E-Reader Feeder

From Engadget, Jan 6, 2010 Samsung has revealed two eBook Readers at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, called the E6 priced at $399.00 US and the E101 priced at $699.00 US.

"We've used our expertise to create a high-quality e-book with today’s on-the-go consumer in mind," said Young Bae, director of display marketing, Samsung Information Technology Division. "Samsung is addressing a common frustration that users experience with many of today’s digital readers with a stylus that allows them to annotate their favorite works or take notes. Coupled with wireless functionality that enables sharing of content, this is a truly multi-faceted device."

The E6 and E101 enable handwriting directly onto the display, letting users annotate their reading selections, calendars and to-do lists with a built-in electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. Samsung says the pen prevents mistypes caused by hands and other objects that graze the screen's surface. It comes with a variety of pen and eraser thicknesses.
According to the company, the Samsung e-book displays reflect light naturally and deliver an appearance similar to that of printed paper, allowing people to read more naturally than they would with other backlit electronic paper devices.

"The E101 boasts a ten-inch screen, while the E6, is the more portable sibling at six inches," says Samsung. "Because Samsung's e-book is not backlit, the power consumption is lower than that of other portable display devices. Only four hours of charging prepares the battery for up to two weeks of use, depending on the extent of daily use."

enTourage eDGe
Wacky punctuation aside, this is a wild ebook reader, with two screens connected, laptop-style, by a hinge. Close it shut when you're on the road, then crack it open -- like a real book -- when you're on the couch. The e-reader, 9.7 inches diagonally, is on the left, an Android-based netbook (with a 10.1-inch screen) is on the right. At nearly 3 pounds it's far heavier than other e-readers, but it's nothing if not versatile. $490, shipping in February.

Copia
Copia is an e-reader platform, not a device, but the company behind Copia -- DMC Worldwide -- is also launching six e-readers to support it. The Ocean and Tidal readers come in various sizes, most featuring touchscreens, but the real idea here is to make reading social, with discussion groups and shareable notes tied in to each e-book available on the system. Interesting idea if the critical mass emerges. Availibility in April at $199 to $299, depending on the reader.

iRiver Story
Perhaps the least impressive new reader in the field, this Kindle knockoff is handsome but not ready for prime time -- it won't even offer wireless at launch. Available at the end of January for $279 (tentatively).
From Yahoo Tech, January 8th, 2010

From Gadgetell, January 8th, 2010 Paradigm Shift Sourcing and Manufacturing will introduce two e-readers during CES next month. One will have a 5-inch display and the other will have a 7-inch display. The kicker is that both of these readers will have high resolution, high contrast, full-color display. But another cool thing is that they claim that these E-readers will be more than just E-readers. The 5-inch EER-051 will double as an MP3-player and photo viewer. It will come with 1GB of memory built-in, expandable with an SD expansion slot; and it will support many E-book formats including; ANSI, Unicode TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML, FB2, PDB and unprotected EPUB.

The 7-inch EER-071WF will have even more in it because it will run Windows CE with a full touchscreen display, built-in WiFi, and the ability to read DRM encrypted E-books. Paradigm Shift is calling this one more of a UMPC rather then just an E-reader because it will be able to use chat programs through E-buddy and be able to access and view videos on YouTube. It will also be able to read Microsoft Word and Excel files, PDF files, flash video and AAC, and MP3’s. It will have 2GB of memory built-in expandable by a microSD expansion slot.

From Mashable, Jan 4th, 2010 In partnership with Sprint, who will supply 3G connectivity to the device, The Skiff Reader plans to come out swinging with a large 11.5-inch size and a high 1200 x 1600 pixel screen resolution. It will also be on the svelte side at just over a quarter-inch thick and just over a pound — the thinnest eReader on the market to date.

The Skiff Reader is also notable for using an entirely new technology to power its display. Unlike the glass screens that are the hallmarks of the current generation of eReader devices, the Skiff uses a flexible display based on a thin sheet of stainless-steel foil. LG is the manufacturer behind the new screens, which helps the Skiff stay slim and carry less risk of breakage.

Like Barnes & Noble with their Nook, Hearst wants to control its own distribution chain with a dedicated device. It will have it's own digital ebook store to sell content for the Skiff, and we know it’s also very interested in, if not actively working on, developing a magazine platform as well. In other words, publishers are stepping up to the plate as they try to take back the control that Amazon and Apple currently wield in the still nascent digital publishing space.

From arstechnica.com, Dec 28th, 2009 Qualcomm has been talking up its EMS- based Mirasol display tech for some time, and the company claims that Mirasol-based e-readers will come to market later next year. But Qualcomm isn't just looking to take on E-Ink with Mirasol; rather, Mirasol can do color video, so it's after the full spectrum of display applications, from mobile phones to HD TV.

Like an E-Ink pixel, each Mirasol subpixel is bistable, meaning that it's stable in either the "open" or "closed" states, and it requires power only to switch states; this bistability gives it its low-power characteristics. State switching is fast, on the order of a few microseconds, which is why Mirasol can do video at it about one third less power than a conventional LCD display of the same dimensions.

One problem is that Mirasol depends on an external light source to light its moving images, instead of a backlight like a normal LCD. If you're not in bright light, then the display will need some kind of light source, almost certainly LED-based, at which point its power advantages over an LED-backed LCD aren't so clear. But it could still be a solid competitor to E-Ink. And, given that nearly the entire e-reader market seems dependent on a single display provider in one form or another, it's good to have options.

From CNET, January 7th, 2010 After two years of delays and sneak peaks, Plastic Logic has finally revealed it's ulta thin "Que"at the 2010 CES. The device, as expected, is a full-screen e-reader with a touchscreen and interface designed to move quickly through a document or book.

 What's new is its sleeker frame, which is noticeably free of buttons. Instead, the device operates entirely by touch interface, using gestures such as swipes to move from one page to another.

Plastic Logic will sell a 4GB model with Wi-Fi and an 11.6-inch display for $649, while a version with double the memory and 3G in addition to Wi-Fi will sell for $799. Release is set for April at many retailers such as Barnes & Noble.

"What we are trying to do at Plastic Logic is give you the benefits of paper without all of the drawbacks," CEO Richard Archuleta said here.

The device can also access e-mail, calendar and other data from Microsoft Outlook. The goal, Archuleta said, is not to create another e-reader, but rather to replace the papers that fill a typical worker's briefcase.

From BingoBongo, Jan 8th, 2010 The Lenovo touchscreen tablet computer (unfortunately called the IdeaPad U1) was a very popular gadget at the CES because the keyboard detaches from the screen, turning this netbook into a Wi-max android tablet.

Microsoft and HP announced a "Slate PC" It looks pretty cool, with a big touchscreen and svelte design, and the specs suggest an ability to perform. And yet it has a plain air about it: it runs Windows 7, looks like a broken silver netbook and just makes people wonder how Apple's iSlate will compare.

From Besttabletreview, Jan 26th, 2010 For what its worth, the MER-6T e-Reader has a 6-inch 800 x 600 resolution E-Ink screen with 16 levels of gray. It has 2GB of internal storage, a SD/SDHC card slot for expansion (up to 16GB) and language support for English, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and German. It can read PDF, ePub, TXT, RTF, FB2, HTML and PRC/MOBI.

It also can play MP3, WMA and WAV audio files and display JPG, BMP, GIF and PNG images. The MER-6T sports a Li-Polimer 1200mAH battery that is rated up to 8,000 pages while reading or around 6 hours while listening to audio. Rounding out its feature list is a USB port, headphone jack and a 6.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 inch dimension.

No word on price, availability or anything else...

From Gotobemobile, January 7th, 2010 The e-Reader that is said to have been the inspiration for the Nook was showcased by Spring Design at the CES. It’s a dual-screen system running Android, similar to the nook, with a 3.5″ color LCD on the bottom and 6″ EPD electronic ink screen on the top. Very simple design with only four navigation buttons and a sync button to show ebooks or websites on both screens.

Took a bit of concerted thought to keep the direction of the sync straight, pushing ebooks to the bottom or websites to the top, but it should be easy enough to remember. Directional and back buttons were straightforward. The usual lag with the e-ink was there, but overall, I found it very snappy. I did, however, find myself wanting to touch the e-ink screen, which is not touch-enabled. I doubt I’ll be the only one. Retail price is estimated to be $359.00 US.