eBook Reader Reviews

Cool-Er is making its place in the e-reader market through what appears to be some pretty intuitive marketing techniques with a product that certainly does what it says it does at a price that competes with anything on the market. 

It has taken the UK in particular by storm, and a large part of Europe with it, and it is perhaps no coincidence that the Amazon Kindle is not available in either markets. One cannot help but think that Amazon has made a bad marketing blunder by failing to offer the Kindle in the UK or Europe. While it does not compete with the Kindle for functionality, its price is certainly a lot better for the average user.  

One aspect of the Cool-er that must be commented on is that its marketing appears to be a bit unique. When the founder of the company that makes the Cool-er, Neil Jones, was asked his thoughts on the device he replied that he was confident that it would be Number 3 in the USA and 2 in the UK, then after being in the market for a short time revised that to Number 2 in the USA and 1 in the UK. That’s confidence for you, and anybody reading that would be interested in finding out why, and perhaps in giving his product a go. 

Interead started off by developing an eBook website known as coolerbooks.com, with a view to marketing the Sony Reader to go with the downloads. However, when Sony was unable to guarantee a supply of the readers to meet his projected demand, he decided to make his own. Cool-er was born as the lightest and smallest e-reader on the market, and also the most affordable, and in eight bright colours. 

It was marketed as being compatible with all eBook formats, and could operate with books from any store using the ePUB format, including its own eBook store that also permits its books to be shared, just like regular paper books. He stated it as being the “iPod moment” that e-readers had been waiting for, and the product looks like the iPod Nano. That comment, and the similarity with the iPod, are very significant. 

This gave rise to a storm of protests and other comments on blogs and forums all round the world, as people commented on his ‘blatant’ knock-off of the iPod look and his presumption in making such a comment as “iPod moment”. This provided more publicity to the Cool-er than any amount of regular marketing ever could, and many people deliberately checked up on the product to be more able to shout it down – and many ended up purchasing it because of its very attractive looks and price! 

You can Google ‘Cool-er forum’ or blog, and find out exactly the amount of publicity this has provided. Was this deliberate? Did Neil Jones know exactly what his comment was going to achieve? If so he is a marketing genius. 

He has now stated that a new Cool-er model will become available round about January to compete against the Kindle. It will be bigger and better, but has refused to name any improvements, other than to state that the USB loading port would be retained. Touch screen technology and wireless connectivity are possible enhancements, he stated, and the new model with more suited to education and reading newspapers and magazines. 

Interead has also hooked up with Google who has provided access to the Google e-books library, to add 500,000 public domain books to the 300,000 titles on their regular Cooler Books website. The Google books will not be available in the USA for copyright reasons. 

What marketing will he use for this new product, we wonder? Will it be the scantily clad women that were used in previous shows and public presentations? This, too, got the forums talking, and it seems that Interead has a different approach to marketing than that regularly used by high-tech businesses. It certainly gets their name distributed online and their product discussed, and that is the ultimate objective of any marketing campaign. 

So what are the attributes of the Cool-er, other than their unique way of manipulating blogs and forums, deliberately or otherwise? It’s all been said really – it is a good e-reader using E ink technology at a very affordable price, and books in any format can be added by means of a USB port or SD card. Though according to “An Introduction to Popular E-book File Formats” each of these formats has its own advantages and disadvantages (Digital Book Readers). It’s ePub format is now being taken on by Sony, and any e-reader that has ties with Google will soon benefit when Google start to offer commercial books rather than only those in the public domain, towards the end of this year. 

There are few doubts in the minds of many people that the marketing successes of Cool-er were the result of some very astute marketing techniques, involving public presentations but most of all a deliberate similarity to the iPod Nano that had its name mentioned so often that it couldn’t fail. Were it serendipity, then why did Neil Jones use the term ‘iPod moment’ when discussing its launch?

written by Noel \\ tags: Blatant, Cooler, Copying, ebook, Intuitive, Marketing, reader

The new kid on the eBook reader is the QUE by Plastic Logic. Pronounced like the letter ‘Q’, this has yet to be launched, and appears to be an innovation in eReader technology in the features and capabilities it is claimed to offer: these will be detailed later.

For now, however, the QUE appears to be the first of a new generation of eReaders expected to be launched in 2010 by those companies waiting to see the best that Amazon could produce. The Kindle DX is seriously challenged by the QUE, but how do the prices compare? The answer is that we don’t know yet because Digital Plastic has yet to launch and price their product. However, it seems that steps are being taken for us to expect a much higher price that the Kindle or any other consumer oriented ebook reader.

The Kindle was always going to be set up ready for attack by any company that had belief that eBooks were the reading experience of the future. The same is true of eReading creations by Sony and any other business that rested on its laurels. Plastic Logic’s QUE is a step beyond anything we have seen to date, and no doubt there will be many steps beyond.

Don’t get too worried about the predicted high price: any business that publicly states that its new product will target the business market in eReaders rather than ordinary consumers is either trying to extract a high price for its product or genuinely has something light years ahead of the Kindle or the PRS-700. Hardware predominantly designed for a business market will likely offer no better a book reading experience than any other eReader.

There is evidence that the QUE is not a serious competitor to a normal eReader. The fact that Barnes & Noble are selling the QUE in their own stores alongside their own Nook indicates that perhaps there is a significant difference in intended use – and certainly in price for B&N to agree to this agreement with Plastic Logic!

There are no doubts that the QUE is ahead of the Amazon and Sony products although how much ahead is for you to decide. It is extremely slim, to begin with, and its 8.5 x 11 inch screen beats the Kindle DX hands down. In fact, the screen is not only shatterproof, but also capacitive without any loss in sensitivity that such layered screens often show. It doesn’t need a stylus, and also offers 3G and wifi. However, a big down is that it uses AT&T 3G!

Plastic Logic claim that they are not competing with the Kindle, which can only mean that it is not intended for the consumer market. If it is true that this eReader is targeting the business market only then the likelihood is that it will command a high corporate price, and that it is not intended for reading showbiz mags or popular fiction, but spreadsheets, reports and AGM minutes. It will basically put in easily-read eReader format what would otherwise have been separate printed sheets that would have had to be distributed to each individual. One distributed electronic file against potentially dozens or even hundreds of photocopied or printed paper sheets. As it was noted in the article “New Generation of e-Readers Contributes to Environmental Protection“, so called green reading reduces an individual’s literary carbon footprint intertwining human interaction and the planet’s lifespan together on a favorable level (Digital Book Readers).

Let’s take the view that the QUE will have to be launched to consumers in order to profit – and that is a fairly safe assumption to make. Its competition is the current technology: Cool-er and Kindle, for example. These are not technologically demanding standards to beat, mainly because the eBook reader market has not been demanding to date. Now, however, consumers are beginning to sit up and notice the benefits of eReaders, both from a convenience and an environmental point of view. The battle is on.

So where does Plastic Logic figure when we assume that Amazon, Sony, Apple and Microsoft are going to take notice and start working on something other than what has been to date a product to meet the relative low demands of a niche market? Actually, surprisingly well! It reads business formats such as PDF, Excel, PowerPoint and Word, and you can even edit the MS Office documents on the screen.

Unlike the Kindle, the QUE enables users to jump about between documents, an important business requirement. In fact, it appears that once Plastic Logic launches this product they will have few, if any, competitors in the commercial eReader business market. The company has content partnerships with a number of publishers such as Barnes and Noble (that powers the QUE store), the Financial Times, USA Today, Zinio and Ingram Digital plus others.

It should by now be obvious why Digital Plastic claims the QUE not to compete with the Kindle. In fact it should be the other way around: there is no way the Kindle could compete with the QUE in the business market. There is just one problem though: it has yet to be launched, and all we have read to date are no more than promises. However, if the QUE meets up to these promises, then others have a way to go to compete for the commercial eReader business.

written by Noel \\ tags: Block, ebook, Logic, Plastic, reader

That’s a good question. Does the future of books lie in the increasing popularity of mobile eBook reading? eBook readers have certainly advanced a great deal in recent months, partially because they allows people to access a large number of titles without having to travel to libraries and bookstores, and also because they are convenient. There are no heavy books to carry around, and the majority of mobile readers fit comfortably in the pocket. 

One issue that some might have with mobile eBook readers is the text size, which is generally 7 point, though it is easier when the ‘full screen’ option is used. Like their larger counterparts, mobile readers enable you to bookmark your place and store your favorite links for later use. In many cases the text can be made easier to read by increasing the font size, and with it you can often bold the view to improve the readability. 

Compared to a traditional book, there is a number advantages offered by an eBook reader, and because of these it is assuming increasing popularity among those for whom reading is a serious business as well as with those that read for pleasure. 

Among the benefits for both types of reader is the fact that mobile eBook reading can be enjoyed whenever you want to read, as opposed to whenever you have a book available. Imagine the benefits on long haul flights, when you can save on the weight and inconvenience of carrying a number of books, and you can use one to read on the underground, train or even when standing in a queue!  

You will also save on electricity, since you can read at night without having to put your light on. You can read in bed then switch off the reader – it will remember your place – rather than the light. Researchers find it very convenient, and the e-ink technology even makes it look as though you were reading a book printed with real ink, rather than a pixilated computer or cell phone font. 

The leader in the U.S. mobile eBook reading field is currently Amazon, with its Kindle 2 and DX, which are also offered in the UK or Europe starting October 19. Although you have the pick of the Amazon library of books at around 80% of the standard price, you cannot give them away, sell them or even lend them to a friend. So, some of the benefits of owning a physical book are lost. However, if you buy books only for yourself, you will save money in addition to the aforementioned benefits. 

The most popular portable e-reader in Europe is the Sony PRS, and others include the Cool-er, iRex iLiad, the BeBook and the Hanlin V2. They are all getting into it, so it must be felt that this is a growing technology that is going to catch on more than it already has done. It is also reported that Apple are about to launch a tablet with e-reader capability and a touch screen. According to the article “Apple’s Plan to Enter the E-reader Market” the current buzz is that it will have a 9.6 inch color screen using OLED technology, although others have mentioned a 13 inch tablet with a $500 price tag (Digital Book Readers). 

Apart from the range of books offered by Amazon for its Kindle range, the Sony Reader allows you access to a large library of books in the public domain that are therefore free to download. It also gives you access to Google e-books, which is a very large range of options to have, particularly if you are carrying out technical research. Others offer a smaller range of books, but all are growing. 

The one thing that aficionados of real books will lose is the touch and feel of a book in their hands. That feel and smell of a real leather binding, for example, and the physical sensation of holding it and turning the pages. Those that have never experienced that, however, will wonder what there is to miss, and a day will come when this is the only way of reading books, and the old paper versions will be consigned to the archives. It might take a generation or two, but it will happen, in the same way that steam-driven locomotives are now museum pieces. 

However, there is one aspect of mobile eBook reading that might become more relevant in the future, and that may impact on such as Amazon and the smaller manufacturers. That is the question of flexibility, and this is possibly why Apple has taken so long to enter the market. The day of dedicated e-readers might be numbered because people generally prefer to use one device for as many applications as possible. 

The future likely lies in a portable eBook reader that downloads and plays music, offers internet access, incorporates a digital camera and can be used as a mobile phone. In other words, Apple might come along shortly and set new standards. If that is the case then there are exciting times ahead as we watch the response of Sony and Amazon and the result of a battle that can only be of benefit to us, the customers. 

written by Noel \\ tags: books, ebook, Future, mobile, reading

E-readers elevate your reading experience to a whole new level. Combining a virtual library into a reading device, the size of a paperback, e-readers have revolutionized our enjoyment of the written word. Amazing accessories for e-readers can further enhance the pleasure of reading. Book lovers can avail of countless e-reader accessories as well as specific types for different devices.

 

The accessories generally fall into certain categories such as covers, reading lights, power adapters, and earplugs. When you purchase an e-reader, you will receive a few basic accessories. Yet there are other exciting options which are often overlooked by e-reader users. For extra protection and elegant style, explore the endless possibilities with e-reader accessories:

 

1. Covers. E-reader covers will protect a device from dust and scratches. Covers and screen protectors allow you to personalize e-readers while offering protection.

 

2. Cases. E-reader cases can also reflect your individual style. They provide spectacular protection for your e-reader.

 

3. Jackets. E-reader jackets offer sleek style, excellent durability, and added protection for e-readers. The jackets can be fashioned from varied materials including genuine leather or clear vinyl. They come in contemporary colors such as sapphire blue, mocha, or jade green.

 

4. Sleeves. They protect the entire surface of an e-reader. They have a soft lining, form-fitting design, and padded protection.

 

5. Protective Skins add definitive design to an e-reader. This accessory adds a measure of protection without adding extra bulk. Protective skins, however, do not offer the same level of protection as covers, jackets, sleeves, or cases.

 

6. Reading Lights illuminate the screen and make it easy to read in the dark.

 

7. Earphones. Since they block out unwanted sounds, earphones add to the enjoyment of an e-reader.

 

8. Power Adapters. With power adapters, you can use your e-reader – anywhere, any time.

 

 

Amazing E-Reader Accessories

 

SONY PRS

 

Fans of the Sony PRS can choose from fantastic, fashionable accessories. Stylish covers come in various shades such as vibrant red, bold black, or deep brown. Sony PRS-505 users can purchase a premium leather cover with pockets for a business card, driver’s license, bus pass, or optional memory card.

 

M-Edge Accessories, a provider of accessories for e-readers, has a line of covers and jackets for Sony Reader PRS-505 and Sony Reader PRS-700. The ‘Executive Jacket’, featuring a padded case, opens just like a book. Since Sony PRS-505 doesn’t have a built-in light, the M-Edge e-LuminatorTM can be used with the ‘Executive Jacket.’

 

M-Edge Accessories also developed the ‘Leisure Jacket’ – a perfect option for protecting an e-reader near the pool or at the beach. The ‘Platform Jacket’ imitates a book stand so the device can be used in an upright, hands-free position.

 

Sony users can choose from a wide variety of accessories. A cover with a light protects the device and also provides illumination. A clutch case offers protection as well as glorious style. Zipper cases with a soft lining make terrific travel cases. Wherever you travel, e-readers will work if you carry an AC charger or a car charger adapter.

 

Amazon Kindle 6″

 

There are many lovely leather covers, in lively colors, available for the innovative, wireless Kindle. The Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip-On Light is designed for easy attachment to a Kindle book cover. The LumaLenz optical-grade lens distributes light equally and has a fully adjustable arm to hold light in place. Its two ’super LEDs’ give a bright light which is six times that of a regular LED.

 

The Patagonia Book Case gives perfect protection for 2nd generation Kindle. This case is an eco-conscious (recycled polyester shell), functional, and fashionable choice. The screen can be easily viewed through the Patagonia Book Case. The poly-mesh carrying handle is an extra convenience.

 

Users can also protect their 2nd generation e-reader with a GelaSkins Protective Kindle Skin. Featuring a bubble-free application, this skin protects an e-reader from scratches. In addition, the protective skin adds style with a removable art print.

 

For maximum protection, however, choose more sturdy options. A Neoprene Kindle sleeve is a novel way to protect an e-reader. Kindle earphones always ensure an enjoyable reading experience. They can be quite useful because as it was noted in the article “What Do You, Oprah, and an e-Reader Have in Common?” Kindle has stereo sound system and offers text to speech capability (Digital Book Readers).

 

Irex iLiad

 

Users can find the usual e-reader accessories for Irex iLiad such as covers and chargers. Yet Irex iLiad has an unique accessory – the stylus. This device allows for writing on the e-reader. There is a standard stylus pen which fits in the back of the e-reader. Users can also select from a professional or advanced style.

 

E-readers are the direction of reading in the future. Embrace their innovative technology, eye-catching style, and distinct colors. Accessorize your e-reader and achieve amazing style and unsurpassed function.

written by Noel \\ tags: accessories, Best, Enhance, ereader

Ebook readers are becoming available from a number of manufacturers and in various formats for PC, mobile phones and PDA systems. Two of the more popular ebook readers are the Amazon Kindle and the Sony although competition is heating up, largely because of Amazon’s failure to dominate their niche by failing to offer the Kindle to the UK and Europe until sales started on October 19, 2009. That policy has enabled competitors to be knocking on Amazon’s door as genuine competitors.

Sony offers the PDF format PRS-505 and the ebook reader PRS-700, both smaller than the Kindle. Nevertheless, many prefer the Sony devices that are good to handle and very easy to use, and where Amazon once scored with the large range of titles they could offer, Sony is beginning to compete.

PRS users can upload directories of public domain books, offering them virtually free libraries, and also have access to the Google e-books libraries. Add to that the increasing range of books being added by Sony, and the Sony PRS now has a lot of titles to offer which makes its lower price look very attractive, and Google e-books has corrected its one-time weakness in technical books.

There is a large price difference between Sony and Amazon, with the Amazon products priced at least $100 above the Sony offerings.  Although the choice would seem to be between these two, others are now becoming more popular, and the Cool-er is starting to interest many users due to its relatively low price. Retailing at $250, it is available cheaper from some online outlets, and the price more than compensates for its lack of wireless.  For listening to, it offers MP3 capability from an SD card – far superior to the Kindle text to speech robotic type of sound.

However, although it is significantly less expensive than the Kindle, the Cool-er is only around $50 less than the Sony, so if $50 isn’t important to you the Sony is the better by far due to its better looks and ease of use. An additional setback for the Cool-er is that its books can be expensive to download in comparison to others. Though, as it was noted in the article “Cool-er: Intuitive Marketing or Blatant Copying“, it was marketed as being compatible with all eBook formats, and could operate with books from any store using the ePUB format, including its own eBook store that also permits its books to be shared (Digital Book Readers). The Kindle also wins hands down on battery life over these other two.

There is more competition to the Kindle than that however, and not only because of the Sony being the #1 eReader in Europe. The iRex iLiad and Hanlin are also assuming greater popularity on price.  The iRex supports html, PDF, text and MOBI formats among others while the Hanlin is the ideal choice if you require an ebook reader with a wide range of file formats -17 in all, plus 5 graphics formats and MP3.

However, if the range of formats is important, BeBook offers 25! Capable with Mac and PC computers, it has an SD memory slot, stores around 1000 books and can play MP3 files. BeBook also comes loaded with 150 classic book titles, and the BeBook library offers around 20,000 downloads. Its main problem is the price, at only $30 less than the Sony, and what it offers does not warrant choosing that unless you need all these file formats.  The Sony is technically and aesthetically superior.

There is more serious competition to all of these on the horizon, however. Mobile devices are increasingly being used as eReaders. Apple offers a free application to enable the iPhone to be used as an eReader. It is compatible with Kindle, and also others such as Clickwheel Comic Reader, eReader and Stanza. Of these the Stanza is the general ebook reader, and can compete with Kindle as an iPhone reader although it has been purchased by Amazon so its future is insecure.

The iPhone is not the only cell phone from which eBooks can be read, however, and you can use any smart phone, or even a PDA to read books. BlackBerry can be used with Mobipocket’s mobile format and eReader for Symbian smartphones is on free download, compatible with many Nokia models and some Sony-Ericsson models. Windows Mobile eReader is available free for the Windows Mobile Smartphone and their PocketPC, and the same is true for the Palm OS eReader. So smart phone and Palm computer users have the option of eReaders free of charge, and these are perfectly serviceable. They are obviously unsuited to serious reading but are perfect for traveling, and for use on planes, trains and in cars (as a passenger of course!).

If you own one of the small lightweight netbooks, you can also use that as an ebook reader – in fact these are getting so small that they may shortly be very serious competitors to eReaders such as those currently offered by Kindle or Sony. A small fully functional and featured computer that doubles as an ebook reader could definitely seriously harm the dedicated products, assuming that users also had a requirement for the small notebooks. ` 

In conclusion, Kindle is still the top dog for range of features if not looks, with the Sony not too far behind because of its price. What is becoming evident is that cell phones are a good enough size of reader for some (because they cost nothing), and that the increasing size-reduction of ‘laptop’ PCs is rendering these a serious competitor to the dedicated eReaders.

written by Noel \\ tags: Brothers, ebook, readers, Sisters, Smaller, their