By Siobhan O’Leary

Following in the footsteps of Barnes & Noble in the US, Germany’s largest book chain Thalia is set to release its own e-reader in October. In a statement to the Boersenblatt, Thalia spokeswoman Mirjam Berle announced that further details about the device (including partners secured) would be revealed on September 4th at the IFA conference in Berlin. She did confirm, however, that the device would be a dedicated e-reader and not a Tablet PC in the vein of the iPad.

Thalia has also launched a website on the subject of e-readers, featuring author interviews and discussions about the future of reading. The initiative will also carry over into 18 of Thalia’s bookstores, where multimedia displays will allow customers to record their thoughts on the future of reading via video. These comments will be posted to the website and, along with the comments posted directly online, will be entered into a competition to win one of ten Thalia e-readers.