedive. Apple Insider is saying that the device may look a lot like a "first-generation iPhone that's met its match with a rolling pin," and while we've obviously no inside way to confirm nor deny, we can get why Apple would stick close to a design that it knows will work. Oh, and be sure to peek two more clearly fake mockups after the break. The rumor: New York Times Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. won't be at Apple keynote next week. Our take: So? Just because the head honcho from The Times is planning to be in Davos, Switzerland next week while Apple unveils its tablet doesn't mean that Jobs can't showcase the device's ability to video chat across oceans in front of the masses... if Apple even has a deal with any publisher. If Apple really is reaching out to publishers for content deals, you can bet your bottom dollar the NYT is listening. And be honest -- if you had the option of being in Davos or some convention center in San Francisco, which would you pick? More after the break... if you dare.
WSJ: Apple and HarperCollins negotiating e-book deal for tablet
Here's the skinny from The Wall Street Journal: major publishing company HarperCollins is in talks with Apple about bringing e-books to the oft-rumored, still-unconfirmed tablet that's expected to be the focus of its January 27th event. The article also states that other publishing companies have been in talks with Cupertino HQ. That jibes with what we've heard through the grapevine, specifically with Time Inc. property Sports Illustrated, and fits comfortably well with the New York Times conjecture from earlier today. E-book readers are all the rage these days, but like we said just after CES, we'd wager the future of the medium integrated into slates to provide rich, color multimedia presentations. Seems someone might be sharing in our perspective, but of course, this is just one of many, many, many Apple rumors we expect to see in the buildup to next week.
Astri's dualscreen Android E Ink MID looks and acts like a knockoff
We've never heard of Astri before, but it sure seems to be one ambitious company. We figure it's got to take real ambition to create a pocketable dualscreen device with not just one non-working touchscreen, but two! In theory, the Marvell-powered MID or My Interactive Device (not to be confused with Mobile Internet Devices) runs Android on its 4.8-inch LCD touchscreen, while its neighboring 5-inch E Ink Wacom-enabled touchscreen is meant for reading and taking notes. The concept is similar to the much-more-polished Entourage Edge, or even Spring Design's Alex, though we have no idea if Astri intends the two displays to communicate with one another. We'll be siding with those alternatives until Astri can work out its many issues, though we do like the idea of the more portable e-reading device. Oh, and please don't miss one of the most abusive hands-on videos ever after the break.
ASUS DR-570 color e-book reader gets detailed
Ready for it? We've got more (and possibly less) on the color ASUS DR-570 e-book reader that stormed through our site over the weekend riding a wave of OLED anticipation. We now know that in addition to WiFi, 3G, and 122-hour real world battery life, we can expect lightning quick 0.03 second page turns (that's about 23 times faster than the Kindle and its peers as you'd expect from a non E Ink display), 124 x 170 x 8.8-mm / 200-g footprint, 4GB of onboard storage with SDHC expansion, 512MB of SDRAM, and 1,530mAh battery. It also brings a built-in RSS reader, audio/video/Flash player, text to speech engine (presumably the Svox like the DR-950), and built-in web browser when it hits before the end of the year. There's also a hint of online video streaming support via Amazon video on demand, 3D gaming and navigation (picture Blio page turning emulation), "One stop shopping for books, video, music," and explicit support for ePub, PDF, txt, MP3, MP4, and AVI content formats. The one thing we can't confirm is the 6-inch OLED display originally reported; our data simply calls it the "world's first 5.7-inch colorful eBook Reader" and we've heard rumors that Sipix (the panel of choice for the DR-950) is expected to ship a color electronic ink display in 2010. Doubt they'll achieve 0.03 second refreshes with that though. Stay tuned as we dig deeper.
ASUS DR-570 e-reader to sport 6-inch OLED color screen, 122 hours of battery life
Well, isn't this a doozy. ASUS was a bit of a no-show in the e-reader arena at CES, but has dropped some knowledge on the Times Online's InGear: it's building a 6-inch color OLED e-reader, which flies in the face of previous rumors about an ASUS e-reader entry. The device, currently dubbed the DR-570 and pictured to the left, will play back Flash video, includes WiFi and 3G, and supposedly can last for 122 hours on one charge under "real world conditions." It's supposed to be released by the end of the year, and while from anybody else we'd assume this would cost an arm and a leg, the ASUS brand gives us some hope that we might actually be able to afford one when it hits. [Thanks, Ian S.]
Teclast enters the e-book fold with the K3 Talking Portable Library
Judging by the snowballing number of e-readers we've seen over the last year or so (culminating at CES 2010, as you are no doubt well aware) either people really, really, really love these things, or OEMs are going for the lowest hanging fruit. And what do we have here from Teclast? The company, known 'round these parts for its portable media players, has entered the game with the K3. In addition from the usual array of supported document formats this bad boy rocks a 6-inch E Ink display, an MP3 / MP4 player and -- hold on to your caps! -- text-to-speech either in English or Chinese. The term the company is using to market this bad boy is "Talking Portable Library," but since most TTS devices usually make HAL sound like James Earl Jones we're going to suggest that anyone truly interested in this technology stick with the Kindle. Besides, Tom misses you! You two haven't talked in a long time.
The e-Reader story of CES 2010
One major trend dominating CES 2010 is the massive uptick in manufacturers showing off e-reader devices, software and technology. Vendors of all sizes are here in Las Vegas introducing products they hope will capitalize on piqued consumer interest and the predicted growth in the e-book market in the year ahead. The biggest (literally) and most impressive electronic ink devices at the show are easily the 8.5 x 11-inch 10.5-inch Plastic Logic Que proReader and 11.5-inch (displays measured diagonally) Skiff Reader. Two touchscreen devices with integrated 3G targeting two totally different audiences. The Que proReader's gunning to replace bulky stacks of business papers with support for truVue PDF files, MS Office docs, e-mail, and Outlook calendar support. The Skiff Reader, on the other hand, is being pitched as a consumer device with a compelling value proposition for publishers (by publishers) and content owners that will ultimately deliver multimedia on a wide range of devices and display types hooked into the Skiff Store -- just not the flagship Skiff Reader with traditional e-paper display. Otherwise, the CES show floor is absolutely littered with electronic ink also-rans, hybrids, and new screen technologies looking to knock-off the incumbent Kindle, underlying E Ink technology, and Amazon juggernaut. If we're lucky, that's exactly what's going to happen later in the year. Read on to find out why.
iriver Story e-reader hands-on
At one point in time it seemed like iriver had a monopoly on insane, imaginative designs. Sure, it was mostly centered around PMPs, but iriver's stuff in its heyday was fun enough to make even a screenless MP3 player seem interesting. Lately, however, things seem a little more conservative. Take this iriver Story, for instance: it's a sexy device that seems very on par with other e-readers on the market... and that's about it. We played around with it a bit on the show floor, and found the keyboard to be pretty great, the design solid and slim, and the software pretty slow. With all the extra function-specific buttons on the keyboard, there's less of the arbitrary UI navigation limitations posed by some of the more simplistic e-book readers, but there's nothing so amazing or useful on the device that it would tempt the Kindle faithful. We're particularly worried about book load times, but it'll take some more time with the unit to really see how it stacks up across the board. For now you can check out a video walkthrough of the device after the break. %Gallery-82369%
Hanvon WISEreader e-book lineup hands-on
Another day, another company pimping a slew of e-readers here at CES. Up next is Hanvon, with its WISEreader lineup of 5-inch E-Ink display-based readers on display. They're pretty basic in both the design and functionality departments, with support for text, images, and audio in the usual array of formats -- including DRM'ed EPUBs. The N518 and N526 models both have touchscreens, though you'll need to use a stylus for handwriting and note-taking. Other than that, there wasn't really much of note, though we were told that there's a capacitive version in the works but it wasn't quite ready to bring out of their labs in Taiwan just yet. There's always next year. %Gallery-82332%
Bookeen debuts Orizon touchscreen e-book reader
Bookeen may have a bit of a tough time getting its new Orizon e-book reader to stand out from the pack of other e-readers here at CES, but it does at least boast quite a few improvements over the company's previous Cybook Opus. That includes a 6-inch touchscreen display, built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, ePub support, and an accelerometer for portrait or landscape reading. No indication of a release date just yet, but this one should run about $250, and Bookeen still isn't quite done with the Opus -- it'll soon be available a whole range of colors.
Entourage Edge gets super official at CES, set to ship next month for $490
It's nothing different than what we heard back in December, but for those paranoid about delays -- take it easy. Entourage Systems has today officially launched the planet's first "Dualbook," the Edge. Easily one of the most bizarre looking e-readers to hit the market, the dual-screen, WiFi-enabled device utilizes a 9.7-inch e-ink display and a 10.1-inch LCD screen. You'll also get a virtual keyboard, software that allows both screens to work together and access to over 200,000 trade books including e-textbooks from McGraw Hill, John Wiley & Sons and content frequently adopted by professors for course use from Oxford University Press. It'll be ready for hard hitters and book worms next month for $490, and you can dig into the full details just past the break. %Gallery-81510%
Plastic Logic QUE proReader first hands-on (with video!)
We just got to hold the new crazy-thin QUE proReader, and it's pretty much all that and a bag of chips. The touchscreen seems resistive, but it's plenty sensitive, and the 1 second-ish page refresh rate makes it pretty usable. They weren't lying about the device feeling and looking like plastic, but we really do mean that in the nicest way possible. There's USB and a power button on the bottom, but looking at it straight on the device is about as minimal as could be. We'll have to really play with one before we can comment on usability, but from first glance the interface looks intuitive, well laid-out and surprisingly packed with functionality. Update: We've got video up now as well. Look at all that sexy! %Gallery-81986%
RCA Lexi e-reader sports Barnes and Noble software, Audiovox hardware
Quite frankly, readers, it looks like Audiovox is out of control. It's already deluged us with RCA branded camcorders, digiframes, and iPod soundsystems, and now it looks like the company is entering the e-book game. The RCA-branded Lexi e-reader sports a 6-inch (800 x 600) 16-level grayscale display, 2GB storage, and a battery life of some 7,000 page turns. Other features include ezTurn functionality (for the south paw in your life) and something called Auto-Magic content synchronization. As for content, this bad boy ships with Barnes & Nobles Desktop Reader for purchasing, managing, and, yes, reading the latest Dan Brown bestseller (some sort of sinister conspiracy, we believe). But that ain't all! Adobe Reader Mobile is also included, making it interoperable and fully compatible with PDF and ePub formats. Look for it in May for $229.99. PR after the break.
Hanvon debuts new line of WISEreader e-book readers
Hanvon (also known as Hanwang) hasn't exactly been churning out one product after the other as of late, but it has made a fairly respectable showing for itself at CES, where it's just introduced five new models in its WISEreader line. Those include the N500, N618 (pictured above), N628, N638, and N800, which all sport Vizplex e-ink displays that range in size form five to eight inches and, in all but one case (the N638), use an electromagnetic panel and pen for note-taking complete with handwriting recognition. Even more surprising, Hanvon says that the whole lot will be available in the US sometime this year -- although they could well show up under a number of different brands, as Hanvon also works as an OEM. Hit up the gallery below for a look at the rest, and head on past the break to peruse the complete specs in convenient press release form. %Gallery-81900%
Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle
You know that Kindle you're so in love with? Man, that's so 2009. Mirasol showed up at CES with a display technology that's been in the works for around a decade, and it has finally reached the point where ODMs and OEMs are talking shop about integrating said panel into all manners of future devices. In the past, the company has stuck to making screens for relatively minuscule devices, but its latest display is a 5.7-inch XGA color screen that would fit just perfectly within your next e-reader. We spoke at length with executives, and they're currently predicting an ebook reader running Mirasol in Fall of this year. What we've heard "around" is that the device will actually be new Kindle running a Mirasol display -- we can't confirm it, but it sounds logical. What's interesting, though, is that this panel is not only color, but it can play back video when used with the right processor. In other words, a powerful enough Mirasol reader could double as a small tablet, and we imagine you could actually browse the web with some level of enjoyment. The demo we were shown (vid's past the break!) was nothing short of stunning, and we were told that it could scale up to fit within 9 to 10-inch slate / tablet PCs. It requires no backlighting whatsoever, and instead relies on ambient light to show its stuff. We were told that future devices would be priced competitively, even to LCD / e-ink rivals, and we can safely say we'll be bummed if we hear the word "delay" when autumn rolls around. Don't make us frown, Mirasol. %Gallery-81871%
