Skiff Reader Revealed As Largest E-Reader

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The Hearst Corporation-owned Skiff e-reading service has officially revealed the Skiff Reader, the largest e-reader on the market.  This thin, touchscreen e-reader features an 11.5-inch screen, a considerable jump in size over the current market leader, the Amazon Kindle DX.

After a string of “me too” e-readers that followed the release of the Amazon Kindle, the Skiff Reader promises a jump far forward in e-reader standards.  The unit features a large 11.5-inch touchscreen e-ink display, a definite improvement over the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook e-readers, neither of which offer touchscreen-capability directly on the e-ink section of the unit.  While the Skiff Reader is also larger than the competition, it slides in at a waif-ish quarter-inch thick.

The Skiff Reader also breaks the e-reader mold by employing a rugged, metal foil e-paper display that is actually flexible.  Skiff does so with “silicon thin-film-transistors (TFT) on flexible stainless-steel substrate”, making this reader both shatter-proof and crack-proof.  Under the hood, the Skiff Reader features a rechargeable high-capacity Lithium Ion battery with an average life of one week in typical use.  Standard, the Skiff Reader features 4GB of storage that is expandable thanks to the unit’s SD-card slot.  For audio playback, the unit features a built-in speaker and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The Skiff Reader will be heading to Sprint for retail later this year, but official dates and pricing have yet to be announced.  The Skiff will operate on Sprint’s 3G network in addition to local WiFi and USB connectivity for content purchases.