14 DAY TRIAL // Tablets may have gotten up to a sudden but rather slow start, but e-readers are already growing as a market, after certain PC makers decided to tackle this segment, previously owned by Amazon, Sony and Barnes and Noble. One of the newer devices, announced in February, was the SNE-60 e-book reader. Developed by Samsung, this electronic is almost ready to head to consumer homes, as shown by it being now available for pre-order in the UK.
The SNE-60 has a 6-inch e-ink screen “similar to real paper” with a significant image clarity, even outdoors. This display is used to show the contents of books in ePub, PDF and TXT formats, among others. The amount of books that can be stored on the built-in storage space alone is of roughly 1,200, though an SD card slot can greatly increase the limit.
There are two main features that make Samsung's e-reader particularly intriguing. For one, the gadget allows consumers to annotate their reading selections, notes and calendars through the handwriting functionality. Input is done via an electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. The other important element is MP3 support, which lets customers listen to audiobooks or take advantage of Samsung's unique “Text-to-Speech” engine, which “can read a book with accurate pronunciations for users who are driving or in noisy environments.”
“Samsung's arrival to the e-Book Reader market is significant as we are bringing unique functionality to this developing market. The addition of Wi-Fi and accurate handwriting functionality to e-Book Readers will take the user-experience to a new level and ensure e-Books Readers continue to grow in popularity,” Graham Long, vice president of Samsung's IT Business Division, said.
Other specifications of the device include built-in dictionaries and 802.11b/g WiFi wireless connectivity. More details should emerge over the coming weeks and shipments should start in July.