Plastic Logic QUE event (Thu 7:30 am PT)

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

It's actually Pixel Qi (pixel chee). A new (not e-ink) color screen technology.

Thanks, was hoping I wouldn't have to repost that.

[scoff]

I wonder what the annotation capabilities are like. They say that no stylus is needed, but I hope one can actually be used for marking up documents. An on-screen keyboard just won't cut it for me. There should be some more intensive hands-on reviews coming later...hopefully.

April seems so far away.

[Lilly]

I'm glad I was not waiting for this because it's way out of my price range.

[JWLaRue]

Can't say that I like the shiny black shell.....especially for business use. Something in a flat or matte finish would be more in line.

I note that the specs state that it can support Microsoft Office documents, but "supported formats" list only has TXT.....so no .doc, .ppt, etc. Not what I'd call MS Office support.

Also, anyone know what the underlying o/s is?

-Jeff

[scoff]

I believe it's windowsCE based.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JWLaRue

Can't say that I like the shiny black shell.....especially for business use. Something in a flat or matte finish would be more in line.

I note that the specs state that it can support Microsoft Office documents, but "supported formats" list only has TXT.....so no .doc, .ppt, etc. Not what I'd call MS Office support.

Also, anyone know what the underlying o/s is?

-Jeff

There is more but it looks like you have to use special Que software for conversion. From the website.

Description

QUE works hard to help make your life easy.

The QUE ™ proReader is an indispensable business tool that you’ll turn to again and again, whether you're in the office, at home, or on the road. It’s large 8-1/2" x 11" shatterproof display looks and reads like paper. QUE is optimized for ease of reading, even in direct sunlight. Plus QUE is only 1/3" thick and weighs just about a pound, so it fits comfortably in your hand, and can go with you anywhere and everywhere.

Features:

* 3G connectivity —Enjoy wireless shopping and downloading from the QUE store via AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest 3G mobile broadband network.
* Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless shopping and downloading from the QUE store
* 8GB of memory —Lets you store more than twice the number of documents and books as the 4GB QUE model

QUE holds thousands of the business documents you use every day, including PDF files, Microsoft Office documents and more. With the QUE software on your PC, Mac or BlackBerry ® smartphone, it’s quick and easy to convert and transfer your documents to your QUE. If you can print it, you can QUE it! Save time, money, ink and paper by sending documents to your QUE instead of printing them out.

The QUE touchscreen interface helps you quickly find the reports, spreadsheets and presentations you need with just a few taps of your finger. No stylus needed.

The powerful reviewing tools in QUE help you be more efficient. You can easily add a note, highlight text and even zoom to make the small numbers on a spreadsheet easier to read.

QUE was made for multi-tasking. With fingertip control, QUE lets you quickly go back and forth between your documents.

The QUE store has the information you need to maintain your competitive edge. From newspapers and magazines, to industry reports, books, trade journals and more. All this vital content is available for purchase and downloading wirelessly via WiFi.

Product Specifications

* Connectivity: Cellular (GSM), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), USB, Bluetooth ® 2.0
* Memory: 8 GB (Approx. 7.6 GB available for user data)
* Display (viewable area): 10.5-inch diagonal, 944 x 1264 pixels at 150ppi, 8 gray levels
* User Interface: Full Touchscreen, Virtual Keyboard
* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, charging via computer or wall charger
* Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" x .3"
* Weight: Approximately 17 ounces

Supported Formats

* QUE has native on-device support for PDF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, ePub, and TXT
* Using the QUE software on your computer, QUE supports printable formats such as Microsoft Office 2003/2007 (requires Microsoft Office on your computer), email and calendar (Windows PC only; requires Microsoft Office Outlook), HTML (e.g., maps), and RTF

Minimum System Requirements

* PC or Mac with USB 2.0 support
o Windows 7; Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2 or greater)
o Mac OS X v10.5.4 or greater (Intel-based Macs only)
* 100MB minimum of free hard drive space (installation only)
* Internet Access (broadband suggested)

Smartphone Requirements

* BlackBerry ® smartphone with Bluetooth ® Technology
o BlackBerry ® smartphone operating system 4.5.0 or higher

Box Content

* QUE proReader
* QUE Wall Charger
* 4ft QUE Power and Data cable
* Polishing cloth
* Quick Start Guide

Product Details

* UPC: 814311010043
* Format: Reading Device
* Manufacturer: Plastic Logic
* Sales Rank: 103
* Series: QUE proReader Series

[JWLaRue]

A converter, eh? That could be a problem if it's only a one-way process.....though if the O/S is WinCE then it might work okay.

I just watched the video (link posted earlier in this thread) and see that they are actually boasting about the shiny black finish. All I can see are fingerprints all over the place and glare.

-Jeff

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JWLaRue

A converter, eh? That could be a problem if it's only a one-way process.....though if the O/S is WinCE then it might work okay.

I just watched the video (link posted earlier in this thread) and see that they are actually boasting about the shiny black finish. All I can see are fingerprints all over the place and glare.

-Jeff

I'm calling it a converter because I don't see any other reason to have it's own computer software. I could be wrong.

[kinghuang]

Any ideas on how the email and calendar support works? It mentions Microsoft Office Outlook. Is that just for local emails/calendars, or Exchange too? Exchange support would be killer for me.

[netseeker]

Nate wrote here that he saw it read a Powerpoint File... (well, whatever he meant with "read" )

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by kinghuang

Any ideas on how the email and calendar support works? It mentions Microsoft Office Outlook. Is that just for local emails/calendars, or Exchange too? Exchange support would be killer for me.

here's the sperate release about Que Calendar and Que Mail. Its a collaboration between Plastic Logic and Good Technology

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...,1111209.shtml

LAS VEGAS - (Business Wire) Plastic Logic and Good Technology™ today announced a partnership and plans to develop QUE Mail and QUE Calendar for the QUE™ (pronounced “Q”) proReader. More than an eReader, QUE is designed specifically to provide a premium reading experience and access to content anywhere anytime, while simplifying the multi-faceted lifestyle of business professionals – and to literally lighten their workload.

The announcement coincides with Plastic Logic’s debut of QUE today during CES 2010. The ultra-thin, lightweight and wirelessly enabled QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, about a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs about a pound. QUE stands out in a crowd because it’s a business reader. QUE also distinguishes itself with powerful tools for interacting with and managing content. In addition to highly valued business and professional newspapers, periodicals and eBooks, QUE supports reading and annotating document formats business users need (including PDF files, Microsoft Office, ePub documents and more). With the QUE software, it’s easy to quickly transfer content from your PC, Mac® computer, or BlackBerry® smartphone to your QUE.

Plastic Logic said it plans to develop and offer a rich QUE Mail and QUE Calendar service with Good Technology, a leading provider of collaboration, security, and management services for leading mobile device platforms. Initially based on the Good Mobile Email™ and Good Mobile Exchange Access™ components of the Good for You™ solution, the QUE offering will be expanded in the future to include the Good for Enterprise™ solution. The QUE Mail and QUE Calendar offering will provide un-tethered email and calendar updates from a variety of popular email services for business professionals, including Microsoft Exchange.

Good for You, the solution powering QUE Mail and QUE Calendar, delivers an exceptional, integrated user experience for mobile email on the most popular mobile device platforms, including Android, Symbian S60 v3.0, Windows Mobile, BREW and Java. The four components of Good for You — Good Mobile Email, Good Mobile Exchange Access, Good Mobile Portal and Good Mobile Social Networking — work together to give mobile device makers and mobile operators a flexible and extensible white label solution that enables truly differentiated offerings and delivers a great mobile experience to end users.

By integrating with Good for You, the planned QUE Mail and QUE Calendar services enable mobile professionals to have email and calendar updates from a broad range of popular email and calendaring services, including Yahoo!, Google, Windows Live, and Microsoft Exchange, automatically pushed directly to their QUE devices over WiFi and 3G networks.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Good Technology, a leader in mobile device services, to accelerate development of a world-class email and calendar service and experience for the QUE proReader,” said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta. “Good is a trusted brand for mobile professionals and gives us a strong foundation for expansion into the enterprise, government and other verticals.”

Plastic Logic plans to offer QUE Mail and QUE Calendar services beginning Fall 2010. While plans with Good Technology initially cover the development of personal email and calendar, Archuleta said the planned roadmap for development of QUE Mail and QUE Calendar includes enterprise and government services thereafter.

“The eReader category is gaining substantial and rapid traction. As the world’s first proReader, QUE has great potential as a mobile collaboration and communications tool and is a perfect fit for the Good for You and Good for Enterprise solutions,” said Good CEO, Brian A. Bogosian. “We are very excited to be working with Plastic Logic to deliver an exceptional QUE Mail and QUE Calendar experience that we know will delight its customers.”

The QUE starts here

Formally introduced today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, QUE is on display in the Central Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center at Booth 11840, anchoring the e-Book Techzone.

Beginning today, preorders for the QUE proReader may be placed at the QUE Store (http://www.QUE.com). Beginning in mid-April 2010, QUE will be available for shipping. Later in 2010, QUE will be available through the Barnes & Noble stores nationwide and online at Barnes & Noble.com (http://www.bn.com).

The price for QUE will range from $649.00 for the 4GB QUE model with WiFi that holds up to 35,000 documents, to $799.00 for the 8GB QUE model with WiFi and 3G that holds up to 75,000 documents.

Additional information, including high-resolution product images, is available at http://www.plasticlogic.com/news/QUE/presskit.html

About Good Technology

Good Technology is mobile security and control that allows organizations to connect and collaborate on their devices of choice. Good opens new possibilities for enterprises, government agencies, and consumers to maximize personal and business productivity by providing secure and easy-to-use instant mobile access to data, applications and services on hundreds of mobile devices. For more information, visit the Good web site at www.good.com.

[eboyhan]

Well, I bought my Kindle DX about two months ago -- I am quite happy with it. As part of my evaluation process, I looked at Plastic Logic, liked what I saw, but decided I didn't want to wait (uncertain delivery date; uncertain price)-- so I went ahead and bought the Kindle DX. My interest in e-book readers was more as a laser printer replacement than as a book reading device. I do a lot of technical research on the web, and end up printing a lot to paper (I can't stand reading off screens). So I was looking for a device that would in effect enable me to "print to reader device". Using a "print to PDF" facility, along with the Kindle DX's PDF display capability, I was able (a little bit clumsily) to do this. I also read a ton of books for pleasure, and the e-book book reading capability was a strong secondary motivator. At present, I probably have about 150 general reading titles, and maybe 50 rather long technical PDF documents on the Kindle DX, and I do not seem to have made much of a dent in the 3 GB storage capabilities of the KDX. I do wish that the PDF rendering capabilities of the KDX were a bit better, but I can live with what I have.

Now along comes the Plastic Logic QUE device, which addresses most of my needs better than the KDX does. If the QUE device were available today at the prices quoted, and I was comparing the QUE versus the KDX, I would buy the QUE. I do not find the absence of an SD slot, nor the absence of 3G access (in the cheaper model) problematic. Even though the QUE is in many ways superior to the KDX, I will not rush out and buy one when it becomes available in April. Much of what I like in the QUE, could easily be provided in the KDX via a software upgrade. I am hopeful that the verities of a competitive marketplace will lead Amazon to "see the light".

[brecklundin]

Description

QUE works hard to help make your life easy.

The QUE ™ proReader is an indispensable business tool that you’ll turn to again and again, whether you're in the office, at home, or on the road. It’s large 8-1/2" x 11" shatterproof display looks and reads like paper. QUE is optimized for ease of reading, even in direct sunlight. Plus QUE is only 1/3" thick and weighs just about a pound, so it fits comfortably in your hand, and can go with you anywhere and everywhere.

Features:

* 3G connectivity —Enjoy wireless shopping and downloading from the QUE store via AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest 3G mobile broadband network.
* Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless shopping and downloading from the QUE store
* 8GB of memory —Lets you store more than twice the number of documents and books as the 4GB QUE model

QUE holds thousands of the business documents you use every day, including PDF files, Microsoft Office documents and more. With the QUE software on your PC, Mac or BlackBerry ® smartphone, it’s quick and easy to convert and transfer your documents to your QUE. If you can print it, you can QUE it! Save time, money, ink and paper by sending documents to your QUE instead of printing them out.

The QUE touchscreen interface helps you quickly find the reports, spreadsheets and presentations you need with just a few taps of your finger. No stylus needed.

The powerful reviewing tools in QUE help you be more efficient. You can easily add a note, highlight text and even zoom to make the small numbers on a spreadsheet easier to read.

QUE was made for multi-tasking. With fingertip control, QUE lets you quickly go back and forth between your documents.

The QUE store has the information you need to maintain your competitive edge. From newspapers and magazines, to industry reports, books, trade journals and more. All this vital content is available for purchase and downloading wirelessly via WiFi.

Product Specifications

* Connectivity: Cellular (GSM), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), USB, Bluetooth ® 2.0
* Memory: 8 GB (Approx. 7.6 GB available for user data)
* Display (viewable area): 10.5-inch diagonal, 944 x 1264 pixels at 150ppi, 8 gray levels
* User Interface: Full Touchscreen, Virtual Keyboard
* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, charging via computer or wall charger
* Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" x .3"
* Weight: Approximately 17 ounces

Supported Formats

* QUE has native on-device support for PDF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, ePub, and TXT
* Using the QUE software on your computer, QUE supports printable formats such as Microsoft Office 2003/2007 (requires Microsoft Office on your computer), email and calendar (Windows PC only; requires Microsoft Office Outlook), HTML (e.g., maps), and RTF

Minimum System Requirements

* PC or Mac with USB 2.0 support
o Windows 7; Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2 or greater)
o Mac OS X v10.5.4 or greater (Intel-based Macs only)
* 100MB minimum of free hard drive space (installation only)
* Internet Access (broadband suggested)

Smartphone Requirements

* BlackBerry ® smartphone with Bluetooth ® Technology
o BlackBerry ® smartphone operating system 4.5.0 or higher

Box Content

* QUE proReader
* QUE Wall Charger
* 4ft QUE Power and Data cable
* Polishing cloth
* Quick Start Guide

Product Details

* UPC: 814311010043
* Format: Reading Device
* Manufacturer: Plastic Logic
* Sales Rank: 103
* Series: QUE proReader Series

OK, anyone else see the marketing slight of hand here? They cannot have it both ways. The panel cannot be the equal of a 8.5"x11" piece of paper AND have only a 10.5" diagonal useable area...the diagonal of a 8.5"x11" panel is just under 14"...hence why I put PL into the area of a company I am not interested in ever doing busines with, they lie, or, if you prefer, call it misdirect if you want to be "nice"...I call it BS from their marketing wonks.

I am not impressed and unless there is something not shown or unsaid, this is a way overhyped device...I wonder if they hired aPPlE marketing people?

Also, the PPI is LESS than the Skiff with is over 170ppi compared to the Que's 150ppi...Que has a lower resolving power than the Skiff, according to the current marketing info that is...

[kjk]

Interesting, didn't catch that earlier. (The whole device is letter-size, not the screen).

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As long as there's some straightforward way of getting files onto the device (eg USB file transfer) I don't personally see it as a big deal. After all, today, many people carry around USB memory drives; it's really no different.

In a similar vein a lot of people don't see why it is a big deal to have passenger seating in a car. But for those of us who are parent's it is a non-negotiable requirement. Coups aren't evil, but they cant meet many people's needs.

On the other hand, for productivity I would prefer a business device NOT be easy for an employee to load up a company manual reader with manga and trashy novels.