Portable eBook Readers

Posts Tagged ‘E Ink’

It’s been a long time coming – or at least that’s how it feels – but Amazon has finally unveiled its new, upgraded and enhanced Kindle electronic reader. Christened the third generation Kindle by Amazon – but more likely to be known as the Kindle 3 – there are a variety of improvements.

The new features of the Kindle 3 seem likely to press all the right buttons for e-book reader fans. It keeps the same 6″ e-ink technology screen, but the display’s contrast has been improved by 50%, which should make reading even better. Page turn speed, already good in the Kindle 2.0, has been made 20% faster.

The overall dimensions of the reader are shrunk by 21% and the weight is a mere 8.7 ozs – 15% lighter. With the Wi-Fi turned off, the battery will now last for a month – even with the Wi-Fi on, a 10 day life is achievable. On board storage capacity has been increased from 2 to 4 GB, enough for approximately 3,500 books. So the new Kindle is lighter, smaller, easier to read, has an extended battery life and allows users to carry a small personal library with them wherever they go. What more could you ask for from a mobile reader?

For many, a color screen would have been one item on their wish list. However, whilst Amazon have been working on a color e-ink technology display, it is not ready for commercial release at the moment. Perhaps this might be incorporated in the next Kindle 4 release. There is no SD slot available for memory expansion, something which some users may also have liked to see. Nevertheless, considering that the memory capacity is now at 4GB, most people won’t suffer too greatly as a consequence of this.

In addition to the various upgrades, Amazon have reduced the price and introduced a new Wi-Fi only model for those who don’t see the need for a 3G connection. Just $ 139 will get you the new entry level Wi-Fi only model, with the 3G plus Wi-Fi version available for$ 189. The new Kindle 3 now comes in graphite, the same as the new DX model, in addition to the original white color.

Amazon has also opened a dedicated UK Kindle store on their British website. UK customers will no longer need to get their Kindles shipped from the States. To begin with the UK Kindle store will have 400,000 Kindle books available. It seems reasonable to suppose that Amazon may consider opening other dedicated Kindle stores for its other “local” websites in France, Germany etc. in the future.

The Kindle 3 seems to be in high demand. Potential customers currently face a 4 week wait before their readers are shipped. It does start to look as if reports of the Kindle’s imminent demise at the hands of Apple’s iPad were somewhat premature. The new upgrades, the lower prices and the fact that there is no monthly payment for connectivity, will be very appealing to many consumers. It looks as though the launch of Amazon’s new Kindle 3 may serve as a timely reminder of just how influential the company is, and will continue to be, in the world of books in general and e-books in particular.

Learn more about the Amazon Kindle for yourself and view the wide range of Kindle accessories available to help you personalise your reader.

Related Kindle 3 article

• Kindle 3 vs Sony Reader 650 – Thoughts (ireaderreview.com)

Play Smart Pte Ltd is the authorized reseller of Foxit eSlick. visit us at www.playsmartsg.biz. Foxit eSlick is this generation’s way of reading textbooks, favorite novels, magazines and pretty much any and all documents and images that can be converted to PDF file. It is the ’slickest’ e-book device on the market at 0.4″ thick, 6.4 ounces, fitting well in your hand just like your palm desktop. It has an internal memory of 512MB and comes with a 2 GB SD card (supports up to 4 GB) allowing you to carry up to a thousand books in your palm library. Resolution is 600 x 800 pixel. It uses revolutionary electronic-paper display technology that provides a sharp, black-and-white screen that looks and reads just like it would on real paper. It is easy to read and will not strain the eyes like LCD screens do. It also provides the best PDF reflow capability that gives a better reading experience. It has a built-in MP3 player and comes with free Foxit Reader Pro Pack, Foxit PDF Creator and earphones

budurl.com Click to learn more about the best ebook reader – the new Amazon Kindle now with access in over 100 countries.

The Bookeen eBook reader series now includes the 6 inch Cybook Gen 3 and the very portable and stylish 5 inch Cybook Opus.

Cytale were pioneers in the ebook reader and were the first European company to make a dedicated ebook reader in 1998. Cytale failed in 2003 but two former Cytale engineers bought the rights to the Cytale Cybook Gen 1 and founded the French company Bookeen.

The Cybook Gen1 was their only product until 2007, when they began selling the Cybook Gen 3, their first eBook reader to use an E-Ink screen. In 2009 Bookeen announced a new product – the Cybook Opus – a smaller edition of the Cybook Gen3 but with some improvements and a sleek and chic new look.

Cybook Gen 3

The Cybook Gen 3 is an ultra-light ebook reader that uses E-ink screen technology. The Bookeen Cybook Gen3 looks very classy with its frosty black finish and its ultra slim design – definitely good looking and stylish. The Cybook is truly a portable ebook reader as it is only the size of a paperback, the thickness of a magazine and the weight of a mobile phone.

Functions of the Cybook Gen 3

Connection - To transfer your ebooks and documents to the Cybook Gen 3 you connect it to a USB cable from your computer and copy your data to the Cybook memory. You can also use a SD card and copy your data in it and transfer the card to the Cybook.

Read eBooks – You can access more than 50,000 digital books that are in Mobipocket format. These contemporary books are from publishers like Random House and Penguin – there are now more than 200 ebook stores that support Mobipocket prc format. You can also acquire thousands of classic free public domain books.

Read Documents – You can read different kind of digital documents like PDF documents, HTML or TXT. These document formats can be used directly without any conversion.

Read the News – With the Cybook, you have the option of downloading and reading RSS feeds from online websites by using Mobipocket eNews software.

View Photos – You can display photos and pictures in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats which are automatically resized and converted to grey levels.

Listen to Music- Like most ebook readers, he Cybook can also act as a MP3 player – you can read while listening to music with the headphone connection.

Features and Specifications of the Cybook Gen 3

• Device Size – 4.7″ x 7.4″ x 0.3″ (118 x 188 x 8.5 mm)
• Weight 6.13 ounces (174 g)
• Screen 6″ E Ink screen – 600 x 800 pixels, 166 dpi, B&W, 4 greyscale
• Features – Daylight readable (no backlight), Portrait and landscape mode, 11 control buttons (no touchscreen)
• Audio – 2.5mm stereo headphone plug
• Battery – Rechargeable built-in Li-Polymer battery (8,000 page flips on one charge)
• Processor – 200MHz
• Memory – ROM memory: 8 MB, RAM memory: 16 MB, Storage memory: 64 MB
• Data Formats – HTML, TXT, PRC, PalmDoc, PDF
• Connectivity – Mini USB, SD Card slot
• Firmware 1.5 Update – 12 font sizes on all prc, html and txt files, Zoom, Create folders, Speed-up page turn
• Firmware 2.0 Update – Support of Adobe Digital Edition epub and pdf files, 12 font sizes on all ePub, txt, html files
• Available Accessories – USB charger, Protective cover, 2GB SD card, stereo earphones, extra battery

Summary of the Cybook Gen 3

As far as 6 inch ebook readers go, the Cybook Gen 3 is an adequate ebook reader that does the basics of storing and reading digital books. It is stylish, light-weight, and slim and now has the ability to read the ePub format which will make a difference to the number of ebook titles available. Some customers have complained about the poor post-sale support and that the device freezes up occasionally. At $249 though, you would be better of with the new Cybook Opus.

Cybook Opus

The 5 inch Bookeen Cybook Opus is the newest ebook reading device from Bookeen. This is truly a portable ebook reader that does indeed fit in your pocket and can be held comfortably in one hand. It is also the lightest ebook reader on the market at only 5.3 ounces.

Features of the Cybook Opus

With its large 1 GB of internal storage memory, the Cybook Opus can store more than 1,000 books. The Cybook Opus has a higher 200dpi e-Paper screen compared to the 160dpi of the Gen3 but still uses only 4 greyscale. The screen position can switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically with its accelerometer.

With the ePub format, the Cybook Opus has access to over 200,000 contemporary digital books and thousands of free classic public domain ebooks. The digital bookstore for Cybook Opus can be found at www.booksonboard.com/opus

Specifications of the Cybook Opus

• Device Size – 4.2″ x 6″ x 0.4″ (108 x 151 x 10 mm)
• Weight – 5.3 ounces (150 g)
• Screen – 5″ E-Ink screen, 600×800 pixels, 200 dpi, B&W, 4 greyscale
• Features – Daylight readable (no backlight), Automatic switch in Portrait and landscape mode, 9 Controls buttons (no touchscreen)
• Battery – Rechargeable and replaceable built-in Li-Polymer battery (8,000 page flips on one charge)
• Processor – 400MHz
• Memory – RAM memory: 32 MB, Storage memory: 1 GB
• File Formats – HTML, TXT, PDF, Secured and non secured Adobe ePub and PDF
• Connectivity – Mini USB, micro SD Card slot

Summary of the Cybook Opus

If you want an ebook reader with the ability to store and read over 1,000 ebooks, that is also exceedingly chic looking, then the Cybook Opus
is worth considering. Many customers, especially women, love the design and look of the Opus and appreciate its small size and light weight. Also, the fact that it doesn’t have a touchscreen makes the display very crisp and easy to read.

Hopefully Bookeen will improve their customer support and the frequency of their firmware updates as several customers have complained about this. On the whole, it is a viable option for people looking for a basic ebook reader that fits in your pocket and is ultra-light, slim and chic.

Related eBook Reader articles…

• Bookeen Cybook Opus e-book reader (ubergizmo.com)
• Aluratek’s $179 LCD-Based Libre eBook Reader Goes Cheap [Ebooks] (gizmodo.com)
• E-book readers to stay pricey next year (reghardware.co.uk)

The iLiad Reader from iRex Technologies in the Netherlands is the most expensive portable ebook reader in the market but it has a useful stylus for freehand note taking and also Wi-Fi connectivity.

The iLiad reader from iRex was introduced in July 2006 and is currently in its second edition, the iLiad 2nd edition. The company also has a larger ebook reader with a 10.2 inch display called the iRex Digital Reader 1000S and a cheaper version without Wi-Fi and with a 8.1 inch display called the iLiad Book Edition.

iLiad eBook Reader Features

The iLiad Reader is not as portable as some of the 5 or 6 inch ebook readers on the market as it has an 8.1 inch diagonal display and weighs 15.3 ounces. It is also the most expensive ebook reader on the market with a current price of close to $700.

The iLiad ebook reader uses an e-ink display with Vizplex Imaging Film manufactured by E Ink Corporation. The display is the nearest thing to reading from paper and ink that you will find; some have said that it is better than all of the competition. You can scale and zoom the display to see small text and you can read in landscape or portrait orientation.

Reading and Writing on the iLiad Reader

One feature that sets the iLiad Reader apart from the competition is the ability to write in freehand. Many people like to take notes when reading and so scribble notes in the margin, or even doodles and drawings. Now it is also possible to do this on a portable ebook reader.

The iRex reader has an integrated Wacom Penabled technology so you can use the stylus to underline text, make notes, or write comments in documents. You can also do crossword or Sudoku puzzles or doodles and drawings. You also use the stylus to navigate through the menus and your documents.

The reader comes with templates for graph paper, lined paper, and musical paper or you can upload any jpg or png that you like to use as a templete. Another handy feature is the ability to vary the width of the ink. The original template is always saved without annotations and a separate file is saved with your notes but it is difficult to save the version with your notes to your PC – you can download software from iLiad which has limitations or you can buy handwriting recognition software.

Unique Features of the iLiad eBook Reader

Although the iLiad reader has all the normal features shared by many other readers, there a few nice features that set the iLiad apart. You have many more options for getting content into the device: USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, SD card, Compact Flash card, MMC memory cards, or a CF card.

While most ebook readers use buttons for page turning which require a bit too much force, the iLiad reader uses a convenient “flipbar.” The flipbar is located on the left side of the screen and can turn pages backwards or forwards. It requires hardly any force to operate, which is an important feature as page turning is the most used button / flipbar and will make for a better reading experience.

When you create a free MyiRex account, you will be able to download and share your documents with friends and colleagues. Also, each account gives you free access to the latest software releases which will make your iLiad run more smoothly, keep it bug-free, and add new features and functionalities to your iLiad.

You can sync your iLiad seamlessly with your computer with the iLiad Companion Software. The iLiad Companion software brings your iLiad and computer together using the built-in wireless capability. You can automatically synchronize your books, newspapers, RSS feeds and documents with your iLiad.

Technical Specifications

Display - 8.1-inch diagonal E-Paper Display, 768 x 1024 pixels resolution, 160 dpi, 16 levels of grey-scale, Touch sensor input, Integrated Wacom Penabled sensor board and Wacom Slim Pen Stylus

Processor and Memory – Intel 400MHz XScale processor, 64 MB RAM
Storage and Expansion – 256MB internal flash, Expandable with up to 4 Gigabyte with USB, MMC or CF cards

Power and Battery – Built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery with 12 hour charge, 3 hour charging time

Audio – Built-in stereo speakers, stereo headphone mini-jack

Communication - Built-in Wi-Fi 802.11B/G wireless networking, Optional external 10/100MB Ethernet networking via Travel hub

Size and Weight – 217mm (8.5 inch) x 155mm (6.1 inch) x 16mm (0.63 inch), 435 grams (15.3 ounce)

Supported Formats – PDF / HTML / TXT / JPG / BMP/ PNG / PRC (Mobipocket)

Summary

So, is the iRex iLiad 2nd Edition ebook reader for you? If you just want a portable ebook reader to read the latest bestselling novel then I don’t think you will be able to justify the price. But if you want to use it to read and take notes on technical papers, music sheets, business memos, or use a lot of PDF documents with the ability to make annotations and comments and pass them on to a colleague, then the iLiad ebook reader might be for you.

The Good Features of the iLiad Reader

• Wi-Fi capability, USB, and ethernet connectivity
• An excellent screen and the ability to make free-hand notes, doodles, annotations
• Sync RSS feeds to the iLiad
• The many methods to add content through USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, SD card, Compact Flash card, MMC memory cards, and CF card
• Runs a Linux operating system that allows third-party applications to be created and run on the iLiad

The Bad Features of the iLiad Reader

• The high price
• Some people complain of mediocre support
• Limited ebook content as the iLiad supports only Mobipocket files – 50,000 books compared to the hundreds of thousands available from Sony or Amazon