Amazon Kindle

[Spooky]

I like some of the features of the "Future" eReader.



Txtr eBook Reader Video + Image Gallery
Posted on March 12, 2009 by switch11

There has been speculation that Txtr might just be vaporware - However, the prototype displayed at CeBit and the accompanying video pretty much proves its an actual product.

Wizpac (the company behind Txtr and Txtr.com) has released some more details -

   1. They say its based on Open Standards.  They're going to throw it open to developers and hope no one breaks the essential functionality.
   2. It has a 6 inch screen.
   3. That you can connect to the Internet over WLAN, GPRS or UMTS. Also supports Bluetooth.
   4. Internet usage and data transfer is NOT free.
   5. Like how they say that the Txtr's frame just has a clickpad on the left and is free of the plethora of buttons of the Sony PRS-505 and the keyboard of the Kindle from Amazon.
   6. Measures 146 x 128.2 x 8 mm and weighs 260 grams.
   7. Its orientation changes according to how you hold it - obviously a function of the accelerometer. 
   8. Connects to PCs via MicroUSB and has a MicroSD slot.
   9. Battery is not interchangeable.
  10. Txtr to Txtr communication and texting.
  11. First releasing in Europe, and contracts in the US still being negotiated (Verizon Wireless' offer probably).
  12. Say they will price it based on competitors and also see a sharp fall in costs in the medium term, or as Google Translate so succinctly interprets it -

          "One day the car dealership the car manual as an e-book reader settle."

Here's the Txtr Video -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmjlhATvxkY#

You know what - I've never been able to figure out why all the people who take videos of eBook Readers only seem to devote 25% of the actual video screen real estate to the reader and the rest to irrelevant things like their arms, and the conference hall floor and other people's legs.

The image gallery is available at golem.de.

My favorite part of the translation -

    Andreas Steinhauser, who has co-founded Wizpac, sporty: "Given the large tankers, we are the speedboat," he says.

And finally technical specifications -

    Technical Specifications for the Txtr eReader

       1. Freescale CPU 532MHz – that's a faster processor.
       2. Capacitive slider interface – basically one of those sliding touch interfaces – think like an iPod's scroll wheel, except not circular.
       3. Next generation Epson display controller.
       4. Linux kernel
       5. Integrated 3D accelerometer for automatic orientation detection – Now this is really interesting.
       6. Full integration with txtr online community platform
       7. eInk-optimized power management system, and Li-Ion battery
       8. 64MB SDRAM onboard
       9. MicroSD memory card slot with 4GB MicroSD card included.
      10. Internal 3G/GPRS modem
      11. USB 2.0 cable connection
      12. Bluetooth 2.1 for audio, external keyboard and future enhancements
      13. WiFi
      14. Low power 2.4GHz near range communication

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmjlhATvxkY&eurl=http://ireaderreview.com/2009/03/12/txtr-ebook-reader-video-image-gallery/#

[Saxon]

Expensive toys. I sure wish I could hit the lotto.

[Eric]

It sounds like Spooky's getting his money's worth.  I'm not sure I would, unless it got me back into reading fiction regularly again.

The backlight thing is a concern, though.  lol

[Spooky]

It sounds like Spooky's getting his money's worth.  I'm not sure I would, unless it got me back into reading fiction regularly again.

The backlight thing is a concern, though.  lol

I've saved nearly $300 on the price of Kindle books Vs. their dead tree counterparts since I received my Kindle. I also find I am reading a lot more now. Having a library of books with me every where I go is very shiny indeed!

[Rosie]

I've saved nearly $300 on the price of Kindle books Vs. their dead tree counterparts since I received my Kindle. I also find I am reading a lot more now. Having a library of books with me every where I go is very shiny indeed!

Wow, now I'm jealous.

[Spooky]

I've saved nearly $300 on the price of Kindle books Vs. their dead tree counterparts since I received my Kindle. I also find I am reading a lot more now. Having a library of books with me every where I go is very shiny indeed!

Wow, now I'm jealous.

One of the many reason for EVERYONE to be jealous of me!!! 

[Saxon]

It sounds like Spooky's getting his money's worth.  I'm not sure I would, unless it got me back into reading fiction regularly again.

The backlight thing is a concern, though.  lol

I've saved nearly $300 on the price of Kindle books Vs. their dead tree counterparts since I received my Kindle. I also find I am reading a lot more now. Having a library of books with me every where I go is very shiny indeed!

Gingi is the only other person I know who could rival that I'm thinkin'. She 'bout died when we were driving in North & South Dakota...with nothing in sight but prarie and she finished the book she'd brought along. I dare anyone to find a Borders/Starbucks out there! lol!

[KDot-Yana]

I've saved nearly $300 on the price of Kindle books Vs. their dead tree counterparts since I received my Kindle. I also find I am reading a lot more now. Having a library of books with me every where I go is very shiny indeed!

Gingi is the only other person I know who could rival that I'm thinkin'. She 'bout died when we were driving in North & South Dakota...with nuthin' in sight but prarie and she finished the book she'd brought along. I dare anyone to find a Borders/Starbucks out there! lol!

If I'm on a roll, I can read a book and a half to two books a day.  Between my Mother, my Sister and I, we have over 3000 books... the last count was well over five years ago... 

[SerenityValley]

Gingi is the only other person I know who could rival that I'm thinkin'. She 'bout died when we were driving in North & South Dakota...with nuthin' in sight but prarie and she finished the book she'd brought along. I dare anyone to find a Borders/Starbucks out there! lol!

Lucky!  I can't read in the car, get carsick.

[Spooky]

Barnes & Noble, Foxconn planning Kindle 2 rivals?

Posted on April 9, 2009 by switch11

There are 2 rumors making the rounds -

   1. Barnes & Noble is banding with Sprint and an unknown manufacturer and rushing to release an eBook reader. This would make a lot of sense since Barnes & Noble has made a lot of moves recently, like buying Fictionwise, which indicate its intentions in the eBook marketplace. 
   2. Foxconn, the Original Design Manufacturer of the Kindle 2 and Kindle, is also rumored to be working on a Kindle 2 rival. This is based on DigiTimes' scoop -

          Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) has recently hired several software technicians to work on an e-book product line, according to market sources. However, Foxconn declined to comment on the speculation.
          Foxconn is the manufacturer of Amazon's Kindle 2 e-book device.

Of course, there is the slight chance that the 'unknown manufacturer' is Foxconn and they're hiring the software developers on behalf of B&N.

Would Foxconn build both Kindle 2 & Barnes and Noble's eReader?

The possibility of Foxconn manufacturing both Kindle 2 and B&N's eReader might not be as far-fetched as you think -

   1. Foxconn manufactures Xbox 360s, Sony PlayStation 3s, and Nintendo Wiis.
   2. They manufacture Apple iPhones, and also Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson cellphones. 

So, Yes! Foxconn would be very likely to be the unknown manufacturer B&N is working with.

Would Foxconn really make their own Kindle 2 Killer?

Foxconn is not completely new to creating and selling its own branded products.

   1. They do manufacture Graphics Cards - the only consumer product sold under their own brand. They mostly compete on low price and high clock-speeds.
   2. Low price and high clock-speeds in eReader terms would mean a sub $250 eReader with fast, fast refresh speed.
   3. Perhaps Foxconn would even work-in a better screen and potentially make their eReader open to all formats.

However, something's not quite right with the idea of a Foxconn eReader. DigiTimes are almost certainly wrong about Foxconn creating their own eReader.

Amazon must have had Foxconn sign an NDA and a non-compete of some form so it seems unlikely that Foxconn would enter the same market. It would also send the wrong signal to all of Foxconn's other customers.

This one sounds like it's just a rumor.

Which Means ...

Foxconn would at most be the manufacturer for the B&N Kindle Killer. They would lose the trust of their customers if they started competing with Amazon who are, after all, a customer.

Kindle 2 is definitely going to see a rival. A potential rival from FoxConn would have actually been scarier since they'd undercut Kindle 2 massively on price.

Barnes & Noble bring a different sort of threat - an established brand name, existing relationships with publishers, and a chain of retail outlets. Their desperation is probably going to lead to bad decisions and turn their BNReader into much less of a threat to Amazon & Kindle 2.


http://ireaderreview.com/2009/04/09/barnes-noble-foxconn-planning-kindle-2-rivals/