TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

First E-Reader in Space Lands in U.S.

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 01-08-10 | Comments

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• China-based Hanvon brings its e-readers, which were used in space in 2009 and boast unique electromagnetic touch technology, to the United States.
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  First E-Reader in Space Lands in U.S. Hanvon Models That Landed in U.S.

• First E-Reader in Space Lands in U.S.

  
  The first e-reader in space was launched in China but landed in the United States Jan. 7 when Hanwang Technology Co. Ltd. (Hanvon) announced 10 e-book readers designed for the U.S. market at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

  Hanvon made headlines last year by supplying the first e-reader to be launched into space. Its small 5-inch e-reader was carried by Chinese astronauts into space, where it proved to work in zero gravity. Now Hanvon has brought its e-readers back down to Earth and into the United States by debuting 10 new models at CES. Hanvon claims to be the second largest e-book maker in the world by shipping more than 100,000 units in December 2009 alone. Hanvon claims to have 95 percent share of the Chinese e-book market.

  Using a unique electromagnetic touch technology, the Hanvon e-reader touch tablets take advantage of handwriting recognition, optical character recognition and biometric recognition to distinguish themselves from the onslaught of e-readers that were unveiled at CES.

  Hanvon's unique electromagnetic touch tablet technology works with a wireless stylus that allows users to write on the screen in long-hand script or by printing block characters. For making drawings, the electromagnetic technique enables both the inclination and the pressure applied by the user to be interpreted as the width and darkness of the line, thereby allowing artistic renderings to be made in a manner similar to real paper.

  Hanwang Technology is well-known in China for its handwriting recognition technology, which it has perfected over the last 25 years of operation, but until now its technologies have been released outside China under the brands of other OEMs.

  For its e-readers, Hanwang Technology is releasing them both under its own "Hanvon" brand as well as negotiating deals with OEMs, which will release similar e-readers under their own brands as early as this summer.

  Called the Hanvon WISEreaders, the 10 different models are available with 5-, 6-, 8- and 9.7-inch displays, all using E-Ink's electrophoretic display technology. The electromagnetic touch screens allow users to annotate and highlight entries in books as well as perform handwriting recognition tasks on entries written in long-hand script.

  All models include both Wi-Fi and 3G (EDGE/GMS) wireless connectivity for downloading books, magazines and newspapers to the devices without requiring a PC. Hanvon previewed the line by selling its smaller 5-inch model on Amazon.com during 2009, but the rest of the models debuted Jan. 7 in the United States.

  Hanvon also claims to be the first maker of color e-books using E-Ink's as-yet-to-be-released color displays, but the color models will not be sold in the United States until later in the fourth quarter of this year.

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