Creative is latest to tackle e-book readers

First the Nook (pictured), now the MediaBook?

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

The question is, who isn't getting in on the e-book reader action these days? Less than two weeks after we met Barnes & Nobles' Nook and just a few days after hearing of tire maker Bridgestone's plans for a flexible e-reader, our friends at Crave UK alerted us that Creative may be hopping on the e-reader bandwagon as well.

Creative fan site EpiZenter.net (so named for Creative's family of popular Zen MP3 players) reports that the company showed off a working model of its first e-book reader, tentatively named the MediaBook, at its annual general meeting Thursday in Singapore. The device reportedly has a touch screen, text-to-speech function, and an SD memory card slot. It will run on Creative's Zii System-On-Chip technology and will be Internet-enabled.

At the meeting, Willie Png, Creative's vice president of strategic business, described Amazon's Kindle as "just another electronic device which displays books in text" (snap!), according to EpiZenter.net, and said Creative's e-reader will harness "videos, pictures, text, and services in one device that supports a media-rich experience." Color Creative ready to join the ever-tightening race to produce that proverbial "Kindle killer."

Creative reportedly is talking to 10 international and local publishers to provide content for the MediaBook, with fiction, newspaper, magazines, education materials, and textbooks all slotted for the device. Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes 17 newspapers and more than 100 magazines, could be one local content provider, saying it is exploring with Creative how to provide a variety of multimedia content, including videos and radio programs, for the device.

No word yet on pricing and availability, but we'll fill you in as soon as we hear.

[TriHawk]

This is the best news I've heard from Creative. It's about time they got into the Apple Tablet/Kindle smashing business. Lets look at the history, its a great company, they even made the file system for the iPod and Apple had to pay big time for that. Creative was my 1st -- 3rd mp3/video player. Can't wait for their iTouch killer too.

[SlimGem]

Yeah, keep on dreaming. Apple threw Creative a bone and now they make iPod accessories. Their killing days are over, if they ever existed.

[UsingUrBrainSinceUArent]

Agreed. Creative hasn't been anyone since the mid 90's.

[lmasanti]

Who can tell me that all is not just vaporware?
"The road to hell is full of good intentions!"

When will industry change its "big promises" behaviour into "silence delivering" (a.k.a. Apple's way)?

[AppleSuxLeo]

E-book reader ? Tablet ? The Droid does it all in one device. GMVN is the icing on the Droids cake.

[krosafcheg]

And battery life is...?

[AppleSuxLeo]

Many hours.

[HlLLARY CLITON]

R.I.P. Kindle

[forever4now]

eReaders are going to be huge! Think of all the business people that have to read documents. Think of all the business travelers that could take all their work documents (& personal reading) with them, to read on the plane & at the hotel.

I think the most successful eReaders will be running an OS like Android, so that the devices can be used for functions, other than reading books & documents (e.g. listening to music, browsing the web, viewing maps, etc.).

It's good to see so many companies getting into the game. It will help to refine the concept.

[krosafcheg]

You don't get it. Successful e-readers let you READ a BOOK without having to look for a plug in an hour. You want the old Archos jukeboxes, go find one. Because that's what you are suggesting.

[krosafcheg]

So...Creative is going to make a crappy media device that sucks batteries down in about an hour. The point of an e-reader with e-ink is that you can use it for days, even a week or more before having to plug it in.

Creative has a history since the 90's of Not Getting It.

[mr_kingpin]

wow you are so mislead ipod is an over priced always new model piece of crap..sorry to say there are many models from different companies that do everything ipod does but cheaper..i think it maybe everyone sees them on tv and they think they are the best..so sad.

[xfi]

To me, e-books readers should have a large screen and less buttons are required. It should have the ability to pronounce any kind of words and languages. Like bedtime stories.. probably with "feelings". It should have the ability to highlight the words and bookmark the pages with a "finger". It should come with a dictionary. On video resolution, it should be gentle to the eyes such as the ability to adjust according to environment, change backgrounds like paperbacks. It should also allow multiple views with the help of multi-touch. It should also come with the ability to write side notes and even record on going presentation. For future e-reading, there should have various modes such as e-classroom modes, e-presentation mode, e-student mode and so on. It should be very light, very tough and less power hungry than a laptop. It should assist to make learning more fun and more interactive.

[DemonDuck000]

I wonder why it is thought that eBooks are the necessary to read stuff. I'm pretty sure I don't have an eBook and I read stuff all the time.

And why is it that something like a netbook would not do? If a person reads, he probably also writes -- you know -- like what I'm doing now.

How do you write with an eBook?

[gwailo247]

Once production ramps up, these things will quickly reach the $100 level. I fully expect that some major newspaper chain or magazine chain will start subsidizing these in some way with a multiyear subscription. Or online sellers bundling these with a multiyear subcription and bundled book package, e.g. buy 10 new york bestssellers from 2009 in e-reader format, subscribe to 3 magazines for 2 years, and get the reader for $25.99.

[DaveinSC]

I agree with your supposition, I think this will be the way that most people come to have an e-reader.

[AppleSuxLeo]

The "Nook" runs on Android...all they have to do is write an app for Android phones and E book readers are toast.

[Something_wicked]

E-ink: less strain on the eyes, ok. Longer battery life, ok. But that's not enough to justify an e-reader. In the meantime, my iPhone & MacBook will do quite nicely.

[kmchattie]

Anyone saying creative hasn't been anybody since the 90's obviously hasn't been around themselves. Next to the ipopd touch, creative mp3 players have outsold every other company. And try to find a high end gaming system that doesn't have a soundblaster card in it. It's the standard for sound.

As for needing an ereader to work for weeks or days without plugging it in...why? Is there some shortage of power or electrical outlets at your homes? I could give a **** if my ereader lasts for days. Every electronic device I have now lasts at least 3 hours on a charge and this device will be no exception. I don't need to read for more than 3 or 4 hours at a stretch anyway. And with the preponderance of extra batteries and external rechargers, battery life isn't an issue for anyone.

Add to that the fact that amazon won't even support their kindles that die after a year (yes this is a fact. a model of kindle died after a year, amazon knew about it and told it's customers tough ****), I wouldn't buy a kindle if they sold them for $50. Pieces of ****.

I will be buying a creative ereader when it comes out.

[theblob01]

Whats the memory on this device.Does it have a micro memory slot?

[Akimo]

Once there finally is a kick-ass e-book reader the whole market will sell millions because days of print are over - we consume too much information to rely on paper. So I am not surprised everyone and their mother wants to jump the bandwagon. The Zii-powered reader from Creative seems to be up to the task as it hits the right balance of features.