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Electronic-book readers are red-hot. After a blockbuster 2009, during which an estimated 5 million devices were sold, a new batch of e-readers are waiting to burst into the spotlight.
The latest generation of devices are easy on the eye, lightweight and packed with some nifty features such as the ability to take notes, make lists and — for some — even watch video. They also offer far better battery life than any netbook or notebook, often come with an unlimited wireless connection for downloading new books, and give you access to libraries of e-books that can top a million titles. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, there were so many e-readers that they had their own special section carved out on the show floor.
But will the category remain as hot as it is now?
E-readers, as we know them now, are at a crossroads. Next week, Apple is expected to announce a new tabletlike device that could also be used to read digital books. It’s expected to have a color screen, not the monochrome E Ink display found on most e-readers. Apple is reportedly talking to publishers to bring e-books and magazines to the device.
Meanwhile, other computer manufacturers are showing tabletlike devices, which are also based on color LED or OLED screens.
A device with a color screen could really change the landscape. Add the ability to watch video, play games or download apps — which most e-readers can’t do — and e-readers could start to look pretty primitive by comparison.
Still, e-reader manufacturers have made a lot of strides in recent months. Amazon has even added an app store to the Kindle.
But before you decide to buy a Kindle, Nook or Sony Reader, flip through this gallery to see what will be in stores this year.
And keep in mind that an array of touchscreen tablets just might render the entire category obsolete overnight.
Above: Plastic Logic
The Cadillac of e-book readers, Plastic Logic’s Que proReader is a gorgeous but expensive device that promises to give you a “paperless briefcase.” The Que, which is targeted at business users, has an 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen display and the ability to handle a range of documents such as Microsoft Word files, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, digital books, PDFs, magazines and newspapers.
The Que can even sync with your Microsoft Outlook account to pull in e-mails and calendar for display on the device. Feature-wise, it’s difficult to beat the Que. But the price tag is enough to make most people gasp.
But if you want one, be prepared to open your wallet wide.
The 4-GB version of the Que with Wi-Fi and storage for about 35,000 documents will retail for $650, and an 8-GB version, which includes 3G connectivity from AT&T, will cost $800. The Que will start shipping mid-April.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Samsung
In an intensely competitive market, creating a new e-reader that has some unique features isn’t easy. Samsung, a late entrant to the game, introduced two new e-readers that will allow users to scrawl on their screens, so you can make notes, annotate your e-books or even create to-do lists.
The e-readers, the Samsung E6 and E101, are available with 6-inch and 10-inch displays, respectively. They have a stylus that you can use to start scrawling. The readers offer a choice of onscreen QWERTY keyboard and a slide-out physical keyboard.
The Samsung e-readers will cost $400 or $700, depending on the screen size, and are expected to be available early this year. But without a content store like Amazon’s or Barnes & Noble’s or a feature that makes consumers go ‘wow,’ Samsung’s e-reader isn’t going to get consumers salivating.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Skiff
A flexible touchscreen aside, Skiff has what most other e-readers would kill for: pedigree. The device’s parent company is Hearst, a publishing powerhouse whose magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics and Smart Money, are newsstand fixtures.
Skiff has an 11.5-inch flexible touchscreen that makes it one of the largest e-readers on the market, beating the 9.7-inch display on the Kindle DX and just shy of Plastic Logic’s 13.5-inch screen. But unlike other e-readers, Skiff has been optimized for newspaper and magazine content. Skiff will also offer a Reader Development Kit (shown in the photo) that can be used by device manufacturers to add the Skiff service to their own devices.
Though Skiff’s creators haven’t disclosed pricing, there’s speculation they could offer a subsidized device along with subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. If Skiff can deliver on the idea, it could put an e-reader within the reach of consumers who are reluctant to spend $300 to just read digital books.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Entourage eDGe
With two screens that fold together like a book, the eDGE is a hybrid device that marries a tabletlike netbook to an e-reader.
The left half of the eDGe has a 9.7-inch black-and-white E Ink screen that can display books in the PDF and EPUB formats. But it also includes a stylus for taking notes and highlighting text. The 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen on the right side plays video and lets you browse the internet. The eDGe comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and offers optional access to 3G networks.
The $490 device, expected to be available next month, is a little rough around the edges. But it is an interesting answer to skeptics who have long questioned the need for a dedicated device to just read books. The two-faced eDGe offers one possible answer.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Aluratek Libre
Electronic paper, the black-and-white display from E Ink, is at the core of nearly every e-reader today. Every one, that is, except the Aluratek Libre.
While E Ink offers low power consumption and excellent readability, the display refreshes very slowly. If you’ve ever turned a page on the Kindle or the Sony Reader and watched the screen black out for a second or two, you’ve encountered the problem.
The Libre doesn’t have that problem. It uses a monochrome LCD screen that mimics the E Ink display in its look and feel — but flipping pages is quick and easy.
But the LCD screen also means that the Libre consumes a lot more battery than its rivals. It offers about half the battery life as a Kindle. And the device is something that even Ugly Betty would think twice about carrying. Libre also doesn’t have its own e-book store or content relationships with publishers.
Still, the rock-bottom $150 price tag for a 6-inch screen should find some takers.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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Alex E-Reader
Before Barnes & Noble’s Nook hit the market, another e-book reader was quietly waiting in the wings. Alex, an e-reader from a startup called SpringDesign combined a 6-inch E Ink display with a 3.5-inch touchscreen at the bottom.
It’s not clear which came first, the Nook or the Alex e-reader (the two companies are embroiled in a lawsuit) but both devices run the Android operating system.
But what will eventually set the Alex e-reader apart from its competitors will be its app store, say the device’s designers. SpringDesign is inviting Android developers to code apps and content for what will be called the Alex Marketplace.
There’s no word yet on when the Alex will, if at all, start shipping. But for now it carries a price tag of $360, $100 more than the Nook.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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iRiver Story
The Story e-book reader from iRiver is a Kindle clone for those who crave Amazon’s design but don’t want to support the latter’s proprietary book format. Story displays books in the EPUB format, an open standard that is popular with most e-readers except the Kindle.
Story, which will launch later this month for $280, has a 6-inch display and a full QWERTY keyboard. A Wi-Fi version with a touchscreen is planned for the second quarter of the year, says the company.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
