Samsung E-Reader Goes on Sale

With most marketing predictions concurring on the idea that 2010 will be a good year for e-readers, companies have been putting significant effort into bringing such devices to the market, to the point where there is already a rather large variety of e-book readers, especially compared to a few months ago. Among the latest addition to the line of e-book reading devices is the Samsung SNE-60, which has now been released in South Korea and will be sold through the Kyobo Book Center.

The electronic book-reading device developed by Samsung Electronics has an aspect similar to the E6 model that is scheduled to enter worldwide availability sometime this year. The SNA-60 employs a 6-inch E-Ink display with touch capabilities and supports handwriting recognition. The product also has a sliding design that hides a range of extra controls. Samsung's device also lacks a QWERTY keypad, but the on-screen interface will allow users to start reading books or initiate other basic applications, like writing notes, with the tap of a finger.

The Samsung e-reader is capable of recognizing files in ePUB and PDF formats, as well as a number of other common file types. Book reading, however, is not all that the product can accomplish. While reading e-books is the primary function, the device will also be able to play MP3 files. In addition, the e-reader comes equipped with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

"There is certainly customer need for e-books, but we didn't have enough e-book readers yet," Lee Han-woo, director of online business at Kyobo, said in an interview with The Korea Herald. "Samsung's new e-book reader has a wireless connection that allows people to easily download e-book titles from Kyobo's digital library."

The Samsung SNE-60 e-book reader carries a price tag of 429,000 won, which is the equivalent of roughly $375.