Kogan Technologies has launched a 6-inch eBook reader into the Australian market at a price of just AUD$189 (less than US$170 at time of publication). Around a third of an inch thick and weighing 228.8 g, the eBook Reader boasts good readability in bright sunlight via an 800 x 600 E Ink screen along with simple navigation system and long battery life.
Included with the reader are 1500 free eBooks, most of which are classics by authors as Arthur Conan Doyle, George Orwell, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. Also included are several titles tailored to the Australian – it is great to see that Henry Lawson’s The Romance of the Swag is included.
Kogan’s eReader will sync with Adobe's Digital Editions software for managing eBook libraries and will support some 16 eBook file formats including EPUB, HTML, PDF, TXT, RTF files. It features six different languages (English, Italian, French, Russian, Dutch, and German); a battery life of 10,000 page turns, a leather carrying case, earphones, USB cable, and charger.
The unit runs on the Linux operating system and has 2GB of in-built memory, which can be expanded to 32GB with a SDHC memory card.
The AU$189 price tag has raised the bar for competition within the Australian market. It slightly undercuts Kobo priced at AUD$199 and is roughly AUD$50 cheaper than the Kindle after shipping costs.
Kogan 6" e-book reader specs:
- Display Size (Diagonal): 6" / 15.24cm
- Display type: E-ink Panel with Epson Display Controller
- Display Resolution: 800 x 600
- Processor: Arm 9 Core (Samsung S3C2416)
- Operating System: Linux 2.6
- Ram: 64mb DDR2
- Battery: Li-ION 1700mAh
- Battery Life: 10,000 screen refreshes - equivalent to 3 months usage (Based on reading speed of 500 pages per week)
- Built-in Memory: 2GB
- Max Storage Capacity: 32GB SDHC Memory Card (approx 100,000 ebooks)
- Colours Supported: 16 Level Greyscale
- Ebook Formats Supported: PDF, CHM, EPUB, TXT, HTM, HTML, RTF, PDB, DJVU, DJV, IW44, IW4, FB2, OEB, PRC, MOBI, TCR, OPF
- Image Formats Supported: JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF
- Audio Formats Supported: MP3 (32kbps - 384 kbps)
- Connectivity: 3.5mm Headphone Jack, USB Port, SD Card Slot
- Language Support: English, Italian, French, Russian, Dutch, German
- Page Number Indication: Yes
- Font Sizes:5 Sizes available
- Dimensions of Unit: H 17.6cm x W 11.8cm x D 0.96cm
- Weight: 228.8g