And we have another ebook reader! This time around it’s the Que from Plastic Logic. Just because it’s not the Kindle or Nook, don’t write it off. This device, and the software it runs, might be special enough to make a mark in the ebook reader scene.
It’s not the hardware that’s unique — although it is nice and I’ll get to that in a bit — it’s the software that formats publications to the device while retaining the feel of the print version. Watch the video above to see a demo of USA Today. You’ll see that it looks and feels like the real thing. Headlines are up top along with buttons to different sections. It even embeds the news story’s image in a familiar fashion.
As for the hardware, it’s damn thin — like so thin breakage might be a concern. But the screen size is large enough that reading a newspaper or magazine article feels right. The USB port, SD card slot, and speaker are located on the bottom and are the only ports on the otherwise sleek device.
There is a bit of lag when navigating. Actually, it’s more than a bit, but that’s the norm in ebook readers right now. They are laggy, but that will likely improve.
Plastic Logic is targeting an April release with Barnes & Noble as the retail partner. The 4GB version will run $649 while the 8GB version with 3G will cost $799. Yeah, ouch.
