macnn/electronista
07/26/2007, 3:20pm, EDT
Thursday, July 26thBookeen unveils cross-platform eBook reader
Bookeen on Thursday promised a genuinely new era of eBook devices with the Cybook Gen3. Its design centers around a 6-inch, 166 dots-per-inch Vizplex e-paper display that provides much better contrast and cuts the refresh rate by more than half. The screen is so clear as to be easily readable even in direct sunlight, Bookeen claims. Just as special is the now confirmed inclusion of support for Amazon's Mobipocket eBook format, which lets users buy and read DRM-protected books from the online retailer.
Unlike some readers, the Gen3 works with Linux, Mac, and Windows PCs and loads data through any USB connection or through removable SD cards. The battery is rated at 8,000 page turns and should last for roughly a month of frequent use. Bookeen is releasing the eBook reader worldwide and will sell it to US customers in September for $350.
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Be nice if it was water/sandproof too. Would never want to take this to the beach/poolside. Maybe a protective case?
I appreciate that these things use a new technology that's expensive to produce, but it isn't going to catch on unless the manufacturers eat a little loss up front to gain some audience. Let's not forget these things aren't even COLOUR yet.
Call me when it hits $199 and I'm all over it.
But this thing will sell much better than Sony's... except Sony is offering some special deals, like the sign up for a Sony Visa card and get their reader for $50:
http://www.sonycard.sony.com/sonygateway/gateway2.asp?offerlink=Reader3&PID=none&SPID=2Y2C&mkid=6BRR&MSC=&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=DF01&PID=&SPID=&mkid=&MSC=&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=&PID=&SPID=&mkid=&MSC=&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=&PID=&SPID=&mkid=&MSC=&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=
That's hard to pass up.