e-Readers from Europe: Nine articles on this page
Cybook Opus announced from Bookeen
From Pocket Lint, Sept 24th, 2009 The growing ebook reader market is due to get decidedly crowded if launches continue apace. This latest launch from French company Bookeen brings the Cybook Opus, the company's fourth-gen e-book Reader. Weighing a "featherweight" 150 grams (roughly half that of the Kindle), Bookeen claims the Cybook Opus is slimmer, lighter and faster than competitors.
With the "latest" 800 x 600 pixel, black and white, E-Ink display, the device boasts an accelerometer for landscape/portrait sensing, 1GB memory with up to 4G microSD card, charges via USB and claims 8000 pages turns per charge. Mac and PC compatible, text formats supported are Adobe's ePub and PDF, TXT and HTML files and JPEG, GIF and PNG for pics.
The Cybook Opus is due to be available from Pixmania, Waterstone’s, WHSmith and Dixons in the UK, priced at £199 complete with 75 pre-loaded titles.
With the "latest" 800 x 600 pixel, black and white, E-Ink display, the device boasts an accelerometer for landscape/portrait sensing, 1GB memory with up to 4G microSD card, charges via USB and claims 8000 pages turns per charge. Mac and PC compatible, text formats supported are Adobe's ePub and PDF, TXT and HTML files and JPEG, GIF and PNG for pics.
The Cybook Opus is due to be available from Pixmania, Waterstone’s, WHSmith and Dixons in the UK, priced at £199 complete with 75 pre-loaded titles.
iRex developing their third big screen e-Reader
From BNP, Aug 8th, 2009 - iRex Technologies has confirmed that it will launch it's third new e-Reader, for the time being only for the US market. A few details have been leaked and confirmed by iRex Technologies. With some 4.5 million e-Readers around in the US, according to Forrester, the e-Reader war will be fought on more than one front.
Officials have confirmed that the spun-off Philips company iRex Technologies will launch their third edition of an e-reader. Irex was the first company to launch an e-reader, called iLiad, with digital paper (and 16 grey scales) and wireless communication in July 2006. The first edition got a cut-down version minus the wireless facility, the Bookwurm. Then a larger screen edition the IREX Digital ereader (10.2 inch) was launched in three versions.
This is what is known about the forthcoming e-reader: 8.1-inch display; 3G wireless connectivity (no carrier announced); touch screen with stylus navigation; fall 2009 release. From the photograph the page ruler, absent in the IREX Digital ereaders series is also back. The new e-reader will only be offered in the US, but a few very essential details such as preferred online e-book seller, 3G network vendor and price has to be established.
Officials have confirmed that the spun-off Philips company iRex Technologies will launch their third edition of an e-reader. Irex was the first company to launch an e-reader, called iLiad, with digital paper (and 16 grey scales) and wireless communication in July 2006. The first edition got a cut-down version minus the wireless facility, the Bookwurm. Then a larger screen edition the IREX Digital ereader (10.2 inch) was launched in three versions.
This is what is known about the forthcoming e-reader: 8.1-inch display; 3G wireless connectivity (no carrier announced); touch screen with stylus navigation; fall 2009 release. From the photograph the page ruler, absent in the IREX Digital ereaders series is also back. The new e-reader will only be offered in the US, but a few very essential details such as preferred online e-book seller, 3G network vendor and price has to be established.
Borders UK signs deal with Elonex eReader
From eReaderFeeder UK: Did UK Company Elonex International make a mistake partnering with Borders UK to launch their 6 inch e-Book Reader and get involved with digital reading? The device launched exclusively at Borders the UK bookshop along with the new Borders eBook Download Store in June.
Unfortunately for Elonex, the book retailer has gone into receivership and it's website shut down temporarily. Elonex's online store has also gone down "for maintenance" so this eReader has gone off the market for the time being.
If you can get one, it costs £189 and have 100 free ebooks, a charger and data cable all thrown in. The reader comes with a 4GB expansion card so that there’s room for some 8,000 ebooks, and the 9 millimetre-thin frame.
Bookeen ships 5" Opus to European stores
From Ethiopian Review, Sept 26th, 2009 Bookeen has delivered its promised e-book reader, the 5-inch Cybook Opus. It is meant as a simpler and more affordable alternative to the likes of the latest Amazon Kindle and Sony Readers. It lacks a touchscreen and at just a third of a pound is much lighter than either. Internal storage capacity is 1GB, which can hold as much as 1,000 books. A microSD memory card slot lets users expand the memory capacity.
Users have the option of 12 display fonts as well as four grayscale levels, with books that can be read in either portrait or landscape mode. The 600×800 resolution screen is viewable in direct sunlight, while battery life is said to allow 8,000 consecutive page turns.
To keep prices low, there is no Wi-Fi or 3G data connection, with content transferred either through the memory card or a standard USB 2.0 connection. Most major online digital bookstores are supported through support for EPUB books as well as PDF files. It also handles less complex HTML, TXT, JPG, GIF and PNG files.
The Cybook Opus is available now and priced at the equivalent of $320 in the UK and France. There is no indication if or when it is slated for a North American release. It ships with 75 books, including Moby Dick and The Jungle Book
Users have the option of 12 display fonts as well as four grayscale levels, with books that can be read in either portrait or landscape mode. The 600×800 resolution screen is viewable in direct sunlight, while battery life is said to allow 8,000 consecutive page turns.
To keep prices low, there is no Wi-Fi or 3G data connection, with content transferred either through the memory card or a standard USB 2.0 connection. Most major online digital bookstores are supported through support for EPUB books as well as PDF files. It also handles less complex HTML, TXT, JPG, GIF and PNG files.
The Cybook Opus is available now and priced at the equivalent of $320 in the UK and France. There is no indication if or when it is slated for a North American release. It ships with 75 books, including Moby Dick and The Jungle Book
Interead Cool-er e-Reader
From SF Chronical, Nov 2, 2009 From its aspirational brand name (the ER in Cool-ER stands for e-book reader) to its hip tinted metallic case, the $249 Cool-ER clearly strives to distinguish itself from the black-and-gray competition--and to a large extent it succeeds. Skinny (0.43 inch thick), lightweight (6.3 ounces), and available in eight cheery colors, this e-book reader resembles an overgrown iPod--not a bad role model for industrial design.
In fact, the only items visible below the 6-inch screen are the Cool-ER logo and a round, iPod-esque four-way navigation/selection wheel for navigating menus and turning pages. Unfortunately, the button's stiffness makes navigation and page turns more of a chore than they should be.
Around the corner, on the right edge, is a volume control button for the built-in MP3 player, so you can play music while you read. The only other controls are the power-on switch on the top (to the right of an SD Card slot) and four small white buttons in aligned along the left edge. The uppermost of these four buttons brings up the MP3 player software and an included Sudoku game (which suffers from its dependence on the stiff navigation wheel and its lack of numeric buttons).
In fact, the only items visible below the 6-inch screen are the Cool-ER logo and a round, iPod-esque four-way navigation/selection wheel for navigating menus and turning pages. Unfortunately, the button's stiffness makes navigation and page turns more of a chore than they should be.
Around the corner, on the right edge, is a volume control button for the built-in MP3 player, so you can play music while you read. The only other controls are the power-on switch on the top (to the right of an SD Card slot) and four small white buttons in aligned along the left edge. The uppermost of these four buttons brings up the MP3 player software and an included Sudoku game (which suffers from its dependence on the stiff navigation wheel and its lack of numeric buttons).
iRex Digital Reader clone due out soon
From CNET News, Aug 6th, 2009 Just got an image of a mock-up for a new e-Reader from Irex that's due out this holiday season. Not much info on this thing but it's larger than the Kindle 2 and just announced Sony Readers.
Until now Irex, one of the early e-reader pioneers (you remember the iLiad, right?), has mainly offered more business-oriented readers that are rather pricey and sold primarily to European customers. However, this model is a consumer model that will be sold in the U.S., as well as other countries (here in the States, I suspect it will cost less than $400 and possibly less than $350). Allegedly, the unit will have a tie-in with one of the large online e-book sellers, though Irex wouldn't say which one
Until now Irex, one of the early e-reader pioneers (you remember the iLiad, right?), has mainly offered more business-oriented readers that are rather pricey and sold primarily to European customers. However, this model is a consumer model that will be sold in the U.S., as well as other countries (here in the States, I suspect it will cost less than $400 and possibly less than $350). Allegedly, the unit will have a tie-in with one of the large online e-book sellers, though Irex wouldn't say which one
Bookeen Cybook Gen3: An average performer
From eReaderFeeder UK: Cybooks electronic book, the Gen3, is a quite easy to read and convenient device which is light-weight, fully portable and ultra thin. Its screen minimizes eye-strain due to the paper like display it features, fully capable of operating well under an array of lighting conditions whilst not producing glare of flicker. It also boasts:
• A Vizplex E-Ink six-inch screen. The Vizplex features better screen contrast than E-Ink technology that is old and possibly outdated.
• A total weight of 6.13oz. In fact, Sony’s new Reader PRS-505 weighs three ounces more.
• 8,000 page flip battery life between needed changes.
• eNews and RSS feed reading capability.
• A Vizplex E-Ink six-inch screen. The Vizplex features better screen contrast than E-Ink technology that is old and possibly outdated.
• A total weight of 6.13oz. In fact, Sony’s new Reader PRS-505 weighs three ounces more.
• 8,000 page flip battery life between needed changes.
• eNews and RSS feed reading capability.
Will eBook devices save newspapers?
From BBC News, April 17, 2009 With newspapers in crisis, there are now suggestions that e-books might offer journalism a new portable platform and subscription model. Struggling newspapers could be offered a lifeline by the new format - especially as the devices' tech is developing to include colour and flexible displays.
It is really like reading traditional paper, but you can also enjoy all the interactivity of an electronic device Marie Lichtle, 4D Concept The publishing industry has given a nod to e-books by showcasing them in Paris's annual book fair, Salon du Livre, as a future digital platform.
But for those concerned about eye strain, screens such as the ones in iRex's iLiad and 1000S e-readers are made of e-ink which mimics the look of real paper. Marie Lichtle from 4D Concept, iRex's distributor in France, said that e-books do not tire eyes like computer screens. "It is really like reading traditional paper, but you can also enjoy all the interactivity of an electronic device," she added.
Out of Russia: the Pocketbook 360 & 301 e-Readers
From Engadget, Nov 9th, 2009 - Out of the blue, a company called Pocketbook is selling two e-book readers, popular in eastern Europe, in the US . They both have similar hardware to their competitors like the AZ Mentor, the Hanlin Jinke and Foxit eSlick but the Pocketbook 360 is a slightly new variation on a theme.
From the looks of it, this one is a new / different version of an ereader most recently seen under the Mentor brand, and packs a 5-inch Vizplex display, 512MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, a Linux-based OS, your choice of black or white color options and, of course, support for a full range of ebook formats.
he company's PocketBook 301+, on the other hand, is seemingly the same model seen as the Foxit eSlick and Hyper Gear ereader, and includes the same EPUB support, along with a slightly larger 6-inch Vizplex display, and some expanded media playback and game options. Look for it to set you back $275, while the PocketBook 360 runs $240. Pre-orders are starting now for mid December shipments.
From the looks of it, this one is a new / different version of an ereader most recently seen under the Mentor brand, and packs a 5-inch Vizplex display, 512MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, a Linux-based OS, your choice of black or white color options and, of course, support for a full range of ebook formats.
he company's PocketBook 301+, on the other hand, is seemingly the same model seen as the Foxit eSlick and Hyper Gear ereader, and includes the same EPUB support, along with a slightly larger 6-inch Vizplex display, and some expanded media playback and game options. Look for it to set you back $275, while the PocketBook 360 runs $240. Pre-orders are starting now for mid December shipments.
