The Readius pocket-sized e-book reader by Polymer Vision has confirmed that they're still planning to launch in the fall. When I first discovered the Readius back in February, I couldn't quite get past the way it was being marketed as a combo cellphone and e-book reader. It appears that the company has rightly recognized that the cell phone calling capability wasn't really necessary, even though the HSDPA support is still quite welcome for acquiring content. 

Two features worth pointing out: The Readius supports 16 levels of grayscale and it supports Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, including headset and keyboard. The 16 levels of grayscale outperforms the Amazon Kindle's 4 level grayscale and the Sony Reader's 8 level grayscale. With the possibility of Bluetooth input, this transforms into an email client with a 5 inch display that folds into a small package. Attractive possibilities...

In addition to confirming a fall launch of the Readius, Polymer Vision also announced Content World, a portal for the Readius for both free and paid content. The user will be able to download content to her PC and transfer via USB or download directly to the Readius over the HSDPA cellular connection. Obviously that will require a cellular provider service plan, but no announcements have been made about any partnerships with cellular providers.

• Weight: Ultra light. At 115g just one third the average weight of current e-readers
• Display size: Large 5" display, 16 greyscales
• Device size: The only pocket sized eReader
• Battery life: 30 hours of continuous reading
• Connectivity: Global wireless connectivity, with the greatest coverage of any eReader (Tri Band/3.5G HSDPA). Supporting ActiveSync and USB mass storage (USB FS). Communication with accessories and other devices (Bluetooth 2.0)
• Processor: Powerful processing engine (ARM11 400MHz)
• Storage: Flexible, today commercially available up to 8GB (High Capacity Micro SD)
• User Interface: Just 8 SimpleTouch Buttons

via Slashgear

This has tremendous potential for those of us who like to read e-books / newspapers and mark them up using a digital pen:

From EarthTimes.org

Wacom and E Ink Corporation announced today a partnership that will integrate Wacom's Penabled(R) digital pen input solution with E Ink's Vizplex(TM) electronic paper displays. With pen input high on the list of many eBook, Tablet PC, eNewspaper, PDA, eNotepad and appliance-type designers, the Wacom and E Ink partnership comes at an ideal time for mobile computing manufacturers looking to develop new and exciting consumer products.

E Ink's Broadsheet AM300 prototyping kit, available in a 6 inch diagonal size in June and other sizes later, combines the two technologies in a solution that mobile computing manufacturers can easily integrate into their product designs.

Electronic paper with pen input is ideal for reviewing documents on a portable device. E Ink Vizplex displays enable slimmer devices to have bigger screens that are easy on the eyes, even in ambient light. The intuitive nature of pen input makes it easy to navigate, write down ideas, highlight points of interest, as well as sketch or draw. Together the technologies achieve the ultimate vision of an interactive piece of paper.