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May 14

Hands On: New Cool-er E-Book Reader Turns Up the Heat

Posted in: e ink, e-books, kindle, Media Players, reader, Today's Chili

One of the hottest category in consumer electronics currently is electronic book readers, which sees a new device launched every few weeks.

The latest kid on the block is the Cool-er, an e-book reader from Interead, a UK-based start up. A slim, lightweight reader, it comes in a choice of eight colors and is targeted at buyers who want an inexpensive yet full-featured device.

“We have created a reader that is light enough to fit into a jacket or a purse and attractive enough to be reading it publicly,” says Neil Jones, founder and CEO of Interead. “This is not just about technology but also about being a lifestyle accessory.”

The launch of the Cool-er comes barely a week after Amazon introduced a new Kindle model, the Kindle DX. Like almost all the major e-book readers available currently, Cool-er uses the black-and-white display from E Ink. But the device joins an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace that includes players such as Sony, Fujitsu, Samsung and Foxit among others. (See a recent e-books readers round up)

At first glance, the Cool-er seems like the Sony Reader’s twin. It is almost the same width as the Sony Reader and just a little taller. Where it differs is the weight. The Cool-er weighs 5.6 ounces–compared to 10 oz of the Sony Reader and 10.2 oz of the Amazon Kindle 2. That means the Cool-er is nearly 40 percent lighter than its biggest competitors.

Despite the light weight and thin form factor, the finish on the device isn’t tacky–though it does have a ‘plasticky’ feel to it. The Cool-er runs a Linux operating system and has a 1GB storage card slot.

A quick power-on button on the top turns on the device and shows some of the default titles available. You can browse through the titles using a click-wheel on the right. A button on the left offers the choice of a landscape or portrait mode, a feature that sets it apart from many of its competitors.

The buttons are probably the Cool-er’s weakest point. They are not soft-touch and require a bit of pressure to get them to ‘click.’ The user interface is fairly intutive allowing users to click through the different titles and choose what they want to read.

Unlike the Kindle, the Cool-er does not offer wireless connectivity. It connects to a PC or a Mac using a standard USB cable and also charges via the computer’s USB port . Users can download books from the company’s own online book store at coolerbooks.com.

The device supports books in the ePub, Txt, JPEG and PDF format. Cool-er users can also listen to music and audio books. And they can choose from among red, blue, hot pink, violet, light pink, green, black and silver colors– which look surprisingly better than expected.

Cool-er supports eight languages including English, German, Portugese, Russian French and Chinese. Though many users would have preferred to have over-the-air wireless capability a la the Kindle, the tethering to the computer allows Cool-er to be used in any country, says Jones.

The Cool-er is priced at $250 and is available for pre-order through the company’s web site. The device is expected to be available to buyers from June 1.

Still the device faces a big challenge in distinguishing itself in a crowded market. The Cool-er doesn’t have any features that truly stand-out. It’s appeal is in that it is reasonably good looking e-book reader at an attractive price.

Interead is also hoping to strike deals with retailers. If successful, the company could further get the kind of volumes that it needs to drop prices down to $200. The company is also open to working with software develops to create apps for the device which runs the Linux OS and launch an iPhone-like app store for the Cool-er.

More photos

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