Archive for the ‘Apple iSlate Tablet eReader’ tag
Haleron Technologies iLet Tablet no comments
Haleron Technologies (via Liliputing.com) has announced another tablet, or rather a family of three tablets. The 10-inch models should hit the market next month, with the 7-inch iLet coming in March.
- iLet 7: 7-inch touchscreen with WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G; starts at $188
- iLet 10: 10-inch multi-touch screen, 1024 x 600 resolution; base price $419, optional upgrades available
- iLet Extreme: Loaded 10-inch version; $699
The 10-inch iLet tablets come with Windows 7, but Linux and Android are 
available options. The tablets come with 160GB or optional larger hard drives. A 1.3M pixels camera, 4in1 card reader and network card are also included, as are an external monitor port, microphone and earphone jacks, and 2 USB ports.
An Intel N450 processor clocked at 1.66 GHz powers the iLet 10.
Connectivity is covered with 3G, unlocked quad band cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth.
There are quite a few bells and whistles on the iLet, especially the Extreme. One drawback is the 3 cell battery is only rated for 5.5 hours.
The iLet tablets will be joining an increasingly large array of tablet computers in 2010, with of course the Apple iSlate expected to be the top dog. The best tablets for use as ereaders will no doubt be those that offer some sort of reflective display, such as Notion Ink’s tablet which will implement a Pixel Qi display and will also debut at CES.
According to the NY Times, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will present an H.P. tablet (is this the Microsoft Courier?) at his CES keynote address tomorrow. This tablet is expected to feature multi-touch and ereader functions, and could turn out to be the biggest competitor to the Apple iSlate.
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Apple iSlate to Ship in March? Cool-er eReaders to get More Content, New Models Coming no comments
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is reporting that Apple’s (iSlate?) Tablet will be announced later this month but won’t be shipping until March. This according to “people briefed by the company”. The article also says that Apple has been working on two different finish materials for the tablet.
Cool-er eReader Getting More Content
Interead, which makes the Cool-er ereaders, announced yesterday that with their partnership with OverDrive they now have more than 2 million titles available. This number also includes public domain books from Google. Through NewspapersDirect there are also more than 1,400 newspapers and magazines available for the Cool-er ereaders.
Ebooks at the Cooler ebook store are 20% off of the list price, which makes them more expensive than the Kindle Store or Barnes & Noble. For example, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is $23.96 at Coolerebooks.com vs $9.60 for the Kindle ereader version or from B&N’s ebook store. Interead does say that ebooks purchased from Coolerebooks.com can be shared with up to five other readers.
In a separate press release Interead also announced a new line of ereaders that will be presented at CES.
- The Cool-er Compact will have a 6-inch screen and an overall size of 6.7 x 4.6 x .41 inches and will be available Spring 2010.
- The Cool-er Connect ereader will add WiFi and a touch screen, and will also be available in the Spring.
- The third new ereader, the Cool-er 3G will add 3G connectivity (via AT&T?) and will be available in mid-2010.
It seems that the 3G enabled ereader will have at least some web browsing ability as well.
In case the current jelly bean colors are not enough for you, Cool-er ereaders will also be available in a couple of new flavors – Midnight Blue and Orange Crush.
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More Apple Tablet Rumors 1 comment
There are more rumors swirling around the mythical Apple Tablet over the last couple of days.
First of all, the Financial Times is reporting that Apple has reserved a stage for several days in late January at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Apple has used this venue previously when announcing new iPods.
MacRumors.com has found evidence that Apple registered the domain name iSlate.com, which seems to provide some confirmation for other speculation that the rumored tablet could be named the Slate. TechCrunch has found evidence that seems to indicate that Apple may have registered iSlate domains elsewhere on this planet as well.
MacRumors also describes an Apple patent filing published yesterday that describes mechanisms for providing tactile feedback for a keyboard on a smooth touchscreen. From the filing:
Disclosed herein are four arrangements for providing tactility on a touch surface keyboard. One approach is to provide tactile feedback mechanisms, such as dots, bars, or other shapes on all or at least many keys. Different keys or groups of keys may have different feedback mechanisms, e.g., a first feedback mechanism may be assigned to “home row” keys, with a second feedback mechanism assigned to keys adjacent the home row, with a third assigned to peripheral keys, which are neither home row keys nor adjacent the home row. Alternatively, an articulating frame may be provided that extends when the surface is being used in a typing mode and retracts when the surface is used in some other mode, e.g., a pointing mode. The articulating frame may provide key edge ridges that define the boundaries of the key regions or may be used to provide tactile feedback mechanisms within the key regions. The articulating frame may also be configured to cause concave depressions similar to mechanical key caps in the surface. In another embodiment, a rigid, non-articulating frame may be provided beneath the surface. A user will then feel higher resistance when pressing away from the key centers, but will feel a softer resistance, which may be enhanced by filling the gaps with a foam or gel material or air.
A New York Times article of a couple of days ago quotes a recent Apple employee as saying “You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet.”
The Apple Tablet as an eReader
All of this is very interesting, and I can’t wait to play with the iSlate or whatever Apple’s tablet is called, but how will it function as an ereader? Of course all we can do for now is speculate, but there are a couple of points that seem rather obvious to me:
- Display Technology: If the iSlate turns out to be like a large iPod Touch, then it will be best suited for casual reading. If you read for several hours a day you will want a non-backlit transflective type of display such as e-ink. Pixel Qi displays provide the capability to switch between reflective and transmissive (like an LCD) display modes, but so far we don’t know what devices they will be used in. Pixel Qi is now in production, and we can expect to see new devices utilizing it announced at CES.
- Pricing: Apple devices tend to be high-end, especially in the early iterations. Rumors have priced the Apple tablet at anywhere from $500 to $1500. Obviously at these prices the iSlate will probably appeal more to users wanting multifunction devices capable of performing varied tasks in addition to reading books.
At this point I’m going to guess that the iSlate will not be so much direct competition to dedicated ereaders such as the Kindle or the nook which are best for hardcore readers, but rather will join the ever-expanding list of devices one can also read ebooks on. Reading books will no doubt be a capability of the iSlate, but that does not mean that it will be the best device for doing so.
