The eBook era has truly arrived at CES 2010, with dozens of new models appearing on the stands at the Las Vegas tech showcase.
The most significant new entrant is Samsung, which has released two eBook devices with both reading and writing capabilities.
The 6in E6 and 10in E101 both come with an electromagnetic resonance stylus pen, enabling the readers to double as virtual notepads. Samsung said it used electromagnetic resonance technology because it “prevents mistypes caused by hands and other objects that may graze the screen’s surface.”
“Samsung is addressing a common frustration that users experience with many of today’s digital readers with a stylus that allows them to annotate their favourite works or take notes,” said Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics USA. “Combined with wireless functionality that enables sharing of content, this is a truly multi-faceted device,” he added.
The two eBook devices are equipped with wireless 802.11bg, as well as Bluetooth 2.0, enabling users to download books and newspapers. When it comes to content, Samsung has teamed up with Google to give users of the E6 and E101 access to Google’s vast library of digital books.
The Samsung E6 and E101 will be priced at $399 and $699, respectively. They will be available in early 2010.
Two for the price of one
Dual-screen eBook readers are making their debut at this year’s show. The enTourage eDGe reader that we highlighted on our blog earlier this week is creating plenty of buzz on the showfloor.
The device has both a 9.7in e-paper display and a conventional 10.1in LCD screen, although eBooks can be viewed on either display, meaning users can save battery life by reading text from the greyscale e-paper display and view pictures in full colour on the LCD. Both displays are also touchscreens, meaning users can jot handwritten annotations on their eBooks with the accompanying stylus, or use the Wi-Fi connection and built-in browser to scour the web.
The biggest downside of the eDGe is its size: when folded together like a book the device is more than an inch thick, and certainly won’t go unnoticed in a bag.
Pocket-sized Cybook
If portability tops your priority list, the Cybook Opus is the smallest eBook reader we’ve come across yet. The Opus has a 5in E Ink screen and is only 10mm thick, allowing it to discretely slip into a jacket pocket. What’s more it weighs only 150 grams, which is only marginally heavier than the iPhone 3GS.
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