The txtr beagle , The Electronic Book That Could Kill the Kindle

The txtr beagle

Berlin Start-Up to Launch Ultra-Cheap E-Reader called The txtr beagle

Weighing in at just 128 grams and costing a fraction of the price of comparable products, the German company Txtr announced its new light-weight, low-cost e-reader this week before the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair. Bundled with a mobile-phone contract, the reader will cost just under 10 euros (probably £10).

• The txtr beagle is designed to do best what eReaders are intended for: reading digital books.
• The txtr beagle is for everyone who wants a simple easy-to-use, stylish, light device with excellent display performance for reading their favourite e-books.
• Those using e-book authoring software such as Kindle Ritual will be please as this is yet another outlet for their books.

Keep it Simple, Keep it Cheap

The business model used by the Berlin-based start-up Txtr, is keep it simple, keep it cheap. Txtr is hoping to radically change the electronic book market with their e-book.

Whilst most e-readers try to lure customers with fancy colour displays, audio, video and built-in web browsers. The txtr beagle keeps things simple with a 12.7 centimetre display and four buttons, an on-off switch on the back, plus forward, back and menu keys on the front.

Txtr plans to drastically undercut the price of the four biggest names in the market, Amazon, Google, iBooks (Apple) and Kobo (a Canadian company).

The Smallest, Lightest eReader in the World?

The German company also claims the txtr beagle is the world’s smallest e-reader at only 100cc. It is mostly just 5mm thick . The weight is amazingly low at 128 grams (0.28 pounds), batteries included, making it the world’s lightest 5″ or 6″ eReader available. This device fits easily in any pocket or handbag.

Personalize the txtr beagle

The device can be personalized with back-covers in four vivid fashionable colours to fit your personal taste:

• Jade Green
• Grapefruit
• Purple
• Turquoise

Receive e-books sent from a smartphone

To save costs, the gadget has no connectors, so books are sent to it from a mobile phone app using Bluetooth. The txtr beagle communicates with the txtr Android reading application.

To add more e-books simply:

• Pair the txtr beagle with your smartphone via Bluetooth.
• Select a book from your personal library.
• Tap the book to send it to the txtr beagle where it appears within seconds.

and then continue to enjoy your book.

Since the Beagle doesn’t have a USB port or a W-Lan card, e-books can only be transferred onto the device using a Bluetooth data signal.

Transferring e-book files takes only a few seconds though if you want to change the font size you have to do this prior to transferring the files as you cannot do this on the txtr beagle itself.

• Amazon’s Kindle software is already available for mobile phones.

No chargers, No cables, No hassle

Unlike other eReaders, there is no need for chargers or cables with the txtr beagle and the location of the batteries not only creates an elegant silhouette but also becomes an ergonomic feature as it rests easily in the palm of a hand.

The txtr beagle has no standby-mode: off is off. Switch the device on and start reading within a few seconds. Two AAA batteries enable you to read 12-15 books. If the batteries do run out, you don’t need to wait for a recharge, just swap the batteries and your ready to go.

• The only down side to the battery bay is the small bulge, which keeps the Beagle from lying flat on the table.

txtr beagle Release Date!

The txtr beagle is supposed to be on the market before Christmas 2012.

The Competition, Kindle, iPad!

The txtr beagle will be firmly pitted against Amazon who earlier this month showed off a ‘paperwhite’ e-reader with a much sharper screen and longer battery life which is expected to come to the UK later this year, along with the firm’s Kindle Fire tablets that will compete with Apple’s iPad who in its turn is expect to announce the iPad mini (a smaller iPad) very soon.

Good News for Authors

For authors of electronic books, this is good news, it means even more customers for their publications. Those using authoring software such as the WordPress Kindle Ritual plugin software will be especially pleased as both the Kindle Ritual authoring software and the txtr beagle are released just in time for Christmas.

The txtr beagle , The Electronic Book That Could Kill the Kindle Conclusion

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