MobileRead forum poster RadioMan52 says that “a few ‘in the know’ mass marketing individuals” have told him that cheap-Chinese electronics importer Augen is going to be ditching its $99 “The Book” e-book reader. Similar in form factor to the Literati that I just received for review, “The Book” is being sold through K-mart stores, and on kmart.com (where it is currently listed as out of stock).
RadioMan52’s sources tell him that $100-price-range Android tablets are going to be available for the Christmas season. These devices will have resistive touchscreens, like the Pandigital Novel, and be capable of a bit wider breadth of function than The Book which is limited to a joypad.
For that matter, they should also be capable of more than the Literati, which is also limited to joypad and keyboard use, and does not even offer the web browser that wifi-enabled e-ink readers like the Kindle or Nook have available. While I will still be giving the Literati a fair shake as a book reading device (as soon as I’m able to load my own books onto it, anyway), a cheaper multifunction device may be more appealing from a general consumer point of view.
Has anyone attempted an aftermarket firmware or stack to place atop the kernel?