As promised, Plastic Logic has formally unveiled its Que proReader at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Que proReader is a sleek 8.5 by 11-inch electronic reader designed to provide a “premium reading experience” along with on-demand content access. The device measures only about one-third of an inch thick, but features a 10.7-inch shatterproof plastic display—which would make it the largest ereader display available if it were shipping today. The Que proReader gets it screen size from a a unique plastic display technology that has been in development for about a decade since researcher spun it out of Cavendish Labs, and combined it with E Ink’s Vizplex technology. The idea is to emulate a crisp sheet of paper, but with the flexibility of digital, on-demand content.
“Today we are introducing two major advancements: the birth of a new market category, the proReader, and a milestone in the evolution of plastic electronics,” said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta, in a statement. “The Que proReader was built from the ground up for people who need to read. Starting today, mobile professionals can look forward to a paperless briefcase, a lighter load, and a better way to work.”
Unlike the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, and simulate products aimed at consumers, the Que proReader is aimed at business professionals, with a “home view” that not only features the day’s news and information, but also highlights a user’s appointments and calendar. Of course, the Que Store (powered by Barnes & Noble) will be just one step away (via AT&T’s 3G wireless network, although the proReader also packs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), and users can easily transfer content from PCs, Macs, and BlackBerry devices. A Barnes & Noble will initially offer business-oriented magazines, newspapers, books, and publications, and Plastic Logic has also set up relationships with leading business and financial journals for one-time and ongoing subscriptions. In addition, Plastic Logic is working with Olive Software to provide a Que-optimized content management and reading experience.
The Que proReader also supports a new “truVue” document format deevloped in conjunction with Adobe that is designed to preserve a good deal of the visual style and appearance of print publications—something near and dear to outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
The Que proReader is available for pre-order now, and Plastic Logic says the devices will ship in April of 2010 and be available from Barnes & Noble later in 2010. The proReader will be available in two capacities—4 GB and 8 GB—at a very pricey $649 and $799 respectively.
