Reading and Writing With Samsung E-Readers

E-readers enhance the reading experience with their design and form, ease of use, and advanced features. With the new Samsung e-readers, supported onscreen note-taking with an enabled stylus is the newest element to entice users. Until the introduction of these multi-faceted Samsung devices, reading has never been as effortless and writing was never in such perfect form.

With the recent announcement about their E6 and E101 readers, Samsung has made an impressive entrance into the e-reader market. Samsung has also confirmed their future plans for the release of two additional e-readers - a 5-inch model and the 6-inch model with a QWERTY keyboard for easier emailing. All four models will have handwriting support and a MP3 player as well as 2GB of flash memory and up to 24 hours battery life.

These readers have the added convenience of built-in dictionaries. If users click on a word with the stylus, its definition will pop up on the screen. The Samsung e-readers use Bluetooth 2.0 for sharing content, are DLNA-enabled, and can share content with other DLNA devices in a household.

Users will reap the benefits from Samsung's partnership with Google Books. The e-readers incorporate Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and allow users to download (wirelessly) books and newspapers. Users can locate content and display PDF, plain text, or ePub files. Sony Reader was the first e-reader with direct access to Google libraries. As it is described in the article "E-Readers and their Smaller Brothers and Sisters", Sony PRS users can upload directories of public domain books, offering them virtually free libraries, and also have access to the Google e-books libraries (Digital Book Readers). The Sony PRS now has a lot of titles to offer which makes its lower price look very attractive, and Google e-books has corrected its one-time weakness in technical books.

Samsung's introductory models, E6 and E101, (6" and 10" screens respectively), point to the company's innovative spirit. The smaller, more portable E6 has a slide-part (secret controls behind the screen) which reveals a trackpad for easy navigation. The E101 has calligraphy and editing functions such as 'cut, copy, and paste' choices. Both models feature Samsung's Text-to-Speech engine which allows text to be read aloud to a user.

Combined with a virtual eraser, the built-in electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen transforms a Samsung e-reader into an e-reader/electronic notebook. The special stylus pens (in varied thickness) allow for handwriting. This feature makes the Samsung e-reader suitable for quick notes or leisurely sketching. Users can note their reading selections, create their to-do lists, or update their calendars - directly on the screen.

The Samsung e-readers provide a more natural reading experience. Reflecting light in a more natural manner, these readers are closer to the appearance of the printed page. The Samsung e-readers are not back-lit like other readers and they consume less power. Depending on the daily use, four hours of charging can prepare the battery for up to two weeks of use.

The first two Samsung e-readers will range in price from $399 (6") to $699 (10"). The design of the E101 is not just a copy of the E6 design. Both devices will sport an unique look. The two additional models (5" and 6") will be released at a later date.

The 5-inch reader will not have the slide-out feature - possibly to reduce the purchase price. The low-end device doesn't have Wi-Fi but the later 6-inch reader will display a Kindle-style integrated keyboard. With the handwriting option, however, the four Samsung e-readers will change forever the art of reading and writing.