Remember Sharper Image? Yes, they are still around and are now touting a (surprisingly) reasonably priced, Kobo-powered color e-reader dubbed “Literati.”
As the folks at Electronista point out, the $160 MerchSource-manufactured device was clearly influenced by Amazon’s Kindle.
The WiFi-based Literati is non-touch and employs a Kindle-like QWERTY keyboard below the screen, as well as side buttons for turning pages.
In addition, the Lierati boasts a slick seven-inch, 800×480 LCD display to render cover art and photos in cookbooks, children’s books, newspapers and magazines.
So, what’s the down side?
Well, Sharper Image appears to have (deliberately) omitted web and app access on the e-reader.
Of course, it is more likely than not that the device will be rooted within weeks of its launch, which could allow intreprid users to surf the Web and run external apps.
And, as Slashgear’s Evan Selleck succinctly notes, there’s nothing wrong with a specialized device, as not everyone wants “all of their goodies” in a single package.
The Literati is expected to arrive in October and will be sold by a number of retailers, including Best Buy, Bed, Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, Kohl’s and Macy’s.
