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The last several weeks have been filled with a lot of breathless statements, marketing events and exciting announcements concerning Ebook Readers, clearly indicating that these devices could well be the hot new consumer product….eventually.

For now with the exception of the Kindle, some Sony products and a few other less than well-known brands, Ebook Readers are a lot of promises. Those few that are available right now are either too expensive or too limited in features to make a big splash in the marketplace. To most people, Ebook readers are still overpriced, unnecessary toys. Gadgets. GeeGaws.

However, I think that is all due to change in 2010. There are so many different Readers with hot new features and more advanced, appealing designs due for release in the first half of 2010 that we could easily see Ebook popularity skyrocket. Already Ebooks are pushing games out of the way as the most downloaded software on iPhones. The public is READY for Ebooks….all that mainstream readers are missing are the right tools. If these new Readers live up to their promise, I think all that stands in the way of Ebook Readers and mainstream acceptance is price. Once a quality reader is released for less than a hundred dollars, all bets are off.

In order to keep track of what is coming over the next half year, the always outstanding Kindle Review has posted an excellent road map of Ebook Reader releases in the first half of 2010. I have posted the highlights after the jump, with my comments…it is going to be a great year for Ebook fans.

November 2009 eReader Release Dates

• iRex DR800 eReader Release Date – end of October, early November. Now listed at Best Buy for $399.

The device looks nice, but probably not nice enough for that pricetag. iRex’s newest offering is likely to get lost without a powerful marketing presence or a carrier subsidy. If it gets either, it could still make some noise.

• Barnes and Noble Nook Release Date – end of November (preorders arealready available). Announced October 19th, 2009.

Lawsuit, lawsuit, lawsuit…I would not be surprised to see this release get delayed…on the outside, it may be flat out postponed if the legal battle takes a while…and it may be Spring’s best interests to make it take as long as possible…(see below)

• Kindle for PC will release in November.

I don’t expect the PC release of the same old Kindle software to be a major event, except that it will give TabletPCs a better chance to be proper Ebook Readers…however there is already LOTS of excellent Ebook Reader software out there for the PC (start with Mobipocket and Calibre then work down). Adding Kindle to the mix won’t make much difference, save to close a major hole in Amazon’s marketing plan.

• [Unconfirmed Rumors] Kindle 3 Release Date – November 21st, 2009. That would be 2 years after the Kindle 1 release.

I definitely agree we will see a new Kindle by the end of the year, Amazon really has no choice. When the Kindle 2 was released, it was still without serious competition in the US. That is no longer the case now thanks to Sony, and will be even less of the case soon. Expect the Kindle 3 to look…well…like a Nook with a dash of Apple Tablet tossed in. I would not be surprised to see the Kindle 3 sporting beefed up wireless capabilities, possibly EPUB support, improved browsing/buying functions and maybe, just maybe, a touchscreen…or color, one of the two. Amazon KNOWS they need to come out large with this release, they need something more than the Amazon name in a crowded field. The Kindle 2 looks very last year compared to some other upcoming devices, I expect the Kindle 3 to change that.

December 2009 eReader Release Dates

• Sony Reader Daily Edition Release Date – early December.
• Spring Design Alex eReader Release Date – December 2009. Announced October 19th, 2009. Note: Spring Design are suing B&N for stealing the Alex’s Design.

It will be very much in Spring’s best interests to tie Barnes and Noble up in court long enough to get the Alex released BEFORE the Nook. Whether they will be able to do so or not remains to be seen, but I once expected Spring to just be looking for a large settlement ASAP. Since they intend to go ahead with release of the Alex I have changed my mind…they want to block the Nook for as long as possible, THEN collect a large settlement.

All this makes me wonder again, who WAS that guy talking about the B&N branded, Plastic Logic produced color screened reader at CTIA? Did he mean the Que? Were some secret plans changed? Maybe there is more to all that than meets the eye?

• Txtr eReader release date – Available in Germany December 15th, 2009. Preorders from December 1st at Txtr.com. It may or may not be available in US and Europe by end December or early 2010.

I wouldn’t expect this to appear in the US save as an import, and likely not make many waves in Europe either…save that this is one of the products I hold out hopes for in terms of price. Could it go for 100 bucks, 150? If so, it could have a bright future. If not, no one will ever hear of it.

• Toshiba’s 7″ JournE touch tablet is slated to be released by end of this year.

I doubt this will get much traction once other Tablet devices start appearing. For now, it is something for people not to buy because they are waiting for the Apple Tablet.

January 2010 eReader Release Dates

1. Plastic Logic Que eReader Release Date – January 7th, 2010 at CES 2010.

The Que could be a game-changer. It’s style and impressive features could easily make it the leading “Premium” Ebook Reader. Based on Plastic Logic’s reputation and the device specs…once the dust clears I expect the Que to be one of the devices on the top of the Ebook Reader heap. I know I want one, regardless of which other Readers I own.

• Samsung SNE-50K eReader will also be shown at CES 2010. It’s not clear whether a US release will also take place. It’s already available in Korea.

I don’t expect this one to ever leave Korea

• [Unconfirmed] Asus eReader Release Date – January 2010. This got pushed out of 2009 so January 2010 seems probable.

As usual for Asus, the release dates and the specs of this device are in a race to see which can slip fastest. A few months ago Asus was talking typically big, saying they would have a dual touch screen color Ereader out by December for 150 bucks. Yeah. Right.

Now I expect Asus to continue it’s normal playbook…to release four different almost identical models of middle of the road Eee Ebook Readers each for around 200 dollars in the middle of 2010, and claim they are being innovative. Yawn.

• Cool-er have said they’ll have a color touchscreen eReader early in 2010.

Cool-er has more experience then almost anyone at making Ebook Readers at this point, so I have a lot of hope for their new version. If this gets to the US at a low price or with a good carrier subsidy, this is another device that could have a chance of becoming the Walkman of Ebook Readers. The only question is…will it?

February 2010 eReader Release Dates

• [Unconfirmed] Apple iReader release date – February 2010.

Take this with an enormous grain of salt as far as the date is concerned, and remember some rumors have said the Apple Tablet will focus on reading…but others have said it will focus almost totally on video and other media. We just don’t know what this device will be like yet. What we do know is that when (if?) it is released, it will be the device all other Ebook Readers/Tablets are measured against and compared to, so it will be a major milestone in the maturation of the Ebook market.

• [Unconfirmed Rumors] Kindle 3 Release Date – Feb 24th, 2009. It would be exactly a year after Kindle 2 was released.

I think we will see the Kindle 3 well before this date…Nov/Dec is much more likely. If Amazon waits this long to answer with a new device, they are in a lot of trouble.

• Entourage Edge eReader Release Date – February 2010. Available for preorder. Announced end October 2009.

March 2010 eReader Release Dates

• [Unconfirmed] Dell eReader release date – March 2010. Dell has a reading tablet in the works that will be subsidized by carriers.
• Netronix EB900 Release Date – Q1, 2010. This is a 9.7″ eReader from Netronix that will have handwriting, 3G, WiFi, and include pdf and epub support.
• [Unconfirmed] Fujitsu FLEPia Color eReader Release Date – March 2010. Given that the color FLEPia has been available in Japan since March 2009 it’s probable they’ll release it worldwide in Q1, 2010.
• [Unconfirmed] Createive MediaBook Release Date – March 2010. Creative have shown a working model of the MediaBook already and they are in talks with Publishers (international and Singapore based).

I am excited about this device from Creative, but think March may be a bit early for it. Creative knows the consumer market very well so we should be able to expect something interesting from them.

April 2010 eReader Release Dates

• [Rumors] Kindle DX 2 – Kindle DX is getting killed in the university trials because of the lack of proper annotations and limited PDF support. Look for Amazon to release Kindle DX 2 sooner rather than later.

Expect the DX 2 to have a touch screen and some kind of annotation capabilities and be a kickass PDF reader. If not, considering the drubbing the DX 1 is getting on campuses, Amazon shouldn’t even bother. The DX 1 is a product that looks good on paper, but totally fails at it’s intended function. Fix it Amazon, Fix it now.

• [Unconfirmed] MSI have an eReader they will release in 2010. It may or may not be as early as April 2010. Perhaps in the summer of 2010.
• Google Editions will come out.

Another game changing event. Google Editions will usher in the next major phases for Ebooks, the same way Project Gutenberg did the last one. Suddenly having that much content available so easily on Ebook Readers will rocket the devices to a lot of prominence. Expect Google’s marketing machine and hordes of pet bloggers and tech analysts to provide Ebooks with endless amounts of free publicity when Google Editions is released. Ebooks will suddenly be the talk of Oprah and the Today Show and everything in between. That may be the sudden surge of notoriety Ebooks need to get a foothold with the mainstream reading public.

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There are a few devices not mentioned here, most notably the iRiver Story which is supposed to be out in Asia in November, and the Microsoft Courier which apparently is to have an Ebook Reader focus alongside it’s other rumored abilities. The Courier is another device that could change the Ebook game if it lives up to those rumours…and isn’t too expensive.

The tech is almost ready to make 2010 the Year of the Ebook…now it just has to become affordable, enjoy decent marketing and not be spiked by the publishing communities. Sure there are still a lot of questions unresolved, but I am excited to hear the answers.