Turn, turn, turn…
The latest page in the tech consumer's diary is set to combust, as new releases and improved wireless capability relight the eReader market. Nich Phillips checks the specs
2009-05-26
Never gamble on new technology, my ex-girlfriend’s father once told me as he squinted fiercely into one of the dozen Betamax recorders stacked in his attic. It’s hard advice to follow, as my own pile of mini-discs and Dreamcast games, slowly corroding atop my original trilogy Star Wars laserdiscs, will testify.
This December I’ll again be struggling to take heed of his hard-bought wisdom. A fresh wave of eReaders has been announced, each promising something new and different to set it apart in a flooded and somewhat stagnant market. Sony’s new readers, Amazon’s Kindle II and Barnes & Noble’s Nook have all been released frustratingly and deliberately close to the time of year when the twin stars of Christmas consumerism and New Year self-improvement hover teasingly above a stable stuffed full of gadgets that make reading slightly easier.
More versatile devices may be just around the corner, so holding off on a purchase may be a wise choice. Asus, purveyor of the adorable eeePC and one of the largest manufacturers of the smallest netbooks on the market, has said full details of its eeeReader should be available before the end of the year. Images released to the Sunday Times show two full colour screens attached with a hinged spine; Asus is thought to be aiming to undercut its competitors on price, but this design is likely to offer lower portability and battery life.
Microsoft and Apple, meanwhile, have projects in development that appear to offer significantly more functionality in comparably sized devices. Conceptual videos of Microsoft’s Courier have been leaked online, revealing a dual touchscreen device offering function one would imagine of an electronic moleskine: journal, photo album, personal planner and web browser are all demonstrated, and it is respectively assumed and hoped that it can be used as a book and multimedia player too.
Apple’s project has been unoriginally but understandably dubbed the iTablet by a rabidly eager and wildly speculative blogosphere, and like most of Apple’s potentially revolutionary devices it is cloaked entirely in secrecy. No mention of it was made in Apple’s October product launch, and according to the Wall Street Journal, CEO Steve Jobs has “killed the project twice” in recent years. Because consumers already enjoy a huge range of functionality from Apple’s iPhones (including reading content from the Kindle and Nook), this is assumed to be a highly functional tablet computer. Expect more information no earlier than January.
As a lifelong bibliophile, my reason for delaying an electronic upgrade is extremely petty. The first company to offer me complimentary electronic copies of the hundreds of books I already own will be the one getting my investment.
Investment on behalf of my brother, always desperately tricky to find gifts for, is another question entirely.
The basics
eReaders are based on electronic paper technology – thin sheets of plastic suffused with magnetically charged black and white particles. Areas of the paper can be made to appear black, white or hues of grey by applying an electromagnetic charge to change the position of the particles. This is what gives eReaders their extraordinary battery life. Power is only used when a different charge is applied to move the particles – essentially, every time the page is turned. It’s also what makes them more readable than standard LCD screens – they reflect light like paper, instead of emitting it.
Amazon Kindle 2
What’s different?
3G connectivity means no messing around with USB cables – simply find the book you want online and download it there and then. There are no subscription or download fees for this internet access either, for users who don’t like using their phones for super-portable web surfing. It also includes an experimental text-to-speech function, which is best described in the range between endurable and jarring.
What’s annoying?
Although shipping internationally, it’s only available for purchase from the US Amazon site, and with the $279 price tag it’s likely to incur import duties. The Kindle Store is also priced in dollars, which although frustrating for international buyers might be to the temporary advantage of UK customers trying to avoid the currency trick Sony’s pulling with its readers.
Sony Reader Pocket
What’s different?
Nothing, really. It’s very easy to read, comes in an understated matte black finish, survives for a fortnight on a single charge and is pretty much exactly pocket-sized (imagine a one cm thick postcard). It’s not revolutionary, but it’s as reliable as you’d expect from Sony. The one thing that makes it stands out is its £179.99 price, one of the lowest in the UK.
What’s annoying?
It’s almost feature-free, with no search function, dictionary or memory card slot to expand its fairly paltry 512MB memory. Oh, and it only costs $199.99 in the US.
Barnes & Noble Nook
What’s different?
The touch-sensitive, full colour LCD screen is what immediately stands out, letting users make notes and search with a virtual keyboard, but without interfering with the readability of the e-ink. Like the Kindle it has 3G wireless – currently US only – and Wi-Fi connectivity. Barnes & Noble has also announced users will be able to lend their books to each other for up to two weeks, which is innovative in its simplicity.
What’s annoying?
It’s about the size of a paperback book, so slightly too big to be comfortably pocket-sized. The LCD screen also takes its toll on the battery, reducing it from the standard fortnight to roughly 10 days.
Sony Reader Touch
What’s different?
The touch-screen lets you interact with books in ways you‘d traditionally need a pencil for. The virtual keyboard lets users add annotations and search for books or words, and double-tapping on a particular word brings up its meaning in the dictionary. Because the controls are embedded in the screen there’s very little wasted space on the Touch, and the larger screen makes up for its lower pocketability.
What’s annoying?
Although fun to turn pages as if actually turning pages, this capability apparently necessitates the screen being significantly more reflective than an eReader has any right to be, somewhat spoiling the e-ink’s readability.
