Wifi Revolution

Taiwan-based BenQ today announced the launch of its second-generation e-reader. The new device, the nReader K61, is able to download e-books via Wi-Fi or 3G networks, and users can take notes using a stylus on the device's six-inch touchscreen.

To start, the BenQ nReader K61 is on sale only in Taiwan, for NT $9,990, or about $319 in U.S. dollars. The device comes with 200 pre-loaded e-books. The six-inch touchscreen is made of so-called “e-paper,” so the display has no color capabilities. Touch screen technology allows readers to turn pages on the screen and take notes using the included stylus.

The price of the new device is higher than that of some rivals, but BenQ hopes to make up for the difference by adding features desirable to Taiwanese users such as Chinese, Japanese and English-language reading capabilities, as well as text-to-speech in Chinese and English. In addition, the company has partnered with content providers in Taiwan to offer newspapers and magazines on the K61.

Consumers purchasing the K61 in Taipei over the next few weeks will also get a choice of a one-month subscription to one of three local newspapers for free. The electronic newspapers will be delivered daily to the user's K61 via wireless network. Taiwanese companies entering the growing e-reader market are looking to partner with content providers to provide content more relevant to Pacific Rim consumers.

The nReader K61 comes with 2GB of internal storage and an SD cart slot that can boost an additional 16GB of storage to the device. It has a mini-USB port, 3.3mm earphone socket so users can listen to audio content such as MP3 files and text-to-speech processing, and it supports several e-book standards, including ePub.

The device is on sale in Taiwan at FNAC stores, as well as online at eBook Taiwan, Yahoo Taiwan and PCHome Online.

BenQ representatives have said the company has not yet finalized launch plans for the K61 outside Taiwan.