When you're on top, everyone comes gunning for you, especially in a lucrative market like the e-reader business. Not only will Amazon have to fend off competition from Sony, but it will also have to contend with startups and other newcomers hoping to grab a piece of the e-book pie.

Enter Christopher Maire, CEO of txtr, who said his firm would release an e-reader before Christmas rolls around. Or in other words, just in time for the holiday shopping spree.

"Reading is a 100 million market and we think is a big opportunity for providing an 'Easy tech' solution," Maire explains. "The e-reading design will be launched by Christmas, and is custom designed to include energy saving.."

Maire went on to say his company's device will include touch technology, a simplified form factor, and various connectivity options, including UMTS, GPRS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB. But the company's real advantage, Maire claims, is on the software side. The CEO says that txtr is a software stack company and it will share folders in the cloud, licensing its middleware stack to other manufacturers. At launch, Maire says his company's software will boast support for the iPhone.