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New Nook coming soon; most likely e-ink model

This isn't how products are typically announced, but thanks to a couple of sentences in an SEC filing, word is out that Barnes & Noble plans to release a new e-reader later this month.

Late yesterday, The Wall Street Journal reported that according to the filing, Barnes & Noble will unveil the "new eReader device" on May 24:

Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating declined to comment beyond the 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contained one sentence of text to comply with Regulation FD fair disclosure rules, except to confirm the meeting took place in New York City. The filing says simply that the company, in the meeting, "indicated it expects to make an announcement on May 24, 2011, regarding the launch of a new eReader device."

The filing had no specific details about the e-reader, but for some reason the Journal speculated that Barnes & Noble might release a "more powerful combination tablet and e-reader" that would perhaps run Honeycomb, the Android 3.0 OS designed for tablets.

We're here to tell you that's probably not the case and that the more likely--and logical--scenario is… Read more

Amazon tablet to hit market later this year?

Could an Amazon tablet reach consumers later this year?

Sources quoted by tech site DigiTimes claim that Taiwan-based Quanta Computer has already gotten orders from Amazon to build the retail giant's first tablet PC. The new tablet will apparently use E Ink's Fringe Field Switching LCD technology, suggesting it will be a color LCD touch panel (a departure from the black-and-white E-ink Kindles we've seen to date)."

The tablet will start shipping as soon as the second half of the year with monthly orders expected to hit 700,000 to 800,000 units during the peak … Read more

E Ink: No successor to Pearl this year

Sri Peruvemba, vice president of global sales and marketing at E Ink, recently stopped by our New York offices and talked displays and reminded us just how thin the e-ink screen for the Kindle and other e-readers is.

While he was showing off a "Triton" color e-ink prototype that's been making the rounds and piqued the interest of textbook publishers, we were more interested in what's up next for monochrome e-ink. Peruvemba couldn't speak about any new e-readers from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but he did say that the company's latest and greatest e-ink display, which goes by the name Pearl and was released last year (it's in the Kindle and Sony Readers but not the Nook), would be it for now; we shouldn't expect anything new in 2011.

"We're generally on a two-year cycle with our e-ink technology," he said. "It takes some time to develop and test the next generation." … Read more

Are Notion Ink's Adam tablets finally shipping?

Notion Ink's Adam tablet is starting to ship to U.S. and European customers, the company announced in a blog post yesterday.

According to Notion Ink, its tablet has received U.S. Federal Communications Commission approval and a CE marking from the European Union, thus paving the way for shipments. A search of the FCC's Web site reveals that the Adam has indeed gained clearance. In addition, the company said in its posting that those who have February ship dates will likely receive their tablets at the end of January.

But before anyone who has the device on … Read more

What's next for e-readers: a Mirasol in the making?

At last year's CES, the e-reader product a lot of people were talking about didn't exist. It was a concept from Mirasol, a Qualcomm-backed company that was showing off its screen technology in a prototype unit.

Mirasol's screen caught people's attention for a few reasons. For starters, it was color. Secondly, its high-tech reflective display technology was not only energy-efficient but readable in direct sunlight. And finally, it was capable of displaying full-motion video. Marrying the best of what e-ink had to offer with some of the strengths of LCD, it looked a lot like the … Read more

The e-readers of CES 2010: Where are they now?

Prior to each year's Consumer Electronics Show, we like to write previews of what buzz-worthy products might appear at the show and what trends you might expect to hear about. We'll do that, we promise. But before we do, let's take a look back and see what we left behind.

Last year, as expected, the e-reader was front and center at CES, the hot new category if there ever was one. It had its own little pavilion on the show floor and we spent some time snapping photographs of all the new wares companies were proudly showcasing. … Read more

Notion Ink Adam tablet taking preorders

A select group of registered users on Notion Ink's company blog will be given first crack at preordering the company's long-awaited Adam tablet today.

The heavily optimized Android-based tablet comes in six models, ranging from a $375 Wi-Fi version with a standard LCD, up to a $549 version using 3G and the coveted Pixel Qi screen technology.

If you're new to the Adam, the mythical tablet sports an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 10-inch screen, a unique rotating camera, and a head-turning design. More importantly, the high-end models are one of the first to offer Pixel Qi … Read more

Phosphor e-ink world time watch (wrists-on)

I've spent the last two weeks sporting one of the new e-ink world time digital watches from Phosphor. Watch displays are being rethought in the digital era, and as a watch nerd, I love that that's happening. Your next watch might use e-ink to display the time, or even other information.

The Phosphor watches uses the same e-ink technology used on devices like Amazon's Kindle. It's not LCD, which many of us grew up with, but an entirely different, and low-power, tech. And on a watch face, it works.

I prefer analog watches, but I also like the digital face on the Phosphor. There's no backlight, but you don't really need one. Like an analog watch, you simply glance and know what time it is. Sure, I found myself hunting for flickers of light so I could see the time, but as an analog watch wearer I'm used to that.

But it's not just about function; the watches look good too. I got as many comments from nerds about the e-ink as I did from people mentioning the stylishness. The watch I wore had a leather band, though metal and plastic bands are available. Go for the leather, it works with anything (just call me Tim Gunn). … Read more

Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook Color earn CNET Editors' Choice Awards

We don't always do special blog posts announcing that a certain product has received a CNET Editors' Choice Award, but in the case of our two new winners--the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook Color--we're taking a moment to explain our decision for a couple for reasons.

For starters, in the case of the third-generation Amazon Kindle, the product has already been out a few months. So why award it an Editors' Choice now? Well, we had been leaning for a long while toward stamping it with an "EC," but upon hearing rumors that … Read more