SISAREA

We caught the LumiRead set up and ready for some serious page-turning action as Acer set up its booth at IFA today (yes, it’s true, the show still hasn’t technically started), which marks the first time we’ve actually been able to hold the upcoming e-reader — previously, the closest we’d gotten was the impersonal touch of a glass enclosure back at Computex. The verdict? After having touched one of those newfangled Kindles, we’ve got to say that pretty much every other e-reader out there feels like a ridiculously overweight beast, and the LumiRead gets swept up into that classification. The barcode scanner is still there (you can see it in our gallery below) and it’s still as awesome of a concept as ever, but Acer has replaced the smooth plastic back with a ridged, patterned one on this newer prototype — and considering that the launch is scheduled for October, we imagine this is nearly final or final spec. The thumbstick feels decent, but we don’t really think it’s the best way to navigate… which is a lesson Amazon already learned with the last version of the Kindle, by the bye. So here’s your recipe for success, Acer: soft-touch back, cut the thickness by a third, eliminate the wasted space above the keyboard, and keep the barcode reader. Boom.

Acer LumiRead makes pit stop at IFA prior to launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s third major iteration of its flagship reading device, the Kindle, comes out of the gate looking strong: the new graphite finish (just like its big brother, the Kindle DX) with a slimmer, lighter form factor, plus a bumped refresh rate for its E Ink screen. Best of all, the WiFi only and 3G readers have newly lowered prices (though they’re still not exactly bargain basement level). We’ve spent the past few days putting the tinier Kindle through the paces to see just how much Amazon’s improved it. Though the market is increasingly flooded with cheap readers, the Kindle is arguably still the leading name in the field, and Amazon is already touting the third model as its bestselling ever — even though there are still no sales figures to be had. So, is this the best Kindle ever? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Amazon Kindle review (2010)

Amazon Kindle review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given how fast the new Kindle’s been selling, we doubt many of you were keenly holding out for Acer’s alternative — but if you were, the wait is apparently nearing an end. An Acer spokesperson has confirmed that the barcode scanning-LumiRead will be shipping out to retail channels (in Germany, at least) this October, and early speculation on its price places it at around €250 ($316). That’s an unconfirmed number, so don’t freak out just yet, and Acer points to the fact it’ll pack one of the widest German-language e-libraries on any e-reading device. Maybe prices will be somewhat more competitive in other territories, where the major attractions will be WiFi and 3G wireless capabilities, a 6-inch, 800 x 600 E Ink display, and a Barnes and Noble content partnership. And hey, maybe when we hit IFA in a couple of days they might finally let us take it out of the box as well, eh? We can only dream.

Continue reading Acer LumiRead set for an IFA showing, October launch in Germany

Acer LumiRead set for an IFA showing, October launch in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s about that time, folks. And by “about that time,” we mean “time for Sony to release another round of Readers.” If you’ll recall, the outfit dumped a few on us last year right around this time, and the sleuths over at Sony Insider have dug up information that they purport to be true about Sony’s next Reader duo. Reportedly, the outfit is gearing up to reveal the PRS-350 and PRS-650, each of which will boast E Ink displays and be thinner / more longevous compared to the existing PRS-600 and PRS-300. It’s bruited that they’ll be under 10mm thick, while the 650 will boast a 6-inch display and the 350 a 5-inch panel. We should also see a bump from 512MB to 2GB in terms of internal storage space (at least on the 650), and we wouldn’t be shocked to find both 3G and WiFi support on the higher end of the two. As for software? We’re told that the Reader UI will be refaced somewhat, and the note-taking program in the PRS-600 will find its way onto the lower-end PRS-350. Mum’s the word on pricing, but it shouldn’t be too long before all that gets cleared up — think it over good, Sony. We’ve got options, you know.

Sony Reader PRS-350 and PRS-650 rumored for release, 3G teased for the latter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E Ink Holdings, the company behind the power-sipping screens contained within Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Readers, is keeping to its schedule for the biggest overhaul of its display technology yet. Color panels are reportedly now sampling out to device vendors and China-based Hanvon has already answered the call — it promises to deliver color E Ink readers by the end of this year. Two varieties of touchscreens are also being prepared: the first is a capacitive panel to sate the kids’ need to flick and swipe everywhere, while the second will include a pen-friendly digitizer that should make annotations a doddle (or should that be a doodle?). Better response times and reflectivity are also being touted, though the big question is obviously when this good stuff will make its way into mainstream devices like the Kindle. If you believe Jeff Bezos, that won’t be any time soon.

E Ink begins sampling color and capacitive touch displays, on track for late 2010 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from iriver on the e-reader front, so this one isn’t a huge surprise. It looks like the Story is getting a nice, compact Touch edition, and while we don’t have full specs yet, we do have plenty of photos, and we also know it’s going to boast a 6-inch, touchscreen display (which appears to be some type of e-ink), 2GB of internal storage, with SDHC expansion up to 32GB. This one’s going to be for the Korean market only, so we don’t expect to get our hands on one anytime soon, but we can always dream. Another photo is below, hit the source link for more.

Continue reading iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site

iriver Story Touch edition reader shows up on fan site originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gone so soon, Kindle? Due to what we can only assume is unprecedented demand or a terrible shortfall in supply, Amazon’s third-generation Kindle (you know, the one with 3G and WiFi) is already sold out. Just days after being pushed into the world, the $189 e-reader is now hoisting a “temporarily sold out” sign, with Bezos and Company urging prospective consumers to place their order now in order to “reserve a place in line.” So, what’ll it be? Reserve now, or throw a temper tantrum? Tough call, we know.

[Thanks, Philip]

Amazon’s third-generation Kindle ‘temporarily sold out,’ bookworms curse the universe originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following the launch of Amazon’s third-generation Kindle, company CEO Jeff Bezos sat down to discuss the e-reader business with USA Today. We’d recommend giving the whole piece a look-see if you just can’t get enough Kindle in your life, but a few choice quotes caught our attention. For starters, Bezos predicted that Kindle e-book sales will “surpass paperback sales sometime in the next 9 to 12 months,” and that “sometime after that, we’ll surpass the combination of paperback and hardcover.” Considering that the Kindle platform is but 33 months old, and that books are just a wee bit older, that’s pretty impressive. In a separate sit-down with Pocket-lint, Steve Kessel — Amazon’s senior vice president of Worldwide Digital Media — teased us all with regard to a color version of the company’s famed e-reader. ‘Course, we’ve known that Bezos and Company aren’t too hopeful about such a thing in the near-term, but we’ve yet to actually hear the company confess to having specific color alternatives in the lab. If you’ll recall, we found Qualcomm’s Mirasol demonstration worthy of laud back at CES, and according to Kessel, “that’s in the lab.” We’re also told that a slew of other color options are always in testing, though, so we’re doing our darnedest to not get those hopes too high. It ain’t working, but still…

Amazon sees e-book sales surpassing paper versions, has Mirasol technology in the Kindle labs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Gemei outs GM2000 color screen-boasting e-reader

Gemei outs GM2000 color screen-boasting e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two and a half years since Pixel Qi spun off from OLPC and promised to bring its dual-mode, power efficient display to laptops, tablets, and e-readers. For those who haven’t followed our small obsession with the 3Qi screen technology (shame on you!) it promises the best of both worlds: full-color graphics in a normal LCD mode, but also the ability to turn off the backlight to morph into a grayscale, e-paper like display. And while we’ve seen it demoed at tradeshows (and more tradeshows!), we haven’t been able to get our own grubby hands on the much-lauded display. Until now, of course.

No, the 3Qi display still isn’t shipping in any commercially available products, but Pixel Qi is at long last offering a $275 10.1-inch screen replacement kit for netbooks through MakerShed. Needless to say, we jumped — nay, leaped — at the chance to finally get the display into our laboratories, roll up our sleeves and get to crankin’. That’s right, we got out the screwdriver, wrangled up an old Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 netbook and swapped in the 3Qi display for Lenovo’s glossy panel. You’re surely sitting on a metric ton of questions. Was it hard to swap out? Has the screen been everything we’ve ever fantasized about and more? Is it really 80 percent more power efficient than standard LCDs? We’ve got plenty of answers as well as a step-by-step how-to after the break.

Continue reading How-to: install Pixel Qi’s 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it’s worth it)

How-to: install Pixel Qi’s 3Qi display on your netbook (and why it’s worth it) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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