Aluratek debuts two new ereaders with Wi-Fi

By Geoff Duncan Published May 17, 2011

Media device maker Aluratek has debuted two new ereaders: the Libre Air and the Libre Touch. The Libre Air features a 5-inch reflective light LCD while the Libre Touch steps up to a 7-inch TFT full color LCD display—and both ereaders add 802.b/g Wi-Fi for wireless book downloading.

“Aluratek has experienced tremendous success with the Libre Pro and Libre Color e-readers but it is now time to deliver two new truly mobile solutions to the consumer,” said Aluratek president and CEO John Wolikow, in a statement. “Our new Wi-Fi enabled e-readers provide instant access to millions of titles wherever there is a wireless Internet connection, freeing yourself from your computer.”

Aluratek Libre Air — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 5-inch Libre Touch features a reflective light LCD screen that “looks like real paper” and works in direct sunlight. The reader has enough memory for about 500 ebooks—100 classics are pre-loaded—and an SD card slots for expandable storage. The built-in Wi-Fi enables users to latch onto available wireless networks to broad for books, and the Libre Air supports audio playback so users can listen to music while reading. Aluratek says the reader has a standby time of up to two weeks on a single battery charge.

Aluratek Libre Touch — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 7-inch Libre Touch steps up to a 7-inch full-color TFT LCD display and four times as much memory—plus there’s a microSD slot for up to 16 GB of additional removable storage. The built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking enables users to not only browse books, but also connect to the Web keep up with social media and other sties. The Libre Touch will also handle video playback, including MPEG4, H.264, DivX, WMV, MOV, FLV, and more formats. Aluratek says it’ll run for up to 8 hours on a single charge.

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Both ereaders support EPUB and PDF formats, as well as text and RTF, FB2, MOBI, PRC files without DRM. The readers are powered by the Kobo bookstore, which currently offers more than 2.3 million titles, and both units support audio playback via MP3, WMA< AAC, WAV, and OGG formats.

The Libre Air has a suggested retail price of $119, while the Libre Touch carries a suggested price of $149—both are available now.

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