Kindle Craze: 3 More eBook Readers Announced

Kindle is reaching Applerific proportions. In a beginning that brings vague recollections of the iPod and the start of the digital music age, the Kindle has defined its own electronic category and trend and now, apparently, has other manufacturers racing to catch up with it. In the wake of the release of Kindle 2 earlier this week, no less than three manufacturers have announced that they will soon have their own eBook readers out. But, will any of them be a Kindle killer?



Here is a look at the three devices announced:

Something from Hearst: No name, no price, no release date. But this device looks like it will be a genuine competitor. From the Hearst Corporation (you may have heard of some of their products: Cosmopolitan, Esquire ...) will come an eBook reader that will be bigger, like the Plastic Logic due out at the end of the year - about the size of a regular piece of paper. Hearst says the large screen format is ideal for advertisers used to a full page design. It's likely to come out sometime in 2009 according to CNN Money.

Boox e-Reader: Onyx International plans to announce their Kindle kompetition (couldn't resist) at CeBIT, March 3-9 in Hannover, Germany. Like the Kindle it looks more like a toy than a serious reading device from pictures we've seen, but the specs look impressive. It has WiFi, text-to-speech and 16 shades of gray in the e-ink touchscreen. No price yet, but we imagine that, like the iRex digital reader, its price will keep it out of major competition with the Kindle 2.

NUUT2: The original NUUT from Neolux came out before the first Kindle, but it's gotten lost in the crowd. So Neolux is trying again. The NUUT2 may have native support of PDF (meaning, unlike with Kindle 2, you don't have to send it to the manufacturer to have them convert it to a form that can be read on the device). The NUUT2 has a 6" screen and WiFi capability. But it will only be available in South Korea. So don't expect much there.

We are excited. We love the Kindle 2 and we hope this trend in eBook readers continues so they can get better and better and someday have color on them and you'll be able to set the TTR Tech News Blog as your home screen! Until then, bide your time with these other blog posts:

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