12:31 PM by Colin Dunstan in E-Book General | News

Cambridge (UK)-based Plastic Logic is to work with US firm E Ink to produce what could be the nearest computing has yet got to electronic paper.

Plastic Logic has demonstrated a screen that can bend to a radius of 5mm, a format that would enable its use in mobile displays that scroll out like a roll-top desk - if the flexing can be done repeatedly.

It has also signed a deal with Siemens to develop flexible screens for mobiles. It is expected that the Siemens deal will involve OLED or LCD rather than E-Ink screens, which have only four greyscale levels. The company says it will be able to offer 100dpi resolution E-Ink screens in 2005 and up to 150dpi the following year, when A4 (21x29.7cm) screens will also be available.

Click here to read the official press release.

[via Personal Computer World]

12:11 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

PodReader is an open-source OS X application that takes electronic texts and "intelligently" parses them into a series of text blocks that can be read on Apple's iPod.

Still in the early stages of development, it is planned to rapidly mature into an application tailored for PDA-type functionality to include reading of various types of electronic media. Ports to Linux and Win32 are planned.

You can download the application from here. Related to PodReader are two articles (here and here) which explain how to build an e-book reader for iPod.

06:32 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Opera for Mobile is a full Internet browser that allows you to browse any Web site from your mobile smartphone device.

The Opera 7.60 Technical Preview 2 (TP2) release is only for Smartphone 2003. It will not work on Smartphone 2002 or Pocket PC devices. It will expire on 03/31/05.

The TP2 has been tested on the following hardware:
* HTC Tanager (aka Orange SPV-E200, Qtek 8080, I-Mate SP2 etc.)
* HTC Typhoon (aka Orange SPV-C500, T-Mobile SDA, Audiovox SMT-5600, Qtek 8010, I-mate SP3 etc.)

You can either download the preview or first review the changelog.

06:26 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

It has been quiet around Gmail invites for some time and I know that there are still people wanting one. This is why I am happy to inform you that I have NINE we have THIRTEEN SEVENTEEN new invites ready to hand out to our dear Mobileread members.

If you want an invite, please reply to this thread. Make sure that
- you are a registered member, and
- that you don't post your e-mail address in public (you would be spammed with guarantee). Instead, PM me your e-mail so I can send you the invite.

The only thing I ask you in return is to tell us in this thread how often and why you visit Mobileread.

01:49 PM by WarStrider in More E-Book Readers | Fictionwise eBookwise

I bought 3 of these EB1150s http://www.ebookwise.com/ebookwise/ebookwise1150.htm to use as Christmas presents for my brother and nephew and one to horde for myself. Now that I received them and the extra memory I ordered from a different retailer, had a chance to play around with them and see whats good and whats bad, I can post a review of my opinion on this ebook reader.

Sizewise it is perfect. Its the size of a regular paperback book. It doesn't weigh overly much, 18 oz, and feels solid in your hand. With only two buttons for scrolling, everything else is down by the touchsensitive screen and software buttons.

Battery life maxes out at 14 hours and some odd minutes, though thats a bit misleading as the battery lasts according to how bright you power the screen. I have read for two days, 8 hours per day, with breaks of course, and still had a few hours left on the meter.

The screen is lcd graytone 320x240, which is fine for reading. It does reflect a bit so I doubt you would enjoy reading outside in the sunlight, but under a shady umbrella or tree I think it would be alright, but of course I do most of my reading indoors, where the glare problem is much less.

Now getting the books onto the ebook reader is round about. The ebook reader has a USB port that connects to your computer, but there is at present no software available to transfers documents from your computer to the ebook reader. eBookwise says they are working on getting the Gemstar ebook librarian rights so they can offer it with this ebook reader, but so far they haven't got it. There is a software package out there http://www.breeno.org/eBook/ that claims to be able to do so, but I tried it and it didn't work for me. So in order to get documents from your computer to your ebook reader you need to use an online server setup for this purpose. https://www.filamentbooks.com
Once you've created an account and registered your EB1150 you can upload books to the server and then connect to the server with your ebook reader, via a USB connection to a computer with an internet connection, and then download them into the ebook reader. Like I said its roundabout, but it works so long as that server is up and running. Hopefully eBookwise or breeno.org will come up with a working librarian program because if there is an achilles heel to this reader this is it.

On the bright side, the ebook reader comes with a SmartMedia slot, so you can add up to 128M of memory to the unit. So far I have put 73 books on it and still have 57% of my memory free. Load this baby up once a year if you are an voracious reader or once a lifetime if you are on the other end of the scale. Either way its a lot of memory. On the downside SmartMedia is an older technology and is becoming difficult to find. I found a place to buy them from for $37 Cdn each, which isn't too bad, but is surely not on the same price curve as the more popular current media types. But the reader itself is an older generation so this is no real surprise.

All in all I would give this product 4 stars out of 5. At $99 USD each they are well worth it.

11:26 AM by sUnShInE in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Check it out: Astraware, one of the coolest game co's out there, is offering up free games for the holidays! Pick up Astro Defence, Bzzz!, Nisqually, Police Range, and/or Seven Seas for the absolutely low low price of... free! Other games are deep discounted too.

What are you waiting for? Grab 'em now!

Happy Holidays!

11:21 AM by sUnShInE in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

PDAmill is now busy working on a huge update round for their Palm OS line of games, and they're actively seeking beta testers.

We're very busy working on big updates to all our Palm OS products, fixing all compatibility and stability issues. We now have a new version of each of our Palm OS games, even our upcoming GameBox Solitaire II. If you have a bit of time, please help us by downloading these new beta versions and testing them on your Palm OS 5 device and reporting back any findings to us.

If you're running Palm OS 5, have some spare time and feel like helping out, head over to their forums and download the latest beta versions for testing.

06:36 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Lounge

German research foundation Verum exposed cells of human tissue in glass dishes to mobile phone signals and discovered that the low-power microwaves they emit can damage DNA, potentially causing cancer and other illnesses.

The so-called Reflex study which took four years to complete is the second independent study released within the last two months which links cell phone use to body cell damage, adding to the already heated debate over mobile phone safety.

It also found that the risk was increased in areas with a poor signal because the mobile phone used higher-powered radiation to maintain contact with the network. The output from a single handset can range from a minimum of two milliwatts to a maximum of about a watt, depending on whether the phone is in use and how good the signal is.

The experts involved included scientists from the universities of Vienna, Bologna, Milan, Hannover and Bordeaux, as well as Finnish experts in radiation and nuclear safety. They admit the results do not yet prove mobile phones are harmful, because although the cells were affected in the laboratory, the body can often tackle any damage through its own immune system.

What should we believe? Is this study one more piece of evidence that mobile phones are not as safe as the industry tell us they are?

[via Wired]