Merlin launches electronic book reader in Middle East

The Merlin eBook Reader is poised to set the eBook market alight and will take advantage of the millions of Electronic Books available for sale as well as in the Public Domain available for download on the Internet.

The Merlin eBOOK Reader is this generation's way of reading textbooks, favorite novels, magazines and pretty much any and all documents and images that can be converted to PDF file. It is the slimmest e-book device on the market at 0.4" thick, 6.4 ounces, fitting well in your hand just like your palm desktop. It has an internal memory of 96MB and comes with a 2 GB SD card (supports up to 4 GB) allowing you to carry up to a thousand books in your palm library. Resolution is 600 x 800 pixel.

It uses revolutionary electronic-paper display technology that provides a sharp, black-and-white screen that looks and reads just like it would on real paper. It is easy to read and will not strain the eyes like LCD screens do. It also provides the best PDF reflow capability that gives a better reading experience. It has a built-in MP3 player and comes with free earphones at an astounding low price

The Merlin eBook turns the next page in the history of reading. The Merlin eBook is a great new way to enjoy reading your favourite books and lets you carry up to 8000 eBooks, pictures and files with you, wherever you go. At 9mm thick and only 180g it's incredibly thin and light, and the long battery life means you can enjoy up to 8000 pages between charges- that's equivalent to about 3 months reading for the average reader.

Regarding the emerging eBook market Sharad Bachani, Product Development Manager at Merlin Digital comments

"While the eBook sector is still very much in its infancy, new products like the Merlin eBook give readers a whole host of new ways to enjoy reading their favourite books. At 180g the eBook is so thin and light is perfect for the daily commute or taking on holiday with you. With 8000 books weighing the same as an elephant - how else are you going to fit 8000 books in your suitcase!"

Sharad Bachani continues about the benefits of eBooks over traditional printed books "The Merlin eBook is not only easy to use but easy on the eye. It has the great functionality that you can change the font size, rotate the screen, read in direct sunlight and because the screen is two and half times sharper than a computer screen it's great for people who struggle with their eyesight"

"The future of eBook is very exciting as the technology, which is already very advanced, becomes increasingly sophisticated. Merlin are keen to push the eBook sector forward and development is already progressing to bring further functionality to the product and to continue to improve the environmental benefits. Merln sees the future of homes, schools and businesses involving eBooks as a way of distributing information, with the ultimate goal of a paperless society which will significantly decrease the nation's carbon footprint."

What are eBooks?

Rather than books being printed on paper, eBooks (or electronic books) are digital edition books that are downloaded from the internet and can be read on your eBook reader. This not only lets you carry around a library's worth of books in one hand but is also incredibly environmentally friendly, as every new eBook you get doesn't involve any trees being cut down!

How does it work?

The Merlin eBook uses innovative e-Ink® technology in the screen which is as thick as a credit card. Each page is electronically printed on the screen, which is non-flicker and non-glare so reading is gentle on the eye, even in direct sunlight!

The great thing about the Merlin eBook is that because the pages aren't printed the eBook has the unique function in that you can change the font size! If you have problems with your sight you can change between 8 different font sizes until the text becomes clearer. You can also rotate the eBook into horizontal format if you find it easier to read longer line lengths.

There is nothing more straightforward to use than a hardback or paperback and the Merlin eBook has been designed to mimic that and be incredibly simple to use. The user interface is incredibly straightforward, the number of buttons has been kept to a minimum and turning a page is as simple as a press of a button.

Where to get eBooks from?

The Merlin eBook is preloaded with 100 of the all time classic eBooks to get eBookworms off to a flying start. The Merlin eBook Reader is compatible with most popular EBOOK formats available for download on the net - either for free from Organistations such as the Gutenberg Project who have over 50,000 EBOOKs available for download for free or from commercial E BOOK providers such as Ebooks.com.

Adobe Digital Editions

The Merlin eBook is compatible with the free Adobe Digital Editions software, which is rapidly becoming the industry standard for downloading and protecting a customer's eBook purchases. The Merlin eBook is one of the first to market with this technology and supports DRM protected reflowable PDF and ePub formats, as well as other less widespread eBook formats and images/pictures.

Environmentally Considerate

The use of eBook Readers is low impact because unlike printed books, almost no natural resources are used in their production. The eBook is also RoHS certified to show that absolutely no hazardous materials are used in its manufacture. By reading eBooks you are helping to reduce the strain on the world's rainforests.

Where to Buy

The Merlin eBook is available from leading Electronic Superstores such as the Dubai Duty Free, Plugins, CompuME and from Merlin Digital's regional distributor Softmagic Systems LLC who have a showroom at AL AIN Center (Computer Plaza) in Bur Dubai and is also available online.