Credit: Pandigital

Remember Pandigital Novel reader? Apparently, Pandigital has launched a brand new e-book reader (7″) with a color display and support for multimedia content. It is a tablet that runs Android and lets users interact with their content using a stylus. Novel 7-inch color Multimedia eReader (PRD07T20WBL1) weighs 11.8 ounces and has a 2 GB on-board memory.

What do you do when you can’t beat the top players in a market? You differentiate. That’s what Laser EB101 E-Reader is all about. It’s a 5″ screen e-reader that has a TFT LCD screen (instead of E-ink) and supports DRM files (allegedly). As expected, this device’s battery life is not that great (only 6 hours). It does have an internal SD card reader, 2 GB of on-board memory, and full color capability. But is that enough?

The above specifications are not that impressive. But this device would be worth it for some if it supported AZW files. Laser Co does hint at this feature:

The Laser EB101 E-Book reader accommodates ALL formats of E-book including DRM managed content which is legitimately purchased from on line stores such as Amazon.

Unfortunately, Amazon does not easily license its DRM technology, so you are out of luck if you decide to pick up this e-reader. Why Laser Co mentions EB101 supporting Amazon books (when it does not) is very curious.

While Amazon, B&N, and Borders have been busy making changes and offering new deals on their e-readers, Sony has been awfully quite. Considering that Sony was the e-book reader market’s leader just a few years ago, one has to wonder what the company has planned to save its e-reader business. According to Sony Insider, two new Sony Reader devices (PRS-350 and PRS-650) will be released to keep Sony going against its top competitors. These two new readers will be touch-capable, but users will still get to enjoy the E-ink experience on these devices.

Here is what’s known about these models:

• thinner and more portable devices
• more storage on-board
• (possibly) free 3G with PRS-650 model

Amazon Kindle is a very portable device. It’s smaller than most books and is super thin too. Those of you who plan to use your Kindle at home or in your office probably won’t need more than just a simple case. However, Kindle owners who intend to spend a lot of time traveling around are going to need a decent Kindle bag. They make it much easier to carry your device, adapters, and its other accessories. Besides, they keep your device safe against accidents and drops.

If you are planning to take your Kindle with you on the go, these 8 Kindle bags can help:

M-Edge Destination Leather Kindle Bag: a sleek and stylish leather Kindle bag that protects your device and has enough space in its compartments to fit your accessories too.

M-Edge Hip Kindle Bag: a light-weight messenger bag for Kindle that is easy to take on the go. Its zipper closure makes sure your device stays in. It has a simple but very stylish design.

Kroo Unisex Adult Travel Bag for Kindle: designed for those of you who intend to take a trip to outdoor or take a long trip. It can hold your iPad, Kindle, or digital SLR camera.

M-Edge Journey Kindle Bag: a compact bag for your e-reader that has enough space for your Kindle and its accessories. It comes in 6 colors.

For months, we have been hoping for Amazon and other e-book reader makers to offer color-screen devices. Apple has obviously done it, but the iPad is not an e-book reader (it’s just a tablet). Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, has already hinted that the company tried color screen technologies and could not come up with something that would work for Kindle brand. Will E-ink’s latest products change that stance?

E Ink has recently launched two EPDs, one of them being a capacitive touch solution and the other an electromagnetic one, Liu said. The EPDs are currently being validated by clients, and the company expects products featuring the new panels will hit the market by the end of 2010 or at the beginning of 2011, he said.

As for color EPD, China-based vendor Hanvon has adopted its color EPD and is scheduled to launch e-book readers using the color EPD in the fourth quarter, Liu said. The e-book reader panel adopts E Ink’s latest Pearl EPD with color filter (CF), and it will have better response time and reflection, Liu explained, adding that E Ink expects color e-book readers to account for 10% of the global e-book reader market in 2011,

reports Digitimes. While I have been anything but impressed with color e-paper in the past, multi-touch capability can be very handy on Amazon Kindle (that is if Kindle owners can take their fingerprints showing up on their display).

What happened to Sony? It does feel as if Sony Readers have fallen off the face of the Earth. Everybody is talking about how attractive nook is or how long Kindle 3′s battery can last. We just do not hear so much about Sony and its e-reader products anymore. That is unfortunate as a few years ago Sony was well-positioned to be a dominant player in the e-book reader market. Sony’s readers may be down, but the company is not completely out. Apparently, Sony sees some potential in Android, which is why it could be bringing Android to its upcoming e-readers.

Credit: the-digital-reader.com

As we predicted it months ago, there is no hope for Que E-reader after all. Plastic Logic’s presentation at DEMO was very powerful and interesting. Many were pulling for Plastic Logic to debut its e-reader to compete alongside Kindle and other top e-readers. Unfortunately, Plastic Logic dropped the ball too many times for its e-reader to survive. The company was very slow to the market, to say the least. By the time Plastic Logic Que E-reader was announced, the e-reader market had already moved on.

It no longer makes sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reader. It was a hard decision, but is the best one for our company, our investors and our customers,

said Richard Archulet, CEO, Plastic Logic. This is not to say that the company has any intent of giving up. But it does need to do some re-organization if it wants to have any hope of making it in this business. The technology developed by Plastic Logic is still very interesting. Unfortunately, the e-reader market does not have a place for players that are slow to the market.