Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader

And just like that, with the swing of a virtual axe, she’s all dead and buried. Plastic Logic has been stuck in a world of perpetual delays ever since wowing the universe with its QUE ProReader at CES, and rather than delaying it again, the company is simply cutting its losses and moving on. To quote CEO Richard Archuleta: “We recognize the market has dramatically changed, and with the product delays we have experienced, it no longer make sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reading product.” To that end, the company plans to “shift its focus to bring to market a second-generation ProReader plastic electronics-based product,” but absolutely no details regarding form factor, pricing or an estimated ship date are given. Wilder still, those rumors about a company sale have coincidentally (or not?) flared up again, with the Financial Times stating this go ’round that Plastic Logic could sell a “significant stake” of itself to Rusnano, a Russian state-owned nanotechnology corporation. We’re told that the two are currently “in discussions,” and that if a deal is reached, Plastic Logic’s production facility for this elusive next-gen product would have to be based in Russia. We can’t say we’re completely shocked at the outcome here, but we’re man enough to shed a tear at our loss. Rest easy, QUE — at least we had our times.

Continue reading Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader

Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Amazon building prototype hardware other than Kindle


The New York Times’ Bits blog is reporting that “people with direct knowledge” of Amazon’s plans say that Lab 126 — the division of the company which designed the Kindle — is currently looking into other hardware, i.e. devices that are not the Kindle. One unnamed source reports that such devices would be a “means to an end,” meant to enable easy purchasing of Amazon‘s content, which currently includes music, movies, and digital books. The source said that CEO Jeff Bezos’ intent for Lab 126 was initially to build multiple devices — including apparent discussions to enter the mobile phone market — but that the Kindle eventually became the main hardware focus. The report also notes that Amazon’s hardware division currently has about 80 job openings, which would lend credence to the idea that more devices could be on the way.

Report: Amazon building prototype hardware other than Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle DX Graphite review

Just over a year ago, we reviewed Amazon’s jumbo-sized Kindle, the Kindle DX. And just a few weeks ago, Amazon outed a new, $379 Graphite gray version of the DX. This time, it’s got the new Pearl display from E Ink, which supposedly boasts a much higher contrast ratio and a faster page refresh rate over its predecessor. Other than that, you’re looking at pretty much the same unit as before, and if you like a large e-reader, that’s probably a good thing. Read on for our full impressions of the device.

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Amazon Kindle DX Graphite review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bankrupt iRex can’t buy a vowel, gets new lease on life as IRX Innovations

iRex loses a vowel, gets new lease on life as IRX Innovations

Things were looking bad for iRex Technologies a few months back. Its DR 800 e-reader didn’t get to retail in time for the holiday season and, at $450, it wasn’t exactly price competitive anyhow. As the company filed bankruptcy, CEO Hans Brons remained optimistic, saying “expectations are still positive,” and now we can see why: the company is being reborn as IRX Innovations. This time it will skip the pesky retail market altogether, hoping to find businesses willing to pay the roughly 100% premium over a comparable 3G Kindle or Nook or what have you. It’s unclear whether IRX will be offering the same products or will start showing off new, more business-minded ones, but with the WiFi Kindle now shipping for a mere $140 we’re hoping the new company has some lesser expensive offerings.

Bankrupt iRex can’t buy a vowel, gets new lease on life as IRX Innovations originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS planning an 8-inch grayscale LCD e-reader for October, pricing expected ‘under $599’

Unless ASUS means “$400 under $599,” we’ve got a feeling this e-reading device might as well not try its luck on the market. Nevertheless, word from Taiwan is that the company is indeed preparing an 8-inch LCD-based ebook reader — with 64 levels of gray, no backlight, and fast refresh times — to take on the E Ink-powered incumbents this October. Sounds very much like the Eee Tablet to us, but the headline feature of handwriting recognition isn’t mentioned, so this could be the same or a slightly different device. A saving grace for this spendy slate may be ASUS’ current negotiations for mobile carrier subsidies, which may prevent users from ever having to (directly) clash with that exorbitant price. That also suggests this 8-incher will have 3G connectivity on board, which might make it an appealing straddler of categories if it manages to accessorize itself with a robust web browser and healthy battery life. Let’s wait and see, eh?

ASUS planning an 8-inch grayscale LCD e-reader for October, pricing expected ‘under $599’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s Kindle Store opens digital doors in UK

Amazon has just announced the launch of its UK Kindle Store, furnishing UK netizens with a localized storefront from which to browse and purchase their ebooks. It starts life with an imposing 400,000 book collection, and is claimed by Amazon to offer the lowest prices “of any e-bookstore in the UK.” Guess that gives price comparison sites a new avenue to branch out into. More than 170 magazines and newspapers are also available, for one-off purchases or on a subscription basis, while the new lighter, better, cheaper Kindle is up for pre-order and set to ship at the end of the month. Good to see that Amazon isn’t neglecting its extra-American markets.

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Amazon’s Kindle Store opens digital doors in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble Nook Study now available to download, just in time for fall semester

Take heart, freshmen — six months from now, you’ll be kickin’ it on holiday break, while the rest of us working folk glare angrily and curse the wasted chances that haunt us still today. Positive thinking goes a long way, right? At any rate, Barnes & Noble has made sure that its newly announced Nook Study is live prior to the start of most fall semesters and as of today, both Windows and OS X users can head to the source link to get those bits a-flowin’. We’ll be interested to see just how many students take advantage of the portal — not everyone’s keen on digital textbooks, you know — but hopefully it’ll have a better go at things than did the Kindle DX.

Barnes & Noble Nook Study now available to download, just in time for fall semester originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from iriver on the e-reader front, so this one isn’t a huge surprise. It looks like the Story is getting a nice, compact Touch edition, and while we don’t have full specs yet, we do have plenty of photos, and we also know it’s going to boast a 6-inch, touchscreen display (which appears to be some type of e-ink), 2GB of internal storage, with SDHC expansion up to 32GB. This one’s going to be for the Korean market only, so we don’t expect to get our hands on one anytime soon, but we can always dream. Another photo is below, hit the source link for more.

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iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foxit kills off eSlick ebook reader, focuses on licensing software instead

It’s hard out there for a dedicated e-reader these days, and it looks like Foxit has now found that out first hand. The company has just announced that it’s killing off its eSlick e-reader, and says that it will instead focus on licensing its ebook software to other companies — it notes it won’t do both to avoid competing with its partners. That move doesn’t exactly come as a huge surprise, however, especially when you consider that the eSlick hasn’t received an update since it debuted back in December 2008, and has remained stuck at $199 amid the recent e-reader price wars. Foxit certainly seems confident that its now on the right track, though — head on past the break for its glass-half-full press release.

Continue reading Foxit kills off eSlick ebook reader, focuses on licensing software instead

Foxit kills off eSlick ebook reader, focuses on licensing software instead originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle 2 gets more game, Kindle 1 gets more wrinkles

Sure, Jeff Bezos may be keen on keeping Kindle a “purpose-built reading device” (for now, at any rate), but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little multimedia fun, right? Amazon has published two diction-centric games, Shuffled Row and Every Word, free of charge and available now for delivery via Whispernet. Both involve word creation — the former with 60 disposable letters and the latter with six or seven reusable tiles à la Scramble — and neither seem to be available for the Kindle 1. Second-generation and DX owners seem to be playing without issue, but the most faithful of early adopters? You just got another reason to upgrade — a minor one, yes, but it very well could be a sign of Things to Come.

Kindle 2 gets more game, Kindle 1 gets more wrinkles originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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