This year’s CES has been dominated by 3D TV, eBook readers, and a plethora of tablets. But the Notion Ink Adam tablet manages to stand out from the tablet crowd by sporting some of the hottest new technology. And I really do mean hot, and not just hyped.

First, it’s one of the first devices to use Pixel Qi’s 3qi LCD display which features a higher contrast ePaper mode that uses just 0.5 watts and a full color mode that uses the same 2.5 watts as a standard LCD screen.

Second, the Notion Ink tablet is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset. Tegra 2 is based on a low power ARM processor and high performance NVIDIA graphics that allow tablets like the Adam to handle 1080p HD video playback without breaking a sweat. The chipset can also handle games that would make an iPhone cry, while still providing excellent battery life.

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One of the hottest trends at CES so far (or at least the pre-show events I’ve attended this week) is eBook readers. It seems like everybody’s got a handheld device for reading eBooks. Most of them are high contrast black and white jobs with long-lasting batteries and highly viewable displays that are rather slow to refresh or “turn” the page. And then there’s the tech demos that Fujitsu and Miraol are showing off.

I got a chance to check out Fujitsu’s FLEPia color e-Paper device last night. It features a high contrast 768 x 1024 pixel screen that can display up to 260,000 colors. The colors did look a little flat to me, since the FLEPia has no backlight and instead relies on ambient lighting. (It does look better in person than in my photos though, thanks to bad lighting and a less-than-perfect camera/photographer combo). But it’s definitely more colorful than any other dedicated eBook reader I’ve seen to date. And that lack of a backlight helps keep power consumption low. Fujitsu says the FLEPia can run for up to 40 hours on a charge.

Rather than run a dedicated eBook-centric OS, the FLEPia runs Windows CE 5.0. That means it can handle a number of eBook Reader applications designed for Windows Mobile. The unit I saw was running some Japanese eBook software which I didn’t recognize. The touchscreen device also has a web browser and can open Office documents.

The FLEPia has an Xscale processor, a USB port, SD card slot, 802.11b/g/ WiFI, and Bluetooth. The device will initially launch in Japan. There’s no word on how much it will cost.

One problem that the FLEPia shares with most other ePaper devices is a slow screen refresh rate. While most eBook readers go momentarily dark before showing a new screen, the FLEPia has a sort of wipe-effect that replaces the old screen with a new one. It takes about 1.2 seconds, and while I find it a bit disconcerting, it’s actually easier on the eye than the way that eBook readers like the Amazon Kindle or B&N Nook redraw the screen.

But the slow refresh rate still means that while there’s a web browser, you’re not going to want to use it with dynamic web content, and video is pretty much out of the question. But video is no problem for Mirasol’s color ePaper solution.

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The Entourage Edge is either one of the weirdest netbooks or one of the strangest eBook readers I’ve seen so far this year. That’s because it’s a bit of both. But I can’t help but wonder if the sum might equal less then the parts in this case. I got to spend a little time with one last night, and I’m intrigued, but a bit skeptical that this little guy fills a real need.

On the one hand, the idea of a device that combines an ePaper display and an LCD to provide both a high contrast eBook reading experience and the ability to surf the web or look at photos in full color is kind of nifty. On the other hand, do you really want to hold a 3 pound device with an extra display when you’re reading a book? And do you want an e-Ink display when you’re using the Google Android OS on the other window to look up information on Wikipedia?

That said, while Entourage would love it if the general public rushed out and purchased these devices, it’s aimed at markets such as education, business, or law right now. And when you think about the fact that you could store a whole library of books on the built-in 3GB of flash memory, you realize that while 3 pounds is pretty heavy for a book, it’s pretty light for a few dozen or hundred books. And if you’re a kid with a backpack filled with books, you’ve got to love that.

Anyway, that’s the case that Entourage is trying to make for this device which should be available in February for about $490. You can check out their pitch after the break. What do you think? Do you want one? Or would you rather just read eBooks on your netbook?

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Asus is reportedly planning to launch a dedicated eBook reader by the end of the year. DigiTimes reports that Asus CEO Jerry Shen has confirmed plans to launch an eBook reader as part of the company’s Eee line of products.

Digital books have been around for ages. But the relative success of the Amazon Kindle has led to some real growth in the market recently, and Sony’s new eBook readers have some pretty slick features like touchscreens and the ability to check out digital books from your local library. If the market continues to grow, this could become a whole new category of consumer electronics for PC makers to explore.

DigiTimes also quotes industry sources saying that MSI is looking at the eBook space.

But I’m still curious about whether people want or need single-purpose devices like eBook readers? We’ve already seen that you can turn a netbook into an eBook reader that also happens to have WiFi, in some cases a keyboard, and the ability to do more than just read books.

On the other hand, dedicated eBook readers are typically smaller, lighter, easier to hold in one hand, and have batteries that last for weeks, not just hours. They also tend to have higher contrast displays. But I’d love to see a device that combines some of the features of netbooks and eBook readers with a Pixel Qi screen that works in high contrast eBook mode and which is also capable of displaying videos with full color saturation. On the other hand, I doubt you’d be able to pick up such a device for less than $199 anytime soon.

What do you think? Would you buy a dedicated eBook reader? How much would you be willing to pay for one? Or do you already own one? Sound off in the comments.

Want an eBook reader, but don’t want to pick up a commercially available unit from Amazon, Sony, or another company? One Australian hacker decided he didn’t want to pay the shipping charges to get an eBook reader from the US, so he picked up a cheap Eee PC and started down the long path to turning it into a dream eBook reader.

Of course, along the way he’s probably spending more money on parts. And there’s no way the time he’s spending on the project is worth the few hundred bucks he’s saving. But that’s hardly the point, now is it?

Here’s what an Eee PC-based eBook reader has that most dedicated devices lack: a color screen, and a fully functional computer that’s capable of browsing the web or performing other duties. He’s even throwing in a touchscreen for good measure. Here’s the down side: The battery life on an Eee PC stinks compared with commercial eBook readers.

The project is far from complete, but you can follow its progress at the Overclocker forums. In case you couldn’t tell, the image above is a concept drawing of the finished product.

[via Engadget]