E-Book Reader Roundup: Samsung's Papyrus Joins the Crowd

By Priya Ganapati EmailMarch 25, 2009 | 4:57:12 PMCategories: Readers


Samsung_papyrus

Samsung's announcement that it plans to release an e-book reader called Papyrus means it is at least the seventh company to hop on the digital-book bandwagon.

With touchscreen capability and an e-ink screen, the Papyrus will cost just $300, Samsung says, making it even cheaper than the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle.

Papyrus, when it becomes available, will join an increasingly crowded field that includes the Kindle, Sony Reader, Fujitsu FLEPia, Hanlin eReader, Foxit eSlick Reader and the yet-to-be-released Plastic Logic reader. All of them are based on low-power electronic displays made by Cambridge, Massachusetts, company E Ink.

The Papyrus launch is still a few months away. Samsung is first expected to make Papyrus available in Korea this summer, says the Pocket-Lint website, with a later launch date in the United States and Britain. The device will come with a stylus for the touch screen, 512 MB of memory but no SD card slot, says Pocket-Lint.

But the Papyrus will have to struggle to stand out. Here's what the competition looks like:

Kindle_0425 Amazon Kindle

The most successful e-book reader to date, the first version of the Amazon Kindle launched in November 2007 and sold an estimated 500,000 units by the end of 2008. The Kindle got a makeover in February 2009 with a new sleeker, slimmer device that sports iPod-like curves and a metal back.

The Kindle 2 has a 6-inch display but no touchscreen. It comes with 2-GB memory that can store about 1,500 books. Other features include text-to-speech for books to be read aloud, and a basic web browser. Kindle supports text, images, mp3, doc and HTML formats. Transfer of PDF files to Kindle costs an additional 10 cents per file.

Price: $360

WIRED Good-looking design is easy on the eyes. The wireless connectivity, provided by Sprint in the U.S., makes downloading books easy — no syncing with your PC required. Amazon's retail clout ensures a wide selection of books, blogs and periodicals.

TIRED Some users have complained about the low-contrast text. The book content is shackled by DRM that makes it impossible to use on any other device you own, unless you use Amazon's Kindle application. Will display PDF files, but Amazon charges a conversion fee of 10 cents per file. No touchscreen, and keyboard-based typing can be tedious. Available in one color only.

Wired.com product review of Amazon Kindle 2.

Sony Reader

Sonyprs700bc_2 The Sony Reader was one of the earliest e-book readers, with the first version launched almost a year before Amazon Kindle 1.0 was released. So far, Sony has three versions of the Reader including one touchscreen-based model and two with keyboards.

The latest model, the Sony Reader PRS 700-BC, comes with a touchscreen and a 6-inch display. It offers 512 MB standard storage that supports about 350 books with scope for expansion using memory cards.

Price: $350 for touchscreen model

WIRED Sleek, attractive design. Choice of colors including silver, black and red. No extra charge to access or convert PDF files. Partnership with Google gives users access to about 500,000 public titles from Google Books.

TIRED No wireless connectivity requires users to be tethered to their computers to download a new book. The proprietary software used to download books from the Sony store is clunky. No browser available.

Comparison: Kindle 2 vs. Sony Reader

Iliad_0425 iRex iLiad

iRex Technologies, a spinoff from Phillips, first launched its e-book reader in 2006 and now has a second generation version of the device. Larger than the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader, the iLiad Book Edition has an 8.1-inch screen. And at 15.3 ounces it is also about 5 ounces heavier than its peers.

But the iLiad has built in Wi-Fi capability with an option for external ethernet networking. It comes with 256 MB internal flash memory, of which 128 MB is accessible to the user, and supports text, PDF, images and HTML format.

Price: $600 for iLiad Book Edition

WIRED Wi-Fi capability and USB/ethernet connectivity makes it easy to download books. Allows users to add notes and sketches to existing documents. Runs a Linux operating system that allows third-party applications to be created and run on the iLiad.

TIRED More expensive than the Kindle and the Sony Reader. Access to pulp fiction and best-sellers is limited, as the iLiad cannot download files from the Sony or Amazon book stores — for commercial books, it only supports Mobipocket files.

Ars Technica review of the iLiad

Fujitsu_flepia Fujitsu Flepia

The Fujitsu FLEPia is the first e-book reader to sport a color e-ink screen. It has an 8-inch display capable of showing up to 60,000 colors in high definition. And yet the battery life can extend up to 40 hours, says the company.

Even better, it comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. Other features include storage via a 4-GB SD card, touchscreen and a stylus. Right now the FLEPia is on sale only in Japan, with shipping scheduled to begi April 20. Japanese FLEPia users can purchase e-books from the largest e-book online retailer in the country, says the company.

We hope it won't be long before this device comes to the U.S. and British markets.

Price: $1,025 approx. (99,750 Japanese yen)

WIRED Color screen. Wireless capability. Includes a browser and Windows Windows CE 5.0 (Japanese version) that allows email and use of Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and other Office applications.

TIRED Super expensive! You probably need to get a third job to support your reading habit if this is your e-book reader.

Hanlinereaderv3_3 Hanlin eReader

The e-book reader from Chinese company Tianjin Jinke Electronics was released in 2007. Featurewise there may not be much to differentiate it from its peers. It has all the basics: a 6-inch display, 32-MB SDRAM and support for the usual text, docs and images. It runs Linux OS but has no wireless capability. The Hanlin eReader is available under different brand names, such as BeBook in Netherlands.

Price: $300

WIRED Runs a Linux-based operating system and offers an SDK so functionality can be extended.

TIRED Zero points for looks. No wireless capability to download books. Not clear how compatible it is with the Amazon or Sony e-book stores.

Foxiteslick Foxit eSlick Reader

Foxit's eSlick's price tag is probably the best thing going for it right now. The device offers features similar to the Kindle and the Sony Reader. But at 6.4 ounces, eSlick is among the lightest readers on the market and comes with internal memory of 128 MB and a 2-GB SD card, and the standard 6-inch screen.

Price: $260 promotional price. Shipping starts April 10.

WIRED Excellent PDF support — to be expected from a company that has its roots in PDF software development. Built-in MP3 player. Low price.

TIRED Yet another e-reader! Doesn't support popular e-book formats. Requires USB connection to your PC to download new titles.

Plasticlogicelectronicreadingdevice Plastic Logic

Probably the most distinct of all the e-readers, Plastic Logic is closer to a digital tabloid than a Danielle Steel paperback in its looks.

The reader is expected to measure 8.5 by 11 inches. It will be thinner than a pad of paper, but better than many of the electronic readers available currently, claims the company.

The Plastic Logic reader will support Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Adobe PDFs, newspapers, periodicals and books. It will have a gesture-based user interface and wireless capability, says the company.

The catch? The device isn't released yet.

Price: Unknown. Trials are expected to begin in the second half of the year.

Photos: Samsung Papyrus/Pocket-Lint, Amazon Kindle/Jim Merithew, iRex iLiad (xmacex/Flickr)

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Another Managed Print Services Announcement: Canon UK

In an article by Written by Fleur Doidge, at CRN, Matthew Searle, channel partner director at Canon, describe Canon's MPS approach - albeit thin on details.

Apparently, the Canon UK MPS strategy is built around it's UniFlow software.

"... uniFlow lets Canon resellers monitor and control a wider range of variables that affect print while keeping costs within bounds. Information collected can be fed through to break-fix, allowing printer fleets to be maintained well and maximise their useful life..."

“It goes right through to those who manage the print fleet on an outsourced basis,” said Searle. “Another part of our [MPS] offering is follow-me-print.”

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The release is very short on detail and has a "we do MPS too..." feel to it.

ITEX 2009 - Where did all the A3's go?

3/2009

How do you define "copier"?

My definition is, "...any output device whose design and manufacturing heritage includes walk-up copy functionality, a healthy amount of copies each month, and 11x17 media handling - defined in our industry as A3 devices. There was a time when to be a copier, the unit simply was not connected to a computer. Makes sense.

When I attend shows and meet people for the first time, give them my card, and nine times out of ten, a smirk comes over that person's face. Soon to be followed by, "what the heck are you doing here? Don't you know everybody here sells copiers?"

Samsung Rolls Out Managed Print Services - Press Release

Seoul (Korea Newswire) March 25, 2009 09:20 AM --

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading brand in the world of consumer electronics and information technology, today announced the strategic road-map of their Managed Print Services (MPS) platform which will provide their European channel partners with the necessary management information & billing software tools to create unique MPS offerings for their customers.

“Samsung has designed this MPS platform to enable its channel partners to create customized hardware and software solutions to meet each customer’s individual business needs,” said Graham Long, Vice President of Samsung’s European Printing Operation. “This will enable our channel partners to develop more strategic relationships with their customers through ongoing service and consultancy.”

MPS offerings can help channel partners to streamline a customer’s printing infrastructure - from diagnosis and remote management to ongoing tracking of the effectiveness of the printing environment and automatic consumables ordering. As such, Samsung has developed a range of software to support this type of functionality:

· Assessment Consulting Tool (ACT): The first step towards achieving a more efficient printing environment is to diagnose how a company is currently running their printing infrastructure. Samsung’s new ACT is a USB device which can be plugged into any networked PC and automatically assess a company’s current printing environment. The ACT rapidly scans status information and IP addresses and reports on how many prints each printer and MFP has produced. The ACT has full multi-vendor capability, so is ideal for use in mixed fleet environments.

· Cost Simulation Tool (CST): After assessing the printing environment with ACT, the CST compiles data which shows how much a company’s current printing infrastructure is costing. It then runs a cost simulation to demonstrate to customers how much money they could be saving with a MPS solution. This tool helps channel partners to quickly and accurately respond to customers with data and recommendations on their printing environments.

· SyncThru™ Admin 5 device management solution: Designed to help IT managers in companies manage their printing devices, SyncThru™ Admin 5 device management solution has an easy-to-install plug-in architecture. It offers simple management with a dashboard for quick monitoring and also provides dynamic printer group summary information on machine usage and performance. The service is also customisable to allow IT managers to design alert management processes as well as personal profile setting, ensuring that they get the information that they need to effectively run their printing infrastructure.

· CounThru™ 2 Pro managed print service solution: CounThru™ 2 Pro managed print service solution is a powerful tool which allows the channel partner to remotely manage printing devices for customers and can monitor supplies and outputs from hundreds of devices in real-time. Eliminating the need for an on-site manager to oversee printing devices is especially cost-effective for partners with multiple customers in dispersed locations, such as banks and insurance companies. Channel partners can use this solution to monitor and manage an entire printer fleet for companies ranging from small-to-medium businesses to enterprises. This service compiles a clear picture of realtime printer status and consumables usage, making it an effective tool for tracking usage and allocating print spend, as well as for forecasting consumables budget and identifying printer faults.

Looking to the future, Samsung is creating an innovative, full-service offering to enable channel partners to:

· Perform an initial needs assessment
· Deliver the equipment and consumables
· Perform the repairs
· Provide the technical support
· Offer long-term tracking
· Bill on a per-page or per-seat basis
· Cover existing assets, if required, or allow existing assets to be covered by a third party

“At Samsung, we are focused on developing a successful MPS business for our channel partners,” said Graham Long. “MPS will play a vital role towards the achievement of our goal to become a leader in the printer market by 2012. The tools that we are announcing today are the foundation of our MPS offering and demonstrate our commitment to developing this further.”

After Starting Analysis in 2003, Boeing Finally Reduces Cost of Printing 27%

The total, world-wide roll out will be complete in 2011.

According to an article in CIO, Boeing spent "a year and a half researching different vendors. "

Boeing settled on Dell for infrastructure, Lexmark for equipment and has reduced total imaging spend from $150 to $110 million annually.

From Channel Web, back in April of 2006:

The Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker, which signed a five-year managed services deal with Boeing in 2003, said it will now add print managed services to what it does for the company.

Plans call for Dell to provide installation, repair and asset optimization for Boeing, as well as print supplies. In unveiling the deal, Dell said Lexmark would be “a key partner to Dell in delivering the printer management solution to Boeing sites."

And from another article at Red Orbit, October 2003:

In addition to the managed services contract, Boeing uses Dell enterprise hardware including desktops, workstations, notebooks, servers, storage and high performance computing clusters (HPCC).

Seems Dell may have been way ahead of this MPS/MSP thing - interesting.

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