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Neck to neck

Book Readers
November 02, 2009 | By Aakriti Agarwal

Ebook readers are finally catching on. Apart from three versions of Amazon's Kindle, there are two Sony eBook models in the market. Plastic Logic from Barnes & Noble, are planning to launch in time for the Christmas shopping season this year, while Hearst's eBook reader is expected by the beginning of the year. There is also some talk of Apple launching its tablet device sometime this winter.

Amazon Kindle

According to mint, Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps estimates that Amazon accounts for 60 per cent of US market for such devices and Sony for 35 per cent. Rotman Epps forecasts that out of the 3 million eBook readers sold in the US this year, 900,000 will likely be sold in the coming holiday season.

In this spectrum of eBook readers, it is to be seen which brand wins the race. The competition seems to be tough with technology from different parts of the world trying to make a niche in a relatively small market outside the US and perhaps Japan.

Amazon Kindle
Amazon has slashed the price of its basic 6-inch display Kindle eBook reader by $40 (approximately Rs 1900). Launched at $399 (approximately Rs 18,500), the price came down to $359 (approximately Rs 16,700), then $299 (approximately Rs 13,900) and now it is $259 (approximately Rs 12,000). It remains to see how economical Kindle can get as this is the third price cut for Kindle since its introduction in 2007. Please note that the above prices do not include customs duties in India. While books do not attract customs duty when imported into the country, it is quite likely that eBook hardware and tablets would unless there is a specific exemption enacted in the next budget.

Amazon has also recently launched an international version of Kindle with access to digital downloads in 100 countries and territories which reportedly includes India as well. The orders of the international hand held device can be placed online but shipping is not expected to start before 19 October 2009. The international Kindle is similar to its US version but wireless service for the international version will be provided by AT&T as opposed to Sprint Nextel Corp which provides connections in the US. The limitation with the titles to be shipped internationally is not only that most of them are in English, but that international customers can only choose from 2,00,000 eBooks as opposed to the 3,55,000 available to US customers. Although the Kindle supports languages such as French and Spanish, it does not support non-Roman scripts including Chinese, Japanese, Indian and other Asian languages. Nevertheless, Amazon in recent weeks has been eager to secure copy rights to international markets from publishers where possible, according to mint.

Barnes & Noble, Plastic Logic
Barnes & Noble plans to announce its eBook reader which will run the Android operating system, according to media reports. Android is Google’s operating system for cell phones and eBook readers. The hand-held electronic device is expected to be in the market by November 2009, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which attributed the information to “people briefed on the matter.” B&N is collaborating with Plastic Logic for its 6-inch screen sized eBook reader based on eInk's technology and is expected to have a touch screen input and a virtual keyboard, according to the WSJ and Reuters. Barnes & Noble set up a digital bookstore in July to offer eBooks that could be downloaded and read on personal computers including Apple's, iPhones, iPods, and BlackBerry handset.

B&N said in July that it will power the eBook store for an eBook reader from Plastic Logic slated for early 2010. According to a report by engadget.com on 9 October 2009, Barnes & Noble's Daniel Joresson said that a colour Plastic Logic eBook reader will launch in spring 2010. The Plastic Logic eReader will feature a colour screen about the size of a paperback and run the “Barnes & Noble eBook reader application.”

Sony
Sony, in August 2009, unveiled a wireless reader Daily Edition priced at $399 (approximately Rs 18,500), which is $140 more expensive than the entry-level Kindle, but is expected to tap the market with a touch-sensitive screen and access to books from a range of sources, including libraries as opposed to Kindle users who are largely limited to books from Amazon’s online store. The gadget is expected to be in stores by December 2009.

The Sony eBook reader can be used to download books and periodicals using the AT&T network. The device works with eBooks and newspapers from stores other than Sony’s online store, which also gives access to one million free books and 1,50,000 for sale. Sony also disclosed a marketing partnership with Cleveland-based OverDrive Incorporated that will let users of Sony’s wireless device enter their zip codes and library card number to see what eBooks are available from their local library and can download eBooks remotely to the device until the loans expire.

Sony didn’t disclose any newspaper or magazine publishers that would support the Daily Edition. “We are working with a number of newspaper and magazine publishers and will reveal more information about this closer to the time the product is available,” a spokesman said.

IREX Technologies
IREX has been instrumental in initiating digital reading since 2001 when they developed the electronic paper display for the Sony Librié, the first commercially available eReader launched in 2004. The two IREX eBook readers are iLiad and IREX 1000 series.

The iLiad has 8.1 inch display and uses e-paper technology. Its memory is expandable to 8GB with additional memory cards -- capacity to store up to 1,000 eBooks. The reader weighs 15.3 ounces (435 grams) and the rechargeable battery is claimed to last for 15 hours. Books are downloaded from mobipocket.com by connecting the reader to the computer with a USB cable or directly from the internet through built-in WiFi and is enabled for newspapers too. The iLiad Book Edition comes with 50 pre-loaded books and is priced at Euro 599 (approximately Rs 41,000). The formats supported by it are pdf, html, txt, jpg, bmp, png and prc (Mobipocket). The device allows the user to underline documents and make notes. The reader supports five languages - Dutch, English, German, French and simplified Chinese.

In addition to the above mentioned features, the IREX 1000 series has 10.2 inch diagonal electronic paper display. The formats used are Adobe pdf, txt, html, drm, prc, jpeg, png, gif, tiff and bmp. The device is priced at Euro 699 (approximately Rs 48,000).

Fujitsu FLEPia
Fujitsu earlier this year announced the start of consumer sales in Japan of the world’s first colour e-paper mobile terminal, FLEPia. It is available for purchase from Fujitsu Frontech’s online store “FrontechDirect”. The device is termed as the ‘Amazon Kindle 2 killer’ as it is a colour electronic paper reader. FLEPia’s screen size is 8-inches (123.6mm x 164.8mm), and it is available in white and black. Developed by Fujitsu Frontech and Fujitsu Laboratories, it’s key feature is the display of up to 2,60,000 colors in high-definition, up to 40-hour continuous battery operation, and a feature-rich external interface (in Japan, Bluetooth and high-speed wireless LAN). FLEPia has a touch screen, digital stylus, scroll key, and function buttons. The reader supports two eBook viewers included as standard features which are xmdf and .book formats. It is equipped with Windows CE5.0 (Japanese version). The device has been priced at $1,000 (approximately Rs 46,000).