Digital book readers with E Ink displays aren’t really ideal devices for surfing the web. E Ink is known for its slow page refresh rates, which makes dynamic content like video impossible to view. But that doesn’t mean you can’t surf the web on an eBook Reader. After all, a growing number of these portable devices are shipping with WiFi… so why not add a web browser?
That appears to be Acer’s approach, anyway. Because the company is bundling the Opera web browser with its upcoming LumiRead eBook reader. The LumiRead web browser will be powered by Opera Devices SDK 10.30 for Linux.
The browser will show web pages on the LumiRead’s 6 inch E Ink display. At the bottom of the screen you’ll see a panel with a thumbnail of the whole web site, making navigation a little easier.
I’m still not convinced my eBook reader would be the device I’d grab when I want to surf the web. But you know what the best device is for surfing the web? The one that happens to be in your hands at the moment. So if you happen to have a LumiRead handy when your smartphone and netbook are nowhere to be seen, it looks like you’ll be able to look something up online without having to, you know, stand up and go find your missing phone.