[Updated Dec. 14] — Taiwan-based e-book specialist eRead is shipping a Linux-based electronic book reader featuring an electrophoretic (aka electronic paper) display (EPD). The low-power, thin, light-weight Star eBook STK-101 can be used to read as many as 60 books on a single charge, the company… claims.

eRead's Star eBook reader

Star eBook's home menu (Click to enlarge)

eRead publishes digital books, magazines, and comic books for the Chinese market. The company's Star eBook reader appears to support only its proprietary format — at least, no other formats are listed as supported. However, the company does appear to offer an eRead Editor PC application for users wishing to “compile and share” material for the device. The Editor can convert text and jpeg files for use on the reader.

eRead positions the Star eBook as the lightest and thinnest available eBook reader. The device uses a high-contrast EPD display element from E-Ink, which offers Linux-based EPD development kits. E-Ink's EPD displays have also been used in Motorola's Motofone, which shipped this week in India, and in another Linux-based eBook reader from iRex.

EPD displays require no power to hold an image, once it has been set. eRead claims that the Star eBook can display between 6,000 and 10,000 pages on a single battery charge — roughly the equivalent of 60 paper-based books. Additionally, the device can play back audio books, language tutorials, or music files encoded as MP3 files.

eRead says that the Star eBook's high reflectivity EPD display provides a newsprint-like reading experience that does not injur or fatigue the eyes during extending reading sessions. The six-inch, 4-level grayscale display has a resolution of 800×600.

Close-up of Star eBook STK-101 display
(Click for full-sized view)

The Star eBook STK-101 is based on a Samsung S3C2410A SoC (system-on-chip), powered by an ARM-920T core clocked at 200MHz. The chip has an MMU (memory management unit) and 16KB each of instruction and data cache.

The STK-101 boots Linux from a 4MB boot ROM, and has 16MB of 32-bit SDRAM. The device also has 64MB of DataFlash, for user file storage, expandable via SD/MMC cards up to 1GB.

On the software side, the STK-101's embedded operating system is based on a 2.4.18 Linux kernel.

The device measures 7.4 x 4.6 x 0.3 inches (188 x 118 x 8mm), and weighs 6.2 ounces (176 grams) with its 3.7-Volt, 800mAh lithium-ion battery.

eRead developed the STK-101 itself, at its headquarters in Cheng Du, Taiwan, according to Spokesperson “Christine.”

“Everyone who touches [the device] and uses it will want it. It is really cool, and I have one :),” Christine added.

Availability

The eRead Star eBook is available now, direct from Taiwan, at a retail price of $400, excluding shipping. It is packaged in a box resembling a hard-cover book (pictured at right), and comes with an adapter, earphone, battery, leather cover, and 512 MB SD card.

 
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