Colour eBook readers coming by Spring

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 9 Oct 2009 at 09:25

A Barnes & Noble spokesperson has claimed that Plastic Logic will deliver a colour eBook reader to market in "Spring next year."

Colour is the next evolutionary step in the development of eBook readers, the majority of which currently only render in greyscale. Early colour models have yet to touch the mass market with Fujitsu's Flepia only available in Japan for an eye-watering $1,000, and Bridgestone's attempt still at the prototype stage.

Speaking on the CITA Wireless show floor, Barnes & Noble spokesperson Daniel Joresson outed Plastic Logic's newest reader, claiming "next Spring there's going to be an eBook reader running the Barnes & Noble eBook reader application. It's going to have a colour screen, and the size of the screen is going to be approximately the size of a paperback."

This seems to gel with Plastic Logic's own product page, which claims that its colour eBook reader is "around the corner" and that it expects to be "first to market with a large, flexible colour display".

The situation is made all the more interesting because Plastic Logic hasn't even released its first device yet, which forgoes the E Ink technology powering the majority of the world's eBook readers in favour of an "intelligent plastic" flexible screen.

This device is due to hit the US next month, courtesy of a marketing deal with the Barnes & Noble chain, though UK customers could be left waiting until late 2010 or early 2011, according to Plastic Logic.