The Slickest eBook Reader
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Samsung's good-looking E60 e-reader ticks all the boxes for anyone looking to clear serious amounts of shelf space. Huge racks of CDs have gone the way of the dinosaur since music underwent a digital revolution, and flexible gadgets like this are looking to do the same thing for books.
With a whopping 2GB of internal memory, there's space inside this compact seven-inch package to store around 1,200 books - more than enough for even the most voracious reader.
The E60 uses a 802.11b/g WiFi connection to access online book stores and there's also an SD card expansion slot if you want to import content that way. You can also share content with other Samsung eBook readers using the company's Emolink option.
In the looks department, there's no clunky qwerty keyboard here - the E60 has a stylus and handwriting recognition technology so you can input text and annotate the printed pages you're reading.
This slick functionality also means there's scope to use the Samsung as a journal, diary or notepad - perfect for work, school or lectures. Using a stylus rather than a full touchscreen means it's super-sensitive and accurate and there's less risk of accidentally deleting something if you touch the screen with a careless finger.
The E60 also features a good text-to-speech function so you can listen to your book if you just can't keep your eyes open any longer. There's also a full-featured MP3 player so you can listen to your favourite tunes while reading.
The Samsung's tidy phone-style sliding screen reveals a set of additional control buttons that can be tucked neatly away while you're engrossed in your latest novel. This gives the device a cleaner look and more focus on the screen than Amazon's Kindle.
The E60's screen is a high-quality, clear e-paper display that feels and looks solid - a feature that will appeal to commuters, travellers and parents of young children everywhere.
The solid feel means it's a little more weighty than your average paperback, but without having to bend pages or hold it with two hands, it's a much more comfortable experience than a traditional book.
With a battery that lasts up to 7,000 page turns - more than enough for even the weightiest of tomes - you won't need to recharge it very often. In fact, make sure you remember where you've stashed the charger and what it looks like. Like other e-readers, the E60 only uses power when you turn the page - just having a static page open uses no power at all.
There's plenty to like about this little gadget even if you're only ever going to use it as a reader. But the additional notepad features mean it can do much, much more than that, and could be just the solution for professionals and students who are fed up with carrying reams of paper notes around.
Subscribe to read full newspaper »
Send to a friend
Please complete the following form to inform a friend about this page.
