CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Las Vegas, the world's largest consumer technology trade show is starting today (7 January). Two new e-reading devices, the Skiff Reader and the QUE proReader, developed with the press industry in mind, will be launched at the event. And it comes as no surprise that Amazon has chosen this very same week to announce that its Kindle DX (also designed for the press!) was ready for a worldwide shipment.
From left to right : the Skiff Reader, the QUEproReader and the international Kindle DX
Skiff, formerly known as FirstPaper (a startup that has been incubated as a separate company by Hearst Corporation), will preview the Skiff Reader, an e-reading device that “features the largest and highest-resolution electronic-paper display yet unveiled in a consumer device, at 11.5 inches in size (measured diagonally) and a resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels (UXGA)” says the company. A full touchscreen enables users to intuitively navigate and engage with the newspapers, magazines, books and other digital content they purchase through the Skiff Store, as well as personal and work documents. The device weighs just over one pound and lasts over a week between charges. 
“The Skiff Reader is designed not just for sleekness but also for durability. It is based on a thin, flexible sheet of stainless-steel foil. This contrasts with the fragile glass that is the foundation of almost every electronic screen – and a primary source of vulnerability and breakage risk in the devices that incorporate them,” describes Skiff’s press release. Skiff has worked closely with LG Display, the innovator of the foil-display technology, to optimise and implement this non-glass display uniquely for the Skiff Reader. Skiff has also signed a multi-year agreement with Sprint to provide 3G connectivity for Skiff’s e-reading devices in the United States. In addition to 3G, the Skiff Reader will also support wireless connectivity via WiFi.
Plastic Logic targets business professionnals
Scheduled to premiere also at CES Las Vegas today, Plastic Logic’s new device, the QUE proReader, targets the community of business professionals. “More than an eReader, QUE means business,” says the press release. The ultra-thin, lightweight and wirelessly enabled QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11-inch pad of paper, about a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs about a pound. “QUE stands out in a crowd for its unique shatterproof plastic display, which is based on Plastic Logic’s plastic electronics technology. QUE supports the document formats of business users’ needs (including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel documents and more) and can handle a file cabinet’s worth of customer-generated documents,” says Plastic Logic. In addition, the QUE store will give users access to highly valued business newspapers, periodicals and eBooks, including access to more than one million eBooks available through Barnes & Noble.
Plastic Logic has signed agreements with the Bonnier Corporation’s Popular Science - the world's largest science and technology magazine, International Data Group (IDG), a leading technology media, events, and research company, and MIT’s Technology Review, the oldest technology magazine in the world. QUE customers will be able to receive Popular Science, PC World, Macworld, CIO, Network World, Computerworld, and Technology Review directly from the QUE store. Today’s news builds on previously announced strategic content partnerships, including agreements with Financial Times, USA TODAY, Detroit Free Press, and Detroit News.
Kindle DX with global wireless
Yesterday, Amazon introduced the international Kindle DX with global wireless - a new version of the 9.7-inch wireless reading device that now comes with the convenience of wireless content delivery in more than 100 countries. As a matter of fact, the new Kindle DX with global wireless replaces the Kindle DX with U.S. wireless, which is no longer available.
“In addition to the convenient features such as 60-second downloads, easy-to-use page-turn buttons, and instant dictionary lookup that have made the 6-inch Kindle the bestselling product across all of Amazon, the new Kindle DX with global wireless has a large 9.7-inch electronic paper display, auto-rotate capability and storage for up to 3500 books. Kindle DX with global wireless is available for pre-order starting at $489 and ships Jan. 19,” says Amazon.
More than 80 top U.S. and international newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Times (UK), Globe and Mail (Canada), Le Monde (France), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany),O Globo (Brazil), Hindustan Times (India), The Mainichi Daily News (Japan), El Pais (Spain), La Stampa (Italy), Shanghai Daily (China), El Universal (Mexico), Moscow Times (Russia) and The Prague Post (Czech Republic) are available in the Kindle Store for single purchase or subscription, and can now be delivered wirelessly in more than 100 countries and territories. Over 40 top magazines, such as The Economist, Newsweek, Time, The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, Forbes, Fortune, PC Magazine, and The New England Journal of Medicine are also available. U.S. Kindle customers can also continue to take advantage of the Kindle Store’s selection of more than 8000 blogs and receive new posts while traveling overseas.
CES Las Vegas might also provide some more interesting surprises as iRiver, Microsoft/HP, Interead, Endless Ideas or Micro-Star International, just to name a few, are trying to surf the e-reading wave.
