Freescale's i.MX508 Chip Will Make E-Ink Readers Way Cheaper and Turn Pages 4X Faster [Guts]

The silicon inside 90 percent of ereaders out there is made by Freescale, and their new chip, the i.MX508—based on a ARM Cortex A8 (sorta like the iPad!)—will make them cheaper, and page turns 4x faster.

The chip's a custom SoC that integrates the functions from multiple chips into one—specifically, the E-Ink hardware display controller—along with that Cortex A8, which gives the readers enough juice to turn pages in half a second, versus the two seconds that's typical now. As the first chip expressly designed for ereaders, it also strips out unnecessary features, so the net result for the ereader is that it's $30 cheaper a unit. Freescale wagers that with the cost savings, it could drive ereaders to under $150 by the end of the year. (Though that in part depends on how much the E-Ink displays themselves are going to continue to cost.)

An E-Ink reader that costs $150 would definitely look more attractive as a dedicated long-reading device against an iPad that does lots of things on top of reading—and has those fancy digital magazines—than the ones that more like $260 today. Then again, Amazon's working on a full-color multitouch Kindle with Wi-Fi, if that tells you anything about the future of E-Ink readers. In the meantime, I'm all for cheaper.
[Gizmodo via Freescale via Bloomberg via Digital Daily]

Skiff Reader: The Largest Yet Thinnest eBook Reader to Date [Skiff]

It's bigger than any Kindle or device from B&N. Optimized for magazines and newspapers, the Skiff Reader offers a durable 11.5-inch (1600 x 1200) 'Metal Foil' touchscreen display, but it's still just a quarter of an inch thick.
Connecting to the upcoming Skiff digital store via Wi-Fi and Sprint's 3G network, the Skiff Reader will support yet unannounced content partnerships including books, specially focusing on large format print like above-mentioned magazines and newspapers—including "visually appealing layouts, high-resolution graphics, rich typography and dynamic updates." And with a screen that's nearly two inches larger and significantly sharper than even a Kindle DX, the Skiff Reader certainly seems well-positioned for this role—even though it's still just black and white.
There's no word on price or availability (more specific than 2010) just yet, but when the Skiff Reader is available, you'll be picking one up from Sprint.
[Gizmodo]

e-book + netbook + android = entourage edge

You know that shiny new Nook or Kindle you just got for Christmas? Looks like it’s already time to upgrade to the next hot new gadget. The enTourage eDGe combines the best of e-Book readers and Netbook computers into a single package.

The so-called “dualbook” gives you everything you’d expect from an e-Book reader, but includes a complete netbook computer, running on Android OS. The left-hand panel of the folding computer is a touchscreen e-Ink display, while the right side is a full-color LCD touchscreen. The e-Ink panel measures in at 9.7″ diagonal and 1200 x 825 resolution, while the LCD is 10.1″ diagonal, with 1024 x 600 resolution. When folded, the eDGe measures a compact, but pragmatic 8.25″ (h) x 10.75″ (w) x 1″ (d). At 2.75 pounds, it’s definitely not as lightweight as other e-Readers, but it’s comparable in heft to most netbooks. Battery life for the e-Ink side is rated at 16 hours, while you’ll only get about 6 hours of use with the LCD screen turned on.

The netbook side includes a web browser, media recording and playback, e-mail, and contact management among other things. Initially, the eDGe will work only on WiFi networks, but you’ll be able to use it on 3G networks with and EVDO or HSDPA modem down the road. You can read books in ePub or PDF formats, watch videos in 3GP, MP4 or H.264 formats, or listen to audio in MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG and M4A among other formats. What I really like about the screens is that they also support pen-based input, making them great for quick note taking and doodles too.

You can check out a web-based demo of the eDGe’s interface here, but the hands-on video from netbooknews below gives you a glimpse at a working prototype in action:

The enTourage eDGe ships in February 2010 with prices starting at $490 (USD), with a $40 upcharge for premium colors. They’re accepting pre-orders now over on the enTourage website. This is definitely one to watch.
[technabob]

Qualcomm Ebook Display Ups the Ante with Full Color and Video [Ebooks]

Qualcomm has developed a 5.7-inch (1,024x768) display for ebook readers that not only renders color and video; it does so with enough power efficiency to challenge a black and white, still-frame Kindle.
The 'mirasol' technology mimics iridescent butterfly wings by deploying charged, color-inducing membranes over a layer of mirror. It's a technology that, if integrated into Kindles today as-is, would increase battery life by an estimated 20%.
Instead, Qualcomm uses that extra power efficiency to drive color and higher refresh rates for smooth video. They contend that a Kindle with their more media-capable display could run about a day with its current battery.
The catch? The lead photo is a non-functional prototype (housing a functional, frozen-image display). Qualcomm is offering the tech to third party partners, and they expect you to see mirasol tech on the market by late 2010.
[Gizmodo via SlashGear]

The Intel Reader Photographs Text and Reads it Back to You [EReaders]

Intel's Reader for the visually impaired isn't a concept; it goes on sale today. Using an Atom processor, 5-megapixel camera, and Intel's Linux-based Moblin OS, it turns book pages into digital text and MP3s…then reads aloud in a synthesized voice.

Ben Foss, Director of Access Technology at Intel's Digital Health group said the device is also intended to assist those with severe Dyslexia, an impairment he himself grew up with. 'We want people to experience the independence of being able to read on their own in a public place or anywhere they want to.'
Prototypes of the paper-back sized device were tested with more than 400 visually-impaired users, including some who were completely blind. The reader can adjust the speed of reading, and it's 2GB of storage can hold about 500,000 pages of text; roughly 600 pages of scanned books.
At $1500, it's not cheap. But compared to even more expensive Braille readers, it has a shot as a specialty device.
[Gizmodo via Intel via VentureBeat]

Asustek announces WiMAX enabled E-Books coming soon

Asustek will be launching an e-book reader in the near future that will combine wi-fi with WiMAX mobile technologies as soon as the end of 2009. Asustek will most likely release the reader under the extremely popular EEE name here in the U.S. Looks like the predictions back in August were right.
Information is somewhat sparse at this time, but we do know that Asustek has made WiMAX hardware before, for companies like Clearwire, so that part of the technology isn’t new to them. Of course, Asustek frequently produces hardware and sells it to other vendors for re-branding, so we might see this technology under another brand name. We can probably expect Asustek to price their reader in the range of Amazon and B&N, in order to be competitive. One thing for sure, it’s turning out to be a good year for e-book readers.
[CrunchGear]

Barnes and Noble's E-Reader Like a Kindle/iPhone Chimera: First Photos and Details [Ebooks]

Barnes and Noble's late to e-books. But the company's new gadget—first seen here—should address the weaknesses of all other readers with multiple screens, each playing to tech strengths. A source from within reveals the first photos and details.
The Barnes and Nobles e-reader project, set to be revealed next week, has been under development for years, with several devices of varying size and capability in the pipeline. First rumors said it would have a color e-ink screen. Then people said it didn't. They were both kind of right: The layout will feature a black and white e-ink screen like the Kindle has—and a multitouch display like an iPhone underneath. Pow!
More details and photos of the Barnes and Noble E-Ink/LCD reader here:

What's interesting is that B&N will sell the books it also publishes (yes, remember, they are also a publisher and not just a store) at a deep discount compared to print editions. And the device will have some sort of access to all books scanned by the Google Books project; probably books that are out of print.
The name of the gadget, which I cannot reveal and may have changed anyhow, is freaking terrible. I hope they change it before it ships.
[Gizmodo]

Budget COOL-ER Reader with Color Touchscreen and 3G Planned for Early Next Year [Ebook]

When we reviewed the Cool-er reader, we liked its lower price, but felt it lacked the polish of the Kindle. Well, now Interead says it's working on a color Cool-er that should not only be touch-capable, but low-priced, too.
That means it'll face off against a planned dual-screen Asus reader. And Asus has said it hopes to kick that out the door as early as Christmas.
Interead confirmed it has 'big plans' for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, so there may not be long until the budget color reader showdown begins. [ElectricPig]