With Apple's release of the iPad, several new e-readers may be rendered obsolete. Check out our list of e-readers in jeopardy.
David Carnoy
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.
Plastic Logic's business-oriented Que, which has a screen the size of an 8.5x11-inch piece of paper and integration with Barnes & Noble's e-book store. The big issue is how expensive it is. A version with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will cost $649, and a version that adds 3G wireless is $799. It's available for preorder (it's due out in May) but will probably encounter tepid sales now that the iPad has arrived.
2 of 8Amazon
Amazon Kindle DX
Amazon needs to lower the price of its 9.7-inch Kindle DX in order for it to continue to be a viable product. At $489, it only costs $10 less than the iPad, which does so much more (and has the same screen size).
3 of 8
Entourage Edge
Geared toward students, the Android-powered Entourage Edge has an e-ink screen on one side and an LCD touch screen on the other. The two sides work in tandem. It's available now around $500, which is the price for the entry-level iPad. It seems likely that students would prefer the iPad.
4 of 8
The iRex DR800
iRex made a big deal when it launched in October the $399 DR-800, which features a large 8.1-inch screen that you can write on with a stylus, integrated 3G service from AT&T, and a tie-in to the Barnes & Noble e-book store. It's finally available in Best Buy but who cares?
5 of 8
Copia Ocean 9
Several Copia e-readers are scheduled to be released this spring, including a couple of 9-inch models. If they hope to survive, they'll need to be priced very attractively.
6 of 8
Skiff Reader
The Skiff e-reader, which uses Sprint for a 3G wireless connection, is one of the largest e-readers (11.5-inch touch-screen display) and is appealing for viewing newspaper and magazine content. The company is being very secretive about launch dates and pricing, but if it can't hit a $349 price point, it may very well be toast.
7 of 8
Sony Daily Edition
We found a lot to like about the Daily Edition PRS-900, Sony's first e-reader with built-in 3G service that feature an elongated 7.1-inch screen. But its $399 price tag makes it a pretty hard sell at this point.
8 of 8ZDNet
Spring Design Alex
Spring Design's dual-screen Alex e-reader, which has some similarities to the Nook (Spring is suing Barnes & Noble), is an intriguing e-reader with an Android angle. However, it costs $399 (it's available now). It really needs to be at $300 to have a shot.
To return to the main story to read comments or post one, click here.
