ASUS DR-950 9-inch touchscreen e-reader brings text-to-speech and internet browser

ASUS is suddenly all chatty with its plans to enter the e-reader market in 2010. Just yesterday we got word of a 6-inch color (claimed to be OLED by InGear) e-reader from ASUS by the name of DR-570 headed to retail before the year is through. Now we’ve got details of a second ASUS e-reader, dubbed the DR-950 that should arrive sooner. This time we’re looking at a 9-inch Sipix panel with 1,024 x 768 pixel resolution pushing 16-levels of gray just like the Jinke reader unveiled at CES. The touchscreen DR-950 features text-to-speech (based on Svox engine supporting 26 languages), a web browser that works in portrait or landscape modes, a virtual keyboard and handwriting input, a RSS reader, and dictionary (with expandable database) with real-time translation. Spec-wise, the 222 x 161 x 9-mm / 370-gram reader packs WiFi and HSPA (WiMax is optional) data radios, 3.5-mm headphone jack and stereo speakers, with 4GB of internal memory and SD Card expansion. Supported formats include PDF, TXT, Audible, MP3, and unprotected ePub. Not bad ASUS, not bad. Now let’s see some content partners, eh? See it pictured browsing the web after the break.

Continue reading ASUS DR-950 9-inch touchscreen e-reader brings text-to-speech and internet browser

ASUS DR-950 9-inch touchscreen e-reader brings text-to-speech and internet browser originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boeye’s OEM E900 reader is the Kindle DX’s cheaper twin

Ever wondered what an exact replica of the Kindle DX would look like? Well, if you were thinking that it would look like an exact replica of the Kindle DX, you’re a winner. You’re currently checking out the Boeye E900, a 9.7-inch reader hailing from Guangdong, China. Besides the obvious lack of branding here, we’re hard-pressed to spot another difference — though we do only have the one photo. Both sport WiFi, Bluetooth, and text-to-speech, plus apparently the exact same internals as the DX, including an 825 x 1200 resolution, 3G, 128MB built-in flash memory, and a microSD card slot. We’ll tell you this — the price, at around $311, is way cheaper than Amazon’s actual reader. That is however, seemingly a wholesale price as the minimum order accepted is apparently 100 pieces. Anybody need 99 fake Kindles?

Boeye’s OEM E900 reader is the Kindle DX’s cheaper twin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Ultimate Guide to Ebook Readers We Care About

There are too damn many ebook readers and it’s tough to figure out what’s worth buying and which reader will even survive the market. To make things easy, here’s our guide to the readers that matter—for now. Updated.

Of course we’re skipping some of the many ebook readers floating around, but quite frankly we can’t really stomach all of them. We decided to focus on the ones that matter to us—whether because they stand a shot of surviving the over-saturated market, or simply because they are examples of what we think matters about these gadgets. Feel free to let us know if you disagree with any of our survival odds or if you think we missed a significant device.

Barnes & Noble Nook

When we reviewed the Barnes & Noble Nook, we decided that it was pretty damn good all around. At the time, we mainly focused on pitting it against the Amazon Kindle, but even without that limited comparison the Nook remains a rather good device:



It’s got a second screen which actually serves a useful purpose


Expansion and evolution possibilities of this very device are great, especially with touchscreen and Android OS


Lending and in-store Barnes & Noble action will be huge


Native ePub support


A little thicker than Kindle, but as a tradeoff, it’s a little smaller footprint


Wi-Fi doesn’t seem to matter now—hopefully it will prove to be an advantage later


LCD and other features mean less battery life than Kindle, but still adequate, “measured in days”


Current software is buggy and sluggish in spots; hopefully fixes and optimization will come soon


Second-screen possibilities are great, but current implementation is cautious and conservative

Taking all those features and shortcomings into account, we think that the Nook’s survival chance is 80%— if it can fix its firmware and get production up to speed.

Entourage Edge

A hands on of the Entourage Edge left us hesitant about whether there’s actually a market for something that has the price tag of a good netbook and barely more features than most readers:



It does have two full screens on which actual work can be done


Can run Android applications and be used to browse the web


Wi-Fi built-in, so you’re not stuck relying on 3G


Two built-in microphones for noise-cancelation, but unfortunately no synchronization with notes


Note taking can be done using a stylus


Switching between the screens allows for websites to be loaded on one screen and “pushed” to the other


Just as with most other readers, you can highlight, annotate, and bookmark


It’s three whole freakin’ pounds and ridiculously bulky


$500 price tag.

The Edge shows us what happens when you try to make a reader into what it’s not—a pseudo netbook or tablet. We think the device’s survival chance is 0% and consider it pretty much DOA.

Plastic Logic Que

We liked the feel of the Plastic Logic Que when we got our hands on it, but we didn’t like the price tag. The device is mainly aimed at business folk who want to carry a notepad-sized device instead of a stack of documents, but it could make a rather nice reader if you crave for a large screen:



At 8.5 x 11 x .33 inches, its about the size and thickness of a standard notepad. It weighs about one pound. Like a heavy notepad.


The screen is huge—and I mean huge. Over ten inches.


Because of Plastic Logic’s obsession with its namesake material, the Que is light as a feather


Formatting from magazines and other publications is maintained on the screen


The interface seems snappy and intuitive


Que Mail and Que Calendar services allow email and calendar updates to be pushed over WiFi and 3G networks


While odd to look at, the wide bezel actually makes the Que a lot more comfortable to hold than some other readers


The back of the device is a magnet for fingerprints. It’s annoying, but not unusual for shiny toys like this.


$650 for the 4GB model with Wi-FI and $800 for the 8GB model with WiFi and 3G are quite the prices to swallow

We think the Que’s features, design, and business as well as consumer appeal leave it with a survival chance of 70%—higher if businesses feel like spending so much on a device that will certainly help cut back on paper use. Or if Plastic Logic manages to cut back on that price.

Spring Design Alex Reader

Our hands on of the Spring Design Alex Reader left us thinking that the Nook might have some serious competition, but even on its own the Alex is a rather good device:



It’s thin—we thought we’d break it just by holding it—but it turned out to be surprisingly sturdy


You can run any Android app including the browser, email client, and music player apps


The interaction between the two screens doesn’t seem fully worked out


No news about whether there’s a data provider secured for the device


$399 makes the Alex a wee bit pricier than the nook

Assuming that a data provider is secured for the Alex, we could see its survival chance being 80%—higher if there’s a price drop to bring it closer to the Nook’s.

Sony Daily

When the Sony Daily Edition reader was announced, we got a bit excited about its electronic library program and wide screen, but alas, we’re still waiting to actually get one of these devices into our hands to check out all the features:



Sony’s got plenty of partners for this device to provide content


The on-screen content is rotated automatically to allow viewing in a nice, comfortable, and super wide landscape format


Native EPUB support


The electronic library program will let you borrow books from your local library’s electronic collection


Free 3G service is included—but limited to accessing the Sony Store


$399 is a bit much for a device with so few tricks up its sleeve

Until we actually take a Daily for a test run, we’re deeming its survival chance as 40%—mostly because the library program is appealing along with the push for EPUB formatting.

Kindle

In our review of the Amazon Kindle 2, we discovered that it’s not too different from the original model, but we still liked all the features:



The rounded design makes the device appealing to hold and look at


Zippy interface, decent refresh rate


Plenty of internal storage and long battery life


Text-to-speech book reading


Crisp, sharp display


It’s hard to read longer, more complex books

While the Kindle 2 wasn’t a huge leap from the first generation, we still think the device about a 80% chance of survival, especially if Amazon works on improving the interface and how the device treats flipping through book sections.

Notion Ink Adam Pixel Qi

When we got our hands on the Notion Ink Adam Pixel Qi, we discovered that it’s more of a tablet than it is a reader and that it tries too hard to be both:



The device runs on Android 2.0


There’s a snappy Nvidia Tegra 2 processor lurking inside


10.1-inch panel that can switch between backlit LCD mode and low-power electrophoretic reflective mode


3G service, which is becoming fairly standard among readers


LCD colors aren’t as vivid as a plain LCD

Despite having “ink” in its name, the Adam falls too far into tablet territory for us to take it seriously as a reader so we give it a 40% chance of survival in that particular market. As a tablet device though, it might actually do rather well.

Skiff Reader

When we got a hands on with the Skiff, we were pretty impressed by its size but uncertain about most features since we didn’t get to play with a final production model:



It’s big and thin: 11.5 inches of touchscreen space on a device only a quarter of an inch thick


Light and—quite importantly—solid feeling


Layout mimicks a real newspaper better than most readers


Can handle 12fps animation, which is pretty primitive compared to an LCD device


Reasoably responsive to taps and swipes


You can highlight and annotate content


Magazines feel awkward to read as they’re full page scans and any zooming feels slow due to the e-ink refresh rate

Once again: The Skiff unit we tried out was not a final version, so plenty can change by the time it hits shelves. But based on what we’ve seen so far, this could be a pretty great reader overall—despite its key focus being periodicals. Assuming that it’s price turns out to be reasonable and the interface is fixed up a bit more, we give it a survival chance of 70%.

Any Others?

Those are the ebook readers we think deserve some discussion right now. There are plenty we left out—super cheap ones, poor imitations of readers mentioned already, and some that just plain make us gag. We didn’t want to promote crappy products or those where “you get what you pay for” rings a bit too true. That disclaimer aside, we welcome discussion and mentions of other readers, simply because it’s always possible that we omitted something worthwhile—like the Skiff which has now been added—by accident. So let’s hear it in the comments.

Unauthorized iPhone news readers raise eyebrows

Here’s an interesting little new media legal dilemma for you: apparently there are several paid apps in the iPhone App Store that bill themselves as “readers” for publications like the New York Times, CNET, and the BBC, but aren’t actually licensed or official in anyway — they’re just pulling RSS feeds. That means people paying for an app like The New York Times Mobile Reader aren’t actually getting an app from the Times — and, perhaps more importantly, the Times isn’t getting anything from anyone. Seems like Apple should probably just shut these apps down, but that’s the interesting part: all these apps are pretty much just custom-built feed readers, and you can generally access all of the same content using Safari. Now, there’s obviously a trademark issue involved here, especially if these apps are confusing people into thinking they’re official, but we’re curious to see how these pubs and Apple handle the situation in the next few weeks, since it’s relatively uncharted territory.

P.S.- Let’s not even get into the fact that Apple’s rated the NYT Mobile Reader app “12+” for “Infrequent / Mild Mature / Suggestive Themes.” Oh, the App Store.

Unauthorized iPhone news readers raise eyebrows originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-On With the Alex: An Android-Powered, Dual-Screen Reader

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LAS VEGAS — The Amazon Kindle’s E Ink screen is easy on the eyes for reading, but the software’s really laggy. The iPhone’s touchscreen is slick and fast, but you’ll wear your eyes out reading off it for several hours. What if you combined the benefits of both these products into one?

That’s the idea behind SpringDesign’s Alex e-book reader, which features a 6-inch E Ink display on top and a 3.5-inch touchscreen at the bottom. Most interestingly, the device is running Google’s Android OS, specially modified for e-book reading. Using the touchscreen you can select tools for creating annotations and highlights for a book, and you can also switch between books from your library. Two large physical arrow buttons on the sides of the device allow you to “flip” pages.


CES 2010
Tim White, chief systems architect of SpringDesign, said it was important for an e-book reader to run on an open platform such as Android.

“We’re trying to be an open reader,” White told Wired.com. “The world is an open place, and early manufacturers [such as Amazon] are controlling the environment. That’s not the way we’re used to reading and sharing information, especially in the age of the internet.”

_mg_5025

Running the Google OS doesn’t mean Alex owners will be able to freely swap books. SpringDesign formed a partnership with Borders for e-book content, and of course, its e-books are DRM-protected — tied to one device each. Alex owners will, however, be able to exchange annotations and highlights, a feature designed for university students.

Also, only smartphones can be certified Android OS devices with access to Google’s Android Market app store. So, while the Alex has the core functions of Android — such as video playback, an e-mail app and access to a digital photo album — it won’t have the full powers (i.e. third-party apps) of an Android smartphone. However, SpringDesign is inviting Android developers to code apps and content for the Alex, which will be called the Alex Marketplace.

The design of the Alex is downright funky and not ideal, but I do like the idea. I had some hands-on time with the device, and I especially enjoyed being able to quickly access the Alex’s e-book library using the touchscreen. With dedicated e-book devices such as the Amazon Kindle, the process of switching between books has always been a major drag thanks to the sluggish refresh rate of E Ink screens; it was a lot easier selecting titles on the Alex.

_mg_5019

However, the Alex’s Android OS was pretty rough around the edges. Some of the UI was hardly intuitive. The icons for making notes for annotations and highlights were signified by vague graphics of boxes, for example. It’ll take a bit of time to memorize what every button does in the Alex — a far cry from the iPhone experience.

SpringDesign does not disclose the processor used for the touchscreen, and it didn’t seem very fast. A video played on the device looked laggy compared to videos I’ve seen on other smartphones.

In short, my first impressions are the Alex has a lot of potential with its innovative design and independent app store, but it’ll face some challenges in the fiercely competitive reader market. Its price tag won’t help — $360, which costs $100 more than the Barnes & Noble Nook, which is also an Android-based device with a 3.5-inch touchscreen display. SpringDesign better hope it wins its lawsuit against Barnes.

See Also:

Product Page [SpringDesign]

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


Plastic Logic Aims New Que E-Reader at Business Users

Que e-reader

LAS VEGAS — After months of offering tantalizing bits of information, Plastic Logic has finally launched its new e-reader Que.

The Que proReader has an 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen display and the ability to handle a range of documents such as Microsoft Word files, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, digital books, PDFs, magazines and newspapers.

CES 2010

It can also synchronize with Microsoft Outlook to display e-mails and calendar.

“E-readers today are reading devices for the casual reader,” says Richard Archuleta, chief executive of Plastic Logic. “What about folks who need it for business and reading lots of different documents? We are trying to create a paperless briefcase for them.”

The Que will be the latest entrant into what’s become of the hottest consumer electronics product categories. Last year alone, about 5 million e-readers were sold.  Amazon, one of the largest book retailers,  has said for the first time on Christmas day more e-books were sold than physical books.

Beautiful, Pricey Hardware

The Que e-reader designed by industrial design firm IDEO is the best-looking device in its category. It is extremely thin, lightweight (weighs less than a pound) and has a large shatterproof display that’s feels better than its rivals, such as Amazon’s Kindle DX.

The Que is driven by its touchscreen so it does not not have any buttons on it, except for a discreet home button at the upper right corner. The effect is similar to that of Apple’s iPhone.

The result is a sleek and rather sophisticated-looking gadget. But in the brief hands-on time that we spent with it, we noticed smudge marks and fingerprints all over the device.

Still from a design perspective, Plastic Logic’s Que is undoubtedly a beauty.

But open your wallets wide for it.

The 4-GB version of the Que with Wi-Fi and storage for about 35,000 documents will retail for $650. An $800 8-GB version that can store 75,000 documents and includes both Wi-Fi and 3G capability — powered by AT&T– will also be available.

The Que will start shipping mid-April but the company is taking pre-orders now.

Versatile and Format-Agnotisic

que e-reader2

Unlike the Sony Reader or the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Que is targeted at business users. So the device offers a number of features that are missing in its counterparts.

The e-reader syncs with your Microsoft Outlook account to display e-mails and the day’s appointments. It also pulls in attachments so you can click on and view them on the e-reader.

The top half of the screen features different documents, while the lower half shows those marked as favorites.

Plastic Logic inked partnerships with major content publishers so users can read magazines such as Fast Company and newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today on the device.

Que’s biggest asset is that it can handle an e-book in the ePUB format with the same ease as a document from the Microsoft Office suite. It’s a feature that is likely to endear it to users who don’t want to carry multiple devices and pull up a laptop just to look at an Excel spreadsheet.

“The Que is not committed to a specific format,” says Archuleta.

Other features include search that looks through both your e-mail and documents, ability to create notes and annotate documents.

Plastic Logic will also have an app for BlackBerry phones so users can wirelessly sync content from their phones with the Que.

Photos: Priya Ganapati

See Also:


Samsung announces E6 and E10 e-book readers at CES

We’re here in the middle of Samsung’s CES press conference, and the company’s just revealed its first e-book reader. We don’t have many details yet — we know there will be a 10- and 6-inch model, both with touchscreens, that Google is the content partner, and that it’s got a soft QWERTY keyboard and wireless but no 3G (a bit of a downer). The two readers — dubbed the E6 and E101 — will feature on-screen handwriting capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0, and 802.11b/g WiFi. The 6-incher will clock in at $399, while the bigger version will sell for $699, and both will be available in “early 2010.”

Update: We just nabbed a quick hands-on. It’s pretty thin, and it’s hiding a secret: it’s a slider with hidden controls! The touch sensitivity seemed pretty okay, but we’ll have to spend some non-rushed time with it to get a true feel for things. Check out more in the gallery, and see the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Samsung announces E6 and E10 e-book readers at CES

Samsung announces E6 and E10 e-book readers at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle DX with global wireless: ships January 19th for $489

Well, what do you know? Seems that Amazon’s Kindle DX will indeed be offered in a Global Wireless flavor, and it’ll soon be shipping to over 100 nations for the tidy sum of $489. Bezos and Company confirmed an earlier slip tonight by trumpeting the impending release of its 9.7-inch e-reader around the world, where we presume it’ll work exactly like the recently released International Kindle. ‘Course, you overseas folks will probably need to budget for a power converter and import duties, but you can get your pre-orders in right this moment.

Amazon Kindle DX with global wireless: ships January 19th for $489 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you

Skiff Reader is largest, thinnest reader yet, hitting a Sprint Store near you


Amazon’s Kindle DX may be big, but it’s not the biggest any more. The Skiff Reader is here to take that crown — despite being a mere quarter inch thick. It packs a 1600 x 1200 11.5-inch touchscreen (finger and stylus) that, as you can see from the above screenshot, should do much better justice to magazine and newspaper layouts than we’ve yet seen from an e-ink-based reader. That’s exactly the sort of advance Hearst was promising when it first mentioned the device last month. Skiff includes 4GB of on-board storage (just over 3GB is available for content) with SD card expansion, and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for tunes and, hopefully, text-to-speech. Content can be side-loaded over a mini USB jack or delivered via WiFi but, more importantly, 3G is also on offer thanks to Sprint, who will also dedicate some space in its retail stores to sell the thing when it launches sometime this year. Price? That we don’t know.

Skiff Reader is largest yet, will be hitting a Sprint Store near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays

It looks as if we’re still waiting patiently for color e-ink to become a reality (at least in a mass produced shipping product), but if you’re kosher with low-energy consumption LCDs, Paradigm Shift has the ticket. Similar to Sungale’s Cyberus ID700WTA, the outfit’s 5-inch EER-051 and 7-inch EER-071WF are both e-readers with color, but neither boast e-ink displays. The former includes 1GB of built-in memory, an SD expansion slot, an integrated MP3 player and support for just about any kind of ebook file (non-encrypted EPUB included). The latter steps up to 2GB of memory, and thanks to the Windows CE operating system, it’ll also handle Office files and the like when it’s not flipping text. Both devices are expected to ship in February through Delstar here in the States, with the 5-incher available in a rainbow’s worth of hues for $149.95 and the big boy in black or white for $50 more. The full release is after the break.

Continue reading Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays

Paradigm Shift intros 5- and 7-inch readers with color (LCD) displays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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