New Color E-Reader debuts on the heels of the Kindle 2
Is the Kindle 2 already obsolete? In Japan, grayscale is not on the menu. A new color e-reader has stepped to the table and said “Welcome to the Fujiya Kinshicho Termina Restaurant. May I please take your order?”
This week, Toyko-based Fujitsu is showcasing its e-reader as a cafe menu for a Japanese diner, paving the way for a color e-reader to enter the market. The design is sleeker, uses a touch screen and costs nearly three times as much as the Kindle 2. Only four units are currently being deployed in the test, but it seems the writing is on the wall. And it’s not in black and white. After all, just look at the cover of this month’s Fast Company magazine. There’s Sean White, looking slightly thrilled in a tye-dye shirt and red curly lochs. Now imagine that imaged in dulled grayscale. It just doesn’t work. Everything is in color these days - iPods, Gameboys, even the cover of the Wall Street Journal.
A Photo of a Photo (in a Photo)
The Fujitsu e-reader cannot duplicate the vibrancy of other e-readers. Our Irex photo comparison below demonstrates this. In addition, image quality of the e-reader is still worse than ink on paper. We are still a few years away from seeing truly high quality displays that utilize cholesteric phase technology.
The Fujitsu FELPia e-reader is 12 mm thick, and comes in A4 (Letter) and the slightly smaller A5 paper size. It has a dedicated wireless LAN card installed to receive uploaded content, and stores on a 4 GB SD card slot. Plus no keyboard - unlike the Kindle 2, the Fujitsu reader uses a touch screen. The refresh times on the e-reader are ridiculously long. I hope Fujitsu will address that issue soon.
Bring out the Big Bucks
The price tag is steep at $900, which might make it only viable in a commercial setting like retail or a restaurant. In this economy, food vendors want to drop their prices, not add costly upgrades - although the device’s 50-hour battery life is surely more energy efficient than the LCD displays used at some Japanese eateries. And ultimately one would expect Fujitsu to accomplish some type of economy of scale - a company press release said the device is slated to gross $110 million in sales for its first 12 months. Definitely an ambitious goal, but the applications seem limitless and its inevitable that color will make grayscale devices obsolete.
So when does the device go to market? That’s unclear.
“Taking into account the results of the verification test, we are hoping to make the FLEPia available for commercial use in the near future,” company spokesperson Archie Mochizuki wrote in an email. The device was originally slated for an April 2007 release, but “it has not been made available for commercial use.”
At least the deal with Japanese children’s newspaper, along with weather, traffic and advertisements shows that Fujitsu has potential content providers for its device. Color is King, and while Fujitsu has shown that it can bring some meat to the table, it might be a while before anyone offers to pick up the check. It’s exciting to see the first round in the color e-reader saga. We look forward to the release of other color e-readers in 2009.
Comparison with Irex E-Readers
By Dave Brooks
color e-paper, color e-reader, e-reader, flepia, fujitsu