The book fair came and went, and I went there and came back with a small folder with information on an ebook reader by NUUT that’s being launched in Sweden by Royal Line. It was the first time I got to see eink up close, and it does read just like paper. The model was rather slow on updating the pages, and the controls were limited (I would have loved to be able to bookmark specific paragraphs, not only pages) but it was a neat machine and I can see it becoming a staple in every house and academic institution once the kinks are ironed out.
The price is still a hurdle though. It was sold at a discount for 2400 SEK, which is at least 1400 too many monies. Hopefully they’ll get some stiff competition now that Amazon Kindle is being released in Sweden for 2000 SEK. It seems to be their six inch version that will ship, and although its functionality is somewhat crippled (no web nor RSS feeds if the articles are correct) it still seems to be a better deal than the NUUT.
Now you know what to get me for Christmas. I will as usual assume that a check valid for “massage with full release” will suffice as a reciprocal gift. Except to family members, who instead get checks for “just massage.”