New Sony Reader and other EInk Runners

Sony
It appears to be the worst kept secret that Sony is about to launch next month a new ereader, some say two. We have seen the signs coming with they lowering of the price of their existing readers through ‘special deals’ and the fact that their current offer looks as exciting as an old desktop PC in the tablet mobile world.

So what do we expect and will it make a difference and reverse what is clearly an also ran offer? Lighter, improved page turns and contrast, increase memory and maybe free 3G! We think its too early to see what their Android position is following their recent recruitment campaign.

The challenge for Sony is breaking into the big league and getting wide adoption as a viable alternative to Amazon, Apple and Google. BBeb is certainly past its sell by date and the Sony store is bereft of content and looks unappealing. Price could be a trump card given they have the corporate backing but tin alone isn’t the answer and they have failed so far to build a real content base and attraction. The devices as they stand aren’t going to hack it in the educational market. Some would suggest that Sony’s biggest problem is that it has an inbuilt corporate aversion to risk.

Expect it next month.

Notion Ink
On the other hand we wait with some interest for Notion Ink’s Adam tablet with its dual eInk-and-LCD display. The latest news is not good on the price which is reported to be $498 but its dual-mode display, with Wi-Fi, GPS, optional 3G, a camera that rotates 185 degrees, and its own app store sound interesting. It is expected to ship later this year, but will that be too late, or just right and will it have the mass appeal to make its mark in a crowded market.

Qualcomm
There is still much interest in the technology promised by mirsol which uses display technology that provides colour e-ink outside the WINK Corporation. The technology is called interferometric modulator display and similar to LCD uses RGB subpixels to generate colours. However it requires far less energy and is reflective, allowing for superior sunlight visibility whilst giving long availability and with refresh rates that are fast enough for video.

Kogan
Meanwhile down under Kogan Technologies has launched a 6-inch eBook ‘lookie likie’ reader into the Australian market at a price of just AUD$189. It has all the usual eInk features and wedge of give away public domain books that sit on the virtual unread shelf and is compatible with Adobe ACS4 DRM. We struggled to remember which reader it looked like but that hardly surprising with logos transferring faster than premiership footballers swop shirts and clubs!

Huawei
China looks to the West with the release of its first eReader, the Huawei T62W. Yet another lookie like eInk reader with a 6″ touch screen, WiFi, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth, and a microSDHC slot.

Another Android has landed

A second Android phone has landed and is making its debut in Australia. It is from Kogan and comes as two models, the Agora Pro and Agora which retail at approximately $256 US and $192 US respectively. Unlike the Pro version the vanilla Agora won't include a camera, Wi-Fi, or GPS. Both have a 624 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, a microSD slot, 3G network, a touch-sensitive 320×240 2.5" screen, Bluetooth, central navigation key, and a backlit full QWERTY keyboard.

So it offers the Blackberry look and feel and the iPhone application promise and is yet another player in this crowed space. The big question is not its appeal to Blackberry users but what it offers over the new Blackberry’s who have already moved into this centre ground?

What it does do however is give Google another vehicle to push in the application wars but with all due respect, Australia is hardly today’s mobile battleground!