The market for e-book readers is getting more and more competitive, which means it isn’t exactly easy for new devices to stand out and get noticed. It in fact becomes all the more difficult when the industry already has its undisputed leader in the market, making waves with its technology, sales and huge popularity amongst users – the Amazon’s Kindle e-reader.
So what should companies do? Come up with devices that are stylish, innovative and offer more than what is already on offer. If the usual e-book reader has an e-ink display then lets add an LCD screen to it. And since the e-book reader is primarily for reading e-books on the move, why not add internet browsing too. Well then, if an e-book reader comes up with twin screen, such as an LCD screen and an e-ink display, things definitely takes an interesting turn. With this new functionality being added, listed below are some interesting devices that do stand out of the crowd.
Spring Design Alex
Spring Design’s Alex was introduced in the CES (January 2010) this year. However, it was first introduced in the market in October 2009. The Alex has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the device is the e-ink display reading screen which is 6- inches and the lower end has a 3.5 inches LCD screen. The LCD screen can be used for internet surfing or watching video files and runs on the Android operating system. Along with this it has add on apps like the mini USB port, a 2.5mm headphone jack, a MicroSD card and a Duet navigator. This unique feature allows the user to toggle content between the LCD screen and the e-ink display. So a user can download content on the LCD screen and then later view it on the e-ink display as well.
Entourage Edge
Another new age twin screen e-book reader to invade the market is the Entourage Edge. Interestingly, this adds a lot of emphasis on internet surfing apart from E-Book reading capabilities, which is why it has a 10.1-inch LCD screen unlike the 3.5-inch screen on Alex. Because of its clamshell design, the LCD screen, which is based on the Android operating system, is on the right and the 9.7 inches e-ink display with 16 shades of gray is on the left. The e-ink display opens ePUB and pdf files fairly automatically. This supports wi-fi and Bluetooth functionality as well.
Is Kindle in trouble?
So does all of this spell trouble for the Kindle? These twin screen e-book reader that also acts as a tablet PC device does offer more than the standard e-book readers do. But will they go on to dominate the market? Well, that however can’t be said in the most definitive manner. Till then, be at the e-reader forum to have an idea of which way popular public opinion is swaying towards.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
