Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
Fujitsu has launched the world's first e-book with a color display in Japan. When used with a separate memory card, the paperback-sized gadget dubbed the "FLEPia" can store the equivalent of 5,000 conventional books.
It weighs 385 grams, is 12.5 milimeters thick and has a 20-centimeter electronic paper display that can show 260,000 colors.
Equipped with Bluetooth and high-speed wireless LAN, it can operate 40 hours when fully charged, the company said.
Online sales began Wednesday, priced at 99,750 yen. The company aims to sell 50,000 units in two years.
"We are seeing very good customer interest since the launch," said Makoto Saito, spokesman for Fujitsu Frontech, which developed the device.
Fujitsu hopes to sell the e-book abroad in the future, Saito said.
© Wire reports
7 Comments
Login to comment
Beelzebub
What it usually comes down to is value for money. This item is priced nearly three times that of Amazon's Kindle 2. Not sure the color is worth it, and it may add to the weight, which is 100 grams more than Kindle 2. A key point was missing from the article: What sort of titles are being offered and how much do they sell for?
IvanCoughalot
I wish the Kindle was available here. But no chance now, I suppose, now the locals have launched an inferior and more expensive version.
It'll be "We Japanese trust this maker" all over again, like it is with the rice.
haitkayomccombs
And 80% of it is Toshiba.
sk4ek
Well looking at the e-book site for this appliance, there are apparently fewer than 10,000 titles available, and a large number of them seem to be comic books--which makes sense, if they're pushing the color aspect of the device. The good thing is, even with more advanced products on the market elsewhere, this will get a lot of unwarranted hype in Japan for its color feature, but with its high price point, can be easily undercut once Kindle is ready to come to market here (don't hold your breath, though, it is unlikely Amazon will be able to make the same arrangements with Japanese publishers as they have with those elsewhere).
winniebhoy
sounds wicked to me. I recently met someone with a kindle and it was pretty cool though. You can use anywhere just not wireless. Just order the books on amazon and plug in the usb.
urufuls
I don't get it. Unless I'm reading a book for kids with pictures, why would it matter whether or not I have color if I'm reading a regular book? It seems black and white to me, but I guess I'll have to check out the site.
jonobugs
Wow...that sounds steep. I use my iPod touch to read books and it works really well. My only complaint is that it is a bit small, so I have to flip pages often. As for colour, yes it makes a difference! The touch can also store quite a bit with 32Gb. Plus, you can use it for music, TV, and apps such as flashcard use.