Kindle rival Plastic Logic partners with Olive Software
(Credit:
Plastic Logic)
So far, Amazon's Kindle has been in a safe position as one of the dominant electronic readers on the market. However, this may be changing because its rival, the Plastic Logic e-Reader, has been busy gaining prelaunch partners.
Plastic Logic, the start-up maker of the possible Kindle "killer" e-reader, announced Thursday that Olive Software will be a key service provider and partner for the Plastic Logic Publishers Program. The partnership means the two companies will develop content-publishing solutions for newspapers, magazines, and Web content providers, as well as other publishers that distribute their content via Plastic Logic's e-reader.
Olive is a prominent digital publishing company that produces hundreds of newspapers and magazine titles across multiple platforms--including electronic reading devices, smartphones, browsers, and Internet-enabled TV.
The Plastic Logic e-reader is an electronic reader designed specifically for mobile users. The device will be about the size of an 8.5-inch by 11-inch pad of paper and weighs less than most magazines. It seems to be an ultrathin, simple, and strong device, gauging from a recent demo.
Differentiating the new e-reader from the Kindle is the fact that it supports both 3G and Wi-Fi. This means you can download new content via wireless on the go, and from your home and office Wi-Fi networks. In addition, apart from published contents, the Plastic Logic e-reader supports popular document formats, including PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents.
Recently, Plastic Logic also hooked up with Barnes & Noble and announced that it will use AT&T's 3G network.
The Plastic Logic Reader is due to launch early next year. For now, it's still unclear how much it will cost.
Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong. 
I think Amazon was forced to make an announcement and release the DX before it was ready.
Most people already understand these types of contracts and will feel like they are embarking on a reading plan and not purchasing a device that will become obsolete in a couple of years. This way readers could bundle content and keep it simple. For example you could sign up for a 24 month plan where you pay $20 a month for the right to download one book a month and two magazines or one book and a subscription to a newspaper. This type of Sales model is proven to work well with cell phones I think it would work even better with eReaders. I predict the the company that adopts this model as an option will become the eBook/eReader Leader.
Check out my customized newspaper at:
http://www.Libertynewspint.com
- by jimofoz August 18, 2009 1:28 PM PDT
- Make it a third the size and price, and I'd be interested.
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