Plastic Logic could bring Wi Fi e-reader to UK market
22.07.09 The Bookseller
A second e-reader with the ability to download books direct from the web could be launched in the UK next year, following close behind the expected arrival later this year of Amazon.com's Kindle.
Plastic Logic, whose Wi Fi-enabled Reader is due to be launched in the US next year by giant bookseller Barnes & Noble, has signed an exclusive agreement with telecoms network provider AT&T, prompting suggestions that the device could be brought to the UK.
According to gadget website Pocket Lint this would put the device ahead of the Kindle, which uses a free wireless service called whispernet provided by the Sprint EVDO network, which can only be used in the US. Users of the Plastic Logic device, however, would be able to connect to content and download it wirelessly through AT&T's 3G network "in the US and abroad".
In the US, the new device is being billed as the answer to Amazon's Kindle. It is being exclusively sold via Barnes & Noble in the country. The unit is about the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, less than a 1/4 inch thick and weighs less than many print magazines. Unlike the Kindle it will feature a touchscreen display. Plastic Logic, which was founded by two Cambridge University professors 10 years ago, is planning a two-phased entry into the market that will begin in the second half of 2009 with pilots and trials with "key partners". "We expect to accelerate the momentum of our sales in 2010," the company said. It has not announced a "UK partner".
Speaking of the AT&T deal, Richard Archuleta, chief executive, said: "This alliance is a pillar in our strategy to provide mobile business professionals with a device that delivers a great reading experience,and is fully connected through 3G and Wi-Fi to deliver easy access to digital content."
It was reported last week that Amazon was close to finalising a launch date for its Kindle electronic book reader in the UK. The retailer is understood to have outsourced all aspects of manufacturing for the Kindle in the UK to Qualcomm, which describes itself as a leading developer of next-generation wireless technology.
Pocket Lint