Datang, a telecom equipment vendor, will start selling an e-reader that supports China Mobile’s 3G standard late this month, said the company. The device has a 6-inch screen and can play music and receive news feeds in addition to displaying e-books. It will cost around 3,000 yuan (US$440), well above the $300 price tag on the Kindle.

But e-books in China face strong competition from free, often pirated content that can be downloaded from many Web sites and cheaply-priced pirated paper books widely sold on Chinese streets.

Local companies Hanwang Technology and Founder Technology also plan to sell e-readers for China Mobile’s 3G standard.

Datang plans to release a color e-reader in 2011 and may make other models targeted at groups such as students, a strategy used by rival Hanwang.

Source : Konaxis