As I suspected there will be quite a few challengers to the e-Reader scene at CES this week. First up is an expanded lineup from Interead with their COOL-ER e-Reader product.
I really couldn’t care less about the multi-color thing these things sport, but the form factor looks promising.
Here’s the product lineup they’ll be showing off at CES:
COOL-ER Compact
As the name suggests, this is the smallest of the bunch at 6.7" x 4.6" x 0.41" (170 mm x 117 mm x 10 mm). It has a 6" E Ink® screen and 2GB of onboard memory (expandable via SD card to 6GB total).
COOL-ER Classic
This is the one they have available already today at www.COOLREADERS.com. It will be arriving in new colors though.
Cool-ER Connect
This one adds WiFi and touch-screen to the Classic version. It weighs 5.8 oz. Scheduled to be available in Spring 2010.
COOL-ER 3G
This is the newest e-Reader in their lineup and is slated to be available in mid-2010. 3G wireless connectivity via AT&T is the big item on this one.
COOL-ER e-Readders work with ePub and PDF and has access to bookstores online like www.Cooler-ebooks.com
The biggest obstacle these e-Readers will encounter is the pricing compared to the Kindle and Nook. Because the bookstores they access are less known and likely have a smaller U.S. catalog, the price has to be lower. Currently the classic COOL-ER e-Reader runs $249 on their website.
