Archive for the ‘ebook reader’ Category

Barnes & Noble Nook’s first close-up (now with video!)

There she blows, we’ll be getting hands-on and try to scrap together some impressions of the Nook if they let us touch it once this Q&A is done. The device is a bit thicker than some, and certainly looks minimal up front. The LCD is nice, but not overly bright, and that’s about all we spotted before it was snatched away. Check out the gallery for a few more fleeting shots and a look at a non-functioning prototype for a better idea of the unit’s shape.

Update: We got a closer look at the device, though they still haven’t let us touch it. The LCD seems very “passive,” and has a shallow viewing angle — obviously to gather more ambient light and save on battery. The interface appears relatively intuitive, but we’re a little confused and doubtful about the highlighting features — it brings up a software d-pad on screen, and seemed a little unwieldy, though we’ll only find out for ourselves when they actually let us get our grubby paws on the thing.

Update 2: We’ve got some video! It’s so very exciting, and can be found after the break.

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Barnes & Noble Nook’s first close-up (now with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble Nook dual-screen reader officially announced… for real

Barnes and Noble’s Nook ebook reader might have made an unexpected debut a little earlier than planned today, but it’s all official now. The Nook has a six-inch 16-level E-ink screen with a color touchscreen underneath for navigation and settings, and — it’s running Android! You can lend a book to a friend, and there’s wireless on AT&T’s 3G network as well as WiFi — everything we saw earlier today. Pre-sales are live now at $259, and it’ll be shipping in November. All B&N stores will soon be getting a big crazy display unit that showcases the device and a number of cases from all sorts of designers. And what’s more, Nook owners can connect to B&N WiFi and browse complete ebooks in-store for free — just like a real book. That’s pretty great.

Update: Malcom Gladwell is on stage, talking about syphilis in Baltimore. People are clapping — it’s a little odd. But the first Nook buyers will get a free copy of The Tipping Point, so that’s nice.

Update 2: “Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is now open.” That’s all for now — we’ve got a Q&A session coming up, we’ll let you know what we find out after the break.

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Barnes & Noble Nook dual-screen reader officially announced… for real originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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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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Spring Design Alex: dual-screen Android-based e-reader (Update: not for Barnes & Noble)

Whoa, what have we here? It’s Alex, the dual-screen e-book reader from Spring Design looking very much like the Barnes and Noble device rumored for a Tuesday launch. It features a 6-inch E-ink EPD (electronic paper display) and 3.5-inch LCD running Google’s Android OS for browsing the web or viewing video, audio, photos, and notes. It also packs a removeable SD card, speaker, headphone jack, and WiFi or 3G EVDO/CDMA and GSM radios. An interesting Duet Navigator feature even lets you toggle content captured on the LCD and present it back to the EPD to save on battery life. The device is planned for release sometime this year without any details on who might be involved in that exercise.

Update: We just heard from Spring Design’s PR person, Pat Meier Johnson. We were told that the Alex device above is not the rumored dual-screen Barnes & Noble reader, “this is an entirely different device.” Judging by the hastily prepared web site coincidentally appearing on the eve of the B&N device launch, and the domain’s registrar, Albert Teng, who has numerous patent applications (not patents granted) covering “electronic devices having complementary dual-displays,” we’d say this announcement is quite possibly a desperate attempt to lay claim on intellectual property rights instead of a real product with real manufacturers and real content partners. We’ll see when, or if, it launches.

Filed under: Displays

Spring Design Alex: dual-screen Android-based e-reader (Update: not for Barnes & Noble) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 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

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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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