Archive for the ‘Color eReaders’ Category
Samsung Galaxy Tab no comments
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Tab today and is unveiling it in Berlin at IFA. Some of the specs:
- Android 2.2 (Froyo)
- 7-inch TFT-LCD; 1024 x 600
- Cortex A8 1.0GHz processor
- Full HD video playback
- Adobe Flash support
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.5 G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE)
- Gyroscopic sensor, geo-magnetic sensor, accelerometer, light sensor
- 16 GB or 32GB internal memory; card slot
- Size: 190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm (7.48 x 4.74 x .47 inches); weight 380g (13.4 ounces)
It’s too bad Samsung couldn’t use their Super AMOLED display, as that would have made it more viewable in sunlight. It probably would have made the Tab more expensive as well.
The Tab will have access to the Android Market and Samsung will have some apps of its own design available as well.
The Readers Hub is where you will do your ereading on the Tab, and Kobo announced on their blog today that the Kobo reading app would be powering it. For periodical reading you will have PressDisplay and Zinio. This is a good score for Kobo, and it can’t hurt Borders either when the Tab comes stateside.
Like the Dell Streak, the Galaxy Tab has telephony functions and can be used for video conferencing. Obviously with a device of this size you will want to be using a USB headset. A front facing camera as well as a rear facing video camera are part of the package.
Samsung says that the Galaxy Tab will be launching in Europe in a couple of weeks. The US, Asia and other markets will get the Tab in coming months.
The video below was uploaded to YouTube by PhoneArena.
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Hands-On Video of Velocity Micro Cruz Reader no comments
Gadgetnutz has posted a hands-on video of the Velocity Micro Cruz Reader made at Velocity Micro’s headquarters.
The Cruz reader, at least from what we can see in the videos released so far, seems much more responsive and faster than the other color LCD tablets in this price range.
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eReader & Tablet News 8/28/2010 no comments
A roundup of some of the news from the past few days.
Amazon is selling more of the Wi-Fi only version of the latest generation Kindle 3 than the model with 3G. This according to the Bestsellers in Electronics pages
Graphite seems to be the hot color. The white 3G + Wi-Fi is third place on the bestsellers list in the US, but not in the top 10 in the UK. In the US the Kindle DX appears at number seven on the list.
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Apple has released iWork Update 4, one of the features of which is the ability to export from Pages in the standard ePub format. More info at the Apple support pages.
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Kobo has announced that you can now import your own PDF and ePub documents and ebooks into the Kobo iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps. This means that you can add books from other sources, as long as they are unencumbered by DRM.
Kobo also says that the Samsung Galaxy is now a supported device on which you can read your Kobo books.
Kobo has added an iPad to its various sweepstakes prizes. This particular contest will end on August 31, 2010. Each ebook you purchase is an automatic entry. For more info and other details, such as how to enter without a purchase, see Kobo.com.
Besides the new contest, Kobo also has a $2 off discount coupon code – 2dollardeal – which should work on all ebooks except those published by Hachette, Grand Central, Warner and Little Brown. This coupon will expire at midnight August 31, 2010.
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You may remember back at the beginning of the year that LG Display unveiled a large format flexible epaper display based on the same metal foil technology that the Skiff ereader was supposed to use.
PCWorld has found an SEC filing by LG Display for 9.7-inch and 19-inch flexible color epaper displays. Only speculation on what plans exactly LG has up its sleeve for these displays, but 19 inches would be large enough to display a newspaper quite nicely.
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Wireless charging coming for the iPad and Kindle? Harvest free energy from the ether? GoSolarUSA, Inc. announced that it is working with PREE Corp to configure the proprietary PREE wireless charging technology so that it can be used with the iPad and Kindle. From the press release:
The PREEcharge technology captures electrons from LAN and Bluetooth waves and converts it into power to recharge batteries for wireless devices. The technology also incorporates a small solar panel to augment the charge with solar energy. To date, the entire product development has been focused on configuration for use with smaller wireless devices such as Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android, and Research in Motion’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry. Now with the funding from GoSolarUSA, PREE will be able to accelerate the development of the PREEcharge for use with wireless PC tablets.
“Why are the iPAD, Kindle and other PC tablets ideal for the PREEcharge?” asked Mr. Rohde. “The answer is simple,” he continued. “The surface area of an iPhone is 10.39 square inches, and the surface area of an iPAD is 71.41 square inches. More surface area means bigger circuit boards, more antennas for receiving wireless signals, and ultimately a lot more power. In fact, if this proportion holds, the PREEcharge could have the potential to generate seven times more power for the iPAD than it makes for the iPhone,” he concluded.
By no means is this a new idea. Products to charge our devices by harnessing energy from Wi-Fi and other signals have been in the works for some time, but don’t have a good track record when it comes to actually making it to market.
One of the relatively unsung gadgets at CES 2010 was 
the Airnergy charger from RCA. The Airnergy harvests energy whenever it comes into contact with Wi-Fi signals and stores it in an internal battery. You can then use the Airnergy to recharge your devices at your leisure.
RCA had working demos at CES and the device was said to be coming to market this summer for around $40. The last I saw about the Airnergy (sorry, can’t find it now) was that RCA was still planning to release it later this year, but I’m not holding my breath. Where’s Tesla when you need him?
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iStoryTime publishes illustrated and narrated ebooks for young children on the iPad and iPhone as well as for Android devices. A new title for the iPad and iPhone – Danny the Dragon: Meets Jimmy – is the first iPad book for the deaf. The ebook includes sign language narration. $2.99 at iTunes. (via NYT)
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Another new interactive children’s iPad book app was announced by Touchoo. Thumbelina is based on the classic Andersen fairytale and is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. Available at iTunes for $1.99 until August 31, after which time the price will go up.
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A few days ago Sony had an event to introduce some of the company’s new products. I was hoping that Sony would take the opportunity to unveil their new ereaders, but unfortunately this didn’t happen. If you are interested in what new gadgets were revealed, PCMag has a picture gallery and details.
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Sharper Image Branded Literati eReader no comments
There is word of yet another
lower priced LCD ereader. This one is called the Literati and carries The Sharper Image branding while being supplied by MerchSource.
MerchSource is a California-based company that specializes in the design, development, and production of consumer products to companies such as The Sharper Image, JCPenney, CVS, Rite Aid and others. A lot of the company’s prior efforts seem to have been directed at toys and games,
The Literati has a 7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 480 x 800 and is limited to reading books and other printed content. There is no web browser, no games or video. Input is via the keyboard at the bottom of the device – no touchscreen here. The ereading software is by Kobo, and you can use the Wi-Fi connection to buy books from Kobo.
The Literati comes with a cover and will cost $159. There will be two colors – white or a black model with silver keyboard. The Literati comes preloaded with 25 public domain titles and a coupon that will let you download another 125 pre-selected public domain titles free.
Beginning in October the new ereader will be sold in the usual places: Bed, Bath and Beyond, Kohl’s, Best Buy, etc. The press release says that the Literati will be available in 7,000 stores, so this one should be pretty easy to find.
"The majority of eReaders available today are either too expensive with too many features, or the manufacturer has slashed key functionality and overall device quality to lower the price," said Kirk McLean, co-founder of MerchSource, the company that designed and distributes the Literati under trademark license from The Sharper Image. "We designed the Literati from the inside out — starting with the bookstore — to give booklovers exactly what they wanted: a simple, dedicated device that lets them get right to the book."
I would say that the Literati is going to have a hard time at this price. It is being presented as an inexpensive and simple ereader that “bypasses high prices and feature bloat, offering instead an affordable, stylish and simple device for those who just want to read.” Yet it is more expensive than the Kindle 3 Wi-Fi, which has way more features and with its e-ink screen will be much better for those “who just want to read.”
Well, you say, but it has a color display. True, true – it does have a color screen. That should come in really handy for reading all of those color ebooks over at Kobo.
There are a number of other color LCD ereaders available at around the same price range; some for more, some for less. Most of them have at least a semblance of multifunctionality.
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PocketBook to Introduce Five New eReaders at IFA 2010 no comments
Pocketbook has announced that it will be introducing five new ereaders at the IFA 2010, which takes place in Berlin September 3 to 8.
The PocketBook Pro 602 and Pro 902 share the same specs, with the exception of the 602 having a 6-inch screen and the 902 having a 10-inch screen. Both models have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G; are Linux-based and have 2GB of internal memory.
The PocketBook Pro 603 and Pro 903 ereaders will add a Wacom-based touch screen. Battery life on all four of the above e-ink ereaders is said to be 7,000 page turns.
PocketBook will also release a 7-inch color LCD ereader/tablet dubbed the PocketBook IQ. This Android-based device will have a touchscreen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and will be available in three colors.
Pictured below from left to right: Pro 602, Pro 903 and IQ.
Additional common features:
- PocketBook offers ebooks through its own Bookland.net store. A number of languages are supported.
- TTS is supported in 28 different languages. Four languages come preinstalled on the new PocketBooks.
- 16 formats are supported; DRM by Adobe.
- Integrated dictionaries in 20 languages.
- 2-year warranty.
The new models should be available in November.
Nate at The Digital Reader says that he has heard from sources that PocketBook is to be one of the initial Mirasol partners. I hope this is true and that we could actually see Mirasol displays in products on store shelves soon. I really don’t want to be a Mirasol skeptic as it is very cool technology and would be far more capable than first generation color displays from E Ink. Mirasol has been sending mixed signals lately about when its displays would actually be in production.
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Pandigital Black Novel Shipping no comments
Pandigital has announced that it has begun shipping the black version of its Novel ereader.
The black Novel has 2GB of internal memory vs the 1GB of the white model. The body of the black Novel is slightly smaller at 5.2 x 7.2 inches (vs 5.5 x 7.5 for the white), and weighs much less – 11.8 ounces vs 19 ounces for the white Novel. Mention is also made of a stylus, so there is probably one included with the new model.
The list price for the black Novel ereader is $199. Bed Bath & Beyond is currently selling the white model for $169 less any coupons you might come with.
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Laser EB101 Color LCD eReader Hints at Ability to Read Kindle Books no comments
Laser is an Australian consumer electronics company 
based in New South Wales. They are offering a color LCD ereader dubbed the Laser EB101. There is not much special here except for some of the ad copy on the site that seems to suggest that the EB101 will work with ebooks from Amazon. I bet that’s news to Amazon!
The Laser is described as working with all formats including DRMed content “which is legitamately (sic) purchased from on line stores such as Amazon.” The site then goes on to add “if you’re considering an E-Book reader, you should check the licensing and compatibility with DRM fies (sic). The EB101 is fully licensed and fully compatible meaning more books, more videos, more music, more pictures and more use.”
Some buyers who don’t know better could purchase this ereader thinking they could then use it to read ebooks from the Kindle Store. Not good. Hopefully Laser will rewrite the description as this seems a bit deceptive – hopefully unintentionally so.
As for the ereader itself, it comes in either black or white, has a 5-inch LCD screen, 2GB internal memory, SD card slot and plays music and videos. The battery life is said to be up to six hours.
(via Gizmodo)
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Hanvon Said to Launch Color e-Ink eReader in 2010 no comments
E Ink Holdings chairman Scott Liu is quoted at Digitimes as saying that Hanvon will use E Ink’s color electrophoretic display (EPD) in an ereader to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.
The color ereader will use the Pearl e-ink display with a color filter. The color filter cuts down on the light entering the EPD, making the display harder to read. Solving this problem is how the Pearl display, with its improved contrast, was developed. The newest Kindle DX and the upcoming Kindle 3 also use the Pearl display – sans color filter, of course.
It is interesting that E Ink Holdings (formerly Prime View International) could be the first to have its color epaper in an actual product on the actual market. Last year it appeared that they would be one of the later players to market with a color EPD.
Liu also says that he expects shipments of ereaders in the second half of 2010 to be two to three times that of the first half of the year, stimulated by the reduced retail prices of the devices. According to Liu, when Amazon reduced the price of the new Kindle DX to $379 shipments tripled. E Ink has had to increase its production to meet the demand for the Kindle 3, which has seen its shipping date for new orders pushed back twice after being sold out in pre-order.
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Mirasol Delays; Notion Ink News no comments
From what Mirasol has said in the past, we were led to expect their reflective color display to be in production as soon as this fall. Now ZDNet is reporting that Qualcomm still has to figure out how to put its color epaper display into production profitably and in sufficient quantity that it could be used in something like a color Kindle. This is disappointing news to say the least.
In related news – at least in terms of how hype surrounds a new and eagerly awaited gadget, and all of the complications that cause delays – SlashGear has a good article on the Notion Ink Adam tablet. The article quotes Notion Ink as saying that if they had not locked themselves in with their first investors the Adam would already have been available in 12 countries by now. It looks like the Adam is now expected to be launched in December.
The SlashGear article is accompanied by an interesting timeline graphic that charts the hype vs maturity of Notion Ink’s product. I would say that Mirasol’s unwelcome news has put them firmly in the “Trough of Disillusionment.”
There is definitely something to be said in favor of the way in which some companies (Apple or Amazon, for example) develop their new products in relative secrecy, with maybe a few leaks to keep the buzz going, rather than talking their products up for long periods of time before they are even close to ready (Plastic Logic comes to mind here). Of course, it is easier for a large company with lots of resources to develop their products quietly. Smaller manufacturers probably need more hype to attract the necessary investment.
Notion Ink has meanwhile launched a pretty new website, which lists the current specs of its proposed tablets – both with and without a Pixel Qi display.
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New Phone – Motorola Droid X – First Impressions no comments
Time to get a new phone, so I opted for the Droid X 
by Motorola. I’ve only had it a couple of days, so I’m still in the getting-to-know-you phase. I’m still working on getting it personalized and learning the features.
I’m not going to give a full-blown review of the Droid X; I just want to note a few features that I’m more or less impressed with so far, especially as they pertain to the subject matter of this blog.
First of all, you probably already know that the Droid X is quite large. The body is approximately 5 x 2.5 x .39 inches. Nevertheless, I find the Droid X quite comfortable to hold. This is helped by the fact that it is thin, except for a bulge above the battery compartment – which actually aids with the grip. I do have to admit to having rather large hands though.
The upside of this large size is, of course, the 4.3 inches of LCD screen goodness. This makes the Droid X one of the best phones I’ve had for reading, amongst other things. Throw into the mix the availability of the many Android reading apps including those from Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and others and you have a great phone for ereading.
I do prefer e-ink for reading, but when I read on my phone it is usually on a casual basis – I’m usually trying to kill a few stray minutes between appointments, etc.
The other killer feature for me is the Droid X’s 
ability to generate a Wi-Fi hotspot to which you can connect up to five devices. This is an optional feature for which you must cough up an additional $20 per month to Verizon and there is a 2GB data cap. The per-monthly charge is actually $10 less than the clumsier USB tethering I was paying for to connect my Storm to my netbook.
I should be able to stay under the 2GB cap – if not it can get expensive as the overage charge is $0.05 per MB. If one is comfortable with the 2GB usage cap, this feature can open up a lot of possibilities. For example, when out and about I can carry my Wi-Fi iPad with me and connect via my phone’s Wi-Fi. The iPad may not have all of the features of my netbook, but it has enough. And it is much faster to get booted up and to work on – when I’m on the road time is my most precious resource. Wi-Fi only ereaders and other devices also become much more attractive if your phone has this feature.
The only complaint I’ve had so far with the Droid X is with getting my email accounts set up. My previous Blackberry was the best cell phone I’ve ever had when it comes to connecting and staying connected to my email accounts. I have four accounts – two Gmail, a Yahoo and a Hotmail account. The Gmail accounts sync with no friction as one would expect. My X could not connect with either my Yahoo or Hotmail accounts however.
For Yahoo I have installed their mobile email app. I have not had good luck with Yahoo’s mobile email apps in the past, so we shall see. For the Hotmail I set up Google’s Mail Fetcher, which will import my MSN email into Gmail. This seems to be working well and was easy to set up. I may end up doing the same for the Yahoo account as well.
The Droid X seems to do a really good job at power management. Even with the large screen and with some use of the Wi-Fi hotspot feature I’ve been getting about a day and a half between charges.
Yes, I could have gotten the new iPhone. But not as long as it is chained to AT&T.
I’ve noted before my distaste for all things AT&T. Listing all of the problems I’ve had with that company would require several long and tedious posts. Suffice it to say that over the last several years I’ve canceled around $350 a month in AT&T services, both personal and business. For the most part these were services that I was happy with before they got themselves blessed with the AT&T logo. In every case, after that less than holy event, the quality of service went down while the cost went up.
Having for the most part eliminated AT&T from my life almost feels like I’m breathing fresher and cleaner air. If you are familiar with Kim Harrison’s Rachael Morgan series, then you will know what I’m talking about when I say that it feels as though I’ve eliminated some of the black smut from my aura.
I’m going to go out on a limb here (OK, this is safer then it looks folks; this is a really big limb and there is no way this sucker is going to break) and say that Apple does indeed have a lot to fear from Android. And not just because of the AT&T thing.
This is my first Android phone. The iPad was my first iDevice, and yes, I do get the appeal of the Apple Way. But I’m sorry Stevie J – I guess the dark side is pulling me – I like less structure and control and a bit more chaos and anarchy and the ability to do things my own way in my own life. I like a bit of sandbox in my game rather than just being funneled down a preprogrammed linear path. That’s why I’ve never been an Apple fanboi, even though they make some cool products and I’ve always admired the way in which Apple has driven the aesthetics of the technology that we use. And then there’s that AT&T thing.
The Droid X is a keeper for me.
