Que by Plastic Logic
Features: The device weighs 500g and is 7.6mm thick.
Target: Those who read digital newspapers and business documents.
Price: US$649-US$799 (S$908-S$1,117)
eDGe by enTourage
Features: The 1.3kg device has two 25.4cm screens, a Web camera and microphones.
Target: Those who want to record lectures, read and browse the Web.
Price: US$500
Cool-er by Interead
Features: The 178g device is 10mm thick. It comes in a range of colours but does not have a touchscreen.
Target: People above 45 years of age.
Price: US$299
Skiff by Skiff
Features: Weighing less than 500g and 6.8mm thick, it is shatter-proof and crack-proof, and its battery can last a week.
Target: Newspaper and magazine readers.
Price: Not yet fixed.
Dell, Samsung and other tech heavyweights launched their e-readers at the four-day Las Vegas consumer electronics show(CES), which started on Jan 7. Pitched against them are upstarts like Plastic Logic, Interead, enTourage, Demy and Notion Ink, all of which also unveiled devices at CES.
Watching closely from outside CES are competitors from the traditional book world, such as online store Amazon and chain Barnes & Noble. It was Amazon's Kindle, unveiled in 2007, that popularised the e-reader, reportedly the hottest gift last Christmas.
According to CES, 2.2 million e-readers were shipped to stores last year, nearly four times as many as the year before. With the popularity of e-books growing rapidly, the group expects 5 million e-readers to be shipped this year.
Over the next few months, a cascade of new e-readers will hit the market, taking the devices beyond black-and-white screens to colour and other features like touch navigation and video chatting.
Singapore is yet to be a target country for e-readers due to a number of reasons, of which book licensing rights is one. But the good news is that upstarts like enTourage are interested in expanding their markets to Asia, including Singapore, this year. I think anyone who is able to get their imports of such gadgets, will likely to make a quick buck, but has to be fast and first in making the deal, else, everybody will start follow suit and margins will erode as war pricing will kill every importers of different models, types,etc.
But all the buzz could fizzle out later this month when Apple launches the iTablet. Envisioned as a slate-like device larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop, it is expected to be a computer- cum-e-reader with music and video capabilities.
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its Hewlett-Packard tablet. Watch out for these devices soon to be found in local shops........
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