Can Kobo Win at the Races?

Racing it’s not just about the horse, or the rider, the form book , the course and the conditions. The winners and losers are often decided by all these factors and more. Outsiders do win and favourites lose and that’s what makes the ‘sport of kings’ interesting.

So can Kobo steel up on the inside track and get placed or do they remain an also ran?

Kobo has announced, "the People's eReader" called VOX. It intends the VOX to compete head to head with the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Kindle Fire and in doing so attempt to capture the middle ground between a full blown and expensive tablet such as the iPad2 and the cheap eink lookie likies such as the Kindle, Sony reader etc. Vox will retail for $199.99 runs on Android 2.3 and weighs in at a low end 14.2 ounces. They also have the touch which is priced around $139 in the US, or £110 if you are unfortunate to have to buy it in the Uk. They also have the basic WiFi model at $99 in the US and the poor exchange rate of £89 in the UK.

So they have a stable of horses but what about the riders. Kobo is as well know outside of North America, as it part time parent and book retailer Indigo. However, it has struck deals with WHSmiths for them to sell into the UK market and with Fnac to sell into the French Market. Looking at their web site they already have an impressive list of retailers Indigo in Canada, Walmart, Best Buy and others in the US, Angus Robinson and Borders in Australia (perhaps we should scratch that last entry). The franchise strategy is sound, but if it were a winner, one would have expected better market share results in the US, where they even ran the Borders ebook setup.

Perhaps the strategy will work in more fragmented markets such as Europe. However remember Waterstones made a huge leap to the front with Sony, but despite all the hype, some would say that they failed to get past the starting gate and now look to be changing stables.

Perhaps the market is more mature now and willing to back the outsider? The challenge for Kobo is not the size of their repository, nor the cuteness of their reader, but the effectiveness of their rider. Will WHSmith break the mould and actually make a great sale job of promoting it and getting it in the consumer space, or will they expect it to earn its keep and shift itself. It’s one thing to put it on a shelf, it’s often another to sell it.

Price and colours aren’t Kobo’s unique selling points. If Kobo are to succeed with this franchise model, where others such as Sony have failed, then they have to get their franchisees set up to promote, shout, spend serious money and sell, sell, sell. Amazon has been promoting the brand Kindle everywhere, Apple have a brand that sells itself, but is Kobo up to the job and what is its USP (unique selling point)?

Back in the early internet bookshop days I was asked who would win; Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Bol.com. My answer was quick and based on one simple piece of logic. Pick any 100 people on; Oxford Street, London, 5th Avenue, New York, Main Street, Frankfurt and ask them the same question, ‘Have you heard of Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Bol.com and do you know what they sell?’ I could predict the answers then and unfortunately today is not much different.

So as we return to today’s race we have the favourite Amazon Kindle, followed by Barnes and Noble in the US, Apple and then a pack of outsiders lead by Kobo. There is a dark horse in the shape of Google but for all its hype it is still hanging around in the stables.

Kindle Is More Than A Tablet

What are you doing on Wednesday this week? There are strong indications that Amazon are to announce its long awaited tablet offer in Manhatten. Will it change what you do from that moment on, or will it merely be more technology news and leave you waiting for the sports results?

Amazon will certainly announce its entry into the tablet market very soon with the aim of capturing that Christmas surge. Some will ask themselves why they should buy one and not the iPad and will be appreciated as a present or merely viewed as second best? Will Amazon’s entry be any different to that of Motorola, HP, Blackberry, Acer and all who have failed to register their tablet offers against Apple?

First we must forget looks that will remain with Apple. We must also forget user interface that will remain with Apple. Finally, we must forget desirability that like a sports car or any design icon will remain with Apple.

So what has Amazon got going for it? How on earth can it make its mark against such an iconic slab of technology and a brand that is so clean that everyone respects it even though they may not own one?

The answers are many but are simple and to understand them you have to first understand Amazon’s history and the basics of their consumer proposition.

Amazon doesn’t sell books, films, music and games to shift technology, but sells cheap and usable technology to shift, music, books, film, games. This is a fundamental difference which changes how the device and its interface works. Amazon didn’t have to invent agency pricing to establish a margin, it was already media retailer and understood the market, pricing and how to control it and make money.

Amazon importantly has created a global offer that is known everywhere and unlike its main book competitors Barnes and Noble and Kobo has recognised that a world really does exists outside of North America. Amazon is a media retailer and no longer a book, music or film retailer. It has integrated itself into the very fabric of the markets it serves and with a tablet will exploit this further. It supports authors, publishers, libraries, affliates. Kindle is a true cross platform offer.

Importantly, it has realised that network connectivity is important and what we saw as a Whispernet limitation in the early days is now a positive plus. Just go to any one of the 150 plus countries in which its Kindle service is supported and enjoy free connectivity, downloads and no bills. You can even download your local library book from anywhere in the world with no tethering, network charges and no hassle. This may not be important for the vast majority of US citizens that never leave the US but is very important in the rest of the world.

We hated eink and the ‘lookie likey’ readers it spawned and with the exception of the Kindle still do. The Kindle however clunky is practical and satisfies text reading, provides a somewhat crude internet browser service and can satisfy email. The keyboard may be built for tiny fingers but it works. Now think of a Kindle colour tablet with touch screen offering the same plus Amazon apps under Android and all at a price probably half of that Apple and with no extra hidden costs. The range of media will be unbeatable, the price of media will be a keen as any, you can also buy physical goods and all this will be tightly integrated into the tablet is a way that could make ‘one click’ a real bonus and create a Kindle experience.

Apple tablets will continue to evolve but we still use tablets for the basic stuff o cover the bases people want email, web access, entertainment and an extension to their mobile phone world.

The Kindle will not beat the iPad but will be part of a kindle offer that will be clearly more attractive to many seeking value for money. Apple will not be the dominant book retailer and library service provider. They will not attract authors, affiliates and never sell both digital alongside physical. Despite the success of iTunes they remain a high ticket technology company looking for consumers and technology churn and what technology they deliver today they want you to upgrade tomorrow. Amazon merely wants you to buy, rent or loan another book, film, game and track.

Would You Buy an eBook Reader From This Man? Part 2

Today we have the news that Dixons' stores are to join John Lewis in selling Amazon's Kindle e-book reader in the UK. Dixons will sell Kindles through PC World and Currys outlets and not online. The price will be the same whoever you buy a Kindle from with the Wi-Fi model being £111 and the 3G-equipped version £152. To us this sounds a very logical step by Amazon in selling through trusted and experienced outlets trained to sell technology and spreads the Amazon offer onto the High Street.

So we found ourselves in central London and thought we would check out what the three major book chains were doing in-store in their premier outlets with ebooks and ereaders.

Foyles, Charring Cross Road


There was no reference to ebooks, digital or ereaders on the store directory, but given the placement of their information desk, we went straight there to enquire if they sold ereaders. A very pleasant lady explained, ‘We don’t have any in store but sell them online through our web site.’ When we then asked why and said we thought they sold them in store, she disclosed, ‘We used to sell them but they just didn’t pay their way and where a security problem.’

We left wondering why they didn’t take our name for someone to call us, or offered us some flyer explaining why we should go to their web site and if they were serious about ebooks. The lady was helpful but the store was clearly saying ‘Not sold here!’

Blackwell’s, Charring Cross Road


We crossed the road in search of the elusive ereader. Blackwells again were without any signage or reference to ebooks or readers. So we went passed the stationary, the umbrellas and book cradles, to the information desk. Yes they sold ereaders in store, but not the Sony and did not have a display area. ‘Did we want to see one?’ The assistant went off to a staff area and returned with two boxes containing Elonex readers which were still wrapped in their covers. The lack of knowledge on what they did, or didn’t do, was embarrassing and misleading. He pointed out they played epub files ‘which can be bought from anywhere’ and when pressed this even included Amazon! We pointed out that these were LCD and not eInk screens and it was if we were talking a foreign language. They did have some POS material on a stand on the desk, which he read out loud as if we were a child.

Again he didn’t take or even ask for our details so an expert could help us and allowed a potential £100 sale to just walk away.

Waterstones, Picadilly


We entered the flagship store expecting so much, but soon understood that our previous experience was clearly not an exception, but probably the norm. Again no signage or reference on the extensive directory, but we knew where to go and headed straight to the bank of checkouts, past the information desk that was busy and sure enough we found the same bolted down display and POS we had seen on Bath. This had just four units and two dictionary type gadgets.

We hovered, we started to play with the devices, but two of which appeared to be frozen. We looked around for help, but not an assistant in sight and the two on the checkouts were busy serving customers. We decided to go back and ask for help at the information desk and the lady suggested we ask the checkout operators. We pointed out that they were busy, so she offered to come and help, but explained she knew little about the devices. Bless her, she did try to read out the limited POS and clearly was out of her depth. When we asked about the POS pricing over the shelf which offered a ‘get VAT back’ price and quoted the net price and the VAT back, she had to ask the checkout operator. They said that the offer was an old one that finished at Christmas and the VAT back was done by Sony. We hid our amazement that they openly had misleading and out of date pricing on display and clarified that we had to add the two elements together to get the price! The two Sony readers were stickered as ‘out of stock,’and when we asked about the apparent stock in boxes under the shelf, were told those were all empty and should have been removed. Their admission, not ours!

The checkout assistant took over our enquiry and the information assistant went back to her station. The second assistant knew a little more but it was a little. She recommended the top of the range Sony because 'it does more than just reading and can play MP3 files'. When we asked what the difference between the iRiver and the Sony was she quoted number of files and battery life as two major differentiators. We said why the number of files matters as we don’t expect to buy and read 1.000 let alone 2,000 ebooks! We asked about the battery life which she said was based on page turns and we had to point out that the limited POS next to the device said that the iRiver could in fact do 1,000 more page turns than the Sony. She pointed out the Sony reader had 12 dictionaries included, which nearly prompted us to ask if she always carried a dictionary around when she read a book?

She did try very hard to sell us a Sony top of range ereader. However when we asked why it was in landscape and could we see it displayed in portrait like the cheaper reader she was unable to change the setting and even navigate the basic features.

We asked when the Sony devices would be back in stock and she went off to check. She quickly returned to say that didn’t have any on order, but there appeared to be stock in another store if we were interested and she could ring them. We suggested we needed to think about it and despite spending time with us and obviously keen to sell us the top of range Sony she failed once again to even ask let alone capture even the basic customer details.

As we were leaving she offered a small flyer stating it would tell us more about the devices. The flyer was in our opinion a waste of paper except it did give a 0845 telephone number where we could get help. Now why didn’t she at least tell us that?

The eQuestion we ask

When Amazon is selling its devices through technology and trusted retailers, why are these booksellers not making the effort to train staff, provide informative and accessible literature, capture interest and at least appear serious about digital? Would we buy any ereader from these stores today - no. How are they going to build a digital business when they clearly are sending out at times misleading and disinteresting vibes in-store? Books are books be they digital physical, audio, print on demand, front list, back list used etc.

Ironically, we wrote this piece on the very day the BA (Booksellers Association) emailed a newsletter to all their members provide them with sound advice on a retail strategy to sell ebooks.

We also suggest that bookshops watch Mary Portas's 'Secret Shopper' that was broadcast tonight channel 4 and take on-board some of the sound advice she gave mobile phone sellers .

Come on Down the Price is Right

The ebook reader price war is hotting up with the big four Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (Nook), Borders (Kobo), Sony (lost over in Europe) all trying to out manoeuvre each other. Prices have started to tumble and others who live on the fringe also have to respond to stay in the races.

The $99 ticket has already been reached by Aluratek, but the impact of a sub $100 ticket will not matter until one of the majors is brave enough to take that step. There are plenty of lemmings about to jump over the cliff and one of the vast array of offers from ‘lookie likies’ and that much plugged but yet to deliver new Copia range is bound have one under the $100, (that is we notice).

The question is who has the bottle and can they shift the volume and content sales to compensate. We all know who has the ability to do it but maybe a crowded market where they still get the majority of the content sales is better than going head to head with Apple today.

Foxit eSlick eReader the Latest Exit

Another ebook reader has hit the exit button today. Following the demise of iRex and the Cooler ereader, a lesser known eSlick device from Foxit became the latest casualty of ‘lookie likie’ wars and tough competitive market. Foxit will also shut down is European branch and focus work in its California headquarters and licencing its software.

At $199, the eSlick was once a cheap reader but as price wars developed and everyone headed towards that inevitable $99 price point , they just couldn’t compete.

We believe that more will follow and that by next year only a handful of players will remain and they will all find it increasingly difficult as they get squeezed by price, functionality, tablets and iPad, Android devices, etc. The consolidation will have an impact on Adobe and its ASC4 DRM platform who depended heavily on a wide spread of devices and interoperable market. It will help consumer confidence by reducing the choice and price. It should help consolidate the current epub challenges.

The winners will be those who are aligned with content revenues and can cross subsidise their programmes or those with strong nerves and deep pockets. Will believe that we will still see a big casualty or pull out? Its hard to see the likes of Sony making it without digging deep into their corporate pockets, as they are not dominating the trade market and they clearly miss the education market needs. It is also hard to see News Corporation making it with Skiff and others such as Copia may have expert advice and lots of publishing knowledge behind them but just lacks that magic that makes social networking a pull and its device offer is too spread. Barnes and Noble are a technology company so it easy to see them flipping to any device. Kobo looks toi be in a strong position but is it strong enough to compete with Amazon head to head?

So who will be the next ‘lookie likie’ to fall?

EBook device Price Wars?

Has anyone got a clue who is going to dominate the ebook market? Will publishers master the art of direct marketing and go direct? Will Amazon offer the appeal of a one stop shop for all digital content on a myriad of platforms? Will the iPad create the iTunes moment? Or will others come to the for?

One of the pretenders is Indigo’s Kobo who until now have played the content store and reader application game. However they now have launched a cheap e-reader, eink ‘lookie likie’ which is just that except is lands at just $150! So for a lot less than a Kindle you get the same experience and access to the same books but ones that can be read on other devices and other platforms. Forget the clunky connection via USB, the somewhat awkward keys, the childish looking big blue control pad and the reduced storage, this is a cheap and worthy competitor. It even comes pre-loaded with 100 public-domain titles.

But there are others waiting to pitch for your money and even Sony must be feeling the heat as they have cut the price of their Pocket Edition device by $30 to $170 through to April 3. Prices on Sony's more advanced e-readers, including the $300 Touch Edition and the $400 Daily Edition remain the same.

Perhaps Coloured eInk is a Dog?

Has colour come to late to the eInk reader world? Will consumers who are yet to buy a eBook reader opt for an eInk device, or a tablet, or a mobile? We may not be that concerned and merely follow the latest and best hype gadgets in this consumable and disposable world, but where will the reader put their money tomorrow?

Taiwan-based Prime View International, who acquired E-Ink last year has displayed 6” and 9.7” colour e-reader screens at the Shenzhen trade show. However before we get too excited the display does not match the 30 frames per second required to support and is achieved by adding an extra layer of colour-filtering glass on top of a standard e-reader display from E-Ink.

Meanwhile in today’s world, Spring Design has announced that their Android-powered Alex e-reader is now available for pre order. The Alex tackles colour by combines a 6" Electronic Paper Display (EPD) with a 3.5" colour LCD screen. So you can watch two screens at once!


We were amused to see yet another Alex and Barnes and Noble’s Nook ‘lookie likie’ from Teclast. What made us smile, was not the two screen approach, but that their market department had chosen to brand it ‘K9’. Perhaps calling the device a ‘dog’ is more apt that Alex or Nook. If these multi screen devices are seen as the answer to monochrome reading and a way to offer media support then we wonder how many consumers will hold onto their cash or simply buy a tablet or netbook.

eInk Today But Gone Tomorrow?

It now appears that anyone electronics firm standing has created their own ebook reader. Everywhere you turn you find a new one and as we have said many times, differentiating between them is very difficult and even keeping tabs on them is now getting ridiculous. So is this a good thing or a bad one? Does it herald the dawn of ebooks or merely the commodity of technology? As a consumer why would you buy one model and not buy another? Is the device changing the market demand for ebooks or merely flooding the market with readers? Will prices now drop dramatically as competition is forced to slug it out for consumers and the basic technology reaches an economic scale which itself drops the price of the raw material – eInk.

We were asked on Litopia After Dark last Friday what we thought of POD technology and if predicted by some this New Year, POD was finally going to become ubiquitous? Our answer was that a few years ago it offered much and certainly looked the technology to watch, but today it appears to have missed the plot and be past its sell by date. What happened was that publishers merely used the technology to shorten their print run and reduce their risk. Some such as Ingram used it to build a digital repository. Self publishing used it to create low risk publishing. There are many winners such as Cambridge University Press. We failed to shift the paradigm from ‘print then distribute’ to ‘distribute and print’. We merely replaced the press with another more economic one. The channel didn’t change and the economics remained too high to effect change. You can count the number of retailers who installed them on one hand. The likes of public domain, out of print, self publishing who saw POD as their answer to the market may now have a far better solution in full digital. The espresso just went cold and not many people like cold coffee.

So what will happen now with the eInk devices that litter the electronic world?
We hope that the price will drop, not by a few dollars but dramatically and similar to what happened with MP3 player. We hope that all adopt a common standard approach so become interoperable and commodity and stop trying to be something they aren’t. There will be those that believe in their own divine right and push the technology envelope, but the reality is that if they don’t offer something significantly different, the consumer will opt on price and availability. The ones with the most to loose are the likes of Sony, as first to the race can be as much a disadvantage as perceived advantage.

The greatest challenges facing the ‘lookie likies’ is convergence. It hasn’t changed and they now face major wars on the smartphone and emerging tablet front. Some have recognized this an created hybrid 50/ 50 devices with two screens, but the reality is that this costs twice as much in technology and materials and shows the limitations of eInk today. Its like admitting that the technology isn’t up to meeting the consumer needs, but kidding them that two is better than one. By the time eInk goes colour, superior technology such as OLED will have dropped in cost, sorted battery life and become a viable and far more practical offer.

The final challenge is still content and the only thing today that separates one ‘lookie likie’ from another is access to content. Some have started to get exclusive deals to content – ‘we will digitise it but we own it’. Restrictive deals only frustrates consumers, encourage piracy and in a market such as books are dumb. As this becomes access to content increases, then these devices just become even more commoditized. The question is then how big is this segment of the digital market? Will it be overtaken by the online and streaming market? Will devices be less important and access a broader media offer of video, games, music, papers, books, magazines, TV and radio be a greater pull.

Would we as a consumer buy a friend a ebook eInk reader today – we doubt it.

Another Year and More 'Lookie Likie' eBook Readers

Ok we can't separate these two new eink 'lookie likies' on anything other than looks so can you spot the Owen E1 and the Dulin Boox60?

Can I Return This eReader If I Get One For Christmas?

So what is different with this new ebook reader?

The Libre, from Alutrack, has not adopted eInk but has a monochrome 5-inch reflective light LCD screen. So it’s a 'lookie likie' that truly looks like the rest, but isn't. It just offers a cheap price of $179, but with neither LCD colour nor eInk quality. A Cheap man's eReader that doesn't compete with the eReaders and mobiles out there today or the tablet devices of tomorrow.

It may support all the formats and Adobe ACS4 DRM but somehow we think you would be somewhat disappointed if you found this in your stocking this Christams alongside those other tasteless gifts relatives often give you.

eInk at 200MPH and Clearly Round the Bend?

When we see the current eInk eBook readers being brought to market we wonder how many the market can absorb and how many will loose their shirt in the process?

We have had eInk watches so thought what's next?

We then found a great article at inventorsport.com showing us a pliable e-reader, designed by the tire maker Bridgestone. The prototype is just 5.8 mm thick and features has a 10.7” touchscreen but is likely to remain a prototype as they have no plans to bring it to market. So as the Fomula 1 circus comes to the end of the season its obvious the guys at Bridgestone had some slack time so they knocked up a cute ereader. They even have a 13.1” screen in development and probably designed to be built into some formula 1 car very soon.

Comparing eBook Readers

A great comparison chart on all the various ebook readers out there from Mobileread

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

Does Two In One Offer A New eReader eDGe?

So we have the Nook which finally combines the two worlds of greyscale eInk and full colour display.We hear much talk and speculation of an Apple table, a Microsoft tablet dual screen technology and much more.



We now have the enTourage eDGe™ which they claim is the world’s first ‘dualbook’ and offers both the functions and eInk feel of an e-reader, with the more convention colour display and functionally of netbook, notepad, and audio/video recorder and player in one. It’s a logical step and clearly offers the best of both worlds in a single package but is it the solution or merely two devices joined at the hip?

The dualbook offers a e-reader offers 9.7” e-Ink screens display that reads both PDF and ePub formats and enables the usual text and drawing notes and lets you save these to the eDGe, to a server, or email them to others. On the other side the eDGe offers a 1024 x 600 pixels, or 10.1” colour touch screen with an audio recorder, video camera, running under Google Android OS and offering the usual web browsing, audio/video record and playback, applications and features plus a library function to manage your books and files. It communicates TWiFi, plus optional 3G capability using an EVDO or HSDPA mobile modem and a BlueTooth capability to add an external keyboard.
The enTourage eDGe™ weighs only 2.5 pounds, and is approximately 8” by 10” by 1” when closed. However two in one will cost and the price today is $490 and will be available in February next year in four colours.

A smart move, but it is a hybrid, which clearly is ‘edging its bets’ on playing to all albeit at a price. The big question is whether the world will change in the 4 months before it hits the streets?

Fancy an eRoll-up or a bit of Nookie?

Lately it feels like you turn your back for a minute and up pops another ebook reader and today is no exception.

AUO have announced a 6” flexible e-paper display which is claimed to be unbreakable and uses Sipix Microcup technology to enable the screen to be bent like real paper and display 16 levels of grayscale with 33% reflectance and a 9:1 contrast ration. Some impressive facts if you wish to bend it as you read it!

They have also announce the first 20” EDP (Electrophoretic Display ) panel, the largest ready for mass production and clearly aimed at the public display market. It too supports 16 levels of greyscale, and only requires less than 2W of power.

Also today more noise hits the streets on B&N’s ereader and no doubt by the time our flight reaches India and we connect the Nook will be fully disclosed. So we have the Vook, the Nook and the Book, but only one does what it says on the cover. Sometimes you wonder if the marketing guys ever think about the names they give devices. Can we can expect the French Connection ebook reader to be named ***K?

Spring Design Show That Two is Better Than One E-Reader

Spring Design has announced an e-reader called Alex, which some believe may be the long awaited Barnes & Noble device. Alex has a 6″ e-ink display and a 3.5″ color touch screen – yes two screens in one device and runs Android OS with full-blown Web browsing. So it combines the internet and multimedia with the grayscale world of eInk.
This could prove the ideal compromise for many in sectors such as professional, educational, children’s books and entertainment where eInk isn’t good enough. It also could make books jump out of the constraints of the current jacket and become multimedia. Alex even offers Link Notes™, which enables the user to make their own multimedia links.

Are we at last starting to see the end of the beginning of ebook readers and the start of the real dawn of digital?

eBook Devices Are Multiplying

Walking around the Frankfurt Fair and especially in Hall 4 one was impressed with the number of ereader devices on show. The booths weren’t heaving but the devices were there and no matter if they all resembled each other what was impressive was the number of players who are banking on a return in this developing market.

Cheap and Cheerful

We have the entry of the cheap reader that achieves today’s critical price point of $149, which almost qualifies it as a cheap present for Christmas. The Ectaco JetBook dispenses with eInk and gives us a 5” reflective TFT and instead of the usual batteries we find a slot for four AA batteries and don’t bank on huge memory as it just squeezes in 100MB. Thanks to Lesenpunknet we even have a video below.



The Long Wait

Only an elephant has a longer gestation period than the Plastic Logic reader. We can only hope that when it finally lands that it lives up to its promise and doesn’t fail due to the time it has taken to bring it to market. Extra thin, lightweight and wireless-enabled, QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a 1/3 inch thick, weighs less than many periodicals and has a touch screen interface.

The Hybrid

Egadget brings us news of Pixel Qi’s 3Qi display, which first wrote about in May this year 3-screens-in-one-could-kill-single' and is a transflective display contains both e-ink and LCD properties. At a flick of a switch one can toggling between the two displays which is good for battery life and good for the eyes. Its like having a black and white TV that plays colour, or a colour TV that is HD. Its still to arrive but is coming to a netbook or tablet near you.

More of the Same

The array of eInk ‘lookie likies’ grows by the day. Are they different, or due they create a must have proposition? We think we will look back in a couple of years and wonder why we got so fixated on these devices as they are today. A bit like looking at those early mobile phones that resembled carrying a brick around or the first IBM PC that was so portable it needed a trolley.

LG Offer eBook Readers Solar Power

LG has announced that it has developed a solar panel for a Sony e-book reader. The chip is less that 1 mm thick, 10cm wide and 10cm long and weighs 20 grams and will be on show at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) in Seoul. The question is whether eInk devices that already have a long battery life need a solar panel. Will it result in obviating the need to ever recharge the battery and to claim the ultimate green credentials. However, we wondered whether it could prove useful for the iPhone that is constantly in need of recharging.

LG claim that 4 to 5 hours exposure to sunlight would be sufficient to run the e-book reader for 24 hours. The prototype is 9.6% efficient and LG expect to increase this to 12% in the next 12 months and then to 14% by 2012 when it is envisaged that it it would be ready for commercialization.

Another Day Another eReader

We start to wonder whether we have seen some of the new ebook readers before? Note only do they have the same ‘lookie likie’ screen technology but they even look the same. The Astak Mentor is a 6" reader, with 512Mb of internal memory and an SD Card reader. It weights in at 175 grams and supports TXT, ePUB, PDF and more text formats and runs Linux 2.6. It also includes a SuDoKu game.

Will we want one for Christmas? We doubt it at $280 and with black and white greyscale. When will we get a decent tablet and put these devices down?

So Which Device Has That X Factor?

So what is the coolest gadget and what do we want for Christmas 2009? Yesterday the iPhone was anointed the number one of ‘cool’ in the UK, but that was like stating the obvious and the challenge is to understand what will be the number one tomorrow and some of the dynamics that will help it achieve the converted status. What will have the X Factor?

There are a number of consumer factors that will always decide as to whether the device is a winner and a ‘must have’, or is a another ‘also ran’:

Look and feel – image is important in this ‘designer label’ age. Skoda may make great cars but they do not have the same cache as Mercedes or BMW. Apple has always had a strong iconic brand which has been built on design and functionality. If Apple were to launch a tablet device tomorrow it would be a success because it is Apple as its solutions are 100% image and 80% functionality.

Convenience – for convenience read convergence. Women want a device that will fit in a handbag, but still leave room for the other essentials of their life, whilst men really want it to fit in their pockets. One device is a must, two starts to become difficult and three is a bridge too far for many. So what do we all need on the move? A phone and after that email, text, office basics and then access to information, music, content, photos, video , games etc. Very few of us now carry a camera – it’s in the mobile. The MP3 player may have had its day and many single applications devices will follow. The key is that they start as standalone devices and then flip. The eInk devices may be easy to read in all conditions, but with OLED coming fast to small screens, their advantage, even in this area is not sustainable. Anybody who has read a book on an iPhone will tell you it isn’t hard to adjust.

Price – this is a major player once the device becomes commodity but is not so important if the perceived value is high or the device is in the early stages of its market.

eInk readers are transitional devices and although the technology gives them the edge today they act and look like the old clunky 8 track players of the 80s. Their major plus is the screen and its readability and power saving, but the major minus is the screen as its black and white and no matter how many greyscales you add its still black and white. The device can do much more, but then it starts to compete with other devices that can do a lot more. We think the device is a short term toy that readers will grow out of and will age quickly.

As more gets loaded onto the smartphone then the power demand grows and the tedious task of recharging becomes more frequent. However the screen size and quality is getting there and with new technologies such as OLED will make it. Not only can it play it can record. Not only can it show photos it can play video and all in full colour. The challenge is that the market is fragmented, and we have issues on operating systems, browsers, exculsive carriers and of course applications. The iPhone has show what can be done and is guaranteed to lead the way for some time to come.

We all want a tablet or a device that is half way between everything and can potentially offer that single device on the move. Apple is coming sometime, Microsoft is now threatening to spoil their party and you can guarantee that others have seen the opportunity. When is a tablet a smartphone and when is it a netbook, or a ereader etc? What is clear from the hype over the Apple tablet is that is what the market demands and if positioned and with the right support offer and price we could have a clear category killer. Anyone who has doubts click here and watch this video from Gizmodo.

Netbooks will appear and offer much for the office man on the move, but the right tablet and even smartphone render them limited in their appeal. Perhaps size does matter and big is not as good as small!

Game machines are the one dark horse. Should games migrate onto smartphones and tablets or do they offer a reverse path? We have seen Nintendo toying with ebooks, but in a half hearted offer. When you see devices such as the PSP it makes us wonder why Sony don’t develop the device for digital content. Perhaps they think that once a gamer, always a gamer and a dedicated device is needed, but is this reality or an historic viewpoint?

What is clear is that the device wars go further than ebooks. We remember that Betamax was a superior technology to VHS but failed because they didn’t invent the consumer camera, MP3 is inferior to many other music formats but is more widely available on devices and DRM free. Winners don’t always follow convention logic but they strangely can be predicted.

Another eBook Reader Pocketbook 360 & 302

We started to watch the you tube video for another 'lookie likie' eink reader the Pocketbook 360. A bit basic but with a nice 360 degree turn so you can use in portrait or landscape and a neat screen cover.

However the sellers are poor presenters so you have to persevere and you see the Pocketbook 302 which is a 6", with Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and connection for a keyboard.



They preduct that there will be around 40 different eink devices by next year. That means some aren't going to make it and guarantees the price has to drop.