E-readers displayed at Computex portend big growth
By Dan Nystedt in June 8, 2009

IDG News Service - E-book readers may have been overshadowed by netbooks, smartbooks and laptops at Computex Taipei 2009, but products on display portend big things to come.

E-readers such as Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader Digital Book will likely face growing competition in the e-reader market later this year due to the number of such devices already available from Taiwanese manufacturers and on display at Computex.

Device maker Netronix showed off several e-readers at the show, ranging from its EB-500 with a 5-inch screen to its EB-600 and EB-600 Cookie, both with 6-inch screens, a prototype for a new 8-inch screen e-reader and its EB-900 with a 9.7-inch screen.
The company also offered its Mentor model, which also boasts a 6-inch screen but comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, pink and baby blue. A Netronix representative said the company could make any color a customer wants.

Netronix is a contract manufacturer, not a retailer, so it's looking for big companies to order its e-readers then put their own brand on and sell them.
The company says its Mentor e-readers can last for 8,000 page turns on one battery charge, compared to 7,500 for Sony's PRS-505/SC. Amazon doesn't break down its battery life into the number of page views.

Read the rest at Computerworld online.