Deutsche Telekom said it is bringing out an e-reader called Tolino Shine on 07 March in conjunction with German booksellers Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel and Club Bertelsmann. The device weighs less than a paperback book, has capacity to store an entire library and has a battery life of up to seven weeks. The E Ink HD display and integral lighting allows comfortable reading in sunlight or in the dark. Customers' book purchases will be saved free of charge on Telekom's cloud and can be accessed by WLAN at home, from one of Telekom's 11,000 free hotspots or at any of its partners' 1,500 shops in Germany. Each device can store up to 2,000 books and memory can be extended using an SD card. No price was given.
The booksellers will remain competitors and the venture is open to other book seller. Telekom is providing the technology and the book companies will reponsible for sales. Anita Offel-Grohmann, head of programmes at Club Bertelsmann, said publishers have reacted positively to the partnership. The Tolino will have 300,000 titles to start with. She said the device represents a new level of quality even for readers who already use e-books. Bitkom says the proportion of people in Germany who read digital books on a mobile device has risen from 4 percent two years ago to 11 percent.
