Remember Samsung's Papyrus?
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CNET - Samsung Electronics
A while ago, I compiled a list of e-book readers that were already available on the market and the ones that were on their way. Samsung Papyrus was one of those promising e-book readers that were expected to be released early this year. The device is now renamed and ready to ship in Asia. If you happen to live in the states, you probably have to wait a few more months to get your hands on it.
The SNE-50K reader did interest me before I saw Kindle 2.0, but I am not sure it’s a device that will gain traction in the state side (if Samsung goes with its global plan). The device only has a 5 inch screen, which is smaller than that of Kindle 1. The resolution and internal memory are not anything to write home about. The device does come with an interesting feature: handwritten-notes. So you can store memos, notes, and … on your device. But that would not be a big selling point if you ask me.
The device is going to be priced around $270. That’s very close to what we pay for Kindle 2 in states side. And while Samsung’s efforts to bring content partners on is admirable, I am not sure how this device can effectively compete with Kindle and other top readers on the market without lowering its price and introducing better features. It’s nice to see Samsung jump into this growing market, and I do feel there is a room for a recession-friendly ebook reader here. But Samsung’s Papyrus is not that reader.
