Samsung has unveiled an e-book reader in its native South Korea, and has ambitions to launch it elsewhere in the world.
The SNE-50K has a five-inch touchscreen, 512MB of internal memory, and weighs just 6.5 ounces. It's on sale in Korea for 339,000 Won (around £165).
The actual e-books are being provided by local retail chain Kyobo Bookstore Co. The device is launching with a catalogue of 2,500 mainly Korean books.
However, unlike Amazon's Kindle, there's no wireless connectivity involved: users buy the e-books on their PC and then sideload them to the SNE-50K.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung is keen to launch the reader elsewhere in the world, and is likely to show off prototypes for Western markets at a trade show in January - presumably CES.
However, the lack of over-the-air downloads could make the device less appealing in the US and other markets, given the competition with the Kindle. What's more, it's being suggested that Apple's rumoured 10-inch tablet device may have a strong e-book angle if and when it's launched.
Advertisement
