Archive for the ‘e-reader’ Category

Foxit eSlick E-Reader Nears its End

Smaller e-readers are dropping like flies as yet another device maker has announced it will get out of the e-reader hardware business.

Foxit has said it will “cease development” on its eSlick device that was once touted for being among the cheapest in the market and offering excellent support for PDF files. Instead it plans to offer its software to other digital books providers, says Foxit in a press release.

The death of the eSlick comes on the heels of similar news about devices from companies such as Audiovox and Plastic Logic. Price cuts by Amazon and Barnes & Noble, extreme competition and a shift in consumer interest toward more multi-purpose tablets have taken their toll on e-readers.

In contrast, Amazon’s newly revamped Kindle sold out in just days after its launch a week ago.

Since Amazon introduced the first generation Kindle in 2007, e-readers became one of the hottest consumer products. The category attracted more than a dozen companies, all of whom bought a black-and-white screen from E Ink, packaged it into a plastic casing and competed for consumer attention.

Mostly Kindle clones, many of these e-readers were near-identical in how they looked and the features they offered. Smaller e-reader makers also had to contend with Apple’s iPad, which launched in April. The iPad took away some consumers who were looking for features beyond just the ability to read digital books.

Meanwhile, Amazon stormed into a price war dropping the price of the Kindle 2 to $190 from $260 in response to cuts from Barnes & Noble on its Nook e-reader. A latest version of the Kindle with only Wi-Fi capability costs $140, now $10 cheaper than a similar Nook version.

This price war took its toll on smaller e-reader manufacturers. Foxit, which once claimed to have among the cheapest e-reader in the market, has now been left behind. It’s e-book reader with a 6-inch black-and-white E Ink display now costs $200.

For a small company like Foxit clearly cutting price on the eSlick to beat the Kindle is not a sustainable. Not surprisingly, Foxit says it will now focus on licensing its PDF and ePub technology to companies in the e-book market. As e-book sales grow, it is becoming clear that the e-reader category will have just three major brands: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony, and a rival to take them all on: the Apple iPad.

See Also:

• Upstart E-readers Fade to Black as Tablets Gain Momentum
• 5 Things That Will Make E-Readers Better in 2010
• E-Readers Will Survive the Onslaught of Tablets
• Plastic Logic Que E-Reader Turns Into Vaporware
• Gallery: E-Readers Push Boundaries of Books

Photo: Foxit eSlick (knuton/Flickr)

Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle

You know that Kindle you’re so in love with? Man, that’s so 2009. Mirasol showed up at CES with a display technology that’s been in the works for around a decade, and it has finally reached the point where ODMs and OEMs are talking shop about integrating said panel into all manners of future devices. In the past, the company has stuck to making screens for relatively minuscule devices, but its latest display is a 5.7-inch XGA color screen that would fit just perfectly within your next e-reader. We spoke at length with executives, and they’re currently predicting an ebook reader running Mirasol in Fall of this year. What we’ve heard “around” is that the device will actually be new Kindle running a Mirasol display — we can’t confirm it, but it sounds logical. What’s interesting, though, is that this panel is not only color, but it can play back video when used with the right processor. In other words, a powerful enough Mirasol reader could double as a small tablet, and we imagine you could actually browse the web with some level of enjoyment. The demo we were shown was nothing short of stunning, and we were told that it could scale up to fit within 9 to 10-inch slate / tablet PCs. It requires no backlighting whatsoever, and instead relies on ambient light to show its stuff. We were told that future devices would be priced competitively, even to LCD / e-ink rivals, and we can safely say we’ll be bummed if we hear the word “delay” when autumn rolls around. Don’t make us frown, Mirasol.

Continue reading Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle

Mirasol shows prototype reader-like device playing back color video, might be headed for the Kindle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount

Other than a delightful-looking keyboard, it’s a little tough to tell what sets the iriver Story apart from its E Ink brethren (other than its complete lack of wireless), but the little issue of a $400 US pricetag for import versions doesn’t give us much reason to find out. Meanwhile, in the UK the somewhat more reasonable £230 tag has been affixed to the now-shipping e-reader, and while that’s still a tad bit more than just shipping a Kindle to the UK, if you’re still interested you can feel free to check out a few videos after the break that do a mild job of explaining the device to a rollicking soundtrack of Taylor Swift.

Continue reading iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount

iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence: Of ebooks and suburban moms

There was a raging debate going on last week at Engadget HQ over the role of dedicated ebook readers that spilled over on to the Engadget Show. You can watch the show here, but essentially big boss Joshua Topolsky and Paul Miller feel that the new Barnes and Noble Nook is going to be a hit — the one machine that gets suburban moms to buy. On the other hand, Nilay Patel, rationally (as he agrees with me) says it’s not going to happen and there’s no mass market for dedicated ebook readers. I’m going to weigh in and say Nilay is probably right.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not entirely an integration vs. convergence story. I believe there’s a market for dedicated devices: cameras have not been displaced by music phones, media players have not been displaced by music phones and ebook readers could serve bibliophiles, especially those who travel a lot. However, mobile reader apps like those from Amazon and Barnes & Noble can easily tap into more casual markets, allowing users to leverage the investment in screens they already own instead of buying a dedicated device. That’s one reason why I think it has been important for Amazon and B&N to get their ebook platform onto as many devices with screens as possible, and why Sony’s making a mistake by ignoring the opportunity.

Continue reading Entelligence: Of ebooks and suburban moms

Filed under: Handhelds

Entelligence: Of ebooks and suburban moms originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video)

Liquavista’s been kicking around in the shadows for years now, and while its stuff has largely been viewed as vaporware, the video waiting for you just past the break changes everything. The company has today revealed three new e-reader display technologies that it’s working on, and all three of ‘em are in prototype form ready to wow. LiquavistaBright aims to speed up page refreshes on e-book readers and add support for video playback, and considering just how awful web browsing is on existing e-ink displays, we can hardly wait to surf on this stuff. It’s also toiling away on a LiquavistaColor screen, which is exactly what you think it is. Finally, there’s the elusive LiquavistaVivid, which is planned for “product implementation” throughout 2010 and 2011. Hit the read link if you’re down for looking into the future, and be sure to tell PixelQi its main competition has just come out in a big way.

Continue reading Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video)

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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