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Bookeen set to release new Cybook E-Ink reader
Bookeen's Cybook has already been around longer than most e-book readers, and it looks like it'll soon be taking on yet another incarnation, one that finds it looking not unlike eREAD's STAReBOOK reader. Like the STAReBOOK, the new Cybook boast a 6-inch E Ink display with an 800x600 resolution and four shades of gray, and weighs in at a relatively lightweight 6.5 ounces. According to MobileRead, the latest rumor is that the Cybook will also support Open eBook, PDF, HTML, RTF, and Mobipocket document formats, along with MP3 audio, among other possible formats. While other specs are still up in the air, it looks like we won't have to wait too much longer for the complete rundown, as it's apparently set to launch in the US and Europre later this summer for about $350.
NUUT intros NP-601 e-book reader with Vizplex display
Those curious to see just how much E Ink Corp.'s new and improved Vizplex display enhances the e-reading experience now have an actual e-book reader they can get their hands on, although they'll have to find a way to get one out of South Korea. Apart from that new 6-inch, 600 x 800 display (which promises twice the refresh speed and 20% better brightness than previous models), NUUT's NP-601 e-book reader is a fairly standard affair, with 512MB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and a headphone jack to take advantage of some of its (unspecified) non-reading functions. Look for this one to set you back about $300.[Via MobileRead]
Publishing exec 'steals' Google laptops in silly demonstration
We can't say that we'd recommend a CEO steal property from Google in order to prove a point, but the head honcho of Macmillan Publishers pushed his superego aside and did just that at a recent BookExpo America in NYC. It's no secret that a number of publishers have been up in arms about Google's approach to digitizing their works, but Richard Charkin went so far as to recruit a colleague and swipe a pair of laptops from a Google Books kiosk at the event. About an hour later, the booth attendants actually noticed the missing goods and presumably began to panic, and the haughty executive then had the nerve to return the machines to their rightful owners whilst dropping the "hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine" line. He justified the bizarre behavior by suggesting that "there wasn't a sign by the computers informing him not to steal them," apparently referencing Google's controversial tactics when scanning books. That'll show 'em, Mr. Charkin.[Via TechDirt]
Ask Engadget: Best gadget to read e-books?
It's a late night edition of our week of Ask Engadget, complete with that fancy new logo and more of your questions. Like always, send your queries to ask at engadget dawt com, and we'll air the best of 'em here for discussion by your fellow readers. We got some great responses to Dan's question yesterday about HDTV shopping, and now Anna (from Switzerland) wants to know about e-books:"What would be the best PDA or other gadget to buy to read e-books on the go? Is there anything that could be used to read them in PDF format?"Of course, a couple things pop quickly to mind, but there are several drawbacks to the current crop of e-ink devices, especially with viewing PDF documents -- namely, 8.5 x 11 PDFs become unreadable when sized to most e-ink screens. So what say you guys?
Fujitsu's FLEPia e-reader features color display, WiFi
While cranking out a couple of new e-readers may be big doings for some companies, it's just what we've come to expect from Fujitsu. Adding to its collection of e-ink-related niceties, the FLEPia "portable information terminals" will reportedly be available in an A5 size (weighing 480 grams) and an A4 flavor (320 grams), and both are just 12-millimeters thick. While details are admittedly scarce, you can reportedly read "up to two year's worth of magazines" on a single 4GB SD flash card, but you'll be recharging the battery every 50 hours or so along the way. Additionally, users will enjoy the convenience of WiFi connectivity built right in, and the six control buttons (plus a scroll key) should keep your pages aligned. The device is slated to land in white pearl, silver, and the obligatory pink pearl motifs, but considering the presumably lofty pricetags attached to each of these desirable units, we can't imagine too many early adopters diving in just yet.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Moon Books moves
Remember Moon Books? It seems they've gotten pretty popular, since mastermind Brandon is in the process of upgrading to an expansive new site. Since we first reported on the project, several new titles have been added for use with the homebrew text viewer; no matter your pleasure, from Herodotus to T.S. Eliot, if you're a litgeek, this is some of the best stuff the homebrew scene has to offer. For now, it looks like most of those archives are on the old site, but we expect they'll be moved over directly. If there's a title you'd like to request, or if you have questions about Moon Books, it's probably a good time to ask, before the spankin' new forums get cluttered.
Google planning on getting into ebooks in a big way
We've been having life-changing ebook experiences of one form or another promised to us for what seems like forever, but it really could be just around the corner this time, honest -- though the whole life-changing thing is still debatable at this point. It turns out Google is pressing forward with its Google Book Search service, and planning to roll out full-on ebook sales "sooner rather than later," with downloadable books available to computer screens and mobile devices. Of course, with Sony already in the game, and Amazon prepping downloads of its own, it's not like Google will be doing this all by its lonesome, but some innovative features like the proposed rental and single-chapter purchase schemes could garner interest in the Google offering, not to mention the whole "Google world domination" thing. It seems like the primary obstacle at this point for Google is the publishing associations that still haven't decided they're so hot for Google throwing up the contents of books online for open searchability, but we have a feeling they'll come around soon enough, or Google will just go ahead with the licensees it already has -- which with buddies like Penguin, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster already warm to the book searching, probably won't be insubstantial.[Via Digg]
Sharp intros RD-CX100 dictionary / e-book reader
It may not boast quite the versatility of its souped-up Linux-based "electronic dictionary," but if you're just looking for some basic e-book reading capabilities along with your multi-lingual dictionary, Sharp's new RD-CX100 looks like it may fit the bill. It'll handle both audio books and regular e-books, readable on its 4.3-inch screen, as well as MP3s, though the SD/MMC slot appears to be your only storage option. For some less storage-intensive listening pleasure, you can also take advantage of the unit's built-in FM receiver. If that's not enough to convince you to drop the necessary 310,000 Won (or about $330) for the device, then perhaps the brushed aluminum outer shell will be (check it out after the break).[Via Akihabara News]
The deluge of e-books continues
Now that the e-book floodgates are open, there's no stemming the tide. And thanks to the wonders of homebrew, we can move beyond sci fi and onto some heavy-hitting literary classics. One intrepid fellow named Brandon is working to format literature that is in the public domain for use with Moonshell, a homebrew media viewer/player for the DS, and his Moonbooks library already boasts works from Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Malory, and Dante Alighieri. The Moonbooks Project also features a heartfelt plea for Nintendo to develop their own plain text viewer, and to capitalize on the capabilities of the DS. We approve -- the DS is great for more than just games. [Via QJ.net]
Epson working on mobile-to-printer e-books
It may not have the same sort of high-tech impact as e-ink, but there's something to be said for reading stuff the old fashioned way with a nice, thick stack of paper -- and Epson would like us to use our phones to do it. The Japanese company has hooked up with Sammy NetWorks to include its muPass platform in printers and phones for managing DRMed e-book content via IrDA -- in other words, buy a book on your phone and beam it straight to your printer over an infrared connection. Epson and Sammy are thinking that the setup will be perfect for distributing periodicals (magazines, newspapers, and the like), individual articles, and out-of-print or limited audience material that can't be justified for a regular production run on the press. Integration should be a snap for phone manufacturers, since Sammy's now managed to cram the muPass system into software. War and Peace, anyone?
E-books heading to a Nintendo system near you
Fantasy author Darren Reid will be offering a free e-library, filled with short stories, novellas, and even novels optimized for use with console browsers for the DS, the Wii, and Sony's PS3. Of course, since the U.S. is painfully without a DS browser as yet, we'll be limited on this feature to our Wii browsers. In Europe, however, Ninty fans will be able to wield the power of the written word on the DS for portable reading. We'd love to see this become a regular thing -- with dozens of authors and leaning virtual towers of books available for perusal from the comfort of the sofa, or on the go with the DS.
BookMuncher software enables speed-reading on your mobile
Having e-reader functionality on your mobile or handheld certainly isn't new, but a British company is developing software that will reportedly allow you to breeze through War and Peace at an astounding "300 words-per-minute." The company utilizes Rapid Serial Visualization Presentation (RSVP) to display text in "word by word" fashion mid-screen, which forces your brain to simply "absorb" the word rather than read and then subvocalize (that's the real time waster, folks) before moving on. The company claims that the science behind the speed-reading revolution is "word shape recognition," which differs from the relationship between letters that we're used to looking for. While there's no set release date nor price for the mobile version, a comparable PC-ready version goes for £20 ($38), and we're sure this miracle-working software will have you blasting through Engadget's front page in just a matter of milliseconds whenever it becomes available.
Fujitsu shows off color e-ink tablet concept
It's all well and good to drool on color e-ink prototypes from afar, but Fujitsu has already managed to squeeze a whole VGA display into a 4.7-inch x 6.3-inch handheld unit. The concept sports 4096 colors, 32MB of built-in memory and a miniSD slot, but weighs a mere 6.2 ounces. We're not sure about the exact thickness of this thing, but it's pretty dang thin -- hardly thicker than a mini USB port -- and we'd kick Sony's oft-delayed PRS-500 to the curb in a heartbeat to view the comic adventures of a Jewish Ryu on this Fujitsu device when or if it hits the market.
Panasonic's Word Gear e-book reader in the wild
Now that Sony has run out of its PRS-500 Portable Readers (online, at least), it seems like we'll have to look elsewhere to feed our e-reading jones, and since we're not quite ready to shell out the big bucks for iRex's iLiad, we have may have to resort to a little import action. We first spotted Panasonic's so-called "Word Gear" reader last week, and at $350, it's priced comparably to Sony's offering -- though you're not getting any of that sweet e-ink nor the massive battery life that goes with it. Still, these "in the wild" shots from CEATEC prove that the 1,024 x 600 Word Gear is definitely quite readable, and the multimedia functionality makes it a great alternative to DAPs or portable DVD players as a trusty travel companion. Our only complaint is the use of scantily-clad women to try and make this product more appealing; if you really wanted to catch our attention, Panasonic, you'd use that screen real estate to feature even more sexy gadgets -- like your latest AVCHD camcorder, for instance. Luckily the other pics are a little more on point, as you'll see after the break...
Sony Portable Reader delayed (again) due to "overwhelming demand"
When you're looking forward to a new product from our old friend Sony these days, unfortunately, it seems that you can't really depend on playing around with said device until it's actually in your hands and you've verified that it's not some cheap knockoff. After the PS3, BDP-S1, and PRS-500 delays, you can't blame us for being a little jaded when it comes to the stated release dates from this venerable Japanese consumer electronics firm, and now it looks like the company's highly-anticipated (by us, anyway) e-book reader will once again miss its targeted shipping window. As we reported last week, the six-inch PRS-500 was set to hit stores "on or before" October 31st, yet the device's page on SonyStyle now claims that "due to overwhelming demand, new Sony Portable Reader orders will ship mid November." Translation: "You'll be lucky if you get yours in time for the holidays, even though we've had ten months to gauge demand and manufacture enough Readers for everyone." C'mon Sony, we like to spread our gadget allowance out over the whole year, but it seems that you'd rather have us blow our whole wad in November and be done with it -- well, we'll still buy all the shiny new toys that you shove in front of us, although we'll be a lot less smiley about it from now on.[Thanks, Joshua H.]
Panasonic's Words Gear color e-book reader
Looks like Panasonic have taken a few steps closer to rejoining the ebook posse with the introduction of their 5.6-inch Words Gear reader. The touch-sensitive display brings a 1024x600 resolution and appears to be the same 5.6-inch full-color panel they were working on last year. The 105 × 18.5~28.4 × 152-mm / 325-gram Words Gear is capable of playing back a variety of SD-ePublish protected content off SD cards loaded with e-books, music, photographs, and video with a continuous e-book playback battery life of about 6 hours. No real details yet or pricing / ship date, but they'll certainly be limited to Japan whenever launched.Update: This just in from Engadget Japan: Words Gear has touch-sensitive navigation on the grip, not the display itself, and will cost ¥40,000 or about $340 when they hit the streets "later this year."
LG intros e-reader cellphone for the visually impaired
LG's introduced yet another cellphone under its Cyon banner in Korea, this one boasting e-reader functionality designed for the visually impaired in addition to the standard feature set. That'll give you the not-so-special ability to play back pre-recorded e-books stored on an SD card and, more interestingly, have books and other documents read to you using the phone's text-to-speech capabilities (let's hope the voice isn't too creepy). Apart from that, the phone packs Bluetooth capability and can also act as a walkie-talkie within a 100 meter range, all in a pearly white slider package.[Via Akihabara News]
Amazon Kindle: meet Amazon's e-book reader
Oh, come now, like you thought the world's largest book retailer (online) -- which just started peddling digital video under the Unbox brand -- wasn't going to go head to head with Sony's Reader on an e-book device and service? Say hello to the Amazon Kindle, their take on a book reader device that comes equipped with a 6-inch 800 x 600 display (which we can only assume is e-ink), 256MB internal storage, smallish two-thumb keyboard cursor bar, scroll wheel, standard mini USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD slot, and get this: EV-DO data! (Don't believe us? The spec sheet is after the break. Why do you think it was in the FCC?) The user manual also outlines the Kindle Store on Amazon (though doesn't spec out too many details), but we're a little less concerned with how we're getting these supposed e-books right now, and a little more curious about the price and launch. C'mon Amazon, we've got the dirt, now how's about you fill in the details?
Toshiba shows off "DS" e-book concept
So, Toshiba is taking a page from the Nintendo playbook, and have built themselves an e-book concept with a bit of dual-screen action. The similarities don't stop there, since the "Dual Display PDA" e-book accepts pen-based input, and, well, then the similarities do stop. This monster of a PDA runs some full-blown Windows CE, takes SD cards, and even looks to have a PCMCIA slot. We can't say with all honesty we see ourselves being any more productive with that much screen action if Toshiba's concept ever came to fruition, and that glossiness seems like it'd be dang annoying -- but boy, wouldn't we look cool. Peep the read link for more sexy pics.
iRex poised to take B2B orders for iLiad e-book reader
We've had our eye on Philips (that's Royal Philips Electronics to you) spinoff iRex Technologies ever since we heard that the company was developing a Sony Reader-like e-book device with some pretty compelling features, but there's been no word on the so-called iLiad since it failed to ship last month as we were expecting. Well now iRex has finally updated its website with some new information about the 400MHz, multi-format reader, and the news is not so good if you're hoping to get your hands on one of these any time soon -- consumers will have to wait until at least September to order a model with "extended functionality" being designed for the general public. Businesses, on the other hand, can start placing their orders for the regular, "less-functional" models within the next month, with Europeans getting a shot at the e-ink-based 'books a month ahead of the rest of the world. We're hoping that along with the new features promised in the consumer version, iRex also manages to shave a few bucks off of the cost, as that $800+ pricetag we previously reported is pretty steep no matter how much you like to read.[Thanks, Alex]
