Hasta La Gadget!

What’s an e-book without the e-ink? So very much, according to Creative, who just dropped word of an upcoming “MediaBook” device (which will undoubtedly look nothing like this mockup above). It sounds a bit more like a PMP to us, with “video, pictures, text and services,” and a “media-rich experience” on the table, but Creative is also apparently working with publishers for content, with an obvious emphasis in Singapore sources, where Creative already does e-learning work. There’s no word of what it’ll look like, but it’ll be a large touchscreen of some sort, so it sounds like we’ve got another slate on our hand. Any differentiation might come from having Zii under the hood and Creative’s own particular approach to content for this device, but there’s not really enough to get excited about at this point.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Creative working on Zii-based MediaBook with color touchscreen, e-book slant originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liquavista’s been kicking around in the shadows for years now, and while its stuff has largely been viewed as vaporware, the video waiting for you just past the break changes everything. The company has today revealed three new e-reader display technologies that it’s working on, and all three of ’em are in prototype form ready to wow. LiquavistaBright aims to speed up page refreshes on e-book readers and add support for video playback, and considering just how awful web browsing is on existing e-ink displays, we can hardly wait to surf on this stuff. It’s also toiling away on a LiquavistaColor screen, which is exactly what you think it is. Finally, there’s the elusive LiquavistaVivid, which is planned for “product implementation” throughout 2010 and 2011. Hit the read link if you’re down for looking into the future, and be sure to tell PixelQi its main competition has just come out in a big way.

Continue reading Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video)

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few forward-thinking libraries in the UK have started offering ebook downloads as an alternative to borrowing physical copies of books, and the local public’s reaction has been one of overwhelming enthusiasm. Seemingly attracted by the idea of being able to collect and return books without having to actually attend the library, Brits have been eagerly joining up to the new scheme. Free downloads that last for 14 days before self-deleting can be had either in the library or at home, and transitioned onto your Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, or that new hotness, B&N’s nook. Naturally, the proprietary-format Kindle isn’t invited to this party. We’ve already seen a similar initiative in the USA, and can only hope this kind of convenience becomes mainstream before too long.

Filed under: Handhelds

Ebooks making libraries popular again, can do nothing about your 80s scrunchie originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ePUB standard, developed by Adobe, allows consumers to purchase books at a variety of digital stores and use them on a wide range of compatible devices without the manufacturer having to explicitly support them. That may sound a bit like the PlaysForSure initiative that Microsoft tried mounting to challenge the iPod but ultimately shifted away from (at least for MP3 players) in favor of the Zune, but ePUB has a better shot than PlaysForSure did.

First, unlike PlaysForSure, which was playing catch-up to the already dominant iPod, ePUB is appearing relatively early in the market; it need not break anyone’s “stranglehold.” Second, after attracting the support of Sony, the format achieved a significant coup with the support of Barnes & Noble, which noted last week that it was “excited” to be supporting the format in its forthcoming Nook e-reader.

Continue reading Switched On: Making book with ePUB

Filed under: Software

Switched On: Making book with ePUB originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know what happens when you realize your $399 price point can’t compete with the International Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook at $259? You jack it up by $50 and hope people view it as an ultra-premium product, that’s what. IREX’s DR 800SG e-book reader, which admittedly comes with a salacious set of specs and features, has just landed on Best Buy’s site as promised. The problem? It’s $449, and not the $399 that we’ve been hearing for a little while now. ‘Course, Best Buy has been known to inaccurately post MSRPs before the product actually hits the shelves (it’s backordered for “one to two weeks” at the moment), so we suppose anything could happen. So, anyone snapping this up? Wait, who let the crickets out?

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

IREX 8.1-inch DR 800SG e-reader now listed at Best Buy for $449 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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