March of the Color e-Readers: Kindle Kompetitors or Krazy Kolts?

This month we saw the release of Kindle 3, Amazon's latest e-Reader, and so far the reviews have been pretty positive. You can watch a video demonstration here to see the new features and improvements.

Yes it has a new look and is faster than ever, but I'd say the most noticeable, and in my opinion, significant improvement would have to be the sharper contrast of the E-Ink screen. To date, practically all popular e-Readers, whether it be a Sony Reader, Nook, or Kobo, have had displays that appear grey or in the case of the Sony's, more on the greenish side due to an additional screen layer for touch functionality. But honestly, as much as the promise of E-Ink was to mimic the appearance of the printed page, none of the devices using this technology looked like the real thing. In fact, by comparison, the early days of E-Ink didn't appear that much different from that of the old Rocket-Book, one of the first e-Readers introduced in the late '90s.

Without a doubt, the brighter, clearer screen of this newest Kindle succeeds in bringing us that much closer to matching the experience of reading a physical book, but with the added conveniences only such a digital device offers. And sure enough the Sony Readers, Nooks, and Kobos will get better too (and soon!). And as they do, it should be no surprise when people rapidly embrace the improved technology and begin downloading their favorite e-Books from retailers and local libraries around the world.

But for now I think it's safe to say that Kindle is currently king and the aforementioned competitors have some real catching up to do. So why then, with the obvious challenges facing these entrenched, well-known entities, would other companies believe there'd be any interest by consumers in yet another e-Reading device? Well, for that answer you'd have to ask the likes of The Sharper Image, Aguen, Velocity, and Pandigital, just to name a few, for each has recently announced (somewhat) dedicated e-Readers of their own...but with color screens.

Here's a look:

The Literati - This device from The Sharper Image will have a 7' color LCD screen and will also be sold at retail stores like Macy's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, JC Penny, Best Buy, and more. In other words, the places where people shop everyday for the kind of electronics everyone uses like TVs, stereos, and MP3 players. The Literati is powered by the Kobo e-Bookstore. There are four video demos to watch on the official website.

The Book - Not to be confused with Vook or Nook, this e-Reader from Aguen proclaims itself as "the book" and hey, why not. What's most interesting about this device is how you can purchase e-Books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders/Kobo, and other e-Bookstores. It can be bought at stores like K-Mart, but oddly enough, I learned about it from my cable company. Here's a video review.

Cruz Reader - More multi-purpose tablet than e-Reader, this device from Velocity looks pretty interesting and a lot like a small iPad! It has a 7" color screen and the e-Bookstore is powered by Borders/Kobo. Hmmmm, anyone seeing a pattern developing? Here's an official video demo.

Novel - From Pandigital, the company mostly known for its digital picture frames, comes this multi-function device that's also iPadish, but with a 7" color screen. However, this baby is powered by Barnes & Noble's e-Bookstore, which means besides having access to 1 Million e-Books, you can also read magazines and newspapers. Watch a video review.

I must confess, I'm not quite sure what to make of either one of these digital slabs, and I just can't imagine why anybody would purchase one except out of pure curiosity.

If you're thinking of finally taking the e-Reader plunge, then my recommendation is to get the Kindle 3 if you want to own the best overall e-Reading device, the Nook if you happen to shop frequently at your local Barnes & Noble and enjoy the benefits the in-store promotion offers, or the Kobo if you don't need any tech frills like Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity and like to show support for the underdog. Though you may want to wait until November because prices will most likely drop again in time for the holiday season.

In the meantime, would you consider buying one of the new color e-Readers mentioned above instead of a model with an E-Ink screen?