A new digital-book reader unveiled Monday is super thin and attractive -- seemingly capitalizing on the flaws of Amazon's bulky and hideous Kindle.
Plastic Logic unveiled its digital reader Monday at the DEMO technology convention. The reader, which has yet to be named, will display various types of media such as newspapers, e-books and magazines using the E Ink electronic-display technology seen today in similar devices.
What's more, Plastic Logic's device is as wide and long as a sheet of Letter-sized paper (8.5-by-11-inches), measures less than 3/10 of an inch thick and weighs less than a pound. The actual display area measures 10.7 diagonal inches.
Plastic Logic's reader demonstrates a balance between size and convenience. Though in the gadget world, much of the craze has been over "smaller and more powerful" devices, many might appreciate that Plastic Logic's reader is longer, wider and thinner than comparable devices, making it easier to read and carry around.
The device's backplane is composed of plastic -- which could eventually be made flexible once third-party manufacturers adapt their electronics to sustain bending, Plastic Logic officials told Wired.com. On the front, the device features a touchscreen for turning pages, menu navigation and typing notes with a virtual keyboard.
Here's where Amazon has an advantage: Plastic Logic's reader is not yet Wi-Fi-enabled. It currently features a Micro-USB port and Bluetooth connectivity to sync media from your computer, but the company said it has plans to eventually implement Wi-Fi features.
The reader's battery life lasts about a week because there is no backlight: What you see on the screen is a reflection, so you'd have to read off this during the day or with a light turned on; the only time the device would draw power is when you load a new page or fiddle with the touchscreen menu.
A release date has not been announced, but the company is opening a factory in Germany soon to produce the unit; Plastic Logic expects to release its first reader in early 2009. Pricing has not been announced either, but officials said the reader would be "priced competitively" with devices such as the Kindle, which currently costs $359.
