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Kyobo eReader Uses Cutting Edge Mirasol Display

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Another company has entered the ebook reader market that is slowly getting crowded.

The Kyobo Book Centre from South Korea has released the Kyobo eReader a new eReader that boasts of a 5.7 inch XGA display and a battery life that lasts for weeks. The device runs on a modified version of Android, and of course, is geared towards Korean content.

The Kyobo eReader is generating interest among gadget fans because it is arguably the only eReader that uses a Qualcomm XGA mirasol display. Why is this new display getting a lot of attention?  It’s a new technology that offers very long battery life similar to what E Ink displays consume but instead of gray-scale graphics it produces full color images and has fast response times that will allow for the playback of video content and still be completely readable under direct sunlight. [Read more…]

Kobo Touch with Ads Will Retail for $99

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A week ago, we reported on the acquisition of Toronto-based ebook reader company Kobo by online retail giant Rakuten. The acquisition is seen as a beneficial move that will give Kobo the leverage to finally directly compete with the other two giant e-book reader brands being made by Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

The competition for your e-book reader money is really going to heat up this holiday season as Kobo joins the fray with its announcement of a more affordable new e-book reader. The new Kobo Touch is going to be sold by the company for only $99. [Read more…]

Rakuten Buys Kobo for $315M

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For people who are looking for alternative e-readers, Kobo is one company that people usually discover when searching online. Kobo, Toronto-based company, is both an e-reader and e-book publishing company. Kobo actually has more than 2.5 million books in its catalogue, which is quite a significant number that allows it to squarely compete with both Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Kobo’s potential has not been left unnoticed, Rakuten, one of the top e-commerce businesses worldwide has bought Kobo to the tune of $315 million. [Read more…]

Creative Touts Zii MediaBook eReader

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And the latest company to join the ebook reader bandwagon happens to be Creative, more popularly known of course for their media players. In a surprising announcement during the company’s annual general meeting in Singapore, Creative showed a working model of its upcoming eReader, tentatively named the Zii MediaBook.

Specs-wise, we’re looking at a touch screen display, text-to-speech function like the Kindle perhaps, SD memory card slot, Internet connectivity – in short a multimedia device that can handle videos, pictures, text and services. [Read more…]

Barnes & Noble introduces Nook, the advanced Kindle killer?

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barnes-and-noble-nookAs expected, online book retailer Barnes & Noble has launched what it surely hopes will be an Amazon Kindle killer — the Nook — which it claims is the world’s most advanced eBook reader.

The device features a colour touchscreen and allows acess to over one million B&N titles, delivered via free 3G or Wi-Fi, plus memory expansion via microSD cards.

The device is Android based, and is slightly smaller but slightly heavier than the Kindle 2.

There’s a useful Nook/Kindle 2 comparison chart on B&N’s web site, though it’s worth remembering that there are plenty of other eReaders around, in a corner of the hardware market that’s sure to increase over the coming few years.

The Nook is available for pre-order now, initially in the US for $259.