Another eBook reader for Hong Kong bookworms to feast on.
The cool new “it” gadget right now is Amazon.com’s Kindle and Kindle DX that allows you to download and read eBooks. The Kindle 2 will set you back HK$2,000 and the DX due out on the 19th of January and has a sticker price of HK$3,800.
The Kindle is probably the greatest invention since the Guttenberg Press and with great innovation, comes great products that look to follow that success, so you won’t be too surprised that there are already a few electronic companies offering their own versions of the Kindle to capitalize on its success.
Enter Hanvon: who hope to get a slice the eBook reader pie with four different models for you to choose from. The WISEreader N526 and N520 available only in white come with a built in QWERTY keyboard. The difference between the two is that the N526 has stylus pen input that allows you to write annotations and notes in the eBook you are reading, while the N520 doesn’t.
The DX goes global in 100 countries on January 19.
The 9.7″ ebook reader from Amazon called the Kindle DX is now getting ready to ship to Hong Kong, with global wireless available for pre-order today for HK$3,800/US$489 and shipping out on January 19th.
The main difference between the DX and the Kindle 2 is the size both in screen, memory and price:
Kindle 2 has a 6″ screen and holds 1,500 books for HK$2,000.
Kindle DX has a 9.7″ screen and its 3.3GBsize holds 3,500 books for HK$3,800.
We saw the DX in person a few weeks ago and it’s huge in comparison; a great size for reading at home or in the office, but probably not something manageable to pull out at yum cha or in the MTR during rush hour.
Yes, this sucks for everyone who bought the Kindle for Christmas, but good for those who waited because they wanted something bigger. You knew it was going to happen, especially in light of this week’s Consumer Electronics Show that will no doubt be introducing a dozen competitors to the eBook reader market.
Half e-book reader, half netbook = 2 great tastes that go together.
Have you ever carried around an e-reader, notepad, audio/video recorder and netbook with you all at once? Either you’ve got a lot of pockets…or you have the enTourage eDGe. Read books, take notes, IM your friends, surf the ‘Net, listen to music, watch movies – there’s almost nothing you can’t do with it. They are calling it the first “dualbook!”
The eDGe works easily with a USB flash drive or SD card, making it easy for you to move files to your device from a Windows, MAC or Linux operating system. Retailing for approximately HK$4,000 (US$490.00), the eDGe comes in black, red, light blue, dark blue or white.
The 1200 x 825 pixel screen is made for glare-free reading, so you can use it even in sunlight. Use the stylus to draw to write anytime you like – you can save them to your eDGe or mail them instantly. The color touch screen makes it easy for you to explore features quickly. The built-in WiFi support works with 3G networks and has BlueTooth capability. The device is expected to ship in February.
Here’s what we think after a few weeks with the popular eBook reader.
Amazon.com was nice enough to come to Hong Kong to promote the Kindle in special events to the Chinese and English press. Its whole word-of-mouth advertising movement is the best kind for this type of product, because it’s so new and so game-changing that no amount of giant billboards around Hong Kong could whip up a better frenzy than hearing from your book-loving friend that this is simply great!
To be honest, before we had a Kindle in our hands we thought it was a lame device, having seen the Kindle 1.0. But, having the Kindle 2.0 in our hands, it really is a different device and will indeed transform the way you read books – especially in Hong Kong where bookshelf space is limited.
The device itself is slim, sleek, lightweight, easy to use, easy to read and has a great battery. So, pretty much everything you’ve read about it is true! Getting past the downside of no touch screen that we are so used to with the iPhone, the little “joystick” controller is just as easy to use to get through the different menus and the big “flapper” buttons on each side allow for easy page turns, even with a cup of coffee in your hands!
Plastic Logic set to bring eReader to relieved lawyers worldwide.
Seems like everyone is throwing down into the eReader market these days. Plastic Logic has announced their Que (prounouned “Q” not the Spanish word for “where”) which will be unveiled at CES 2010 in January.
Interestingly, Plastic Logic seems to not want to compete in the consumer market of reading novels and newspapers but is doing it for the business users, to allow for on the go document reading – how many Hong Kong lawyers and accountants read that last line and got excited?
The Que has a huge 8.5×11 inch touchscreen and is only 1/3 of an inch thick. A shatterproof display is the bonus which also includes both Wi-Fi and 3G connections with Barnes and Nobles also supplying the books.
Availability, pricing and more will be available in January, but we’re betting its more expensive than the Kindle but will have alot more security features built in. If you can wait that long, we’re sure there will be handful more to debut by 01/07/10. More at the Plastic Logic site here.
On Monday you can get a Kindle in Hong Kong with local 3G downloads.
On his way back to the U.S. via Tokyo, Charlie Tritschler – the Director of Product Management and Interaction Design for Lab126 (the Amazon.com company behind the Amazon Kindle) – stopped by Hong Kong to talk to us about the immensely popular Kindle eBook device. The digital book reader is now making its international debut (including Hong Kong) for HK$2,175 (US$279).
So, as of this coming Monday, the Kindle 2 will be available (along with 290,000+ English books, magazines and newspapers) in Hong Kong. You need to order it from Amazon.com and use the built-in 3G to download books anytime, anywhere. And with books like Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol at only US$9.95 and 900K in file size, you will find yourself filling your Kindle up quickly.
While there are no Chinese language books available for the time being, one of the most impressive features is its built in dictionary which allows you to instantaneously look up English definitions as well as having the Kindle read to you (good for learning pronunciation) you can define the font size, make notes with the keyboard, the E-Ink reproduction is amazing even on photos and illustrations – have a look at the gallery below; we are very impressed with how it displays full greyscale images – it even plays MP3’s!
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