Another day, another kindle competitor with shiny new technology and radical new pricing. This time it’s Dell and Intel collaborating on a Reading Tablet (courtesy Wired) that might arrive Feb 2010.
The rumors are via two sources that Wired considers reliable (including MKM Partners analyst Tero Kuittinen).
This one is super interesting to me because it’s rumored to be based on Windows 7. Windows 7 has multi-touch and is in general a really stellar operating system (used the windows 7 beta for 3-4 months in the beginning of the year as my primary OS).
Dell Reading Tablet – Key Features
- $0 Price thanks to a subscription model (digital media content subscriptions).
- Will launch around Feb 2010.
- Rumored to use Intel’s Atom chip (the one used in most netbooks). Note: One of the sources is skeptical about this part.
- Ought to have decentish battery life. Netbooks are now hitting 8.5 or more hours of battery life.
- Rumored to have a 5″ screen.
- Rumored to be using Windows 7.
What Windows 7 would mean for the Dell Reading tablet
A lot of great features right off the bat -
- Windows OS which most people are familiar with.
- You could use IE or Firefox as your browser.
- Multi-Touch.
- Libraries and Folders. Which allows for really good organziation – not only can you put files into folders, you can use Libraries to view all files of a particular type in one view, regardless of what folder they’re in.
To get an idea of what multi-touch in Windows 7 would mean for a Dell Reading Tablet -
- Right Now – This is the Windows 7 Touch Pack built using MS Surface technology.
- In the Future – While eInk is demoing prototypes of color eInk, Microsoft is demoing this.
You could have a 5″ reading tablet that projects out onto an A4 sheet of paper or onto a wall. Of course, it’s probably 3 or more years out.
Impact on Kindle
At the moment, nothing except distract buyers.
- When it releases in Feb 2010, the Dell Reading Tablet would threaten both Kindle 3 and the Apple tablet – especially if it can work out subscription subsidies to get a $0 to $100 up-front price.
- Wired have said that the challenge for Dell would be signing agreements with content partners -
The companies will find it difficult convincing large newspaper companies to convert from being an advertisement-based business to a fee-based business.
Wired obviously have been living under a rock because newspapers don’t need any convincing – this is EXACTLY what they want to do. In fact, lots of newspapers are turning to a fee based model as we speak.
While it’s too early to tell how the Dell Reading Tablet will be as an ereader, at the minimum its competition for both the Kindle 3 and Apple’s 10″ iReader and that’s good for reading and readers.
Filed under: eBook Reader Devices | Tagged: dell ereader, dell reading tablet
Again, everyone is confusing apples tablet with a kindle.
The tablet is a computer, just like a laptop or a netbook.
Comparing it to a kindle misses the point of the kindle.
A better comaprison is comparing the iphone to the tablet.
They will be essentially the same with a few more bells and whistles on the tablet like HD video. The kindle is a book reader and thats all. So it still will do that better than the tablet, due to a paper like screen, a 2 week battery life and a slimmer lighter design.