Plastic Logic to unveil Que business e-book reader at CES show in January

 

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Posted on 20 Oct 2009 at 11:34

Plastic Logic has announced its long-awaited e-book reader product, called the Que, but is stressing its use as a business device.

The Que will measure 8.5x11in and be 1/3in thick. It will have a touchscreen that relies on gestures and positional shortcuts rather than a traditional user interface - for example, tapping in one corner will bring up a menu, while tapping in another corner will add a bookmark for the current page. It's not clear whether it will include an on-screen keyboard, but the company has denied reports that it will be available in colour when first launched.

Plastic Logic's CEO Richard Archuleta showed off a demo device in May this year and stressed that it was designed for people who would normally print out documents, such as business proposals and contracts, rather than read them on their computers. The Que will support standard office document formats, such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files, and will also let users download magazines and newspapers through partnerships with publishers, much like Amazon's Kindle. Plastic Logic promises that the Que will include "tools for interacting with and managing the content" - whether this includes the ability to edit documents, or a touchscreen keyboard, is unclear.

Like the Kindle, the Que will use a 3G connection, initially provided by AT&T in the US, to download subscriptions and e-books. However it will also include WiFi and can connect to a PC using a USB cable. It's not clear what e-book reader formats - apart from Word and PDF - will be supported, but during the demo, Plastic Logic's product manager hinted it would be an "open platform".

The screen was designed by a team in Cambridge in the UK, and its unique feature - the transistors are made of plastic, and can therefore be thin and flexible - is not being exploited in the Que. Archuleta said this was because in trials, users found the flexible screen felt fragile, and so the company decided to add a stiff, shatterproof plastic cover. Cambridge was also home to the pioneers in organic LED (OLED) technology, Cambridge Display Technology, as well as being the location of Microsoft's research centre in the UK.

It's a shame that Plastic Logic has decided not to make a consumer device, and our worry is that the cost of research has forced the company to go with an expensive business product to try and recoup its development costs. It sounds too similar to the iRex iLiad reader, which also features WiFi and an advanced touchscreen, but whose price puts it out of the reach of consumers simply looking for a space-saving e-book reader to replace a traditional library.

Author: Barry de la Rosa