Fujistsu is taking a stab at the e-book market. A rather expensive $900 stab, but an interesting one nonetheless.
The "FLEPia" (We know. That’s one ugly name) is bigger than Amazon’s Kindle, and also has a color screen. The bezel surrounding that screen is also a lot thinner but Fujitsu has still managed to make a pretty fugly piece of kit.
The reader, which is being tested in the Tokyo restaurant Termina Kinshicho Fujiya, pulls down content via Wi-Fi using a service called "BB Mobile Point" — a public WLAN network. The restaurant is using the FLEPia as a high-tech replacement for dead tree newspapers, although we don’t know whether the devices are being tied to wooden poles to stop them from being stolen.
Other specs include a touch screen (no ugly keyboard like the Kindle), a USB port, an SD card slot, a pair of speakers, and a decent battery life of 50 hours thanks to the e-ink display. The problem is, of course, the price. The oversized screen also makes us wonder about the ideal size for an e-reader. Big is better for newspapers and magazines, but for reading novels you need something a little more portable.
One thing is certain. E-books will soon be mainstream. We can’t wait.
Forget Kindle 2: Fujitsu’s E-Reader Screen is Bigger, and It’s in Color [Fast Company]
See Also:
- ESlick E-Book Reader Cheapest, Ugliest Yet
- Free Software Turns the iPhone Into an E-Book Reader
- Amazon’s Kindle 2 Slims Down, Adds Audio
- Showdown: Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader
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