ECTACO's Jetbook Ebook Reader

ECTACO, Inc., a New York based company, has just announced its new ebook called Jetbook reader yesterday, to compete with the recent Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader. Slightly smaller and lighter than those two, Jetbook turns away from the increasingly-established e-ink display technology: it uses a high resolution monochrome TFT display for its 5" display screen. This approach is yet to be tested as either a step forward or backward in ereader display technology. E-ink display has been the trend for other ebook reades especially due to its superior paper-like qualities and without any backlight which makes it readable under sunlight. E-ink technology also saves tremendous amount of energy as electricity is not required to hold text and images on screen.


As their selling points, Jetbook features extensive bilingual dictionaries between English, Russian, and Polish, a dedicated monolingual English dictionary, and supports ebook contents in multiple other languages. These are made handy from ECTACO's experiences in developing handheld dictionaries, translation software and language management technologies. Other useful features include built-in MP3 player, bookmarks, automatic page-turning, screen rotation into landscape or portrait modes, and screen viewability up to 180°. Information on its battery capacity and memory/storage size is not yet known.

Judging from the image, the hottest feature on Jetbook must be its stunningly red color (that is if you like red). If this is what you fancy, it's available for $349.95, or £209.95 in UK.

Jetbook Product Specification:

• Display: 5" high-resolution monochrome TFT display
• Language support: Extensive bilingual Russian <-> English, Polish <-> English, and English monolingual dictionaries pre-loaded, with support for ebook contents in Russian, Polish, English, and Spanish.
• Features: Automatic page-turning, bookmarking, nearly 180° text viewability, adjustoble font and size, screen view in either portrait or landscape modes, built-in MP3 player.
• Memory: Additional storage from SD card slot.
• Battery: Internal Li-ion polymer battery.

[via Jetbook, ECTACO, DCEMU, and Gearlog]

Seiko Epson's Awesome Prototype eReader

Seiko Epson from Japan has a new prototype of a new ereader with an outstanding resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels covering a 6.7" display screen (making a dpi of about 230). That's crisp! It's about 3 times more resolved that a standard LCD screen. Standard ebook readers have dots-per-inch of around 170ish. The size is 120 x 180 m, about the B6 paper size.

Judging from the photo, the text is even crystal-clear looking from an extremely steep angle (you can make out clearly the graphs and text). There isn't much glare on the screen too at this angle. Imagine reading them at a normal angle. All seems good with this prototype now, except that you can't miss the fact that it's real sharp - at all sides, and thin too. This can be either both a good thing or a bad thing. It may look sleek, but the pointy end can be a bit uncomfortable.

Info on the detailed specs is limited as this is just a prototype. But the available specs tells us that this is pretty amazing. Take into consideration that this is just a prototype and the commercial ones will only get better.

• Overall size: 7.1" x 4.7" x 0.1" (extremely thin compared to other dedicated ebook devices)
• Display: 6.7" screen, 1200 x 1600 pixel resolutions, E-ink technology couple with proprietary TFT design.
• Weight: 57 g
• Contrast ratio: 8:1
• Reflectivity: 43%
• Refreshing time: 0.7 s
• Battery life: 1400 page turns (this prototype uses only a single cell battery)

[via Gizmodo , Technabob , and MobileRead ]

E-paper Technology and Its Global Impact

Here's a video on YouTube that captures all that's interesting and good to know about e-paper technology and how it has/will impact the world at a global scale. Granted that the vid plays quite fast to really absorb everything and that the screen quality isn't really great (need an extra 30% squinting to barely see the text), it's actually quite a good introduction to know about the e-paper, the technology that helps grow the e-readers into what they are today.

Just a quick re-cap of what e-paper is:

E-paper is a display screen that reads like a paper. Consist of two technologies:

• Electrophoretic/Electrochromic Display Technology
• Organic Light-Emiting Diode (OLED)

This technology allows text to hold on screen without using power and backlight.

Users' Reviews on Amazon Kindle eReader: Pros & Cons

Here's a point-based list of the PROS and CONS I've gathered from reading dozens of reviews from real users of Kindle in forums and commentary sections in top sites such as Amazon.com. The list is based on real reviews, so it doesn't include the already-known or selling-point features that are frequently advertised. The reviews reflect more on their personal experiences using the Kindle and can help people make better decision whether to buy it or not.

You might want to read more on Kindle's specs and features first if you're not familiar with it.

It can be really exhausting to go through all those users' comments to build up some facts before buying (or not) the Kindle. It's even incredible that, having read all those reviews, you'd be surprise that less than 50% are the real points that you'd want to know - some reviews even overlap each other. I hope having them listed here in this point-form would reduce your excruciatingly long hours of review-readings and fact-findings effort.

The biggest selling point compared to other e-readers is the Kindle's wireless feature which makes browsing and buying ebooks extremely easy and fast.

Pros:

• Fast wireless downloading - Contents take only a few seconds to download, even an entire ebook. Users can browse through titles and read the summary or a few reviews easily before purchasing them.
  
• Massive amount of content - Kindle is connected to the Amazon's massive bookstore with subscription to a large number of newspapers, magazines, popular blogs, and the web through a free wireless service. Almost all of the previous ebook devices require connection with a PC to download ebook materials.
• Ebooks are cheaper - Most of the ebooks are retailed at $9.99, more than half the price of the real books. Subscriptions to magazines and blogs doesn't cost much too.
• Better than Palm-type eReaders - Many people who read ebooks from Palm feel that the Kindle is so much better than the Palm: Kindle's screen is larger and not backlit (and therefore readable under sunlight).
• Legible fonts - Kindle's fonts are extremely legible and superior compared to Sony Reader's fonts, its closest rival.
• Free content delivery - Delivery and conversion (into Kindle-friendly format) of content is 100% free. You will be charged 10 cents for each converted materials if they're sent directly to your Kindle, but it won't cost anything if those materials are sent to your Kindle email which can then be downloaded into your Kindle through a PC-USB connection.
• Everything in a light device - It's extremely great that you could carry with you contents equivalent to 100s of pounds of real books. You can choose and read what you want easily, anywhere and anytime, without the burden of carrying loads of books. (This is needless to say, really!)
• Readable - Kindle can be hold one-handed because of its easy thumb-paging, have crisp text, changeable font size (which is great if one wants to read larger fonts in some situation, say, on a treadmill).
• Ask anything to Kindle NowNow - You can ask any questions through Kindle NowNow feature. Kindle will send you back a few answers. Based on reviews, their answers are good and right. So, this in a way is a faster way of researching things, faster than even Googling them.
• Play music while reading - Kindle plays MP3s, which is a nice feature to have when reading (this is becoming a default feature in handheld devices nowadays, but it's good to put it down anyway).

Cons:

• Wireless in US only - Wireless connection is only available in the US. You can still download ebooks through a PC connection after receiving them through email, but wireless subscriptions are out abroad.
• Poor design - The design is not as sleek and technologically elegant as one would want, say, when compared to Apple's products. (Maybe something that they'd want to consider for the next Kindle...)
• Ordering is too easy - The one-click ordering feature is too frighteningly easy if the owner loses the Kindle. Somebody else can just use the Kindle to order ebooks until the owner shuts down the account. (It would be good to add password to Kindle for security).
• Accidental page-turning - Page-changing buttons were designed to make it easy to turn pages that it's equally easy for to hit the back-page or next-page buttons by accident. It needs practice to get used to it.
• Expensive - It's about $400. It's pricy, especially for a first generation of product which would definitely need much touch-ups and tweakings here and there. Think of it as a BETA version. Hopefully the market will drive the price down in the future.
• Doesn't read PDF - Eventhough it can be converted freely or at a cheap price if sent directly, it marks a point down to those who wants to review some PDF documents on the fly, say, while travelling.
• All contents are DRMed - DRM = Digital Rights Management, a tool to control and limit the usage of digital media. Contents bought for one's Kindle can't be shared with others. Some contents may even have a 'life', meaning that it has an expiry date after which you can't read it anymore.
• Lack of alternative ebook market - For example, it'd be nice to have a 'used' markets for ebooks for cheaper contents.
• Books are still priceless - Books still have their own appeal, e.g: cheap, long-lasting, durable, sellable as usedbooks, not DRMed, and [insert anything lovable about books that you can think of here].
  

Do you know of any other pros and cons I should add in this list, not overlapping with the ones up there? Or maybe that some of the above contradicts your own experience using Kindle?

iLiad 2nd Ed. eBook Reader

The iLiad 2nd Edition ebook reader was released in September 2007 by the iRex Technologies, a spinoff off Philips based in Netherlands (the 1st Edition came out in mid 2006). The 2nd Edition was valued at a retail price of $699. The price is considerably more expensive thanks to its larger size and added fucntionalities like the touch sensor input and writing/drawing using stylus.

The iLiad's larger-than-normal display of 8.1" diagonal has a more book-like appeal than the majority of 6" display ereaders, for example when reading textbooks. Writing and sketching (plus text annotations) are integrated into the iLiad via Wacom Penabled technology.

iLiad 2nd Edition Product Specification:

• Size: 6.1" x 8.5" x 0.6".
• Weight: 389 g.
• Display: 8.1" diagonal electronic paper, 768 x 1024 pixel resolution at 160 dpi, 16 grayscale-level.
• Input: Wacom Slim Pen Stylus, integrated Wacom Penabled touch sensor board.
• Processor: Intel 400 MHz XScale processor.
• Memory: 64MB RAM, 256MB internal memory storage (128MB for user content).
• Connectivity: 802.11B/G WiFi, optional external 10/100MB Ethernet networking.
• Sound: 3.5mm stereo headphone mini-jack.
• File formats supported : PRC (Mobipocket), PDF, HTML, TXT, JPG, BMP PNG.
• Language Supported: Dutch, English, German, French and Simplified Chinese.

Hanlin eReader V3

Hanlin eReader V3 was released in August 2007 by a Chinese company, Jinke Electronics Co., LTD. The improved product (from Hanlin eReader V2) was retailed at $299. Key features include the 6" E-ink Vizplex display technology readable both indoor and outdoor with the support of more than a dozen languages. The battery lasts for about 9000 pageturns. Ebooks are downloaded through a PC/laptop connection via USB cable.

Hanlin eReader V3 Product Specification:

• Size: 7.2" x 4.7" x 0.4".
• Weight: 210 g.
• Display: 6" E-ink Vizplex display technology, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, 4 levels of grayscale.
• Operating System: Linux.
• CPU: Samsung Arm9 200Mhz.
• Memory: 32MB SDRAM, Internal 2M NOR FLASH, SD card expandable up to 4GB.
• Ebook Format: PDF, DOC, WOLF, HTML, TXT, CHM, FB2, Djvu.
• Image Format: PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, JPG.
• Sound Format: MP3.
• Connection: USB 1.1 Port, 3.5mm stereo audio jack for earphone.
• Language Support: English, Chinese, Russian, Ukraine, Turkish, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Bulgarian, Estonian, and Polish.

Youtube has a vid on Hanlin V3's review - very detailed and informative.

Archives

March

• 25.03.2008: ECTACO's Jetbook Ebook Reader.
  
• 19.03.2008: Seiko Epson's Awesome Prototype eReader.
  
• 16.03.2008: E-paper Technology and Its Global Impact.
  
• 16.03.2008: Users' Reviews on Amazon Kindle eReader: Pros & Cons.
  
• 13.03.2008: iLiad 2nd Ed. eBook Reader.
  
• 13.03.2008: Hanlin eReader V3.
  
• 12.03.2008: Multi-Touch Screen for an Ereader?
  
• 12.03.2008: Netronix EB300 Ebook Reader.
  
• 12.03.2008: Netronix EB100 Ebook Reader.
  
• 12.03.2008: A Quick Reference for Ebook-Related Terminologies.
  
• 07.03.2008: Livre: A New Ebook Reader?
• 07.03.2008: Sony Reader PRS-505 Ebook Reader.
• 07.03.2008: Bookeen Cybook Ebook Reader.
• 06.03.2008: Polymer Vision's Readius Ebook Reader.
• 06.03.2008: Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader.
• 06.03.2008: List of All eBook Readers.

Multi-Touch Screen for an Ereader?

The time is just around the corner - for ereader displays to incorporate multi-touch screen technology. The starting point has already presented itself through a student project. But a complete assimilation of the two technologies could go as far as one can imagine. I mean, how can you not wander when looking at a technology as alien as this:



This was taken at the CeBIT 2008 expo last week in Hannover, Germany. (CeBIT is in German for "Centre of Office and Information Technology). Probably a 'Minority-Report'-like ereaders wouldn't be around the corner just yet. So, how about something slightly less futuristic but more real and relatively 'simple' to combine with the current technology. Multitouch screen would have to wait for now:



It's less 'multi' but less 'touch' too. Incredibly, all the gestures seems so relevant to what we would want in our ebook readers. Any guess when one will be available? I'll put my bet on 2009. What are you waiting for, Kindle 2?

Netronix EB300 Ebook Reader

The larger version of the ebook devices from the Taiwanese Netronix, Inc. is the EB300, a relatively huge 9.7" display screen compared to other comparable e-readers. This would be the first e-reader to challenge the notion that the standard 6" screen is not sufficient for reading volumes of favorite best sellers (correction: iLiad by iRex launched late 2007 has 8.1" display). Time will tell if 6" screen is better. Its counterpart, the Netronix EB100, targets readers who prefer the smaller 6" display.
For now, the price or its availability (worldwide?) of the EB300 as well as the EB100 are not yet announced.

As usual with other new ebook devices, this product is light and thin, equipped with anti glare with its non-backlit E-ink display. Battery is used efficiently with a life of 5000 pageturns, 3000 short of the EB100 version, thanks to its larger display. You need a 3.5mm earphone jack to enjoy listening to MP3 on this device.

The Netronix EB300 features the functionality to slideshow image files, connect via WiFi, Bluetooth and 2 ports of USB 2.0, and navigate using 4 buttons and a touch-screen.

Netronix EB300 Product Specification:

• Size: 7.7" x 10" x 0.6"
• Display: 9.7" E-ink display, 1200 x 825 pixels at 170 dpi, 4 levels of grayscale.
• Operating System: WinCE 5.0.
• Language: English, Chines (Big5/GB), Japan, Dutch, Spanish, French.
• Ebook formats: TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML/CHM.
• Image formats: BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG.
• Sound format: MP3, AAC.
• Font Format: TrueType Font (TTF).
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 ports of USB 2.0 (one port can be used to power-charge).
• Input: Touch Screen & 4 functional buttons
• Storage: SD card expandable up to 2GB
• Memory: 64 MB SDRAM, 4GB NAND Flash.
• Battery Life: 5000 pageturns.

Netronix EB100 Ebook Reader

Netronix INC, a company from Taiwan, has featured two new ebook readers on their website - the standard-size 6" EB100 and the larger counterpart 9.7" EB300. Netronix is partly owned by Prime View International (PVI) who recently acquired the Philips' E-ink business and plan to produce significant amount of e-ink displays in the fourth quarter of this year, which hopefully will bring down e-reader prices.

As for the EB100, there's no information on its price or availability, yet.

The Netronix EB100 features include the standard power-saving capability with an 8000 pageflips for a single charge, natural and anti-glare screen with no TFT backlit mode. The product runs on a Linux 2.6 OS and supports multiple languages: English, Chinese (Big5/GB), Japan, Dutch, Spanish, and French).

Netronix EB100 Product Specification:

• Size: 5.0" x 7.8" x 0.4".
• Weight: 210 g.
• Screen: 6" Eink display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution (170 dpi), 4 grayscale-level, optional TouchScreen.
• Operating System: Linux 2.6.
• Processor: Samsung S3C2440 AM9 400 MHz.
• Memory: 128 MB SDRAM, SD card expandable to 4GB.
• Connectivity: USB v1.1 (MiniUSB), optional WiFi.
• Sound: 2.5mm stereo earphone connector.
• Ebook Format: TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML, CHM.
• Image Format: BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG.
• Font Format,: TrueType Font TTF).
• Language Supports: English, Chinese (Big5/GB), Japan, Dutch, Spanish, French.

Check out the Netronix website for updates on their EB100.

A Quick Reference for Ebook-Related Terminologies

Here are some quick definition of terms related to ebooks or ebook devices. The list is by no means extensive and complete, but will be expanded from time to time.

Electronic paper (e-paper): A display technology that mimics the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. E-paper uses an electronic ink (e-ink) to display the text or images which has the ability to hold the text indifinitely without drawing any power. Electricity is only used when changing the text or images. Electronic paper is not digital paper, which is a pad to handwritten digital documents with a digital pen.

E-ink: An electronic ink technology for e-paper displays manufactured by the E Ink Corporation. The first ebook reader to use the e-ink technology is the Sony LIBRIe released in 2004. Almost all ebook readers manufactured after the LIBRIe use the e-ink technology due to its superior paper-like quality, non-backlit screen that allows readability under sunlight and eliminates eye-strain, and saves energy as it doesn't require electricity to hold images on screen.

Mobipocket: Mobipocket.com SA is a French company which produces the free Mobipocket Reader, a universal reader for PDAs. Mobipocket.com was incorporated in 2000 and bought by Amazon.com in 2005. Mobipocket also has a creator program to create and convert contents from other formats into MOBI formats. The Mobipocket reader and creator program can be downloaded from www.mobipocket.com.

DRM: An acronym for Digital Rights Management (or sometimes referred to as Digital Restriction Management). DRM refers to the technology to control the access to digital media or devices, e.g. the ebooks and ereaders. It prevents the copying and conversion of digital media into other formats by end-users or limits the access as defined by publishers or copyright holders.

PLR: Private Label Rights (PLR) refers to the type of content that can be bough or sold. Buyers can invest in PLR materials by claiming authorship of the content that has been altered or used. PLR products are generally available at affordable prices because the contents are shared among many buyers.

MOBI: Is a format used by the Mobipocket Reader and has the .mobi and .prc file extension. The .prc is used because PalmOS PDAs only supports the .prc and .pdb file extensions. Kindle uses the proprietary AZW format which is similar to the Mobi format with only a small difference in serial number scheme.

Ebook File Formats:

This is a list of some common formats used to produce ebook-type documents, but not necessarily compatible or used in all ebook devices.

• Plain Text: Published as .txt
• HTML: The markup language for most web pages
• MOBI: Published as .mobi or .prc
• AZW: Amazon's proprietary format, used by Kindle.
  
• eReader (formerly Palm Digital Media/Peanut Press): Published as .pdb
• Portable Document Format: Published as .pdf
• Desktop Author: Published as .dnl or .exe
• DjVu: Published as .djvu
• PostScript: Published as .ps
• Microsoft LIT: Published as .lit
• Newton eBook: Published as .pkg
• Apabi: Published as .xeb or .ceb
• Libris: Published as .lbr or .bin
• TomeRaider: Published as .tr2 or .tr3
• FictionBook: Published as .fb2
• IDPF: Published as .epub
• SSReader: Published as .pdg (used by a popular digital library in China)

Livre: A New Ebook Reader?

The multi-touch screen technology by Jeff Han has been by far the one that puts me as close as possible to the future. And if there's one thing that anyone should bring in after watching its YouTube inauguration, it should be that "it's got to be integrated into everything tech as soon as possible". Now there's one that's coming up or at least has something close to it, albeit not commercially, yet. It's Livre, an eBook Reader designed by a Monash University student (Nedzad Mujcinovic) that won the Australian Dyson Student Award 2008.
To best summarize Livre: to go forward one must look back. The main feature of Livre is that it tries to be as book-like as possible, physically, than the rest. That means no buttons, no controls, and thicker. In fact, judging from its look, it's as thick as the real book. The system uses eInk technology, of course, integrated with a touch-input screen. And get this - pages are turned by sliding your finger across the page, while double and triple finger gestures advance the page-turning much quicker. All gestures are mimicking back the old ways of reading books. Its realistic feel is added by the inclusion of the soft leathery cover.

Here's how things look now - multitouch screen and eInk are the real deal now. They're more realistic and make things simpler for the user. How to best mix and match these two together into those gadgets out there is going to be something interesting to watch. What's next for Livre, or Nedzad?

Sony Reader PRS-505 eBook Reader

The Sony Reader PRS-505 is the 2nd generation of an earlier model, PRS-500, or the 3rd generation of Sony Reader considering the LIBRIe in 2004 (the first ever using the eInk display). This model is available in silver and dark blue. At $299 a piece, it's been a vast improvement over the PRS-500 model particularly on the display side: faster refresh rate, reduced ghosting effect, better contrast. The E-ink technology brings in a paper-like quality, readability under sunlight, with an almost 180 degrees viewing angle. The physical design is also simpler and more compact: thinner by 0.2"; fewer, simpler, and more efficient button layout to avoid accidental push; a larger storage to occupy a maximum of 160 eBooks. The battery lasts as long as the time you can read 7500 pages without recharging.
Thousands of contents with approximately 16,000 titles - new releases, classics, popular book titles - are downloadable from the Sony eBook Store. However, the eBook Store is only limited to U.S. customers. It's eBook Library 2.0 PC Software that comes included allows easy file transfer into the reader. Other formats supported by the reader are PDF, RTF, TXT, DOC, and BBeB®.
Sony Reader PRS-505 Product Specification:

• Price: $299
• Size: 4.8" x 6.9" x 0.3"
• Weight: 255 g
• Display: 6" diagonal E-Ink, 4 grayscale-level, 600 x 800 pixel resolution (170 dpi).
• Memory: 128 MB minimum RAM, 20 MB minimum storage, potential expansion of up to 10 GB using 8 GB of Memory Stick Duo and 2 GB of SD Card.
• Battery: 7500 page turns without recharge.
• Format: BBeB, TXT, RTF, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC.
• Connectivity: Broadband internet connection, USB 1.1 and 2.0 connection to PC.

c|net made a video review on this version of Sony reader. Check it out.

Bookeen Cybook Gen3 eBook Reader

The Cybook Gen3 from the French company Bookeen has come highly recommended in its reviews. It's smaller than the other current ebook readers, tidiest in its hardware, control, and display arrangement, very light (at 60% to that of Kindle) and are the most usable e-reader up to date. The overall design is extremely sleek, neat, and compact with an almost-all-screen surface. The Cybook comes in two packing version: the Standard Version (at $350) and the Deluxe Version (at $450) that comes with a leather case, a 2 GB SD card storage, a charger, additional battery, and earphones.

Cybook took a minimalist approach for its complete navigation controlled by only a few button selection - on/off, up/down/right/left, enter/delete, and music - a simple arragement yet effective, clean, and simply all that's needed. For comparison, Kindle offers the QWERTY keyboard in adition to the main navigation controls. Users can read either on portrait or landscape mode. Its E-ink display is highly power-efficient as it draws in energy only for refreshing screen (e.g. for a page flip), gives a realistic text-background contrast, and without backlight that allows readers to read under sunlight just like a real book (which wasn't the case for earlier ereaders using LCD screen). Additional features on its usability simply makes it more user-friendly.

Bookeen has a deal with Mobipocket to license and distribute contents to users in the Mobipocket e-book format. This basically gives its users access to approximately 50,000 titles.

Cybook Gen3 Bookeen Product Specification

• Price: $350 (Standard Version), $450 (Deluxe Version).
• Size: 4.7" x 7.4" x 0.3".
• Weight: 174 g.
• Display: 6" diagonal E Ink® Vizplex screen with 600 x 800 pixel resolution (166 dpi), 4 grayscale-level, no backlight, reading in portrait or landscape mode.
• Operating System: Embedded Linux.
• Software: Bookeen® Multi-format eBook reader, supports Mobipocket, PRC, PalmDoc, HTML, TXT, PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, MP3.
• Battery: Rechargeable built-in Li-Polymer battery (1000 mAh), 8,000 pageflip battery life.
• Processor: Samsung® S3C2410 ARM920T 200MHz.
• Storage: 16 MB RAM, 64 MB internal storage (comes with additional 2 GB SD card in the Deluxe Pack)
• Connectivity: USB Client v2.0 (Mini USB B connector).

Check out this demo vid on Cybook.

Polymer Vision's Readius eBook Reader

The Readius ebook reader is planned to be out in Italy sometime this mid 2008 as announced by the manufacturer, Polymer Vision, a 2006-spinoff from Royal Philips Electronics (creator of the first epaper technology through a collaboration with E Ink Corporation). The UK market is targeted later in the same year. There's no hint on the price yet.

A stand-out Readius feature is its first-of-its-kind rollable displays that flips inward to a mobilephone size of 4.5" x 2.2" x 0.8" when not in used for reading. The display opens up to 5" diagonally. The device optimally integrates the functionality of a mobile phone (3G Tri-band HSDPA and Bluetooth connectivity) and a portable audio player. The internet capability has been much improved with RSS feed and email (POP3, IMAP) capabilities. It's basically a competition to both the eReaders and the mobile phones as well.

Ebook contents will be available to the users over a 3G cellular network via Readius® internet portal, currently still at the working stage with various publishers and content providers. The Readius® and the content download platform, among other things, will be on display during the 11-14 February 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Along with the ebook documents, Readius supports various audio formats such as MP3, AAC and WMA to run audio books, podcasts, and music files. The text and files are displayed on 16 grayscale-level; the company hopes to produce full color display within 5 years.

Readius Polymer Vision Product Specification:

• Price: Not announced yet.
• Size: 4.5" x 2.2" x 0.8" when rolled-in, the size of an average mobile phone.
• Weight: 115g, ligheter than the average ereader.
• Display: 5” diagonal, 16 greyscales, 320 x 240 pixel resolution.
• Battery: 30 hours continuous reading.
• Connectivity: 3G HSDPA Tri-band phone, supporting ActiveSync, USB mass storage (USB 2.0), other device communication via Bluetooth 2.0.
• Processor: ARM11 400MHz.
• Storage: Available up to 8 GB (High Capacity Micro SD).
• User Interface: 8 SimpleTouch buttons.

This is a video of a Readius in action taken by AvingTV.

Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader

Amazon Kindle eReader was a big hit when first launched in November 2007. It's first wave of offering at Amazon.com with a price tag of $399 sold out within just 5.5 hours. Wireless connectivity allows you to browse the Kindle Store directly without having to connect through a computer, and have eBooks delivered under 1 minute. Wireless delivery is taken care of that Kindle owners don't have to pay separate wireless bills.

Books in available format can be selected from a list of more than 100,000 titles plus more than 90 current New York Times bestsellers. Bestsellers and New releases are available to download for a price of $9.99 (unless stated differently). Top newspapers and magazines are also available such as The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, Forbes, and other international newspapers. HTML-capapbility allows readers to subscribe to more than 250 top blogs. Internal capacity allows for a storage of more than 200 titles. Other standard document formats (DOC, JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG) can be easily emailed to Kindle to be converted to Kindle-friendly format.

Kindle features search capability, built-in dictionary, bookmarking and annotation. The text size are easily adjustable The advanced ePaper display feels and looks just like real paper, with extremely sharp text-background contrast.

Amazon Kindle Product Specification:

• Price: $399.
  
• Size: 5.3" x 5.3" x 0.7".
• Display: 6" diagonal display screen, 600 x 800 pixel resolution (167 dpi), 4-level grayscale, E-ink electronic paper technology.
• System: Linux 2.6.10 Kernel, QWERTY keyboard.
• CPU: 64 MB RAM, 256 MB overall internal storage, 180 MB storage for user content (can hold 200+ contents), extension of up to 4 GB through SD memory card.
• Battery: Approximately 1 week without wireless before recharging, 2 days with wireless on, 2-hour recharge time.
• Connection: EVDO modem, uses Amazon Whispernet via Sprint high-speed data network to provide U.S. wireless coverage.
• Port: USB 2.0 port for PC data transfer.
• Audio: Rear-mounted mono speaker and 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.
• Format: Supporting Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible, MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC. Other formats can be easily converted for Kindle-friendly viewing.

Here's a vid from c|net giving a quick review on Kindle.



Read users' reviews on the Kindle.

List of All eBook Readers

Latest eBook Readers:
Here's a list of all the ebook readers using the e-paper or e-ink display technology. Previous ebook readers prior to the Sony's Librie in 2004 used LCD or other screen technology which produced less book-like display quality especially the sharp text-background contrast. E-ink technology requires no power to maintain the image and without backlight that eliminates screen flicker which can strain the eye.

2008

ECTACO Jetbook - NY-based ECTACO has produced Jetbook, a new ebook reader, available for a price of $349.95. This product is out on the market in March 2008. Its bigest selling points are the bilingual translating dictionaries, Russion <-> English and Polish <-> English, monolingual English dictionary, and support for ebook content in multiple languages. Interestingly though, it's using monochrome TFT for screen display and not the e-ink display. Quick specs: 5" high-resolution monochrome TFT display, pre-loaded bilingual and monolingual dictionaries, auto page-turn, bookmarking, landscape and portrait screen modes, and built-in MP3 player.

Netronix EB300 - The 2nd version of ebook reader from Netronix, Inc features the stunningly different and new larger display of 9.7" - compromising between the ease of handling and reading comfortability on a larger screen. Currently, the price or its availability (worldwide?) of the EB300 are not yet announced. Quick specs: 7.7" x 10" x 0.6" overall size, 9.7" E-ink display, 1200 x 825 pixels at 170 dpi, 4 levels of grayscale, WinCE 5.0 OS, supports multiple languages, supports TXT, PDF, RTF, HTML/CHM, BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, MP3, AAC, TTF, connects via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, navigates using Touch Screen & 4 functional buttons, 4GB NAND Flash, and 5000 pageturn battery life.

Netronix EB100 - The price and availability aren't announced yet for this ereader from the Taiwanese company Netronix INC. Some of the features have been quite a standard such as the power-saving characteristic due to its eInk technology with 8000 pageturns per charge. The display is easy on the eye without any any backlight. EB100 supports multiple languages and runs on Linux 2.6. Quick Specs: 5.0" x 7.8" x 0.4" overall size, 6" display screen, 4 grayscale-level, 210 weight, and SD card storage expandable up to 4 GB.

Readius by Polymer Vision - Planned to be released mid 2008 in Italy, Readius is an e-reader with integrated functionality of a mobile phone. It's rollable display guarantees a new unique experience for those who are familiar with ebook readers. Quick specs: 4.5" x 2.2" x 0.8" overall size (with screen rolled-in), 115 g weight, 5" QVGA rollable screen, 4 GB internal storage, 320 x 240-pixel display, 10-days, battery life, with 16-shades of grey. Price isn't announced yet.

2007

Kindle by Amazon - Launched in November 2007, it's first wave of offering sold out within just 5.5 hours at a retail price of $399. Ebooks are available from a list of more than 100,000 titles plus more than 90 current New York Times bestsellers. The e-reader supports audio format such as MP3, audiobooks, and Audible. Quick specs: 6" diagonal display with 600 x 800 pixels, 256 MB internal storage, 4-shades of grey, 7-days of battery life, and overall size of 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.7" with 295 g weight.

Cybook Gen3 by Bookeen - Released Oct 2007 by a French company Bookeeen (Bookeen rhymes with 'bouiquine' which comes from 'bouiquinner', meaning 'to read'). The Cybook comes in two packing version: the Standard Version (at $350) and the Deluxe Version (at $450) that comes additional accessories. Quick specs: 7.4" x 4.7" x 0.3" overall size, 174 g weight, 6" E-ink Vizplex display with 600 x 800 pixel resolution, 8000-pageflip battery life, 4 levels of grey, 64 MB internal storage = a few tens of books.

Sony PRS-505 Reader - This is an updated version which was made available on Oct 2007 at a price of $299. The original PRS-500 version was released in September 2006 for the U.S. market. The updated version has an improved e-paper imaging for faster refresh time, brighter white state and 8 levels of grey. Quick specs: 7.5" x 5.0" x 0.3" overall size, 250 g weight, 6" diagonal display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 4 grayscale-level, and 256 MB storage to store about 160 typical ebooks.

iLiad by iRex Technologies - This 2nd Edition of iLiad ereader was launched September 2007 by iRex Technologies, a company based in the Netherlands and a spinoff of Royal Philips Electronics. The 1st Edition was released mid 2006. Some of the specs are a boost compared to the standard ereaders, tagged at a hefty price of $699. Quick specs: 8.5" x 6.1" x 8.5 x 0.6" overall size, 390 g weight, 8.1" display with 16 grayscale-level, 768 x 1024 pixel resolution, and 256 MB internal memory.

Hanlin eReader V3 by Jinke - Released August 2007 by Jinke, a Chinese company, as an improvement over the previous model at a retail price of $299. Quick specs: 7.2" x 4.7" x 0.4" overall size, 210 g weight, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, E-ink Vizplex display technology, supports multi language, 4 levels of grey, memory extension up to 4 GB, 1-month battery life based on 300-page/day average.

2004

LIBRIe by Sony - The first ever ebook reader to use the e-ink technology produced through a collaboration between E-Ink Corporation and Royal Philips Electronics. Released in April 2004 and was set at $376. Quick specs: 7.5" x 5" x 0.5" overall size with 6" diagonal display, 600 x 800 pixel screen resolution, 190 g weight, 10 MB storage, and 4 shades of grey.

Earlier eBook Readers:
These e-readers used the LCD (or some other) screen technologies as opposed to the eInk display. In addition to requiring power to display text and images on screen, LCD tires the eyes over time, not a good feeling to have when reading your favorite book.

Cybook Gen1 by Bookeen - Released in 2004 at a price of $399. Compared to the current eReader, this one is more like a small version of laptop but at limited functionalities (mainly to read books isn't it!). About 5 times heavier too. Quick specs: Windows CE 3.0 Operating Systems, 8" x 10.1" x 1" overall size, 1 kg weight, 10" backlit LCD display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, 256 colors, touch-screen navigation, 32 MB storage, ~ 4 hours of battery life (depends on brightness settings).

2001

Hiebook by Korea ebook - Manufactured by Korea ebook Inc. and released fall 2001. Priced at $299. Quick specs: EMOS operating system, 4.5" x 5.7" x 0.7" overall size, 298 grams weight, 480 x 320 pixel resolution, 5.6" touch-screen backlit LCD display, 16 MB internal storage, 16 grayscale-level, 10+ hours battery life with MP3 on.