Txtr makes the world’s cheapest eReader

You’ve been thinking about buying an eBook reader, but you haven’t worked out if you should invest in touchscreen tablet technology or that electronic ink stuff, because each can be expensive. But what if you could find e-ink for under $20?

Unveiled this week by Txtr in Germany, the Beagle is an eBook reader that will offer up a 5 inch electronic ink screen with eight shades of grey for just under ten Euros, which should translate to a little over $12 in Australia.

With an insanely budget friendly eReader, you can’t expect much, so there’s no 3G or WiFi here, no touchscreen, nor is there a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, but the Txtr Beagle does take two AAA batteries and receive its eBooks from Android devices over Bluetooth, with support for iOS coming soon.

Four colours will be available, and Txtr claims that the Beagle can read 12 to 15 books per year with regular use. Standby doesn’t exist on this reader, and off actually means off.

Australian release isn’t confirmed yet, but we’re checking, because with an expected release of right before the holidays, we bet there are plenty of people who would love to give the gift of inexpensive eReaders this holiday season.