The market for wireless-connected ebook readers is hotting up, and so we’re happy to welcome the latest entrant, txtr. Set to hit European and US markets from December 15th, the €319 ($477) device has a 6-inch 600 x 800 E Ink display, capacitive slider, accelerometer, USB 2.0, WiFi and “txtr Net”; like Amazon’s WhisperNet service, txtr Net is an onboard 3G connection which keeps ebooks synchronized between the txtr reader itself and a user’s online account.
Video demo after the cut
Barnes and Noble’s kudos for apparently scoring a color ebook reader for 2010 might have been shot down in flames after Plastic Logic roundly denied any such intentions, but their cool-factor could be easily restored should the device you see here be what’s on the cards for an imminent announcement. According to Gizmodo, you’re looking at B&N’s dual-display ebook reader, with a monochrome e-ink panel on top and a smaller, color multitouch panel (like the iPhone’s) underneath.
Last Friday’s news that Plastic Logic were apparently building a color ebook reader for Barnes and Noble now looks to be a little too optimistic; the company – who are on course to deliver their first, monochrome model in early 2010 – have denied that a color device is pipeline for next year. According to Plastic Logic, the Barnes and Noble employee who seemingly announced the color ebook reader “was misinformed” and not an “authorized” spokesperson of the retailer.
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Having announced earlier this week that their Kindle ebook reader would be available in more than 100 countries worldwide, in the shape of a GSM version with international data roaming, Amazon have also confirmed that they plan an international Kindle DX, too. The DX - launched in the US back in June - has a larger, 8.9-inch display than the Kindle 2, and is better suited to textbooks, magazines and other periodicals.
Amazon are looking to foreign climes with the Kindle, Barnes & Noble are preparing to make a splash with both monochrome and color ebook devices, but Steve Ballmer doesn’t reckon his customers care about standalone ebook readers. Speaking to reporters in the Netherlands this week, the outspoken Microsoft CEO revealed that his company has no plans for creating a dedicated device: “We have a device for reading. It’s the most popular device in the world. It’s the PC.”
Barnes & Noble look set to enter the ebook reader market in a big way, with rumors and revelations aplenty about not only an imminent device launch but a color model in 2010. According to the Wall Street Journal’s sources, B&N are preparing to launch a greyscale 6-inch E-Ink device potentially as soon as November 2009, complete with a touchscreen and on-screen keyboard. However, according to a B&N spokesperson caught on video (which you can see after the cut), next Spring will bring a Plastic Logic color ebook reader together with clients for mobile devices.
Video announcement after the cut
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We wouldn't crack open our piggy-banks quite yet, but theBookseller are claiming that Amazon will launch their Kindle ebook reader in the UK next week, aiming for an October launch. According to their unnamed sources, Amazon have signed non-disclosure agreements with various publishers in advance of the announcement; "The key things they needed to tie up have been tied up," claimed the source, "the rumours I've heard are all saying next week."
iriver’s Story ebook reader has gone up for preorder, priced at the equivalent of around $281. Set to begin shipping on October 6th, the Story has a 6-inch E-Ink display, QWERTY keyboard and an SD card slot; iriver supply a 2GB card with the device, along with a case and two free ebook downloads.
From one ebook reader to another, only this time we’re looking at something with much more grunt to take on Amazon’s Kindle. According to the New York Times, iRex will announce later on today that they’re launching an 8.1-inch touchscreen ebook reader in the US, the iRex DR800SG, priced at $399 and packing a 3G Gobi radio from Qualcomm. The sticker price of the iRex DR800SG will include unlimited wireless access through Verizon’s network, with users able to wirelessly download ebooks from Barnes & Noble.
Bookeen’s Cybook Opus 5-inch ebook reader has finally gone on sale, priced at $280 from the company’s official store. The Opus is a compact 4.2 x 6 x 0.4 inches and weighs 5.3oz; however it still packs a microSD card slot, accelerometer to flip between portrait and landscape orientations, and a user-replaceable battery good for 8,000 page turns.
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