Archive for the ‘lcd ereaders’ tag
Sharp Announces Galapagos eReaders no comments
Back in July Sharp showed prototypes of a couple of new ereaders it said would be releasing later in the year. Today the company officially announced two ereaders designed for the Japanese market that it is calling Galapagos. A new ebookstore is planned for December, 2010 to provide content for the new ereaders.
Two sizes of Galapagos ereaders will be released, both with color LCD displays. The larger model sports a 10.8-inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 800 pixels, while the second ereader will have a 5.5-inch screen with 1024 x 600 pixels. The larger ereader will be capable of displaying magazines formatted with a two-page spread.
The smaller Galapagos ereader will come in either red or silver, while the larger model will only come in black. Both will have Wi-Fi and will have a web browser. The 5.5-incher has a trackball controller for navigation. Pricing and other specs will be announced closer to launch.
Sharp’s new ebookstore will offer periodicals as well as ebooks and will launch with around 30,000 titles. The format used
will be ever-eXtending Mobile Document Format (XMDF), which Sharp developed and which is optimized for use with the Japanese written language. XMDF is also multimedia friendly, allowing easy integration of audio and video content. This format has also been designed to allow the changing of font sizes without disturbing the publisher’s format.
There will be a PC application to go along with the ereaders, and it has been dubbed Galapagos Station. With it users will not only be able to organize their downloaded content, but can use the application to convert their own documents to XMDF.
If you are scratching your head over the name “Galapagos,” Sharp gives the following explanation:
“GALAPAGOS” was chosen as the name for Sharp’s cloud-based media service business, as a symbol of the “evolution” of services and terminal devices that constantly bring fresh, new experiences to the user. The name comes from the famous Galapagos Islands, which were visited by Charles Darwin (1809-1882), a British geologist and biologist. The observations he made while on the islands played a key role in the formulation of his “theory of evolution”.
The video below from Network World suggests that Sharp is negotiating with Verizon and that the Galapagos ereaders may come to the US next year. It also says that Sharp may add ePub support.
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Velocity Cruz Reader Unboxing & First Impressions 68 comments
My new Velocity Cruz Reader came Friday night, so I’ve had about a day to work with it before writing this review.
The Cruz Reader looks very similar to the Pandigital Novel, and appears to be based on the same hardware. 
The similarity ends once you power the Cruz up though, as it quickly leaves the Novel in the dust.
In the box with the Cruz Reader comes an AC adaptor, USB cable, a heavy plastic stand, user guide and a rather unsubstantial slipcover. The battery of the Cruz came charged and ready for use — a nice touch.
The Cruz Reader seems a little heavy for its size — about 13 1/2 ounces. Velocity Micro has added a rubberized coating on the back, which feels better in your hands than the smooth metal would otherwise.
First up, get connected. The Cruz Reader did this easily, finding and connecting to my Wi-Fi network quickly. Unfortunately I had to reconnect in a few minutes. So far I’ve only had to reconnect this one time. When waking the Cruz takes a few seconds to reconnect, but it has managed to do so successfully by itself to this point.
On my patio, which is downstairs from my router and outdoors, I was still able to stay connected and download some books from Borders.
Next I headed over to Velocity Micro’s Cruz Market to see what apps they are offering. No, sadly the Cruz Reader does not access the Android Market. There are currently 14 apps available at the Cruz Market. These include shopping apps for Best Buy and Newegg, Wattpad and FBReader reading apps, Facebook and more.
There is an app for the AndAppStore that will give you access to more Android apps, but the selection is still rather sparse.
The Cruz Reader connects to the Borders ebook store (powered by Kobo) for purchasing ebooks. The Wattpad and FBReader ereading apps are also available and good for finding indie books and free titles. 
The Borders reading app, which is a rebranded Kobo app, has options for changing font sizes (there are five) and a night mode. Three different font styles are offered: Serif, sans serif and monospace. Page turning in the Borders app is accomplished by either a swipe or a tap on the edge of the screen, though taps seem to work better.
There is supposed to be an integrated dictionary, but all I have been able to find are trial versions of paid dictionary apps. Update: The “Dr Eye” app on the home screen is the dictionary — thanks to Josh from VM!
Web browsing works quite well. Of course panning and zooming around a web page is always easier with a multi-touch screen, but that would no doubt have made the Cruz Reader more expensive.
Entering information and logging in on websites has so far been painless. I was able to log into my Gmail and Hotmail accounts, but Yahoo would not let me sign in on the Cruz. Typical of Yahoo.
I was having trouble getting YouTube videos to play, but the Velocity Micro support site has a new YouTube app that needs to replace the one shipped on the first Cruz Readers. After I installed this YouTube is working fine.
Update: Velocity Micro has a new Support Hub that has all of the firmware updates and downloads for the Cruz reader and Cruz Tablet.
The Cruz Reader is faster and the touchscreen, which appears to be resistive, more responsive than other lower-priced Android tablets (such as the Novel) that we have seen to date. The viewing angle is also much better than I would have expected on a display priced at this level.
As is the case with LCD displays, the Cruz Reader is useless in the sun, but I could read on it in the shade outdoors, though the experience was not ideal. The screen is quite glossy, so there are reflections under bright lights. The display also gets covered in smudges, but these can be easily wiped off with a microfiber cloth.
It is not unheard of for lower priced devices to lag when changing screen orientation, and the Cruz does suffer occasionally from this problem, although it is not too bad and does not always happen.
I think the most disappointing thing 
for me about the Cruz Reader is the fact that there is no access to the Android Market. This would allow the installation of the Kindle and Barnes & Noble apps for Android and significantly broaden the content selection.
Battery life is supposed to be up to 10 hours (shorter when viewing videos). I had to charge after about 4-5 hours use, but the battery may not have been completely charged out of the box. The 10 hour estimate may not have taken leaving the Wi-Fi on into consideration either. In any case, this battery is still new, and sometimes that can result in some fluctuations in the time between charges.
My Take on the Cruz Reader
The Cruz Reader seems to fall somewhere between being an ereader and a tablet. It does not have all of the features of a full-blown tablet and yet has more multifunctionality than a dedicated ereader.
If you want an LCD-based ereader then I have no problem recommending the Cruz Reader — at least based on the amount of time I have spent with it. The Cruz is no iPad or Galaxy Tab, but seems a solid product for the price and is more functional than the other lower-priced Android LCD ereaders we have been seeing, such as the Pandigital Novel or Augen The Book. At $199 it is also more expensive, though the price will no doubt be discounted.
I have noted before that I much prefer reading on e-ink vs LCD because I do get eyestrain from reading on an LCD for any length of time. If you read for longer periods e-ink will be easier on your eyes. If you read for shorter periods LCD may be suitable for you. Both types of displays have their pros and cons. Obviously the color screen will be better for reading things like comics and magazines.
If you are primarily looking for an ereader to read normal ebooks with little graphical content, then I would recommend an e-ink device rather than an LCD ebook reader. The Kindle 3, Sony Pocket PRS-350 (new model) and the Barnes & Noble NOOK are all less expensive and are better suited for long-form reading of text. With the Kindle 3 you will have access to a much larger selection of contemporary ebooks as well.
Currently Newegg,Amazon and Borders
have the Cruz Reader in stock for $199.99.
Cruz Reader Covers
You might want to get a more substantial cover to protect the Cruz Reader — the slipcover that comes in the box doesn’t provide a lot of protection. There are several choices at the moment. These cases will also fit the Pandigital Novel ereader.
First there is the Ex Point Universal Leather Case. This one is black pebble grained leather with a zipper closure and felt lining for $35.00.
Body Glove also makes a universal style case that will fit. The E-Reader Travel Hard Shell Case costs $29.99. This one has a pull out stand and pockets for accessories.
The BookArmor High Impact Travel Case for the Pandigital Novel will work as well. The Cruz Reader and the Novel are almost exactly the same size. The BookArmor case has a zipper closure and costs $32.95.
The picture below shows the above three covers in order of mention, left to right.
There is also the Velocity Leather Portfolio, which is the official cover from Velocity Micro priced at $49.99.
If you want something more colorful, check out the Cruz reader covers from CaseCrown
DecalGirlnow has device skins for the Cruz Reader. I would recommend the matte finish; it costs a little more but looks and feels nicer. You can get a 10 percent discount at DecalGirl with promo code DECAL10.
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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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Kindle DX Sold Out; Laser EB101 eReader Gets a Review no comments
Apparently the Kindle 3 is not the only member of Amazon’s ereader family that is selling well. The graphite Kindle DX is currently being shown at Amazon as expected to ship in two to three weeks.
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A few days ago I wrote about the Laser EB101 ereader which is a new device being launched in Australia. The Laser has been reviewed at Oz-E-Books (via iTWire) and seems to follow in the footsteps of the less than fully functional lower priced LCD ereaders that we have seen released lately in the US.
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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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Copia’s $99 eReader no comments
A couple of days ago the WSJ wrote about a change
of plans at Copia. Instead of offering six different ereaders (which never made any sense, but they didn’t ask me) Copia will now offer two ereaders: a 5-inch model for $99 and a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen model for $299. Both of these ereaders have LCD displays.
Actually this is not new. Copia revealed their changed strategy at least a month ago, although the Copia website is still only showing the original ereaders – I can find no mention of the two new LCD models.
Pardon my skepticism, but I’m really starting to doubt that we will ever see anything from Copia. The company is taking so long to launch their product that by the time it arrives it will be old news and irrelevant. The only interested parties will be those users – said by the WSJ to number in the hundreds – invested in the program through their participation in the beta.
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eReader & iPad News – 7/20/2010 1 comment
Sharp Announces eReader
At a press conference today Sharp announced two new ereaders that should be available later this year. Both are color LCD devices – one with a 5.5-inch screen and a larger model with a 10.8-inch display.
Akihabaranews reports that Sharp plans to introduce its ereaders into the US market and suggests that Sharp will be looking for a carrier to partner with. There are also a few photos there to check out.
Sharp will apparently be using a proprietary ebook format that also has multimedia capabilities. From Sharp’s press release:
Sharp Corporation has developed XMDF, a next-generation e-book format (hereinafter “Next-generation XMDF”) with advanced features that allow users to enjoy video and audio content, in addition to current features such as texts and still images. With next-generation XMDF as a core technology, Sharp will within this year provide digital platform to promote e-book distribution service and launch compatible reader devices to enter the e-book market. Various publishing houses (newspaper, magazines, catalogs), printing and agent companies in Japan and overseas market will be supporting Sharp to launch this e-book business.
Sharp’s next-generation XMDF is an advanced version of the current XMDF format. The current XMDF format has been commercialized in 2001 and is used in e-book contents including Japanese novels and manga comics. The next-generation XMDF enables easy viewing of digital contents including video and audio, and allows automatic adjustment of the layout to match and meet publishers’ needs. With this digital platform, Sharp plans to enhance users’ e-book lifestyle with more sophisticated user interface technology, and at the same time will contribute to expand the e-book market. XMDF allows users to browse the same content on multiple terminals including smart phones, PCs and TVs and also streamlines publisher’s e-book contents production.
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The Times Paywall – the Glass is Still 1/3 Full
The Financial Times is reporting that visits to The Times website have fallen by two-thirds since Rupert Murdoch decided to add a paywall to the site. While this is a large drop, it is better than the 90 percent drop in traffic that some had expected.
Murdoch’s hope is that combining subscription fees with more targeted advertising can generate more revenue.
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enTourage Systems Partners with Cengage Learning
enTourage Systems has steadily been announcing new digital textbook content that is being added for its enTourage eDGe ebook reader. Today enTourage announced an agreement with CengageLearning to add its catalog of etextbooks as well.
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FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone
FileMaker, Inc announced today that its FileMaker Go apps for iPhone and iPad are now available. The new apps allow users to easily view, edit and search for information in FileMaker databases from their iPhone or iPad.
From the press release:
Ideal for mobile teams, FileMaker Go provides access to databases created with FileMaker Pro and hosted on FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro. FileMaker Go can access databases residing on a Mac or PC using a local wireless network or over the Internet via Wi-Fi or 3G. All changes are instantly updated in the hosted file. FileMaker Go users can also copy databases between their desktop or laptop computers and FileMaker Go via File Sharing in iTunes, perfect for single user databases. Databases may also be downloaded by email, popular file sharing sites, or the web.
“Imagine being able to check inventory levels, update the status of a project or add a new customer contact and share it with your remote sales team – just a few of the many workgroup tasks made easy with FileMaker Go for iPhone or iPad,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services for FileMaker, Inc.
FileMaker Go for iPad is $39.99 and the iPhone version is $19.99.
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Augen The Book eReader no comments
This is another color LCD ereader with a low
price of $100 to $130. The Augen website is pretty primitive and has almost no information, but at JR there are some specs listed:
- 7-inch color LCD color screen; resolution 800 x 480 (by comparison the Pandigital Novel is 800 x 600, which is wider)
- 2GB internal memory; SD slot
- Wi-Fi; web browser
- DRM content provider partner ebooksmedia.com
- Video
- Leather carrying case
- Note taking/text editing feature
- Device dimensions: 8.9 x 5.1 x .5 inches; weighs 10 ounces
- Text to Speech support
- Operating system: Linux 2.6.24
The Book is still a pre-order at JR and B&H Photo for $130. Kmart did have it listed at $100, but the page has been disappeared from Kmart’s website.
Augen’s content partner is ebooksmedia.com, which is not very impressive. Their prices on at least some titles are really high. 61 Hours by Lee Child is $28 compared to $9.99 at the Kindle Store and B&N. A few other titles I checked were similarly high-priced. Since they use Adobe Digital Editions ebooks from Koboshould also work on The Book.
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Velocity Micro Cruz Update – StoryPad Photo no comments
I just received this photo of the StoryPad ereader for children from Velocity Micro.
My contact at Velocity Micro also tells me that since the Cruz devices support Adobe Digital Editions, DRMed ebooks can be purchased from other online eBook sellers besides Borders. Additionally, both the Cruz Reader and Cruz Tablet will allow for installable Android apps, so I don’t see why you couldn’t get Kindle or Barnes & Noble for Android on there. Velocity Micro will also have the Cruz Market in place. This will “be an open content portal for downloading apps, magazines and video from a broad array of content providers.”
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Velocity Micro Cruz Readers and Tablet 2 comments
Velocity Micro has announced that it will be releasing three new color LCD ereader/tablet devices: The Cruz Reader has a 7-inch screen and will sell for $199; the Cruz Tablet, also with a 7-inch screen and priced at $299; and an ereader for kids dubbed the Cruz StoryPad and priced at $149. These are all Android-based. Some of the features:
Cruz Reader: 
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi; Web browser
- High res video and High quality audio playback
- Built-in dictionary, notepad, calendar, alarm clock, contacts, games and other apps
- Accelerometer
- USB
- SD card slot; 2GB SD card included
- User replaceable battery; 6 – 10 hours battery life, 24 hours standby
- Resistive touchscreen
- Docking station (Reader only)
Cruz Tablet adds:
- 802.11n Wi-Fi
- Microphone
- 4 GB internal storage; package includes 8GB SD card
- Capacitive touchscreen with multitouch
Cruz StoryPad:
- Kid friendly, drop resistant
- Simplistic and intuitive navigation
- Available in pink, blue or green
- SD card slot
Supported ebook formats are: ePub, PDF, TXT and HTML. DRM content from Borders.
The Cruz Reader and the Cruz StoryPad will be available in August, while the Cruz Tablet is scheduled for September 1, 2010. I haven’t found a picture of the StoryPad yet. UPDATE: Velocity Micro has sent me a photo of the StoryPad, which I have posted here.
The video below is a promo from Velocity Micro. The device seems reasonably fast and the touchscreen looks quite responsive.
Velocity Micro is an online custom PC shop, but also sells preconfigured systems through Amazon,
Velocity Micro has been around since the early ‘90s, but unless you are a PC gamer or order your desktops through a custom builder, you may not have heard of them. Building custom PCs is a very competitive space with very low margins, so unless you are doing something right you don’t last for almost 20 years.
