Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve never thought the Kindle DX was ideal for serious studying, and it sounds like the students and teachers in Princeton’s pilot program agree with us — after two weeks of use in three classes, the Daily Princetonian reports many are “dissatisfied and uncomfortable” with their e-readers, with one student calling it “a poor excuse of an academic tool.” Most of the criticisms center around the Kindle’s weak annotation features, which make things like highlighting and margin notes almost impossible to use, but even a simple thing like the lack of true page numbers has caused problems, since allowing students to cite the Kindle’s location numbers in their papers is “meaningless for anyone working from analog books.” That’s all led to word that Princeton won’t be bringing the Kindle back to school next year, but we’ll see if Amazon — or anyone else — can address all these complaints before that decision is made final.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: Handhelds

Kindle DX called “poor excuse of an academic tool” in Princeton pilot program originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IREX is currently, right this very second, taking the wraps off its big new splash in the ebook space, the new DR 800SG. The 8.1-inch unit has wireless connectivity courtesy of Verizon in the US and Qualcomm’s Gobi multi-mode 3G for switching it up in the rest of the world. There’s also 2GB of built-in storage, memory card expansion and stylus input (“true finger touch” is coming in Q2 2010 to a future product, right now you can only use the stylus, and a color reader is in the works as well for 2011), and IREX claims to have the fastest page refreshes in the biz. Perhaps most notable is that the reader is Barnes & Noble’s first big play in the space, with support for the B&N eBookstore — though the whole thing is an “open platform” with support from content from Newspaper Direct and LibreDigital stores as well, and format support of PDF, EPUB, Newspaper Direct, Fictionwise, eReader and TXT. Quite the mouthful, and IREX promises to follow wherever the market leads when it comes to DRM. The $399 device includes a leather cover and stylus in the box, and will be available this October in “select” Best Buy stores and will hit Europe in the first half of 2010. No wireless contract is required.

We got to play with the new reader briefly, and weren’t quite sure how to feel. On one hand, it’s another sexy, slim reader, with a pretty great and fast e-ink screen. On the other hand, the interface is totally minimal and a little nonsensical without the stylus. A bar on the left side gives you a “tactile” method of pushing right or left to turn the page, but it feels pretty janky. Notetaking isn’t enabled currently, so you can’t draw on the screen, making the stylus feel a bit of a burden, not a boon — the closest you get to text input is tapping away at an onscreen keyboard. We’re glad IREX avoided the visibility-hampering pitfalls of Sony’s touchscreen ebook technology, but perhaps some more thought should’ve been put into the alternative. We didn’t do any heavy downloading, but the reader takes a very long time to create a connection — a good 20-30 seconds — which might’ve been due to the concrete bunker we’re hanging out in, or just a sign of a slow processor, we’re not sure which. We love the “openness,” and it’s great to see so many format alternatives right out of the gate, but we’re gonna need more time with the DR 800SG before we’re sure it’s worth the plunge.

Filed under: Handhelds

IREX unveils DR 800SG wireless ebook reader (updated with hands-on!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We admire Bookeen‘s resilience here, we really do. After last hearing about this e-book reader in May, we sort of assumed it had just given up on the matter. After all, it’s WiFi-less and yet still as pricey as many of its rivals. That said, the Cybook Opus certainly looks different than most every other reader out there, so surely that counts for something. We’re not saying it counts for $280, but if you are, you’re approximately 1.389 clicks away from having one shipped to your domicile.

[Via GizmoScene]

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Bookeen now shipping $280 Cybook Opus e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey — this one makes sense, so we shouldn’t be too surprised, but it turns out that Time, Inc. is seriously looking into getting into the e-reader business, according to a leaked presentation from June of this year. The slides, which are entitled “New Platforms & Business Models for Publishers,” also contained notes which had been updated as late as this past August, indicating that Time has plans to launch a product as soon as the end of this year. Though Time had said back in March that it had “no interest” in getting into the e-reader biz, it’s not terribly shocking to hear that they were either fibbing or changed their minds, considering how the market’s been heating up lately, combined with the deaths of many, many print mags. NBC contacted Dawn Bridges — a spokesperson for Time — about the story, who said the company is “speaking with a number of hardware and software companies as well as other content companies about various projects.” Vague enough for you?

[Via Gizmodo]

Filed under: Handhelds

Time looking to kick out the e-readers after all? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Computer maker Asus, known for its line of Eee PC netbooks, is working on an e-book reader that will have two touchscreens and when laid open will resemble a hardcover book.

Asus showed a prototype of the device at the CeBIT trade show in March. But now additional details have trickled out.

An Asus representative confirmed to Wired.com the company will probably show the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Asus’ e-reader will likely have color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls. Despite all those features, Britain’s Sunday Times reports, somewhat unbelievably, that it may be priced lower than its competitors from Sony and Kindle.

The e-reader market is one of the hottest consumer product categories this year. Just the last few months have seen a slew of new product announcements. After introducing Kindle 2, the updated version of its e-reader, Amazon launched a broadsheet reading device called the Kindle DX. Last month Sony introduced a $400 wireless e-reader with a 7-inch screen and cut the price on its older models to offer the cheapest e-book reader in the market. Meanwhile, two other companies — iRex and Plastic Logic — plan to offer new large-screen readers later this year or early next year.

But all e-readers, available and planned, are black and white. Asus’ product will likely be the first to offer a color screen. The move, coupled with unexpected features such as speakers and mic, is the only way the company can stand out in a crowded market.

With dual screens, the new Eee e-reader could give readers a user experience similar to paper books. The device could also offer readers the option of using the second screen to browse a web page.  The best part about the device, though, would be the price tag, says the Times report. The cheapest version of the Asus Eee reader could lost about £100, equivalent to $165.

While Asus has a well-deserved reputation for making extremely inexpensive computers, that price may be too low for even it to match, given the promised feature set.

For Asus, getting this mix of features and price right is essential if it has to make a dent in the e-reader market at this stage.

See Also:

• Why E-Books Look So Ugly
• Sony’s E-Book Reader Adds Touchscreen, Wireless Downloads
• Why E-Books Are Stuck in a Black-and-White World
• Buying Guide: How to Choose an E-Book Reader
• New Barnes & Noble E-Book Store to Power Plastic Logic Reader

Photo: Asus Eee Reader Prototype