01-06-2010, 07:00 PM | #1 |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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I just saw Samsung's new ebook reader
I only had about 5 minutes to play with it, so my remarks will be rather light. I will try to add more detail when the show opens tomorrow.
Samsung announced a pair of ebook readers for the US market at CES. I couldn't get in to the press conference, but when I saw Engadget's live blog I grabbed my notebook and snuck in. Only the 6” model (the E6) was on hand, but I was told that the 9.7” model (E101) would be on display tomorrow in Samsung's booth. It's a white with silver trim slider design, and I have to say I'm impressed. The under panel had 2 speakers, a d-pad, and 4 menu buttons.On the lower edge was the headphone port, USB mini-B (client, I assume), and the power switch. The back is a smooth and slightly curved. On the upper edge is a slot for the Wacom Stylus. The only buttons below the screen are the page turn buttons. It has a Vizplex screen, and I confirmed that the 9.7” model also has a screen made by PVI. I do not know what it is using for reader software, but it doesn't appear to be Adobe DE. I've seen 3 ebook readers with touchscreens and Adobe DE; all handled sketches the same. The E6 was different. You can search, highlight, bookmark, and scribble a note. There is also a drawing mode. The UI is very similar to the pictures I've seen of the ebook readers Samsung is selling in Korea, so I would guess that it was probably developed by the same dev team. That would make the E6 Samsung's 3rd or 4th ebook reader, which explains why the response rate was so fast. I only have my Boox to compare it with at the moment, but the E6 was much faster. Some of the other features include TTS (it sounded okay in a noisy room), Wifi, and integration with the pd Google Books. The projected retail is $399 for the 6” and $699 for the 9.7”. Currently the projected release date is March or April. Last edited by Nate the great; 01-06-2010 at 07:03 PM. |
01-06-2010, 07:16 PM | #2 |
Which way is up?
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Is it me or does it have an "emolink" button on the left of the D-pad? XD
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01-06-2010, 07:21 PM | #3 |
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I have a sense that even with the Wacom touch interface their pricing is not going to go over well at all. Then again there is something that smells industry wide as to pricing when devices which are in the retail stream are the same price at each independent retailer.
Maybe Samsung is trying a different tactic and going for a high MSRP then letting retailers price them around $100 lower on the shelf. Still to be honest hard to tell if there is much here other than the Samsung brand association. Gonna have to reserve judgement on this one for sure. Thanks for the info !! |
01-06-2010, 08:15 PM | #4 |
Storm Surge'n
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Up on Youtube from Cruchgear.
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01-06-2010, 08:25 PM | #5 |
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NOT impressed at all. The interface looks terrible.
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01-06-2010, 09:51 PM | #6 |
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Add a Calendar and an address book and you've got a giant PDA. The UI even kind of looks like Palm 4 OS. but you know, that isn't entirely a bad thing. Add the PDA apps, make it the size of the PRS-300, you might have something different but still quite useful.
Last edited by GlenBarrington; 01-06-2010 at 09:54 PM. Reason: I'm full of useless opinions and I got more to add! |
01-06-2010, 09:56 PM | #7 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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01-06-2010, 10:56 PM | #8 |
A Literate Human
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$400 for a six inch model??? I saw nothing in that youtube video that made me feel that it is worth that much.
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01-06-2010, 11:04 PM | #9 |
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wow, that is an obscene price. but the touch screen has no reflection, which makes it one of the best devices. but still, $400 is a lot higher than competitor prices for not that much more functionality.
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01-06-2010, 11:07 PM | #10 |
useR!
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In addition to price, we have to see whether the software/firmware is stable enough with this machine.
For instance, initially, Samsung Papyrus got horrible reviews from users from what I have read. - Short battery life (cannot last a day) - Unable to transfer epub file to the machine using the provided software - Cluttered UI despite 5 inch screen - Unstable USB sync I am not sure whether they updated software and/or firmware or not after the release, though. |
01-06-2010, 11:24 PM | #11 |
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Yeah, this thing offers nothing special or particularly attention-getting that would make me give it a second look. Especially at those prices. Looks very rudimentary & you can get more sophisticated readers with more bells & whistles for cheaper now.
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01-06-2010, 11:34 PM | #12 |
My Kingdom for Karma
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Thanks Nate.
Let me know when you see a reader that should give me pause about buying the 900. You caught good weather in Vegas. Too bad you will never get out of the show to enjoy it!!!! |
01-06-2010, 11:45 PM | #13 |
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This price is unreal...
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01-06-2010, 11:52 PM | #14 |
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There is an OUTSIDE in Vegas? Why did nobody ever tell me of this OUTSIDE? Is it free or is there a cover charge? :
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01-06-2010, 11:56 PM | #15 | |
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