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Samsung will reveal a new tablet called Galaxy Tab on September 2nd, and have released a short video showing it. We know it runs Android 2.2, supports flash, video calling, plays HD movies and has a GPS. It's also an e-reader. The display is 7", but we don't know whether it's an LCD or a Super-AMOLED display.

Apple OLED rumors never die. Digitimes reports that Apple has started developing the 2nd-generation iPad, and they'll use an OLED panel. They want to launch it in 2011. Digitimes are skeptic though, because OLED Panel prices will still be too high.

Apple iPad

They estimate that the iPad's 9.7" LCD costs around $60-70. A similar OLED will cost about $500. That gap isn't likely to drop significantly by 2011.

Yesterday Apple finally unveiled the new iPad tablet. This is basically an oversized iPhone (it is running the same OS). It doesn't have an OLED display, nor an E Ink - it's an IPS LCD (which has a better image quality and viewing angle than normal LCDs, but requires more power).

Apple iPad photo

It is also an e-reader - supporting ePub, PDF and Kindle books (via an application). The e-reader app is called iBooks, and there's a bookstore too (iBookstore) that uses the ePub format. Apple also targets this for newspaper with rich content and video support. Apple claims 10 hour battery life with a month of standby.

So will this shake the new e-reader market? It seems hardly likely - it's an expensive, big, heavy device with a very bad battery life, compared to 'dedicated' e-readers. The display might be an issue too - it looks superb, but it's not as easy on the eye as an E Ink. But then again, this is Apple... so you never know. I guess the real question is whether people want a dedicated e-reader that is great for the job, or would rather have a more general-use tablet PC that is also a good e-reader.

Apple is holding an event on January 27th, to show off their "latest creation". It might be their tablet/e-reader, or the new 4G iPhone (with an OLED display?). Or maybe both. We'll to have to wait for just a few more days...

Smarthouse reports that Apple will soon launch a new tablet with a 10.6" display, made by LG Display. It will either be an OLED, or a LED-based LCD. The new tablet will double as an e-reader, competing with Amazon's new Kindle DX).

This is interesting. Amazon are using E Ink, which are efficient, readable in the sun, and easy on the eye - but a general tablet with an LCD has much more usages, and also color, of course.

So if you really want to read for a long time on your device, you better use a dedicated device. But Apple's new device might mean that e-readers will remain a small niche...