Posts Tagged ‘Plastic Logic’
Plastic Logic to launch Que e-reader at CES – UPDATED
Plastic Logic appears ready to deliver on its promise to ship its anticipated Que e-reader the firm announced nearly one year ago. A shipping model of the Que, Plastic Logic says, will be shown off on January 7 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company says the Que is the first “proReader” designed with business professionals in mind, but it’s going up to have some stiff competition against a full roster of e-readers including what may be the first Google Android-based e-reader…
After three different debuts, we know the Que will be the size of an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper, and has a touchscreen interface with iPhone-like swipe gestures instead of button controls. The device has Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, and is less than one-third-of-an-inch thick. The Que’s plastic makes the device supposedly shatter proof (I feel a PC World stress test coming on), and it uses plastic instead of silicon transistors, making the device super thin. We also know the Que supports PDF and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel formats, in addition to e-book content. Finally, we know the device has 3G connectivity to be supported by AT&T, and Barnes & Noble will power the Que’s e-book store.
In short, we know almost everything. What we don’t know is how much it will cost, when it will be available and what the exact specs are for memory, storage, Wi-Fi standard (b,g or n) and so on. It’s a pretty safe bet the Que will be expensive since Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta has always stressed the Que is focused on the business consumer, and that the market will set the price.
Ian Paul wanders off into contemplating alternative e-readers including one which is barely past prototyping. He thinks one named Alex is a possibility for Barnes & Noble.
I’ll check on that right around publication time for this post – because B&N has a press conference scheduled for this morning. Latest rumors still have it that B&N designed their own e-reader called Nook. [UPDATED]
Barnes & Noble says “Yes”, Microsoft says “No” to e-readers
e-Readers have been the buzz word lately, and a slew of announcements has come out this week covering everything from Barnes & Noble launching their own Kindle competitor, to Microsoft saying they want nothing to do with e-readers, to Kindle going international. Check out the latest happenings in the next generation of books.
First off, territory for the Kindle is expanding. Amazon announced earlier in the week that they’re not only cutting the price of the Kindle 2 down to $259 (which is still a pricey device…) but that it is also launching an international version with a built-in AT&T SIM card. It will be priced a little higher at $279, and will be available on October 19. The Kindle DX will also have an international version, allowing readers in over 100 countries to access e-books…
Amazon’s e-books will be 40% more expensive in Europe and the UK.
Barnes & Noble has announced its own e-reader to ship next month. It is rumored to run on the Android OS, though that is definitely still a rumor so far. We know that it’ll have a 6″ screen from digital-paper maker E-Ink – which is a touch on the small side for easy reading – and will have touch input with a virtual keyboard. We don’t know yet about pricing…
And don’t forget, Barnes & Noble has partnered with Plastic Logic, who will put out a color e-book reader next spring, with books accessible through Barnes & Noble…
Microsoft says they’ll pass on putting out a e-reader device. This from Steve Ballmer: “We have a device for reading. It’s the most popular device in the world — it’s the PC.”
Frankly, that’s a little ridiculous as a reason for not making an e-reader. It’s comparing apples to oranges..If the company doesn’t want to enter the fray, then that’s just fine – there are plenty of devices already available and we don’t want to encourage too much of a mad rush towards electronics as primary reading devices – but it’s not smart to say a PC cuts it as an e-reader equivalent.
Measured, deliberate communications ain’t exactly a Ballmer specialty.
B&N, Plastic Logic to use AT&T network for new e-reader
Plastic Logic, which is still gestating its entry in the new market for electronic reading devices, is disclosing a little bit more about its upcoming product.
After announcing earlier this week that Barnes & Noble would manage its electronic book store, the company said Wednesday that AT&T’s 3G network will provide the mobile broadband connection for the device, which is due to go on sale at the beginning of next year.
The Mountain View, Calif., company declined to disclose any more information about the pricing, or whether it will charge consumers monthly for that wireless connectivity. Amazon.com’s Kindle accesses content through Sprint Nextel’s wireless network, although users are not charged for the service and many probably do not even know their Kindle uses Sprint to download books and access the Web.
The Plastic Logic Reader, the size of a regular piece of paper, will be slightly larger than the Kindle DX and sport a touch-screen. Plastic Logic says the device will be targeted at business users, which typically suggests a higher price and the need to lure more affluent customers.
Unlike the Kindle, the Plastic Logic Reader will also be able to access Wi-Fi hotspots.
That last sentence pretty much guarantees AT&T’s 3G access will require a monthly charge.
For publishers who want it, think they need it, the device is DRM-enabled. But, not required. The Reader and the communications system supplying it allow for self-publishing which can be a plus for many writers and editors.
Frankly, I’m looking forward to trying one – sooner or other.
Can a big-screen Kindle save your daily newspaper?
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
The iPod stemmed losses in the music industry. The Kindle gave beleaguered book publishers a reason for optimism.
Now the recession-ravaged newspaper and magazine industries are hoping for their own knight in shining digital armor, in the form of portable reading devices with big screens…
Read on, dear friends. Let’s see if newspaper publishers can be as uncomprehending and foolish as, say, the RIAA and MPAA?
Such e-reading devices are due in the next year from a range of companies, including the News Corporation, the magazine publisher Hearst and Plastic Logic, a well-financed start-up company that expects to start making digital newspaper readers by the end of the year at a plant in Dresden, Germany.
But it is Amazon, maker of the Kindle, that appears to be first in line to try throwing an electronic life preserver to old-media companies. As early as this week, according to people briefed on the online retailer’s plans, Amazon will introduce a larger version of its Kindle wireless device tailored for displaying newspapers, magazines and perhaps textbooks.
An Amazon spokesman would not comment, but some news organizations, including The New York Times, are expected to be involved in the introduction of the device, according to people briefed on the plans…
Plastic Logic’s e-reader is thin, simple and strong
Why would you want an Amazon Kindle, which is kind of bulky, not too attractive, and of limited scope when you could have a real digital document reader that is thin, easy to use, and very strong? That’s the business case from Plastic Logic, one of the first companies to be on stage at DemoFall.
The company’s plastic reader is designed to store dozens or hundreds of business documents on a very thin digital reader. It can store e-books, magazines, newspapers, PDFs and all kinds of information, the company said.
It’s made with plastic, not glass, meaning that it is designed to be strong and to be able to stand up to being hit with objects or, presumably, even dropped.
It looks pretty cool, and is said to weigh only ounces, “not pounds,” has a battery that lasts days and can be read in bright daylight.
Production starts soon and I guess they’ll come up with a name for the critter that won’t be too dumb.
It certainly has an easier form factor [for me] to deal with compared to existing devices.
