Van getting more information about Microsoft Courier, we had occasion to meet back in September last year and slightly more than we had occasion to know since. The approach that Microsoft wants to give the product is a “digital diary”, a concept not very well defined which is not close to being a conventional electronic book reader, nor of the tablets that are emerging in the market. I could describe as a kind of iPad that folds in half.

New images and data provide considerable detail about its dimensions, the first is closed will not be much higher than 18 inches, or wider than 13 cm. Which means that if you deploy the dimensions will be similar to that of an iPad. Its thickness, taking into account that they are two sides to close, will not exceed 2.5 cm, we again encounter a background similar to the iPad, in terms of weight not reach 500 grams.

Microsoft Courier, new information Its structure and dimensions we have the advantage of having virtually the same amount of work that the Apple device, but being foldable apparatus becomes easier to transport. On the negative side we have the two screens are divided, making it difficult tactile interaction between them. Entering the heart of the system we are neither more nor less than nVidia Tegra 2, we already know for its excellent power in portable devices. With respect to its operating system, use the same base we’ve seen in HD or Windows Zune Phone 7 Series (Windows CE 6).

Apparently Microsoft is preparing an entire ecosystem around the device, especially when it comes to reading books on it, work is also quite in the handwriting recognition built into the system. With respect to hardware, is known to have a webcam and headset jack. No prices or specific departure dates, but surely it will be here before year’s end.

The model you see on these lines is the Asus DR-950, we talked about it a few days ago but we had the same quality images, at last we are ready to share and to confirm its specifications. But the story really interesting is that Asus is preparing a third e-book reader, the Asus DR-750.

We remind you that the first announcement was starred in a reader smaller than usual with color screen and OLED technology, the Asus DR-570. He then showed us rendered images and specifications of that DR-950, a more conventional, with nine-inch grayscale.

The next and latest development now is the Asus DR-750, I would describe as an intermediate device, and which has a 5.7 inch touch screen and greyscale (16 levels), the chosen resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels and has a screen refresh 0.03 seconds.

Other known specifications of the new reader is its 4GB of memory storage, 412MB of RAM, and a weight of 200 grams. In short we could say that the Asus DR-750 comes as an affordable version of the model with OLED screen, which will soon enter the market and make it a little affordable price, as the screens of more than 4-inch OLED technology is not being manufactured in bulk and are really expensive.

Asus DR-950
We have a fairly complete gallery on the Asus DR-950 with the awareness that this Reader 9 inches, which is positioned as a direct rival of the Kindle, with two important differences: it is an open system when playing content (EPUB, PDF, HTML, RSS, MP3, etc) and has the ability to surf the Internet.

From a design standpoint is not very different from other operators already on the market, so they have to play with their interesting specifications such as WiFi or 3G connectivity, we hope that its use does not do much harm to autonomy. The device has SD card reader (4GB included).

No doubt where the device makes the difference in the ability to surf the Internet, I would like more information, but I’m imagining features such as access email and use the onscreen virtual keyboard and input method.

Updated
The latest news coming from the UK are that will be available in April in its territory, and that Asus is still adjusting the settings of the final product. It is reported that will cost approximately 250 pounds (285 euros) inclusive. Not bad, every new information comes to us makes us see a more competent rival to the Kindle DX.

Yesterday I showed you Asus’s interest in entering the world of electronic books with a device like the Asus DR-570, a special thanks to both its AMOLED screen. Today we can confirm their intentions with the introduction of another model of traditional court, known as Asus DR-950 .

The device in question has a 9-inch screen (1024 × 768 pixels), and away from the adventure of color presented in the DR-570, we return to a conventional technology of electronic ink, with 16 gray levels, developed by Sipix.

Despite not be as innovative as its small companion, Asus does not want the DR-950 is only an eBook reader, because with it you can surf the Internet, and make us a complete translation dictionary with options real time (upgradeable).

The device has a web browser that will work in portrait or landscape mode, a handy RSS reader to be a day of news, and to avoid problems in data entry, a virtual on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition.

A section to note is the use of technology Svox engine, which provides reading of texts in 26 different languages. I have no such clear possibilities of voice recognition, but will keep you informed.

No date has been established to market, nor price has been discussed, but we can share some technical specifications:

Dimensions: 222 × 161 × 9 mm / Weight: 370 grams.
* WiFi and HSPA connectivity (WiMax optional).
* 3.5 mm jack and dual stereo speakers.
* 4GB (2GB) of internal memory, expandable via SDHC cards.
* Some files supported: PDF, TXT, Audible, MP3, and ePub.

Problems between the sponsor of the initiative, Michael Arrington, and computer manufacturer, end the project’s first “tablet” created from the network.

The project of the founder of TechCrunch, Michael Arrington, a new Internet tablet will remain in nothing. Explains this in his blog, the producers decided to go it alone and ditch the joint venture they created with Arrington to develop and market the tablet, known as “Crunchpad.

Some 3,000 units of this device should have arrived on 20 November but it was not because the manufacturers chose to market the product independently. Arrington, a guru of new online businesses, it has not taken any good this breach and is willing to keep even one of the devices reach retail shelves.

This is equivalent to Foxconn, which makes the iPhone, Apple notified two days before launch they will go ahead and sell the iPhone directly without involving Apple, “says Arrington via TechCrunch a note.

But the legal problems that prevent the CrunchPad see the light, is that neither has intellectual property rights of the device, but the company that emerged from this union. “It is legally impossible for them to simply build and sell the device without our consent,” says Arrington.

“More than anything I’m sad. I never saw the CrunchPad as big business. Just wanted a tablet computer that could use Internet while sitting in an armchair. Always pressed for open source in all parts of the project, “says Arrington.

cruchpadEl CrunchPad is basically a 12 inch touch screen that has Internet access, and potentially work with open operating systems such as that proposed by Google, Chrome OS. It is similar to what is rumored that Apple wants to launch a tablet that would be like a giant iPod Touch, but so far remains only as a rumor.

Other devices, albeit with less screen size, and are available in the market, such as 9 or Archos Archos 5 or manufactured by Toshiba, with 7-inch screen.

And are not the only, perhaps this is why the manufacturer refused to keep waiting while meeting the deadlines that Arrington had set (a few units before Christmas and then the rest in 2010) and launch the market device before new competitors to bring their products.

The Energy Book 2060 is an electronic book reader equipped with an electronic ink display with a diagonal Vizplex six inches. The resolution is 800 by 600 pixels and is capable of showing four levels of gray. This device integrates a Samsung ARM9 processor with a speed of 400 MHz has an internal memory of 64 MB, but its capacity can be expanded via the memory card slot that supports SD and SDHC memory up to 16GB.

You can work with the following formats: PDF, EPUB, RTF, TCR, PDB, PRC, MOBI, OPF, OEB, HTM, HTML, TXT, CHM, FB2, DJVU, DJV, PNG, TIF, GIF, BMP and JPEG. Besides, you can play music in MP3, it can be heard through the headphone output. All content can be entered via the USB port.

Its main functions include the score of pages, the ability to zoom, and image viewer. All the management and classification of books stored is very easy to perform, and the titles are easy to find. The Energy Book 2060 is fed by lithium-ion battery. The recharge can take place through the USB port if you are connected, for example, a computer, another way is through the universal power adapter Europlug-USB is standard.

This electronic book reader Energy weighs 228 grams and has dimensions of 17.8 by 12.9 and by 1.0 centimeters. Within the package there is an SD memory card 2 GB, a holster, a USB cable, and headphones. It is compatible with operating systems Windows 2000, XP and Vista and Mac OS 9.x / X or later.

The Energy Book 2060 can be found in retail outlets at a price of 300 euros.

We’ve talked eBook Reader Barnes & Noble, which aims to strike a blow on the table to implement a second additional display, beneath which was the main electronic ink.

Well it’s official, and confirmed many of the features that we raised earlier. Indeed, the ebook of Barnes & Noble will have two screens, a 6-inch electronic ink over the great novelty of the device: a small screen of 3.5 inch color touch would serve to move along the menu, as well as to display certain information on the book playback.

Apart from this we will have 3G and WiFi connectivity, a 2GB internal capacity expandable via MicroSD cards, the ability to connect the device to a computer through a Micro-USB port and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones. All in a device of 19.6 × 11.4 × 1.3 inches and 317 grams, and of course internal battery.

Can you ask for? Yes, that is not too expensive. And for once we can say that. You can reserve by $ 259, an attractive price for a product innovation as few such additional 3.5-inch screen will help to control the device, somewhat tedious in the current readers.

The most interesting ebooks reader market? It is undeniable that a pint is not great, and all for a very interesting price.

We start with the hard, because he deserves it. This thing is worth 99 euros. That said, the scope of the news will not know if it will hurt more or less, but the surprise will be the same. The price quoted refers to a device called Wikireader, which is nothing other than a small tamagoshi shaped terminal with the only utility to read Wikipedia articles.

We might think that made him use, and Realizing that Wikipedia is an online service, perhaps Wikireader is an excellent travel companion for Internet connections. Negative: Wikireader not connect to the Internet. And how do we access the most popular free network? Through the three million tickets available to Wikireader in its internal memory.

The Wikireader, yes, it looks nice and secluded, and information can be accessed and read through her tiny monochrome backlit touch screen. Tamagoshi As if he were playing Game Boy, for us to understand. The provision of two AAA batteries ensures an autonomy of one year or so time it may be that we read each and every one of the three million articles in its tiny houses and vice guts.

If that happened, it would be possible to introduce new content into memory. But yes, you have to checkout again. For an amount of 29 euros, in particular. With this, we have the right to download the remaining contents to the computer for later loading the items on the SD card which is worth Wikireader to store information. Yes, that information circulating free daily and updated every minute on the Internet.

If we had no computer, says the manufacturer, Openmoko (if we had no computer, but we had the Wikireader, of course), we could instruct the memory card with the new content in the mail. And of course, all items would be subject to parental control filter, lacking access to the network. Let the height of absurdity, that it in pocket format.