Samsung Electronics, in partnership with Barnes & Noble, has announced its first-ever eReader product for the U.S. market. Initially previewed at CES 2010 in January, the Samsung eReader allows users to write notes and thoughts directly on the page, highlight content and share notes.
Noticeably missing from the device was any kind of cellular connection. According to a press release, the device will be able to connect via Wi-Fi but lacks a carrier partner for connecting over a cellular network. Amazon's Kindle, as well as the Barnes & Noble eReader, both get their connectivity via AT&T.
Samsung has differentiated its eReader from the pack with an electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. The EMR stylus grants users the writing capabilities that are typically associated only with traditional paper books, such as making annotations in the margins while reading.
Samsung's compact, portable eReader features a slider form factor and incorporates a 6-inch E-ink display, with 8-Gray scale for readability both indoors and out. It supports e-pub, PDF/a, TXT, bmp and jpg formats. Using the built-in front speakers or the head-phone jack, the readers allows for text-to-speech. The built-in MP3 player allows users to transport music, audio books, podcasts and other audio content on a single device.
With 2GB of internal memory, the Samsung eReader can store 1,500 books or 24,000 pages of memos. An external Micro SD card slot increases the device's storage capabilities by an additional 16GB.
There was no immediate word on pricing for the device.