Now that the new Sony Readers were officially announced a couple of days ago, more details about the technology used for the touchscreens are coming out, along with the user manuals and videos for both the PRS-350 and PRS-650.

If you missed the details about the new Sony Readers, the big news is that they use the new high contrast Pearl screens from E Ink.

But the bigger news is that they feature touchscreens that don’t have an added layer over the top of the screen like Sony’s previous touchscreen ereaders. The added layer reduced contrast and caused quite a bit of reflection and glare, so now that they’ve removed that, the new Sony Readers’ display should look just as good as the new Kindle 3.

Neonode’s zForce Touchscreen Technology

The answer to the question about Sony’s new touchscreen comes by way of Neonode’s zForce eBook technology. From the press release:

Neonode’s patented touch screen technology, zForceTM, supports high resolution pen writing in combination with market leading finger navigation including gestures, multi-touch, sweeps and much more. zForceTM uses no overlay (like resistive and capacitive touch screens) on top of the e-ink display thus creating a 100% clear window free from reflexes and parallax effects and produces a true paper like experience.

The press release basically repeats that same exact paragraph 3 times without going into any specifics on how the technology works. More information can be found on the Neonode website, but there still isn’t much explaining how it works. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

User Manuals: Sony PRS-350 and Sony PRS-650

Sony has put up the user manuals for two of the new readers. Here they are for the PRS-350 and the PRS-650.

Some new features mentioned in the manuals:

• User changeable screensavers for when the device is sleeping.
• Fixed Zoom setting can be locked so that it doesn’t reset when changing pages.
• Page mode: margin cut, 2 and 3 column split mode.
• Adjustable brightness and contrast settings.
• Change dictionaries while looking up a word.
• Word log saves previously looked-up words.
• Create and manage collections from the device itself.
• Clock added to menu.

Sony Reader for iPhone and Android

The last bit of news is that Sony is finally working on applications for iPhone and Android for their Reader store software so that users can read and sync ebooks on multiple portable devices. Given the fact that Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and even Borders have reading apps, it’s about time that Sony started working on them too.

New Sony Readers Country List

With the release of these new readers, Sony plans to expand their market for the PRS-350 and PRS-650. The PRS-950 remains US-only at this time because of the 3G wireless (Sony’s ebook store is Canada and US-only so marketing their wireless ereader in other counries doesn’t make much sense—you’d think they’d at least sell it to Canada though).

As for the PRS-350 and PRS-650, these are the countries that it will officially be available to: US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Austria, Japan, France, Italy, China, and possibly others.

Sony’s New eReader Video

Sony LearnTV – The New Sony Reader PRS-350 and PRS-650

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News, Sony | Tags: sony pocket, sony prs-350, sony prs-650, sony touch | No Comments »

Bookeen just posted some news and pictures of the Cybook Orizon over on their blog. There are two colors, one white and one black. And both appear to come with the case shown in the picture.

While most of the specs of the Cybook Orizon aren’t mentioned, there are some intriguing details. The Cybook Orizon has a touchscreen that is integrated into the screen itself, so there is no added layer. The screen supports 16 levels of greyscale and measures 6-inches diagonally with a resolution of 600 x 800 at 167 dpi.

The last bit of details are the dimensions. The Cybook Orizon measures 4.9” x 7.5” x 0.29” thick, and weighs 8.6 ounces. As for the rest of the device’s specs, we’ll have to wait and see.

It isn’t specifically mentioned on Bookeen’s blog post, but the Cybook Orizon is expected to use epaper displays from SiPix instead of the more common E Ink screens. SiPix is similar to E Ink, but the technology is slightly different. Other features not official include a micro SD card slot and built-in WiFi.

Here’s a look at the Cybook Orizon. This video is a few months old so the device is likely a prototype at this stage and my differ slightly from the actual model that is expected to release sometime in September.

Filed under: Cybook, New eBook Readers | Tags: cybook orizon | No Comments »

Another day and another color ereader is announced. This one is from a company called Skytex that makes netbooks, tablet computers, and portable media players.

The Skytex Primer is a 7″ color ebook reader and portable media player that is expected to sell for $99 when it is released in October. It has a widescreen resolution of 800 x 480, supports video and audio playback, and even has an FM tuner to listen to the radio using headphones or the built-in speaker.

The Skytex Primer comes with 2GB of internal memory and has a micro SD card slot for memory cards up to 16GB. It supports 18 different languages, runs on a ARM9 400 MHZ processor, has a built-in microphone and recording software, gets 7-8 hours on a battery charge, and supports the following formats: EPUB, PDF, TXT, HTML, PRC, JPG, PNG, MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, AAC, RMVB, VOB, DAT, MP4, FLV, 3GP.

Looking at the device in the picture, it looks a lot like the Augen eBook Reader, except it doesn’t have a full keyboard and there are two sets of buttons on the right side of the screen for some reason—an odd placement for sure.

The Primer comes with a USB cable, power adapter, quick start guide, earphones, and a protective sleeve cover. For more information, check out the device here on the Skytex Primer website.

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: color, ereader, skytek primer | 1 Comment »

There’s an article over at the New York Times today about another new color ereader, the Literati by Sharper Image.

The Literati eReader has a 7-inch color TFT display with an aspect ratio of 800 x 480—an odd choice for something designed for reading and not video playback. It looks a lot like the Augen eReader, in fact.

But unlike the Augen, the Literati won’t have a web browser, but does have WiFi for connecting to the Kobo ebook store through the built-in Kobo application. It comes with 25 free public domain ebooks, with a coupon code for an additional 125.

As for the rest of the specs, there isn’t any. Even the Literati Reader website doesn’t mention them. There are a few videos, however, but they don’t reveal many details, other than the fact the device offers different font sizes, types, and has a brightness slider and night reading mode—all features of the Kobo reading app.

The Literati is expected to hit stores in October for $159 and will sell from Bed, Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, and Macy’s stores. At that price, this device doesn’t stand a chance. The Augen sells for under $100 and there are several devices with more features, like the Pandigital Novel and Cruz Reader, that sell for about the same or slightly more.

New color ereaders are cropping up all over the place, a fad that won’t likely last very long once some quality low-cost tablets start hitting the market.

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: color, ereader, literati | No Comments »

PocketBook, the third largest ereader company behind Amazon and Sony, plans to unveil their new line of ebook readers and a new tablet at the 2010 IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin on September 3rd.

PocketBook’s four new E Ink ebook readers include the PocketBook Pro 602 and Pro 902 and the upgraded versions with 3G and Wacom touchscreens, the PocketBook Pro 603 and Pro 903. All come with WiFi and Bluetooth, have direct access to the Bookland ebook store, and use PocketBook’s versatile open source software. The 600 models feature 6-inch displays and the 900s have 9.7-inch screens, the same size as the Kindle DX.

As for the PocketBook Tablet IQ, it features a 7-inch TFT touchscreen, WiFi and Bluetooth, and runs Android 2.0.

Once September 3rd comes around there will be a lot more information about these new devices (subscribe to keep updated). For now here are the product images that got posted early.

PocketBook Pro 602

PocketBook Pro 603 (3G + Touchscreen)

PocketBook Pro 902

PocketBook Pro 903 (3G + Touchscreen)

PocketBook Tablet IQ

Filed under: Android, New eBook Readers, News | Tags: 603, 902, pocketbook, pocketbook 602, pocketbook 903, tablet iq | 2 Comments »

India has a new ebook reader brand that goes by the name of Wink. They use the term Wink for all kinds of things, such “Wink to make a difference”, “Wink at education”, and “start Winking”. It’s so stupid that it’s actually kind of catchy.

Not only is the Wink a new line of ebook reader, it’s also the name of their ebook store: the Wink store, where there are about 200,000 ebooks to choose from, including (you guessed it) Wink classics.

There are currently 4 different models of the Wink listed on the Wink website. The two that are currently available for pre-order (they are expected to ship September 1st) are 6-inch ereaders, one has 3G wireless and a touchscreen while the other does not. There’s also another 6-inch model and a 9-inch model listed that both say coming soon.

As for the two that are up for pre-order, the Wink XTS and Wink X3G, the specs are as follows, the only difference being the X3G has 3G wireless and a touchscreen.

• 6-Inch E Ink Display with 16 levels of gray and a resolution of 600 x 800.
• WiFi (802.11 b/g) GPRS with Quad Band Support (850, 900, 1800 & 1900).
• 2GB internal memory and SD card slot for up to 16GB.
• Supports text-to-speech.
• 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Micro-SIM card slot.
• Battery life: 8,000 page-turns.
• Processor: 400 MHz ARM9.
• Dimensions: 185mm x 124.6mm x 10.9mm.
• Weight: 260g with battery.
• Supported formats: TXT, RTF, PDF, DOC, HTML, WOLF, CHM, FB2, DJVU, MP3, AAC.

The Wink X3G is listed at Rs. 14990 (converted that’s about $325 US) and the non-3G model is listed for Rs. 11490 (about $250).

What’s interesting is that the pictures shown for the 4 devices all have the same design with a keyboard below the screen as shown in the image above. But then there’s this one stray image on the Wink site (shown below) that looks a lot like the Barnes and Noble Nook with a secondary display below the E Ink screen. I wonder what’s up with that?

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: wink, wink ereaders | No Comments »

There’s going to be a lot of news about the new Copia eReaders, the Copia Tablet, and the Copia Marketplace in the coming weeks and months, so let’s get things started with a first look at the preliminary specs and prices on the 5 new devices set to launch this fall.

The folks at Copia were nice enough to send over a spec sheet for all their new devices so I’ve gone ahead and posted all the information and a few pictures on our dedicated Copia eReaders page. Keep in mind that the specs and prices are not official just yet; stay tuned for further updates. By the end of next week we should have a lot more information and some additional pictures to add to the page, along with some updates about the Copia ereading platform.

Click here for the preview of the new Copia eReaders and Copia Tablet »

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: Copia, copia ereaders, copia marketplace, copia tablet | 1 Comment »

Amazon has just announced two new 6-inch Kindles, the Kindle WiFi and a new Kindle 3G. The WiFi only model costs $139 and the 3G plus WiFi version costs $189.

Both models are now available for pre-order and will ship to 140 countries beginning August 27th. The WiFi model comes in black (graphite) and the 3G model is offered in black or white.

The new Kindles come with hardware and feature upgrades compared the now out-of-stock Kindle 2. Most notably, they come with the new Pearl screens from E Ink that have 50% improved contrast, the same screen that the new Graphite Kindle DX has (here’s some photos and video reviews of the new higher contrast screen on the Kindle DX review page; it’s quite an improvement, especially when reading in lower light).

The new Kindles are smaller than the previous Kindle 2, with a 21 percent smaller body and 15 percent lighter build. Despite the smaller size, they’ve managed to cram a lot more battery life into the device: up to 1 month with wireless off and 10 days with it on. They’ve also doubled the internal memory to 4GB and have improved the page refresh rate to make it 20 percent faster.

And that’s just getting started. Here’s a list of the other most interesting new features mentioned in the press release:

New WebKit-based Browser (experimental): The new Kindle uses a new web browser based on the industry-leading open source Web browser engine, WebKit. The updated browser is faster, easier to navigate, and provides a new “article mode” feature that simplifies web pages to just the main text- based content for easier reading. Web browsing with Kindle over 3G or Wi-Fi is free.

Improved PDF Reader: The new Kindle uses an improved built-in PDF reader with new dictionary lookup, notes and highlights, and support for password protected PDFs.

New Lighted Leather Cover: The all-new Kindle cover features an integrated, retractable reading light that lets you read comfortably anytime, anywhere. The light is a permanent part of the cover, so it’s always with you, and hides away into the cover when not in use. The high-quality LED light illuminates Kindle’s entire paper-like display, adding brightness without adding glare. Amazon’s patent-pending hinge system secures Kindle in place and conducts electricity from Kindle’s battery to the reading light, eliminating the need for batteries. The conductive hinges are gold-plated to ensure a reliable electrical connection. Gold is used because of its ability to make good electrical contact even with low force and for its corrosion resistance. The Kindle cover is sold separately.

New Voice Guide: With Text-to-Speech, Kindle can read out loud to you. New Text-to-Speech enabled menus allow customers to navigate Kindle without having to read menu options. In addition to listening to books aloud, users now have the option of listening to content listings on the home screen, item descriptions, and all menu options.

Quieter Page Turn Buttons: Quieter page turns means you can read all night without disturbing your partner.

Filed under: Kindle, New eBook Readers, News | Tags: amazon, kindle 3g, kindle wifi | 2 Comments »

Suddenly, the competition for ebook readers in Australia is starting to heat up.

Kogan, an Australian consumer electronics company, has announced the new Kogan ebook reader to take on the Kobo Reader and Amazon Kindle.

At $189 AUD, the Kogan reader costs $10 less than the Kobo and roughly $50 less than the Kindle 2 after price conversion and shipping costs.

The Kogan has a 6-inch E Ink screen with a resolution of 800 x 600 and 16 shades of gray—the exact same as the devices mentioned above.

It comes with 2GB of internal memory and an SD card slot for cards up to 32GB. It runs a Arm 9 Core processor and has a Linux 2.6 operating system. The battery is listed at 10,000 page-turns.

1500 free classic ebooks are included from Project Gutenberg, and the Kogan Reader supports Adobe DRM for purchased ebooks from a number of ebook retailers, including Australian stores like Borders and eBooks.com.

According to the Kogan website, the device supports an impressive array of formats: PDF, CHM, EPUB, TXT, HTM, HTML, RTF, PDB, DJVU, DJV, IW44, IW4, FB2, OEB, PRC, MOBI, TCR, OPF, JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF, and MP3.

Six languages are supported as well: English, Italian, French, Russian, Dutch, and German.

The device comes with a leather carrying case, earphones, USB cable, and charger.

Filed under: New eBook Readers | Tags: ebook reader, ereader, kogan | 1 Comment »

Found an interesting article this morning over on the Linux Journal about an ebook reader project that aims to make digital content available to schools and homes around the world that don’t have access to the internet.

The device, called the Humane Reader, can be plugged into any typical television set, and can be produced for as low as $20 per unit. It can hold 5000 books using an SD card, enough storage to contain all of Wikipedia, which is the first content source provided for use with the Humane Reader. It has search capabilities and can also be connected to a keyboard.

According to the Humane Reader website, 80% of the developing world does not use or have access to the internet. But a great deal of people do own television sets, with an estimated half billion more TVs than internet connections in the developing world.

Given those kind of numbers, the Humane Reader could have quite a positive impact bringing educational information to those in the global community that don’t have access to the internet for the content that we all take for granted. And for just $20 a unit to boot (pun intended).

The device is currently available to NGOs, educators, non-profits, and other aid agencies, according to their website. You can learn more about the Humane Reader and Humane PC—an 8-bit microcomputer—over on the Humane Informatics website. There is a PDF presentation slide and a video presentation.

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: humane reader | 2 Comments »

So the big news this week is that Velocity Micro, a US-based computer and electronics company, has officially announced the upcoming release of three new Android-powered multimedia/ebook reading devices, the Cruz Reader, Cruz StoryPad, and Cruz Tablet.

Each device is aimed at different markets. The StoryPad is designed for children, the Cruz Reader for reading ebooks from Borders, browsing the web and playing videos, and the Cruz Tablet is similar to the Cruz Reader but with upgrades in memory, performance, and it supports Flash.

For more information and a couple of video demos, check our new Velocity Micro Cruz page.

One bit of concern, I can’t help but notice how basic the ebook reader app appears in the videos. No mention of any kind of features aside from a night reading mode and adjustable font sizes.

Neither video nor anywhere on the Cruz Reader website does it mention anything about being able to change font type, page background color, adjust margins, or anything at all about ebook reading in general—despite the name of the device, “Cruz Reader”, e-reading doesn’t appear to be much of a priority.

Hopefully the device will be able to use other Android ebook reading apps like Aldiko and Kindle—no word about that yet.

Click here for more about the Velocity Micro Cruz devices »

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch and Engadget

Filed under: New Page, New eBook Readers | Tags: cruz reader, cruz storypad, cruz tablet, velocity micro | No Comments »

Just happened to check this morning and the new iRiver Story with WiFi is up for pre-order on WHSmith in the UK, with a release date of July 28th, 2010.

When the new WiFi Story was first announced last week, the price was listed at £250, and a lot of folks grumbled about the £100 extra for the WiFi model over the original.

Good news. iRiver listened and dropped the price down to £199, a much more competitive price point in the UK. That’s about the same price as the Sony Touch and a Cybook Opus, and £80 less than the WiFi-equipped BeBook Neo.

The big news with the iRiver Story is of course the WiFi that will connect it to the WHSmith ebook store for downloading ebooks wirelessly. Other than that, the specs are pretty similar to the old model, with the exception of a slight weight difference and the new model supports 16 shades of gray instead of 8.

Here’s the tech specs for the iRiver Story WiFi:

• 6” E-Ink Display with 800×600 pixels and 16 shades of gray.
• Dimensions: 203mm x 127mm x 9mm.
• Weight: 291 grams.
• 2GB internal memory, SD card slot for up to 32GB.
• Menu Language Support: 16 Languages (Korea/English/Russian/German/French/Spanish/Italian/Japanese/Polish/Turkish/Swedish/Czech/Dutch/Chinese(Simplified,Tradition), Romainan).
• Battery Life: 9000 pages; 20 hours auido playback; 5 hours recording.
• Text Formats Supported: Adobe PDF and EPUB, TXT, PDF, DOC, PPT, XLS, and HWP.
• Comic Viewer: Zip (JPEG, BMP & PNG).
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, and OGG.
• Only Compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7.

Filed under: New eBook Readers, News | Tags: iriver story | No Comments »