There have been some interesting developments recently in the development of the sub $200 ebook reader. Manufacturers are looking at cheaper ebooks. So here’s the latest news…
First for eInk lovers, Bebook are planning a new, cheaper reader to go with its Cybook. The Cybook is open source, and the mini Bebook will be the same. Greyscale, with a screen one inch smaller than the regular Bebook, but with the capability of reading pdf*, mobi, lit*, epub*, html, txt, prc, fb2 and jpg files. And a retail price of around $190. Wow.
There are two other newbies which would make fantastic ereaders for people like me who prefer a backlight and colour:
First, the cheap Internet tablet (otherwise known as a UMPC), the SmartQ 7. This baby is meant as an Internet browser, but as such it’s underpowered, according to the reviews. It runs on Linux, like some other e-readers. The difference between this and an Internet browser like the Nokia 810 is the size of the screen. It will read html, pdf and the formats supported by fbreader. SD slot so you can load up your books on that instead of going through the computer route, and transfer your library between devices if you want to. And battery life of 8 hours plus. I have to say that after seeing a Youtube video on using it as an ereader, this one’s for me. Price? Around $190. Uncanny.
And then there’s the Crunchpad. Similar to the Q7 and recently announced, it’s getting the geeks excited. Intended as another Internet browser, it looks like another promising ereader candidate. The screen might be bigger than the Q7, but nobody really knows, not yet. And it looks really pretty. They’re just saying that they want it to sell for under $200, but we’ll have to wait to find out. [Ed.: I like the easel function – handsfree reading.]
And how about Google entering the market? There have been rumors for months, but so far, no definite news.
Lastly, there’s the Plastic Logic device. Another nice-looking eInk reader, this one is supposed to be launched early next year, with 
a bigger and more resilient screen. As someone who is on her second eBookwise because the first one broke, I like the sound of that.
Listen, people, I read a lot of books. My current readers are the Ipaq 4700 and the eBookwise, which have seen me through many many happy hours of reading. I also use my Vye tablet and my Asus mini netbook. The Vye is a bit heavy and the battery is crap, and since it runs on full Windows, it takes a few minutes to boot up, which can be annoying.
But I’ll test devices, really I will. These new devices have me drooling. How about you?
I have my eye on the BeBook, but it’s still too pricey at the moment. It’s good, though, that ebook readers have made it to independent bookstores here in Australia.
A question: I’m confused about the Bebook vs the Cybook–are they the same? I thought they were made by different companies, but your post seems to imply that they’re not. No big deal, I just want to keep the brands straight in my head because the BeBook goes by different names here.
I saw a short BeBook video doing a demo of the touch screen interface. Me like.
It looks as if you’re right. Bebook is the one I was discussing. Cybook Gen 3 has been around for a while, and is usually spoken of as the open source alternative to the Kindle or the Sony reader. The “its” in the first sentence should have been “the” because these devices are about the same price, the same functions and spec and the same technology.
I looked at the mini Bebook, thought ‘cute’ and then looked at the UMPC’s and thought “ooo shiny, me like!” and went out and bought a new high quality screen pda because I knew I needed to assuage my need for new and shiny.
And news just in – A Taiwanese company has bought E Ink, the company that produces the technology for the e-ink devices for $215 million.
Hmm, now I feel like going down to the bookstore and playing with gadgets. Have you seen the iLiad? If they could just make it for a third of the price…