The Literati by Sharper Image – Yet Another Color eReader

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.