Borders' new Kobo E-Reader Touch Edition, out in June, dumps the ugly rubbery controller, retains e-ink technology, but adds a touch screen. Also including WiFi connectivity, the new device is priced at a very attractive $129.00. As far as I can tell, today is the first day the product is being shown to the public (many of you probably received the same promotional e-mail from Borders earlier today that I did).
So far I've been a Kindle man, but this looks interesting. For some reason I always thought that e-ink was incompatible with touch-screen technology, but why should it be? The sensors are in the main screen, right, regardless of what's underneath it.
Anyway, this whole thing is kind of like the space race during the Cold War, isn't it? You just know that Amazon's Jeff Bezos and his fellow executives are annoyed that Borders got its touch-screen e-ink reader to market before they did.
So, you Kindle purists, would you be tempted to buy this new reader, with its cool new touch screen? Or will you wait for the Kindle 4, which will undoubtedly feature touch-screen tech as well? Myself, considering that e-book readers are plummeting in price, it might not be too extravagent to own both! It might be prudent, even, as we won't be tied to any one retailer to buy our e-books.
One thing's for sure. The e-book playing field has just gotten a lot more interesting.
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