Plastic Logic Reader sets a new level to e-reader competition

I'm not a fan of e-books or e-readers, for me personally, the best reading experience is coming from real paper books. But if the Plastic Logic's product, which is introduced at DEMO conference last week, is going to be the next generation of e-book/e-reader; then you can bet I'll definetely lining up to get one of Plastic Logic Reader when it finally gets out and arrive here.

This isn't a new news at all, it's been around quite back a bit. At first I thought some of you, who are an avid reader of e-books will be posting about this sometime at PalmAddict. But times went by, and no Associate Writers or Editors that I know of who are very fond on anything about e-readers or e-books, aren't mentioning about Plastic Logic news at all. It's a bit of puzzle for me...

Anyhow, I agree with Michael V. Copeland from Fortune blog, about this 'Plastic Fantastic' device which is dubbed as the 'Kindle-killer' already by blogospheres: "There are still those rare tech gadgets that elicit oohs and ahhs from even the most jaded gear hounds. PlasticLogic’s display is one of those."

Only by looking at the images above, you must've also make oohs and aahs sounds spontaneously. The Plastic Logic Reader's size isn't much differ from a portfolio (most left picture), the 8.5- x 11-inch touchscreen is only able to display gray & white colors, with motion gesture control to flip between the pages. While the thickness is only at 7mm & weighing at 13 ounces. You can tell how thin it is by seeing the middle picture above, even the Plastic Logic's CEO is comparing it with MacBook Air in video demo below.

Plastic Logic promises there'll be Bluetooth, WiFi, and wired connection for data sync with computer. And the reader will support reading PDF files, CAD drawings, text docs, spreadsheets, etc. And most importantly, the standard battery life is expected to run for days, not hours. This is probably because the Plastic Logic Reader doesn't have backlight for its display, so the users need to be in a bright room or outdoor to use it.

Unlike Kindle, Plastic Logic Reader is aimed for business use. Especially business workers who usually carry lots of papers in their bags and briefcase, but I'm sure it'll appeal to more wider consumers than that. No mentioning on the price tag yet, but they're planning to launch the reader by the middle of next year.

Another good product that's coming out from Plastic Logic, is the use of the same technology for hospital need like patient's wrist info (pictured on the right). Where the essential informations like patient's name, age, gender, room number, doctors in charge, etc. can be strapped easily on the wrist.

It'll be interesting to see how Amazon and Sony react on this amazing new e-reader, which is based on a new technology compared to their own products. We're already hearing of a refreshed new Kindle & Sony reader lately, but both companies haven't made any official announcement yet so far.



[blogged with my Treo 750v]