Archive for the ‘e-ink’ Category

Barnes & Noble officially launches nook e-reader: $259, pre-orders are live (video)

Looks like all those whispers were true — the “Android-based” nook is alive and well, and it’s calling itself the planet’s “most advanced e-book reader.” Measuring 7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches and weighing 11.2 ounces, the device includes a top e-ink display from Vizplex and a color touchscreen (3.5-inches) below, which supports one-touch control and swipe-to-browse books with full-color covers. The rechargeable battery takes 3.5 hours to go from zero to full if using a wall outlet, and B&N claims that it’ll last for up to ten days if you flick the wireless to “off.” Speaking of which, inbuilt WiFi (802.11b/g) and AT&T 3G is included, not to mention 2GB of internal storage, a microSD expansion slot, MP3 player, built-in mono speaker, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack and a micro USB port. The nook also supports bookmarking, making notes, and highlighting passages, and the ‘LendMe’ feature allows users to lend books for up to a fortnight at a time to other e-readers, cellphones or computers.

B&N also tells us that you can pick up where you left off (with markings and highlights in tact) on your iPhone or BlackBerry using its free eReader software, which just so happens to be the same app that allows sharing to iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC or Mac. As expected, the company will also let you sample ebooks before you buy, and you’ll enjoy free WiFi each and every time you sashay into a Barnes & Noble retail location. It’s available to pre-order as we speak for $259, with initial shipments expected to happen at the end of November. Introductory video is after the break, along with a few highlights about accessories and features.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble officially launches nook e-reader: $259, pre-orders are live (video)

Filed under: Displays

Barnes & Noble officially launches nook e-reader: $259, pre-orders are live (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen

Details are scarce, since the official launch won’t happen until January 7 at CES next year, but Plastic Logic is looking to crash into the “pro” segment of the e-reader market (currently mostly occupied by the Kindle DX) with its upcoming QUE proReader. The unit uses E Ink Vizplex tech in a shatterproof display the size of a regular piece of paper at 8.5 x 11-inches, and has 3G wireless capabilities courtesy of AT&T and a business-centric ebook store at QUEreader.com which will be powered by Barnes & Noble. There’s also a touchscreen interface, but it’s unclear if that covers the entire display, or is something more akin to the leaked photos we’ve seen of the Barnes & Noble reader. The device is “less than 1/3-inch thick,” and can handle PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents, including tools for “interacting with and managing the content,” which sounds beyond the scope of most e-readers on the market currently. We’ll have to wait and see how useful the interface really is, and how much damage (if any) that touchscreen sensor does to readability, but a bit of diversification in the ebook space sounds like a good thing on paper. Full PR is after the break.

Continue reading Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen

Filed under: Handhelds

Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixel Qi e-ink / LCD hybrid display to debut on tablet next month?

It’s been far, far too long (read: four months) since we’ve heard a peep from the gentle souls over at Pixel Qi, but it looks like the long, heart-wrenching wait for the hybrid display that’s bound to revolutionize Western civilization is nearing an end. According to the startup’s CEO herself, Mary Lou Jepsen, the primetime-ready 3Qi display should make its glorious debut on an undisclosed tablet to be announced next month. For those out of the loop, this transflective display contains both e-ink and LCD properties, one for outdoor reading scenarios and the other for multimedia viewing. The amazing part is that toggling between the two is as simple as flipping a switch, which obviously means great things for battery life on whatever device it’s shoved into. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more, but do us a favor and cross your fingers for good luck. Toes too, por favor.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under: Displays

Pixel Qi e-ink / LCD hybrid display to debut on tablet next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content

Word of an e-reader from txtr GmbH — a platform for online document hosting and storage — has been making the rounds for a while now, with the thing finally making the leap from vaporware to full fledged gadgethood at the Frankfurt Book Fair yesterday. Built around an ARM11 CPU and a 6-inch grayscale e-Ink display, this guy features support for ePub format documents, microSD card storage (ships with 8GB) and access to your documents either via USB, WiFI, or the txtr Net wireless service — which, as near we can tell is Germany-only — where you can expect to pay about €14.99 ($22) a month for a three month contract or $11.99 ($18) per month for the year. Among the many enticements offered to lure you away from Amazon (or, perhaps, Barnes and Noble), the company is promising that this will be an entirely open platform for devs, and they’re throwing in a novel by Thomas Klupp (which, as far as we can tell, is only available in German). Pre-orders start December 1st, 2009 for €319 ($477), with plans to get these guys in European and American customer’s hands before Christmas. PR after the break.

[Via NewGadgets.de]

Continue reading txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content

Filed under: Handhelds

txtr’s e-reader offers a 6-inch e-Ink display, plenty in the way of Teutonic content originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble twin-screen e-reader revealed early?

At this point, there’s little doubt that Barnes & Noble will soon be joining the e-reader game. We’ve heard whispers through the grapevine, seen FCC documentation and now, renders of what the thing might actually look like. With October 20th rapidly approaching, Gizmodo has secured images that it claims are of the forthcoming device — and the design certainly jibes with recent happenings. If you’ll recall, a B&N-badged representative recently noted that an e-book reader with its logo on it was on track for a Spring 2010 release, and by golly, it would sport a color display. Plastic Logic later stepped forward to deny the claim, but if these images are legit, both parties might actually be correct; the dual-panel device would boast a traditional e-ink display up top with a multitouch panel beneath, the latter of which would undoubtedly lead to all sorts of shenanigans. So, is it Tuesday yet, or what?

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Barnes & Noble twin-screen e-reader revealed early? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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