Review of Electronic Reader Highlights Week of August 23 to August 30, 2010
In the rapidly evolving world of technology, tablet devices and e-readers continue to capture the imagination of consumers. Here's a roundup of some of the latest developments in the field.
The ExoPC tablet, developed by a French Canadian company, is set to hit the market from September 30. Pre-orders are already being accepted. Powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom Pineview-M N450 processor and 2GB of DDR2 RAM, this tablet will boast a Broadcom Crystal HD 1080p chipset for accelerating multimedia files. It will feature a screen size of 11.6 inches and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
Meanwhile, the JooJoo tablet PC, developed by Fusion Garage, has received a software update. The update includes features like password storage, screen calibration, and basic USB support. Additionally, the updated JooJoo will now be able to remember passwords and recall them, and it will have basic USB support.
In the e-reader market, the LumiRead is making waves. This device, set to be released by Acer, will feature an e-paper display based on e-ink technology, a 6-inch screen with a display resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, Wi-Fi, integrated 3G modem, and affiliation with the Barnes & Noble book store as its official content partner.
The new Kindle e-reader has started shipping ahead of schedule and is the fastest selling Kindle model so far.
In the realm of interactive textbooks, Inkling is making a splash. Four titles from McGraw-Hill are planned for the initial release of Inkling's interactive textbooks, covering subjects such as biology, economics, marketing, and psychology. These digital textbooks will utilize the iPad's multimedia capabilities, vibrant color screen, video, Internet connectivity, and touchscreen interface. The interactive digital textbooks will be available at the iTunes App Store with introductory price offers valid for a limited time period.
Sharp is also venturing into the interactive textbook market with its 3D tablet, intended to challenge the dominance of the iPad. This tablet will make use of glasses-free 3D display technology similar to the Nintendo 3DS.
Samsung has released an official teaser video for the Samsung Galaxy Pad, but details about its specifications are yet to be revealed.
Toshiba is set to release the SmartPad tablet, which will be available in both 7 inch and 10 inch sizes. However, details about its features are scarce at the moment.
CourseSmart, an e-textbook provider, has developed an iPad app that allows students to carry all their textbooks on the device.
In a significant shift in the book market, HarperCollins has sold more ebooks than hardcovers this quarter.
Finally, SmartQ has launched the V3 Tablet PC, which runs on the Android OS and has a 4.3-inch WVGA touch screen, 600MHz ARM11-based processor, 256MB DDR2 RAM, and 3D graphics acceleration. It's unclear whether the SmartPad will run on Windows 7 or Android OS, but there are indications that Android has the advantage.
These developments underscore the growing importance of tablet devices and e-readers in our daily lives, and it will be interesting to see how these technologies evolve in the future.
