Barnes & Noble's going to display the Que and Nook together, with displays pointing customers to the one that's right for them—Que for dudes in pinstripe suits, Nook for people in jeans. Not only does it mean B&N is basically offering "pro" and "normal" options for an ereader, it shows how they think of the big picture, if it wasn't already obvious: It's not about the hardware, it's about the content.

That's Barnes & Noble (and Amazon) have apps to read their books on the iPhone and on the PC. And soon on the BlackBerry. And eventually Android. The device you read on is irrelevant—it's about keeping you in their ecosystem, buying ebooks from them. In fact, the more deftly they're able keep you hooked in on any device, the better, since dedicated ereaders are dead tech walking. The race is on now to build the most captive audience you can, while the market's still fresh, like spring dew or baby veal before its braised and delicious. And when Apple jumps into the game, it's going to get a lot more interesting, not simply because of the powers of the tablet, but because they have years of experience tying people to their store for content.

Hopefully, for the Que's sake though, by the time it hits stores, it'll have a wider footprint than the Nook will when it launches. [Plastic Logic]

Yes, they're calling it the Que, not like "what" in Spanish, but like the letter Q, as in "queue." It will have a letter-sized (8.5" x 11") screen that's not only "shatterproof" but has a capacitive touch layer that does not appear to get in the way of the E Ink display. We saw this at the D conference back in July, and it looked great then—way better than Sony's joke of an ebook touchscreen, and doesn't require a stylus like IRex's. Even so, Plastic Logic's boss, Richard Archuleta, told me that the faint honeycomb you can see in the video we shot is now gone, too. It is, from what we can tell, the best ebook touchscreen out there.

Other features of the player include AT&T 3G and Wi-Fi, and the ability to sketch and play with documents. (See Blam's video below for a general idea.) It will come in a sleek metallic black casing, like what would happen if a Naboo Cruiser went over to the Dark Side. The company is only showing off these teaser pics of the new look, though you can get a pretty good sense of the overall design by comparing the teaser pics with the prototype's shape.

As nice as it is, Plastic says again and again that it is not going after the Kindle market. They promise to reveal, at CES in January, a comprehensive platform for mobile professionals, namely document management. The goal is to have this thing replace all of the pages that people print out when working away from their offices. Even though Barnes & Noble is a content partner, it seems reading pulp fiction on it will just be a side perk. As you can probably tell, this sort of pitch screams out that the as-yet-unannounced price will not be low. [Plastic Logic]

Says the company:

The video report is inaccurate and the individual (who was apparently filmed while attending a trade show was not an authorized Barnes & Noble spokesperson) was misinformed.

We are excited to have Barnes & Noble powering the Plastic Logic e-commerce store. While color is on Plastic Logic's roadmap, it is not on the map for the Spring of 2010. Plastic Logic has said for quite some time it is working on color, but not for a product in the coming year

So not only was the dude wrong, he might not have even been a Barnes & Noble representative at all. Which is frustrating, sure, but also kind of awesome.

In light of all this drama, let's take a step back to the innocent days, you know, before the Fall of Rumor. Here's what we had: Months ago, B&N was tied to Plastic Logic in a fleeting rumor that the two would make an ebook reader together. Since then, B&N has opened their store to others, but fueled the rumor of a branded reader with an FCC filing. Then the WSJ stuck their necks out to say that the reader is coming as early as next month.

Things got interesting when we got a tip from within B&N that the device would run Android, which is a categorically fantastic idea. And finally, an October 20th release date re-materialized, alongside a theory that the reader would allow person-to-person book sharing.

And so now, as then, we sit waiting. Just, a little wiser. [PCPro via Geek]

And as you may remember, B&N also has its store on the recently-released iRex reader, and the upcoming grayscale Plastic Logic reader. Oh, and apps for the iPhone and BlackBerry. B&N is the freakin' Borg of ebooks!

In the video, the rep says Plastic Logic's color reader will be about the size of a paperback. He says no price has been set, but is solid on that spring arrival. Watch out Amazon and Sony. Especially when there are also color readers from Cool-r and Asus in the works. Good times. Thanks for the tips everyone.

Aaaand we can't not do a proper sizemodo, naturally:

ePub, a format created by Random House and a network of other publishers, is designed to stop the kind of monopoly on ebooks that Apple enjoys over legal digital music sales. As one of the biggest names to officially jump into the ebook game, Sony throws a lot of weight behind ePub, which is currently supported by Plastic Logic as well. Of course, if Apple gets into the game, all bets are off, but if ePub can get a substantial share in the extremely young ebook market, it could mean a much more interesting future for ebook readers. [New York Times]

The most obvious and logical explanation is that Verizon's terms for data were too onerous and expensive, and AT&T is likely offering them cut rates as a part of their agenda to put AT&T mobile internet in everything. True, snagging the occasional ebook or newspaper is way different than trying to pull down a crapload of email while watching YouTube, reading Gizmodo and Twittering about how bad AT&T sucks, but still.

Or maybe no one at Plastic Logic is an AT&T customer.

Update: Or since Plastic Logic's based in the UK, making a special CDMA version would be kinda wasteful.

Still, good thing it's got Wi-Fi!

PLASTIC LOGIC EREADER WILL WIRELESSLY CONNECT
USING AT&T 3G NETWORK

eReader Built for Mobile Business Professionals to Debut in 2010

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, JULY 22, 2009
 – 
Plastic Logic announced today that AT&T's*
3G network will provide the mobile broadband connection for the Plastic Logic Reader,
the eReader created for mobile business professionals, when it launches in 2010.

The Plastic Logic Reader, which is also Wi-Fi enabled, is the ideal companion for busy,
on-the-go business professionals who want to keep up to date on key information and
who need to read and review multiple documents throughout the day. The Plastic Logic
device is about the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a ¼ inch thick and
weighs less than many print magazines. The innovative eReader features the largest
screen in the industry and an intuitive touch screen user interface.

"We're extremely proud to be able to offer the Plastic Logic Reader with the nation's
fastest 3G network through AT&T. This alliance is a pillar in our strategy to provide
mobile business professionals with a device that delivers a great reading experience,
and is fully connected through 3G and Wi-Fi to deliver easy access to digital content,"
said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic.

The Plastic Logic Reader is unique among its competitors due to its plastic display,
which is based on the company's revolutionary plastic electronics technology. The
eReader features the first ever commercial high-quality plastic display and an
outstanding E Ink reading experience. Its battery lasts days, instead of hours. Designed
specifically with mobile business users in mind, the Plastic Logic Reader will connect its
users with their desired business and professional newspapers, books, periodicals and
magazine content and will support the document formats business users need, including
PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents.

"The Plastic Logic Reader is an impressive device and we look forward to providing the
wireless connectivity that will keep business professionals connected to the news,
information and entertainment they desire while on the go," said Glenn Lurie, president-
Emerging Devices and Resale, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "There is
tremendous market potential for electronic reading devices and we look forward to
powering this revolutionary device with the nation's fastest 3G network."

Users will be able to connect to content and download it wirelessly through AT&T's 3G
network, which offers the best wireless coverage worldwide. Built on the GSM family of
technologies, the de facto wireless world standard, AT&T's 3G wireless network brings
enormous economies of scale to electronic manufacturers who are eager to cost-
effectively incorporate wireless technology in specialty devices. AT&T devices work in
more than 200 countries and regions. AT&T is also the nation's largest Wi-Fi provider,
with more than 20,000 hotspots in the United States and more than 90,000 hotspots
globally in 89 countries through roaming agreements.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Pricing and availability of the Plastic Logic Reader will be announced when the product
begins shipping in early 2010.

To stay current with information on the Plastic Logic Reader, please visit
http://www.plasticlogic.com.
 
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc.
under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About Plastic Logic

Plastic Logic's mission is to lead a revolution in the way people acquire, organize and consume
information. We are using our proprietary technology leadership in plastic electronics to create a
range of innovative products. Our first product, an eReader for mobile business professionals, will
enter the marketplace in 2010. Founded in 2000 by researchers out of the Cambridge University
Cavendish Laboratory, Plastic Logic has research and development in Cambridge, England; high-
volume, state-of-the-art manufacturing in Dresden, Germany; and executive management,
product engineering, sales and marketing headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more
information please go to http://www.plasticlogic.com.

[Plastic Logic]

B&N also notes that they will offer eBooks on devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry as well as PCs and Macs in addition to their Plastic Logic device. It may also be available on other eReaders down the line (opening up is something Amazon also strives for) The new eBookstore includes 700,000 launch titles, public domain books and hundreds of bestsellers priced at $9.99. Pricing and details on the hardware have not been released thus far, but it is clear that the battle is shaping up to be more about where customers will choose to get their content, not the hardware they will get their content on.

BARNES & NOBLE LAUNCHES WORLD'S LARGEST eBOOKSTORE

Introduces "Every Device" Strategy

Upgrades eReader Application

Free Downloads

Announces Strategic Partnership with Plastic Logic

New York, New York – July 20, 2009 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, announced today the launch of the Barnes & Noble eBookstore (www.bn.com/ebooks), the world's largest eBookstore, on Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), enabling customers to buy eBooks and read them on a wide range of platforms, including the iPhone and iPod touch, BlackBerry® smartphones, the forthcoming new eReader device by Plastic Logic, as well as most Windows® and Mac® laptops or full-sized desktop computers.

Barnes & Noble's launch encompasses:

· Barnes & Noble's eBookstore offering its customers seamless access to more than 700,000 titles, including hundreds of new releases and bestsellers at only $9.99, making it the world's largest selection of eBooks available in one place. The company expects that its selection will increase to well over one million titles within the next year, inclusive of every available eBook from every book publisher and every available eBook original, which is a fast growing marketplace.

· More than a half-million public domain books from Google, which can be downloaded for free. Readers can discover and explore this rich treasure trove, including everything from classic works by well-known writers to long-forgotten and obscure titles that are historically much harder to access.

· An upgraded version of its eReader application, which was part of the company's Fictionwise acquisition earlier this year. This device-agnostic eBook application supports both wireless and wired access to the new Barnes & Noble eBookstore. Millions of internet-enabled devices are currently supported by eReader, including the nation's two leading smartphone device families from Apple and BlackBerry®, as well as most Windows® and Mac® laptops or full-sized computers.

· First-time users of the eReader will have the opportunity to download free eBooks, including titles such as Merriam-Webster's Pocket Dictionary, Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, Last of the Mohicans, Pride and Prejudice, and Dracula. See site for further details.

· A strategic commerce and content partnership with Plastic Logic, whose eReader device is especially designed for business professionals. Barnes & Noble plans to power the eBookstore for the Plastic Logic Reader. The ultra thin 8.5 x 11 inch wireless eReader is slated to debut in early 2010.

· The free, full-featured B&N Bookstore app for iPhone and iPod touch users, which is now the #1 downloaded book app in Apple's App Store. In addition to enabling customers to easily place orders for books, movies, and CDs, the app also lets users search millions of products simply by snapping a photo. Using the iPhone's camera, customers can snap a photo of the front cover and within seconds get product details, editorial reviews, and customer ratings – even find and reserve a copy in the nearest store. The app also includes a store locator, bestseller lists, book recommendations, and a store events calendar.

"Today marks the first phase of our digital strategy, which is rooted in the belief that readers should have access to the books in their digital library from any device, from anywhere, at any time," said William J. Lynch, President of BN.com. "As America's #1 bookstore and newsstand, our goal at Barnes & Noble is to build a service that revolves around the customer, enabling them to have access to hundreds of thousands of titles and read on their smartphone, PC, and many other existing and future devices. We want to make eBooks simple, accessible, affordable and convenient for everyone."

More About the eReader Application

Designed with the reader in mind, Barnes & Noble eReader client software provides an easy-to- use interface to access the Barnes & Noble eBookstore and to manage their personal eBook libraries. It features powerful tools to optimize the reading experience, including the ability to modify type size and font and annotate and bookmark text, as well as an innovative auto-scroll feature enabling users hands free reading. In addition, users will have the added convenience afforded by true eBook portability, allowing them to access their eBooks from any of their eBook software-equipped devices, so that, for example, they can shift from reading their ebook from a smartphone while commuting to a notebook PC or eReader device at bedtime.

{B&N eBooks]

Granted, this is partially my fault—I didn't keep it in the ugly cover that comes with the Kindle, just like I don't lock my iPhone or any other gadget in disfiguring covers, since I'm all about naked gadgets (almost entirely for aesthetic reasons), and I thought my bag's padded sleeve provided sufficient protection. Apparently it does not when you have a heavy DSLR on the other side of the stuffing and some guy slams into your bag.

A book made out of dead trees would've buckled and creased and returned to its original shape. So would a reader with a flexible display like Plastic Logic's, which at one point was said to withstand getting smacked by a shoe. Which actually takes it one step closer to emulating books than the more fragile Kindle or any other E-Ink powered reader—too bad Plastic Logic's reader is about a year away. (Though it says something about the Kindle that I'd sort of taken to treating it almost like a real book, and that this is the first time I'd actually materially felt the gap between it and paper.)

The story for other kinds of flexible displays, like bendy OLED, is actually even more depressing, since "progress" at this point means they're now 5 years away. Given how easy it is break screens, and how much we depend on them now—witness the slow recession buttons, though I'm sure they'll experience a retro counter-touch resurgence—rugged displays that we can treat like organic materials instead of delicate magic under the constant threat of destruction by mere everyday living might be more revolutionary than expected.

Or maybe I'll just have to learn to be more careful. [Giz's Kindle Review]

The prototype I saw was definitely nice, but also sluggish to refresh its screen. (They have time to improve it as they move to production models.) The touchscreen works well, but the cool thing is the annotation function allows you to scribble on docs, while the page refreshes only the section you draw on, negating the need to do total page refreshes. There's also a nifty page scroll bar on the right, and a document switcher on the left, the ability to hide all menus and go directly to a page using an on screen keypad. The store and 3G and WiFi access were not quite working yet.

It looks promising. We'll see how great their store is. Amazon's Kindle store wasn't built in a day.

[Sorry the video is a little sleep. I'm just dragging today.]

The Current State of Suck
Amazon will sell a lot of Kindle 2s. If they can keep up with demand this time, they'll sell more than the original Kindle, supposedly now in the hands of 500,000 people. But it's still not the breakthrough reader, the one that will dramatically overturn and recreate the literary market.

People call it the "iPod of books," and in some senses that's true. The first iPods didn't overturn any market. They were just marginally better than their competitors, but they were limited to Mac users only, had mechanical scroll wheels and were easily damaged.

Desire for the original iPod is like desire for the Kindles—it reveals that there is a very real mass of people who do want this kind of device. But getting from the original iPod to the hottest new models may prove to be an easier journey than going from these original Kindles (and Sony Readers) to the perfect reading device, primarily because of display technology—readers are, after all, designed for the singular purpose of displaying content that's easy on the eyes. As of now, there are two display camps—electronic paper and LCD—and both have far too many compromises at the moment to be adequate for a reading revolution.

E-Ink vs LCD
Most readers, including Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader, use a type of electronic paper called E-Ink. These displays are known scientifically as electrophoretic, and involve the arrangement of pixels on a screen like you would draw on an Etch-a-Sketch. That is, energy is used to sketch, but once the pixels are in place, they stay in place without demanding power.

E-Ink differs from the LCD screen you're likely reading this on (unless you subscribe to Giz's new Kindle feed) in that it's not backlit. Like legitimate paper, it must be held under a light source, but proponents say that's easier on the eyes. You're not staring at any rapidly flickering light bulb, just calm black pixels on a grayish background.

And because E-Ink only uses power to change pages or images, but not to display a given page, E-Ink-based electronics can run for days without recharging. The problem with that E-Ink is expensive, slow (you can't have moving cursors or any kind of video) and boring. No color, crummy contrast, crappy resolution. Though reading actual text in good light is pleasant, the limitations of E-Ink are painfully obvious to even the least-techie of users.

Standard LCDs on your computer or an ebook-friendly smartphone aren't any better. They could be too small, and if they're not too small, they require too much power to run for any prolonged length of time. (E-Ink can go for days—getting a single day out of any LCD device would be a coup.) Above all, it's just not a comfortable display to read on—sure you might stare at a monitor eight hours a day, but no one wants to read a novel on a glowing, constantly refreshing screen when they're lying in bed, trying to relax. It's doable, sure, but make no mistake, it's a harsher experience.

The Dimly Lit Future
So what's next? Plastic Logic presents the rosiest picture of the future of electronic paper displays, a perfectly-sized flexible plastic touchscreen that's basically all E-Ink display, plus Wi-Fi.

I talked to Time Magazine's Josh Quittner, who's been intently researching readers, and he loves the device. The problem, he says, is that it's both too innovative and too slow—it's made entirely of plastic, even the transistors, requiring brand new fabs to produce it. So not only will the initial version will be expensive as hell, with a 10.7" screen, but it'll be standard black on gray. Color, which E-Ink has developed in the lab, won't be coming out until 2011—possibly too late. Not even God knows what the market will be like in 2011—try to imagine what you thought cellphones would be like in 2008 from back in 2006.

Mary Lou Jepsen—who designed the XO Laptop's breakthrough reflective LCD screen and her new company, Pixel Qi, are reinventing the LCD again, and their display, if it lives up to its promises, could be the other way forward. In fact, she told me that she predicts that "in 2010, LCDs designed for reading will overtake the electrophoretic display technology in the ereader market."

She says that Pixel Qi's displays are actually more readable than e-paper, with "excellent reflectance, high resolution for text, sunlight readability"—just as easy on the eyes when the backlighting is turned off, but with the key advantages of full color and fast refresh, for pages that update as fast as video. Jepsen says it's even possible to get a week of battery life from LCD tech, of course depending on the device the screens are embedded in. Infrastructurally and perhaps historically speaking, the odds are in LCD's favor. Even new versions will be incredibly cheap and quick to manufacture because they can be made entirely in existing factories without requiring new, specialized equipment.

What's Really Gonna Happen?
Which display tech will win out is may prove to be more economic than aesthetic, but ebook readers are here to stay. The presumption that everyone will eventually read books on an electronic display of some sort in the future is so fundamental I haven't bothered to question it, mostly because nobody else does either. (Even if you love books, ebook reading makes sense.)

If you believe there's a future for a dedicated device that exists solely to display books and newspapers and whatever other forms of the printed word you want to read, then E-Ink and similar tech makes sense, as long as it eventually can cost less and refresh faster. The battery-life advantage is huge. But if you think that a reader will be just one function of, say, a multitouch tablet that's also your netbook, PDA and video display—and it's a device you charge every night—it's pretty clear that a multi-talented LCD display is the future.

As Quittner told us, someone's going to figure this out. It's just a question of who and when.

Old book image: ēst smiltis no ausīm/Flickr

Meanwhile its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, also used for downloading data to the device, can act as a document-sharing pathway—the sort of thing that'd be damn useful in company meeting scenarios. Better yet, it will let you annotate PDFs using its touchscreen and save out a new file automatically. These tally with the company's projected market of "mobile business professionals," though it sounds like crossword-fan newspaper readers would still get their kicks on e-newspapers on the device. Check out the video at the TGDaily link. [TGDaily]

According to the company, the reader is tough enough to resist getting hit with a shoe, which is exactly what I wanted to hear because that's how I test the toughness of my devices. Hitting them with shoes and/or toasted baguettes with butter and apricot jam.

While the device seems solid and ready for manufacturing, the only question here is when is this actually coming out, the price, and what kind of content support it will have from publishers. Which is why, for now, it just looks like a Kindle killer, rather than being the Kindle killer. Alternatively, Jeff Bezos should buy these guys and smash his frankenbookreader.

TG Daily is covering Demo Fall 2008, so they have more pictures of the device and promise a video soon. [TGDaily]

According to Ubergizmo, the device will measure in at 8.5 x 11 inches, and is capable of browsing docments in PDF format as well as Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. As well as packing a battery that lasts "days not hours," the device has wireless connectivity, though Plastic Logic is quiet about exactly what type.

[Ubergizmo and NYTimes]