New York – Samsung has entered the U.S. e-reader market and
formed a partnership with Barnes & Noble to offer more than 1 million e-books
and e-periodicals.
Initially previewed at International CES, the Samsung e-reader was
unveiled during a press event Tuesday morning at its Samsung Experience
showroom, here.
Samsung combined more than a million electronic titles, advanced
handwriting capabilities, MP3 music playback and Wi-Fi connectivity into a
single device that allows users to read, write and share on the go, the company
said.
Samsung Electronics America said that its parent, Samsung
Electronics Co., has formed a partnership with Barnes & Noble to provide
the e-commerce storefront for the e-reader.
The e-reader features an electromagnetic resonance stylus pen
that allows users the writing capabilities typically associated with
traditional paper books, such as making annotations in the margins.
Voice-recording functionality enables users to create audio memos
and annotations, and with the included journal, scheduler and memo
applications, users can utilize the stylus to write and save entries, which are
made available for thumbnail viewing and easy search.
An electronic dictionary is also available both in and out of e-book
reading, Samsung said.
The e-reader features a slider form factor and incorporates a 6-inch
E Ink display (600 by 800) with 8 grayscale to boost readability indoors and
out. It supports EPUB, PDF/a, TXT, BMP and JPEG formats. Utilizing the built-in
front speakers or the headphone jack, consumers can experience Samsung’s
text-to-speech (TTS) technology, which reads text aloud.
The unit also allows for connectivity between public and private
spaces, with both a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) network that allows for direct purchase
and download of content without a PC connection, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
allowing for audio transmission to wireless headphones. Samsung’s EmoLink
technology enables users to share content between Samsung e-reader devices. In
addition, a built-in dedicated program will sync the e-reader scheduler with Microsoft
Outlook.
With 2GB of internal memory, the e-reader can store 1,500 books
or 24,000 pages of memos. An external MicroSD card slot increases the device’s
storage capabilities by an additional 16GB, the company said.
Via the Barnes & Noble partnership, users can download most
best sellers at $9.99. Samsung e-reader users will also be able to take advantage
of breakthrough Barnes & Noble features, such as the industry-first LendMe
technology that enables consumers to lend a wide selection of e-books to
friends free of charge for up to 14 days using free Barnes & Noble
software.
Suggested retail will be $299, and shipping will begin in the
spring.
