China Launches Bambook E-Reader
11 Aug 2010
China's biggest e-publisher launches new e-reader and e-bookstore
China's largest e-publisher has launched a dedicated e-reader and e-bookstore featuring more than three million titles.
The Shanda Literature Group's 'Bambook' compares ''favourably'' to Amazon's Kindle, on which the design is closely based, according to a report by GAPP, China's government agency responsible for publishing.
The device is priced at 998 RMB (approx £95) and offers a six-inch gray-scale e-ink display, Wi-Fi and an ExpressCard expansion slot for use with mobile Internet data cards.
It also includes voice functions in Chinese and English, primarily to enable the use of popular language learning books. It offers 24-day standby on a single battery charge and the company promises to offer solar recharging, though it is not yet clear if this is built-in or via an adapter.
Yesterday, the company released the first 3,500 Bambooks, but only to existing Shanda customers and as part of an ''internal trial''.
In an email to Publishing Perspectives, SDL's CEO Hou Xiaoqiang said the name Bambook combines the English words bamboo and books.
''In ancient China, people wrote on bamboo slips, which became the earliest forms of books,'' said Hou. ''While the invention of paper revolutionized the book industry, the evolution from regular paper to e-paper signifies a similar revolution.''
Hou added that at launch, SDL's 'cloud bookstore' offers three million copyrighted titles, more than 10,000 books published by 60 of China's major traditional publishing houses, 1,000 e-magazines, as well as work from some 1.1 million SDL users who publish their own work on Shanda's various sites.
The company is not being shy about its inspiration for the device: Amazon's Kindle. According to SDL's press release, a GAPP affiliated agency has evaluated Bambook against Kindle and found that Bambook offered more titles, a better design, faster search times, more complex interactive features and better compatibility across file formats.
Hou believes that Bambook has the potential to do well not only in China but also overseas. ''We are not just targeting the e-reader terminal market. We are focusing on selling out content,'' said Hou. He suggested the product will enable SDL to successfully duplicate the Amazon business model in China.
By Jason Taylors
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