EReaders Everywhere

At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), there were no less than 10 new eReaders announced. Plastic Logic introduced their highly anticipated Que eReader focused on business users. Entourage was showing their dual-screen reader for education and Skiff, a subsidiary of Hearst, announced a full-page device built using a flexible (non-glass) display. The eReader TechZone at CES was filled with companies offering eReaders.

Activity in the electronic book and eReader space is high. The Kindle is the clear leader and perhaps the main reason behind all the interest in eReaders. While Amazon will not release numbers behind the success of their Kindle, they have announced that "Kindle continues to be the most wished for, the most gifted, and the #1 bestselling product across all product categories on Amazon." (source).  Global shipments of eReaders is estimated to be between 3.5 and 4 M units in 2009 (by Digitimes). This estimate is based on numbers from companies producing eReader displays, particularly Prime View International in Taiwan.

Why the sudden interested in electronic books? We've had access to books on computers for many years. Project Gutenberg was started in 1971 - an effort by Michael Hart to digitize and archive works in the public domain. The first specialized software to read digital books was released in 1993 and the first eBook readers, NuvoMedia's Rocket eBook and SoftBook Press's SoftBook, became available in 1998. These devices had a long battery life but were heavy and expensive. The development of thin, low-power, sunlight-readable screens enabled the creation of an entirely new type of device, smaller and lighter than many books. Perhaps more importantly, Amazon used it's relationship with publishers and the ubiquity of cell networks to create a very convenient system for buying and reading books that doesn't require a PC. Many travelers today slip a Kindle into their suitcase instead of a stack of books and papers.

Besides convenience, interest in eReaders is up in the US because there is a strong trend to be kinder to the environment. A study by CleanTech indicates that "the carbon emitted in the lifecycle of a Kindle is fully offset by the first year of use." Additional years of use result in a savings "of 168 kg of CO2 per year (the emissions produced in the manufacture and distribution of 22.5 books)."

A very interesting change is the move from offering eReaders, eBooks and subscriptions, to offering platforms. Skiff, LG, and Marvell announced their new RDK - Reader Development Kit - which provides a manufacturer with everything they need to create an eReader, including a reference design for the electronics, chipsets, a display and software to connect the eReader to the Skiff content store. Onyx International makes eReaders for a number of different companies as an ODM. Kobo offers 1.8 million titles that can be read on a number of different platforms.

Who will survive? What platform will consumers prefer? Will books continue to be sold with Digital Rights Management (locked) or, like electronic music, will the DRM be dropped in a nod to convenience? 2010 will be an exciting time for electronic books and eReaders - we'll have to wait and see.

Interesting eReaders
Amazon - new International DX for sale starting Jan 19th - http://www.amazon.com/Kindle/
Plastic Logic - announced pricing and availabililty  - http://www.plasticlogic.com/
Entourage - publicly showing their devices - available in Feb - http://www.entourageedge.com/
Spring Design's Alex - Dual display reader - http://www.springdesign.com/
Jinke - Uses SiPix panels (AUO) instead of EInk (PVI) - http://www.jinke.com.cn/Compagesql/English/embedpro/newpro.asp
Skiff - announced large device with flexible display and RDK - http://www.skiff.com/
iRex - http://www.irextechnologies.com/
Sony - http://tinyurl.com/sonyereaders
Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook
Ditto - http://www.dittobook.com/
Samsung - stylus enabled - http://ireaderreview.com/2010/01/07/samsung-reader-review-e6-e101/

Software
Blio for iPhone and most notebooks, etc. (promised) - http://www.blioreader.com/
Amazon Kindle for iPhone and PC (Mac promised) - http://www.amazon.com/Kindle/
Barnes & Noble for iPhone, Blackberry, PC, Mac - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/download-reader.asp

Bookstores (sample)
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/
Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Sony - http://ebookstore.sony.com/
eReader - http://www.ereader.com/
Kobo Books - http://www.kobobooks.com/
eBooks.com - http://www.ebooks.com/
Blio - http://www.blioreader.com/bookstore.html

Comparison of many eReaders
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix