Gadgets: New e-book reader from Samsung

Samsung recently introduced its long-awaited e-book reader for the American market, and while it has useful features, a big one is missing.

The Samsung eReader E60 will lack 3G cellular capability when it ships this spring, a notable omission when compared with the current market leaders, the Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barnes & Noble, both of which are priced lower.

The eReader will, however, have Wi-Fi for downloading content (the Nook also has Wi-Fi). The company is considering adding 3G in later versions, said Reid Sullivan, senior vice president for audio-video and digital imaging marketing at Samsung.

Samsung is trumpeting the device's ability to enable users to annotate text, write notes and share this content with others. To do so, the E60 includes a stylus pen. The pen worked well, though there was a lag before the writing appeared on the screen. The company will team up with Barnes & Noble for content.

Like the Kindle and Nook, it has two gigabytes of memory built in, and includes a Micro SD card slot to increase storage by 16 gigabytes.

The Solar Surge is an iPhone case that doubles as a solar charger, to use when there are more sunbeams around than power outlets, or if you just feel like shrinking your carbon footprint. The solar panel charges an external battery enclosed in a case that surrounds the iPhone.

A two-hour session in the sun provides about 20 minutes of extra talk time. And to help figure out how much charging is needed for other tasks, the company provides an iPhone app and Web-based calculator. Input the state of the weather and how much talking, movie watching and music listening you plan on doing, and the app will tell you how much solar charging you need to keep your iPhone humming.

A deal killer for some might be the size. The Solar Surge is about double the thickness of the iPhone, which may not appeal to those who like to keep things light and simple.