More than 10 prototypes of e-readers and tablets were showed off last week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now that it’s over, lets take a quick look at what journalists and other tech savvy writers said about the new devices. Is the market over-saturated? Which gadget is going to win? What will consumers prefer? Let’s read:

“Tablets promise to bridge the gap between e-readers and netbooks. Tablets will not only display books, but also allow owners to stream video and music. The increased functionality could lure potential buyers.”
Ben Charny, Dow Jones Newswires.

“The companies that will likely win that scenario in the longer-term are those with the infrastructure to support an ecosystem of libraries, software and devices. Which suggests that, no matter how the market eventually plays out, a not-insignificant portion of e-reader manufacturers currently on the market are likely doomed to failure.”
Nicholas Kolakowski, eWeek.

“The glut of e-readers heading to market is liable to result in significant casualties (…). People who end up satisfied with their e-readers will be those who purchase a unit sold through a store they already buy books from (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) or those who buy a cheap, disposable reader with a wide range of file compatibilities, then end up pirating the books they want to read from torrent sites (just like an iPod).”
Wilson Rothman, Quill & Quire.

“Right now there are too many players chasing too small a market. High prices, lack of content and single task functionality means most will fail over time.”
Michael Gartenberg, Interpret.

“Many of these so-called e-readers are no more than tablet PCs or MID (mobile Internet devices), capable of displaying e-books with e-reader software but not really optimized for that purpose.” 
Melissa J. Perenson, PC World.

“E-readers, like the Entourage eDge and the Spring Designs Alex Reader, include multi-purpose full color LCD screens. But in addition, they have E-Ink displays of equal or greater size that the manufacturers intend for use as the primary reading display. Those could be best ones.”
Chris Nuttall blogger at Ft.com.

“Ultimately, consumers will choose the winners based on the price of the devices and on what they offer over and above the functionality of their (increasingly smart) phones.”
Stephen Foley, Independent.co.uk.

The majority seems to agree on two things: 1) the market could get saturated; 2) consumers will ultimately prefer the most multifunctional device, one that allows not only to read a book/magazine, but maybe to surf the internet, play games, listen to music and even write as well. What do you think?

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