Daily Archives: December 4, 2009

2009 Essential Gadgets – An eReader collection

December 4, 2009 11:55 pm by Chris Nuttall

EReaders are the hottest gadget category right now, judging by their lack of availability.

Sony warned us last month it could not guarantee deliveries by Christmas of its new Daily Edition reader, while Barnes & Noble has sold out of its Nook Reader.

Both companies may have suffered from running out of time in ramping up production for the holidays, rather than being overwhelmed by demand, but it seems that Amazon has benefited. It announced on Monday that the Kindle was the best-selling product on its website.

In the fourth in our series on the essential gadgets of the year, Paul Taylor summarises current choices after the jump, while in posts below, David Gelles gives his personal account of reading a digital book and we republish posts reviewing the Cooler and the current state of the market. Read more

Posted in Gadgets, Personal technology | Permalink

Some reflections on reading and e-readers

December 4, 2009 11:50 pm by David Gelles

Enjoying a book is a two part process.

The first involves the book as a physical object – a rectangular brick of paper with, one hopes, a nicely designed jacket. The colourful cover art catches the eye. The intriguing title captures the imagination. The size gives an approximation of its length, and the time it will take to read it.

The second involves the actual reading. Eyes fix on the text and methodically moving down the page, left to right, one line at a time. The book itself all but disappears. Attention is not with the physical object of the book, but with the story being told.

For the past two weeks I have forsaken good old-fashioned bound paper books. Instead, I have been reading exclusively on a Kindle 2, the popular e-reader from Amazon. Read more

Tags: e-readers, kindle 2
Posted in Consumer Electronics, Digital media, Gadgets, Personal technology | Permalink

How electronic paper displays are stacking up

December 4, 2009 11:45 pm by Chris Nuttall

You may be only aware of Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, but there are now more than 45 e-reader models available worldwide, according to E Ink, the dominant technology provider for their displays.

More are expected in the coming year, including ones with smaller, pocketable displays, colour and different ways of producing the paper-like screens, the Emerging Display Technologies Conference in Silicon Valley heard this week.

(This post was first published on September 5 2009) Read more

Tags: E Ink, Kindle, qualcomm, Sony
Posted in Gadgets, Personal technology | Permalink

Cool-er e-reader takes on the Kindle

December 4, 2009 11:40 pm by Chris Nuttall

A new e-reader entrant is pitching itself as cheaper, lighter and more open than Amazon’s Kindle or Sony’s Reader, and with a larger selection of titles.