Paradigm Shift To Show Color e-Book Readers At CES

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 12/28/2009

Boca Raton, Fla. - A pair of full-color e-book readers with 5-inch and 7-inch TFT displays will be introduced next month at International CES by Paradigm Shift Sourcing and Manufacturing.


According to industry observers, full-color capability in e-books is a requisite for their adoption by textbook publishers, which would give the category critical mass.

Paradigm Shift's 5-inch model, No. EER-051, is compatible with ANSI, UNICODE TXT, DOC, PDF, HTML, FB2, PDB and EPUB (non-DRM encrypted) e-book formats. The unit also functions as an MP3 player and photo viewer, and has 1GB of onboard memory plus an SD card expansion slot. The EER-051 will be available in white, pastel blue, pastel periwinkle, pastel pink, black and silver case colors and will carry a suggest retail of $150.

The 7-inch step-up model, No. EER-071WF, features the Windows CE OS, a full touchscreen interface and integrated Wi-Fi, and adds optional DRM encryption to the format compatibility of its smaller sibling. Paradigm Shift says the unit's OS renders it a full ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) or tablet PC that supports Microsoft Word documents and Excel and PDF files. The EER-07WF also functions as a photo viewer, a Flash video player, and music player that supports MP3 and MP4 files, while its Wi-Fi capability permits instant cross-platform messaging via E-Buddy and direct access to YouTube through an included widget.

 The EER-07WF also offers 2GB of internal memory and a T-Flash expansion slot, and will be available in black or white at a $200 suggest retail.

The company, based here, said the e-books are part of its Techno-Gadget Line, and will be distributed to major retailers throughout the United States by Delstar Wholesale Electronics of Hallandale, Fla., beginning in late February.