New, cheaper e-reader to compete with Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader

A few recent reports indicate that another new e-reader, known as the Cool-er, will hit the market within the next few weeks. The e-reader was developed by UK start-up Interead, and is the first new e-reader to offer an e-book online store like Amazon and Sony. According to the Financial Times blog, the reader is being pitched as “cheaper, lighter, and more open than Amazon’s Kindle or Sony’s Reader, and with a larger selection of titles.” The Cool-er has a 6-inch E-Ink screen, 1 GB of storage, SD Card slot, and removable/rechargeable battery. It also comes in eight colors, is available in eight languages, and can handle EPUB formatted books, Adobe PDF files, text files, and JPEG files. The Cool-er does lack some features available on the Kindle including: internet connection, built in dictionary, and a keyboard. However, the Coolerbooks online store will offer over 260,000 titles compared to Amazon's 250,000 titles and Sony’s 160,000 titles. Neil Jones, creator of the e-reader commented, “My own view is that in the next 12 months we will be the number-three player in the e-reader marketplace." He went on to say, “I would sincerely hope to be giving either of the other two a good run for their money.”