Barnes & Noble's 'color' e-book reader photos leaked

(Credit: Gizmodo)

Ever since word got out that Barnes & Noble was set to announce its own e-book reader next week, the rumors have been flying, with lots of whispers that the gadget might just have a color display. Well, it appears those rumors are valid, with one big caveat: the upcoming eBook (as it appears to be called) apparently has a standard, 800x600 6-inch monochrome e-ink display along with a multitouch 480x144-pixel color LCD that's designed for browsing book covers and perhaps other content, according to Gizmodo. That second display also would transform into a virtual keyboard.

Photos: First glance at Barnes & Noble's e-reader

Those waiting for a full color e-reader may be disappointed, but we have to say this seems to be an interesting hybrid solution that would take advantage of e-ink's strengths (excellent battery life, no eye-strain while reading) while giving users a zippier interface to access content (yes, the device is said to have a wireless 3G connection, though no carrier has been announced). On top of all that, this e-reader apparently has a light built into the top of the unit, so you can read in poorly lit environments.

This is shaping up to be a very interesting device and we look forward to seeing it in person next week. While no price has been announced, word is that B&N plans to undercut the price of the Amazon Kindle--but we'll believe it when we see it.

So, would this be a Kindle killer or what? As always, feel free to comment.

(Via Gizmodo)

[TonyinIowa]

Looks very cool. However, I still wonder when we'll see the ebook readers come into a more affordable price range say under $99 or so. One thing keeping me from jumping on any one device is the lack of compatibility with different ebook brands. I'd like to have Sony hardware but be able to buy Amazon books...

[usesmx06]

$99 seems a little to much wishful thinking. Would be concerned in the quality i'd be getting for $99. Now $150 seems more do-able and can see mass appeal at that price range. But first, all e-books must be in color, annnnnddddd, must be able to do something else besides just reading books.

[Rod Roddy]

@usesmx06, I agree with you about the $150 price range, although I still think It'll be priced at $199. Also, the color screen feature is only useful so far to display book covers and any pictures you may have installed on the device. Most if not all novels have a color cover or jacket, and the print inside is black and white--correct?

If they start to port over say a cookbook, or graphic novel, then a full color display becomes a lot more feasible. I have no doubt that color screens is the next big step for these devices, I just don't know if there is a HUGE demand for it yet.

[ericmiraglia]

The hybrid approach seems like a smart way to use the technologies that are available. The Kindle's keyboard is prehistoric -- almost anything would be better -- and using that physical device space in a way that can be extended with software makes good sense. At the end of the day, though, it will come down to the ecosystem. Can BN deliver the trouble-free delivery, multi-device access and sync, and Amazon-quality shopping experience out of the gate? We'll see.

[hafenbrack]

The Sony e-Reader's still seem to be reader of choice, since they are most compatible with the e-formats. I certainly hope B&N doesn't go off an and use it's OWN propriatary format, but they would never be so kind to the consumers...

[Mori-neko]

Well, I've been eyeing an ebook reader for a long while now, this looks like I might finally bite on one... depends on what it's got for expansion and available formats, though.

[externallain]

I agree with the above comments. The B&N reader looks really nice but if they go proprietary I'll will never buy one. I am looking into getting a Sony eReader right now for my girlfriend because of it's compatibility with multiple file formats.

[robertorosco]

Looks way too thick. Pass!

[tmeesseman]

I think you're looking at it from the wrong angle. It looks thick in the photo, but you're seeing a bracket for the light, not the edge of the device. It looks to be about a quarter inch thick.

If you are looking at it right, then you have too high standards. lol

[muestro]

Looks expensive. Maybe it'll bring down the cost of Kindle.

[solitare_pax]

Why are we seeking a "Kindle Killer"? From the specs, it seems a suitable rival at least, but must we go out to kill off the current king of the hill with every new product?

[kormiko]

.

It would be better if the bottom part was OLED (or at least LED backlit) to save on battery.

.

[Jahntassa]

As has been said on CNET about Blu-ray. The things need to hit the magical $99 price point. Then I might consider one. However this does have a better look than the Kindle IMO.

[L33tLuXX0rz]

Wow if this is true then I will gladly buy it. A light and (partial) color display! This is revolutionary for the e-book/e-reader industry!

[mrmorozov987]

That would be absolutely fantastic! I've been holding off getting an e-reader, but this would definitly be worth my money. I absolutely love it!

[shane--2008]

until we see a dominant format, it won't be more than a prototype to be beta tested by the few. just like the amazon one.

any bets on who can force the industry to take a useful open format and make it THE format?

Please tell me you are making an ebook reader Apple...

[grossj144]

I think that, on first blush, it looks interesting and has a lot of potential. My biggest questions relate to which native formats it will accept, can you annotate (it would rock if you could use the lower screen as a kind of wacom-like table as the response time would be quicker...I'm just not sure how to implement that, though) and whether or not you can expand the memory easily.

Only time will tell if this will turn into the ebook reader of choice or if it will simply die off without so much as a whimper.

[jasonbeckett]

Having been an early KINDLE adopter, I am very excited to see the advancements of eReaders in the last year. Although I am committed to hang on to my Kindle for the foreseeable future (to maintain my library) I am very interested in where the added competition of Barnes & Noble will take this device.

It's clever to have the second screen that can serve many functions since the web surfing and purchasing of books is not so great on the Kindle. I generally just log on to Amazon and send the book directly to the device rather than shop directly.

So...moral of the story, competition is great and the future is looking great for eReaders.

[fleurya]

Seriously, can't anyone just make a simple e-book reader and make it relatively CHEAP??? You can ditch the 3G connections, the web browsers, the keyboards. Just give me an e-book reader that displays books, and without the format wars, please!

Oh, and tell the airlines that these things use so little energy and give off so little radiation or whatever, that everyone on the plane could be reading 10 of them and they still wouldn't affect the plane's communications!!

[Bic101]

keyboards are necessary to look up words in the dictionary, take notes, or search for a passage or character, etc. Whether it is part of the hardware or software is to be seen, but it's very useful.

[Bic101]

Looks good, except that 6 inch screens are becoming out-dated. Even B&N announced linking up with the IREX DR800 e-book reader with its 8 inch screen.

[ddhboy]

It could be a revolutionary in between device to the e-reader companies think we want. Say that The New York Times sells itself using Barnes and Nobel's device. While the top screen displays the text, you can use the bottom screen to display images in a coverflow-like mode. When the second generation of this thing is released, you can put in a better processor, replace the LCD with OLED, and put in speakers, or at the very least a headphone jack so it can play video.

Then we give up this whole e-ink nonsense and buy OLED tablets and watch video on that.

[Gianni_Simplicio]

Meh... I can't see this solving any existing market problem.
Choices:
1) Pay $300+ for a device which lets you read books (which you must also buy) and can potentially stop working if it runs out of power, gets wet, is dropped, etc.
2) Pay $3.00+ for a book which is light-powered, generally waterproof and completely shockproof

eink readers are neat and all, but they still cost too much and do too little. In ten years, we're all going to be saying how these were the PDAs of 2009. Now drop an eink screen into the top of a netbook so you can use low-power display for things like word processing and the like and an LCD for graphics and you might have something. Especially if that netbook has the same form factor as the kindle... Think about it, Sony! Send me a free one when you run production and we'll call it even.

[chowbiz]

I have to agree with this comment. E-books are still a technology for the early-adopters. The cost of the reader and the cost of the content remain higher than their non-e versions and there are no comparative advantages and the disadvantages of needing power and being fragile. No one I know requires the need to carry around more than 1 novel at a time.

I've read some CNET articles implying that the university student market is the place to get e-books really going and for textbooks, this might make sense.

Until the publishing industry is a into e-books as Sony is, and as much as Amazon would like the industry to be, I don't see myself reaching for an e-reader. The Cheapskate (my favorite CNET feature) pointed me to some free e-books long ago and I downloaded, but never read them, not just because I lacked a cool reader, but because they were just some files on a computer.

Ultimately, I think we'll all change our thinking and habits around reading (and will want the ability to download books wirelessly), but I think that day is pretty far off.

[eddblake]

Its great to see a color screen ereader - at last you can use textbooks like those for
free at BookBoon.com properly, with all the diagrams being in FULL Colour! Wu-huuuu!

[batpox]

better read the article again. It is not a color eReader. It is a hybrid and only the lower part (for navigation is color). My questions would be (1)how does this reduce the batter life, and (2)how readable is the navigation panel in direct sunlight?