Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, two of the most well-known consumer electronics companies in the world, have each announced that they are planning to release e-Readers this spring. Samsung announced this month the pending availability of its first-ever eReader product for the US market, and LG has similarly described plans to introduce its own e-reader by April, apparently in the Middle East and Africa market.

Initially previewed at CES 2010 in January, along with several other possible models, the Samsung eReader — called the E60, according to some sources — features a big difference from its legacy competition: not only can users read content, but they can also write directly on the device, to highlight content and share notes with other users. The device also features advanced handwriting capabilities and WiFi connectivity.

Samsung Electronics America announced that its parent, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has formed a partnership with Barnes & Noble to provide the eCommerce storefront for the Samsung eReader. Users can access Barnes & Noble’s digital library of more than 1 million titles, and most bestsellers will carry a $9.99 price tag, the same as for Barnes & Noble’s own nook and Amazon’s Kindle devices. The eReader is expected to carry a $299 price tag at launch.

The eReader uses an electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen to allow the user to write on the unit’s 6" 600×800 8-gray scale E-ink display. This writing system gives users the capability of making annotations in the margins, and even images can be modified with direct handwriting and memos on content. Voice recording functionality additionally enables users to create audio memos and annotations. With the included journal, scheduler and memo applications, users can utilize the stylus to write and save entries, which are made available for thumbnail viewing and easy searching.

The eReader features a slider form factor and supports e-pub, PDF, TXT, BMP and JPG formats. Content is accessed by means of a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) network connection, and Samsung’s EmoLink system enables users to share content between Samsung eReader devices. 2GB of internal memory is standard, and an external Micro SD card slot increases the device’s storage by an additional 16GB.

LG plans to release a device too, but apparently not yet in the U.S. LG Middle-East/Africa CEO KW Kim, speaking to Emirates Business in Dubai, said, "We will soon launch a new product, maybe by April. It will compete with Apple and Amazon." Not much else is known about the device, but both a flexible display and a solar-powered display have been shown by the company. (The company is also supplying 9.7-inch LCD displays for the Apple iPad.) According to the London Financial Times, LG had already signed deals in December with Taiwan’s Prime View International, which manufactures the e-Ink display used in the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader.

Ignoring for the moment that the mass appeal of these devices over conventional print media remains unproven, two elements necessary for the success of e-book products are a good user experience, and broad access to content. The sluggish entry of the original Sony e-books was likely due to the fact that they had no wireless connectivity, preventing the all-important impulse purchase of content. The Kindle has 3G connectivity, while the nook has both 3G and WiFi. But the Samsung eReader only has WiFi, making it more convenient than having a PC connection, but not as good as the nearly-always available 3G. And, partnering with an established content provider is equally important. Samsung has figured that out (as have its established competitors), but the whole LG ecosystem is yet to be described. Perhaps they’re running a trial, aimed at niche consumers; with some 57 million Internet users in the Middle East, it’s a decent market. Time will tell.