Given our current discussion over the Sony v. Illiad readers, I had a thought-- on one hand we have a reader crippled by potential DRM problems and on the other hand we have a reader that is a bit more than most people need.

So, I have a question for the board-- if you were designing an eink reader, what would you demand in it?

Here are my requirements:

1. A screen that it at least paperback sized, with an option for a larger model screen.
2. At least 128 MB's storage on-board, for books.
3. Compatiable with PDF, txt, HTML (non-interactive), and Doc files, jpegs would be a plus.
4. Memory card slot.
5. USB cable/port-- also have at least one USB port recessed in such a way that you could ad a USB wireless connector.
6. Requires no on-board computer programs for downloading files-- have it be seen as an external drive when connected to the computer, and you just click and drag.
7. A price at @ 200 dollars.

Note, this is for a basic reader, which sacrifices some capability for lower price.

Interesting question. My E Ink reader would look like this:

1. 8.1-inch XGA 1024x768 screen (= iRex). Nothing less or multi-column PDF content becomes a pain to read.
2. 64MB built-in memory. I am happy as long as external storage support is provided (preferably SD card so I can use my existing memory chips)
3. Compatible with PDF, XHTML, Plucker, iSilo, and OpenReader
4. (wireless) networking not a must. But USB (preferably 2.0) is required for data transfer, to appear on the desktop as a mass storage device requiring no extra drivers or programs.
5. price not above USD $380.

If were talking dream specs, I'd say Mr Saint's specs plus the following:
* "Spectacular" eInk color screen with some kind of backlight for low light conditions, and the ability to show DivX/Xvid/MPEG4 video. But I realize the color video is really pushing it because of frame refresh rates for current eink displays, and lack of affordable color display technology.
* Long battery life, and rechargeable, user-replaceable battery.
* eReader and MSWord document compatibility (which should allow reading rtf, txt, doc, html, etc. -- whatever Word can read.)
* Automatic sync of bookmarks and current page locations between Palm/PPC, so if you are reading books on two devices it's not a pain to keep track of what page you are on. Actually, aside from eInk readers, I'd love to see synchronization like this between PPC and PalmOS devices, not just for ebook reader software!
* Linux and Mac compatible. Not for me personally (yet), but I know it's frustrating to be on a platform and not have it supported.
* Price not above $50 dollars. Okay, I know that's rediculous... let's make that not above $300. I know, that price is still not feasible either, but maybe we can at least call it "wishable" for a dream spec.

Ever notice how hard it is to nail down specs? We don't really know the tech limitations, and don't have examples to work off of. It's hard to determine what's fantasy and what's possible. It's much easier to make this kind of guess for a more established market like for PalmOS or PPC handhelds!

I've actually thought about this quite a bit. Here's what I envision. Please bear in mind that I'm thinking of "lowest common denominator" type units. Devices that could be accessible to pretty much everyone. Something that might be useful for public schools, to reduce their book-related logistics, and even university level literature classes that might want to look at out of print, and rare texts, as well as say Great Expectations, while still being a solid, functional, and serviceable text reader for the rest of us. None of this is to say that I think there's no place for a really suped up version with every bell and whistle some genius can figure out how to squeeze into an appropriate sized package, 'cause I think that would be just nifty (http://www.sluggy.com). I've just come at it from a perspective of what will need to happen to allow e-texts to actually come of age.

I'd like to see the size be no smaller than a paper-back and no bigger than a hardback, perhaps the size of those "large" paperbacks.

Next, build it around the least capable processor that can handle the job: i.e. 286, 386 or wherever that falls out. The idea being to keep the cost down as much as possible. I'd really like to see the intro prices for the base units be under $100 (like around $50). I think that's almost as necessary for the device's long term success as its being able to handle as many different file formats as possible.

I'd like to see either a single purpose OS (to open and read e-files) or a "bootable" SD card approach (like before hard-drives came along), where the reader software is contained on the chip/book for those that have it. I see the first being the preferable option. Something like a stand-alone version of µBook (http://www.gowerpoint.com/) would be nice.

I'd like the reader software to handle any sort of "text" I can find to throw at it, including word, txt, rtf, html, pdf, etc. But also pml, as I have a number of text already converted to that format, and it seems to be a pretty compact, functional format.

I'd also like to see the reader power-up, change pages, and power down, in the interest of power consumption (it sounds like that's what Sony is doing with theirs). On power, I'd like to see AA batteries. I know -- that sounds crazy, but NiMH rechargeables are cheap and getting better all the time (I saw some 2500 mAH ones the other day), plus if I get in a real bind, I can always pop in a set of good old alkalines and be good to go while/til I can recharge the others.

I'd like to see SD cards be the medium of choice for books, as they have the copy protection capabilities built right into the chip (same type as a DVD), which I think might ease some publisher minds on releasing e-texts into the world. I've actually given a lot of thought to organizing the files on the card (store each page as a separate file, etc.), but I won't go into that here. I also still like the idea of buying a physical book if I so choose, even though it's a memory card.

I'd like the driver for the e-ink to also be able to read back what's displayed and save it as an annotation file of some type (.png format perhaps) so that I could use a magnetized stylus (again a power passive method) to write notes on the "page" which the reader software could store and re-display later. As kind of a companion to that, it should allow displaying some sort of static reference info. as to where you are in the text so that, say, teacher and class can all (if you'll pardon the pun) be on the same page, regardless of font, magnification, and such.

I'd like to see an optional "second" page that would attach to the left edge of the base unit, for taking notes on, or displaying 2 pages at once, if someone should really want to do so.

I'd also like to see an optional, removable front-lighting system that operates similarly to the Lightwedge (http://www.lightwedge.net/) products. Everyone seems to be thinking "backlighting," but I really think that front-lighting is more appropriate to a paper-like display -- why bring in all the eye-strain issues associated with backlighting, when there is an arguable better, more flexible alternative?

I think there are some non-device things that will need to happen to smooth the way, not that it can't work without them, just that it will be rougher on us if they don't.

Publishers need some assurance that their IP rights will be protected (that's why I'm thinking SD cards with their copy protection capabilities).

Publishers will have to get it through their heads that if they remove the entire cost of imprint from the equation, they cannot expect to charge hardback prices for e-texts. That's just wrong, and most folks won't cooperate. They need to look at what the per-unit cost for printing books is (which they're quite aware of to the last penny, I'm sure) and drop the price for the e-text accordingly, perhaps not all the way, but close.

I, for one, would be very glad, given a serviceable reader, to trade my paper books for SD Card versions. 4MB SD chips ought to be ridiculously cheap in bulk, and since the entire collected works of Shakespeare, as a plain text file, will fit handily on a 3.5" floppy, 4MB ought to be plenty for most novels, and still leave ample space for user notes, bookmarks and such.

The school think is what I'm thinking-- I used to teach and believe me, you wouldn't believe what text books cost for a primary or secondary level school-- which is why often students had "current events" texts that were ten years old.

BUT... they ahve to be cheap, and durable. If you give a block of granite to a sixth grader, and turn your back, you'll turn back around to find him looking proud of himself with a pile of granite dust.
Also, IP would be a problem, but not much of one-- schools are generally big enough targets that we don't have to worry about them trying to get in under the wire, and the units would probably be kept on the school grounds.

Moleskine size. The two extra centimeters of the Illiad will be a problem in a lot of pockets, literally.

One thing I forgot -- all the RAM should be Flash RAM, so that the thing can truly be turned off between page flips without having to reboot cold to turn the next page.

It just occurred to me what all so-called book readers are missing, the one vital detail absolutely critical to the success of any such device: the words "Don't Panic" written on the cover in large, friendly letters. :wideeyed:

Moleskine size. The two extra centimeters of the Illiad will be a problem in a lot of pockets, literally.

What is 'moleskine size'? (mm) Thanks!

It just occurred to me what all so-called book readers are missing, the one vital detail absolutely critical to the success of any such device: the words "Don't Panic" written on the cover in large, friendly letters. :wideeyed:

Nice one! :D

What is 'moleskine size'? (mm) Thanks!
According Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine)13×21 cm. I never measured it. I know that my moleskine is exactly the same size that my libretto CT110, and both of them fit nicely in coat pockets.

According Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine) 13×21 cm. I never measured it. I know that my moleskine is exactly the same size that my libretto CT110, and both of them fit nicely in coat pockets.

That same article also says there are two 'standard' sizes (the other being 9×14) .. can you firm the size you mean? I couldn'y find any specs. for the Libretto on the web, and 13×21 sounds big for a pocket. Thanks!

http://www.mojolondon.co.uk/product.php?sku=02126

That same article also says there are two 'standard' sizes (the other being 9×14) .. can you firm the size you mean? I couldn'y find any specs. for the Libretto on the web, and 13×21 sounds big for a pocket. Thanks!
Not so big, 13 centimeters in enough for most coats and jackets. Of course you do not want to wear it inside jeans, screen will bend and break.

Actually the 100CT was 13.2x21x3.5 cm

It just occurred to me what all so-called book readers are missing, the one vital detail absolutely critical to the success of any such device: the words "Don't Panic" written on the cover in large, friendly letters. :wideeyed:

Check the reading in this photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38074672@N00/83278095/

Check the reading in this photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38074672@N00/83278095/

Nice shot, especially when you view it in hi-res:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=83278095&size=o

And also:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=83277787&size=o

Check the reading in this photo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38074672@N00/83278095/

That ROCKS! No, that BOULDERS!

Not so big, 13 centimeters in enough for most coats and jackets. Of course you do not want to wear it inside jeans, screen will bend and break.

Actually the 100CT was 13.2x21x3.5 cm

OK, thanks for clearing that up. Big & deep pockets must be de rigueur for this crowd :-)

Nice shot, especially when you view it in hi-res:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=83278095&size=o


Hey, actually this hi-res photo reveals that the sd-card slot is not in the same place that the memory stick is. Well, it is in the same place but it opens in different direction.

Also, note the seesaw key in this same side, between the PREV and the SIZE keys. In this place in the Librie board there is an empy area for a extra connector, of about 18-20 pins. It seems they have reused this area for a simple switch.

OK, thanks for clearing that up. Big & deep pockets must be de rigueur for this crowd :-)
Of course. Bluetooth roles nowadays. The BT phone in a pocket, the GPS in another, the Nokia 770 somewere, and then the e-ink device, all networked :D

Also I usually wrap the libretto in a plastic bag, partly to avoid the rain, partly to avoid temptations from pickpocketers. In the bag, it looks as an standard book or perhaps a video tape.

1. Unlike what seems to be most people here I would prefer an A4 sized screen since I mostly read academic papers which are always formatted in this size. A lot of the academic texts I download also seem to be around this size. Black and white display is more than enough for the moment.
2. Memory storage size of around 200MB.
3. Quick screen refresh time of no more than 1 second.
4. Battery live should be in the region of tens of thousands of page turns. Unless I am using the thing non stop I don't want to have to recharge it more than once a month.
5. No propreitry software. (Sony)
6. USB 2 connection. I don't use any other types.
7. Price of around 200euros. At a stretch I would pay up to 350 but definitely not a cent over that. I don't care about any extra features like touchscreen or mp3 playing. I just want basic functionality. You begin competing with bargain basement laptops at this price level as well.

Somebody please make one of these things!

I think about 3 different sizes of ereaders would be nice; though perhaps two would be adequate with a rollable screen technology. However, a rollable screen might have problems with inputting data as well as fragility issues. I think, realistically speaking, ereaders are going to have to do more than just display books to be really marketable (at least in the near future at the prices they are going to be at). This is especially true considering the fact the ereader IS a computer and will be capable of more wether or not it has the programs to do more; might as well enable the increased capability.

First a small pda-like device that fits in your pocket would be good for pda-type activities as well as being an ereader. This is about the size of a Sony ereader.

A lot of books are bigger than this however, and for some things the size difference is very important (especially with text and eyestrain). A lot of Dover books (a publisher), for instance, are just about 2" bigger along the diagnal. Since more and more classes at colleges these days seem to be using them, a larger display that is a more natural fit and still very portable would be nice. This is about the same size as the Iliad.

Then a nice large screen for when you don't have too many portability worries , or for when you have time to fish out something from a backpack, etc. Something with say a 12" screen or so (perhaps the size of an A4 or Letter page); still very portable, but not as readily handy as the above two. This can handle larger books and other "print" media in a more natural format.

All of these should have a means of inputing data into the device, preferably a touch screen like the Iliad. Additionally, they should all have wifi and perhaps bluetooth for syncing purposes (with each other and with a computer).

A price around 300 dollars (American) or less would be ideal (for each unit; assuming the differing sizes of screen and miniturization requirements cancel out so the size of the unit doesn't alter the price). This is very affordable for most people, even if it is a bit of an investment.

A memory size of a couple hundred megs is sufficient if they have compact flash readers in them, as flash is getting ever cheaper per meg and their capacity is doubling each year as well.

Ideally, of course, the display technology would be eink-like, but with a much faster refresh rate

As for software, I'd want them to run a linux OS and be open for anyone to develop new software for them. The capability to handle most any sort of "text"/graphics file, though not necessarily with color, would also be essential.

As for DRM, I don't really care for it and I honestly don't think it is necessary. IMHO, the nice compromise between no DRM and stringent DRM is just ecoding the identity of the purchaser into the product they purchase (some companies do this with PDF books). It gets the job done sufficiently and I know no one that doesn't understand the need to financially support the things they like--and studies show that people that "pirate" more also purchase more, so I don't think piracy would be much of an issue in a non-DRM world, so long as people could actually buy what they want in the format they want.

I suppose 3 sizes might seem a little crazy, but I honestly think I would buy 3 different sizes of ereader; starting with the middle or larger and going down probably. There is definitely a niche for each one.

A really interesting thread, I have a couple of thoughts to add:

If you read a lot - you probably carry around a paperback - you don't really expect to put this in your jeans (unless you have weird shaped jeans) - so an 8-9in device is OK (but no bigger) as long as it's light and sturdy.

I read novels, business books and academic papers, I know I should be better organised, but I always end up writing in the margins or highlighting stuff (even tearing pages out of magazines and newspapers - interaction is a really useful feature in any reader, it's (at least my) human nature.

Wireless is only OK - if - it's simple (ala the iLiad) and it does what I want (not like the iLiad) I don't need to interact with the Internet when reading stuff - but it is good to "clip" stuff to deal with later without having to shuffle keyfobs - maybe I want to mail later or maybe I want to ask author for usage etc.

What else?
Colour? Overrated unless you really need it - more of a vertical requirement.

Battery life? Essential. A real 4 hours a day for a week - the only device I have that does this is my Psion5 ... which is no good for really reading.

Formats?
pdf, doc, txt, oeb, rtf ... maybe Mobipocket. What would also be useful is for my device manufacturer to offer an oline conversion utility to convert my ppt's, xls's openoffice docs etc into a suitable optimised format.
Formats - HTML? nah ... If I want to read something online I'd either convert it or print it out on treeware - If I don't interact with the HTML - I'd be transfering it somehow - so again a simple "one press" conversion/transfer process would work for me.

Storage/Connectivity? 256MB, USB expansion/connection, wireless "my briefcase" like function to sync with my online folder. probably bluetooth so I can send stuff from my mobile to my reader when travelling.

Cost? £230/$410 max, in reality this is for early adopters/vertical markets - what I'd really pay for a mass marlet product would be @£170 max.

That's it! This device should be available pretty much now and should hit a mass market price point in 2007/8 ...

Charles Gray nailed my base requirements on the first try. All I want is to be able to read text from a convenient screen. The advantages of the other features are not worth their costs (monetary and otherwise) to me.

As with another poster here, I also read a lot of scientific papers. If there were a bare bones model in paperback size and one that had one dimension as long as a sheet of paper is wide, I'd buy both.

my requirements for a reader

1. 6" e-ink screen
2. LOW price
3. LOW price
4. LOW price
5. LOW price
6. LOW price
7. LOW price
8. price under $99
9. standard AAA bateries, so you can always have spare in your pocket
and you will be able to replace them once they wear out.

While I have no problem with the Sony Reader size -- great for reading on the go etc -- my dream reader would be 7" x 10" (think of "National Geographic" size.) All formats would be nice but unexpected. Side or top light as I like the reflective nature of eink. Also, a remote control for turning the pages.

For my friends with major sight problems, a program on the reader that will read the text to them.

I actually like my eBw 1150 pretty well for reading, but it would be even better if it ran linux and could display non-proprietary files without conversion (which it would probably be able to do by now if it were a linux device). The battery lasts a long time, easily 20+ hours at the setting I leave the backlight at. I like the note-taking feature, but it needs a better way to export the notes (or be able to search them, at least). And the price was right ($114 including shipping). So most of the improvements I want are software, not hardware. For a reader. I'm still not giving up on wishing for an Info Pad, but that's another story. :D

A reader that reads to me. I like it!

1. Unlike what seems to be most people here I would prefer an A4 sized screen since I mostly read academic papers which are always formatted in this size. A lot of the academic texts I download also seem to be around this size. Black and white display is more than enough for the moment.
etc.
Last post last year? Is this not a hot topic anymore? :-)
I'm with transman on this one, A4 display for reviewing documents on a plane. Nothing extra fancy, full featured PDF would be enough (everything else can be made into PDF :D )
Memory cards go up very high these days, so I wouldn't even worry about putting in more space than what's needed for the system itself to boot...
... oh, and charging and sync'ing with USB.
(dear santa? :p )

Last post last year? Is this not a hot topic anymore? :-)
I'm with transman on this one, A4 display for reviewing documents on a plane. Nothing extra fancy, full featured PDF would be enough (everything else can be made into PDF :D )
Memory cards go up very high these days, so I wouldn't even worry about putting in more space than what's needed for the system itself to boot...
... oh, and charging and sync'ing with USB.
(dear santa? :p )

An A4 sized eInk display does not exist and is unlikely to exist anytime soon, perhaps never. Even the latest 9.7" screen is pushing it and it is nowhere near A4. The largest commercially successful display is the iLiad 8". All early manifestations of large displays have failed in the market place. Hopefully a 9.7" will survive but I am not holding my breath. That is the reality since 1998 when the first eBook devices were built.

Dale

Backlight.
Backlight.
Backlight.
Backlight.
Backlight.
Backlight.....

Wireless.

Lots of space.

Decent battery life but doesn't have to be spectacular. About like my ebookwise-1150.

The device I'm dreaming about:

It's black and white (I think it's easier on the eyes and I don't want to pay for color).

e-ink or similar: not backlit, not LCD, won't hurt my eyes no matter how long I look at it.

Has a nice case to protect the screen, that I don't have to pay an extra $50 for. Ideally comes with a little clip-on front-lighting reading light.

Either 6" like most of what's out there, or A5 so I can read half an A4 page. I'll certainly pay more for the larger one, but I don't know how much more, and right now I'd probably just assume buy the 6" version. If it's not touch screen and I'm really *only* reading books on it (which is what it's meant for), then a larger screen's only advantage is in viewing A4 formated PDF files. If it's going to have the large screen, it should probably be something like the iliad but maybe with more refined software, and be able to write notes etc like the iliad, and surf the web and do my taxes ... and ... well, ... the iliad type device just seems like a different product and different question. It's more than an ebook reader. We're just talking about dream ebook readers here.

HTML, TXT, PDF, MP3, DOC, open office doc, RTF, one or two ebook-specific txt formats, every other normal open txt format you can think of, and zip, and rar, and maybe even tar.gz.

Preferably with mobipocket support, but I don't consider DRM support to be critical. I just a "nice to have" feature, but it's probably on most people's "must have" list.

Can lookup a word from a book in a chosen dictionary file (presumably by selecting with a 4-way directional button like on the cybook).

Can search for a quote (maybe an online keyboard navigated by a directional key? I'm not talking about typing an essay on the thing, just entering a few words).

Can store unlimited bookmarks.

Can highlight (underline?) sections of a book (presumably selecting text with some kind of directional navigation key). This would sort of just be a variation on bookmarking.

All the formatting (font size, margins, etc), can be adjusted easily for any ebook opened (unless of course it's PDF, or if some wacky DRM thing prevents it).

Can legitimately handle large SD (or similar) cards without disrupting performance.

It has a USB port and I can easily just plug the thing in to copy books to it, as well as just copying books onto the SD card. I don't want any kind of wireless... I see that as a waste of money, battery life, etc.

It supports folders. With ebook-specific file formats it can sort book lists by title, author, etc. It would be nice if there was some kind of "tagging" of ebooks too like in delicious.

Long battery life (a couple of weeks seems normal here), preferably using fairly standard batteries that are cheaply replaceable (for example, the hanlin uses fairly standard nokia-type phone batteries). I know the battery life on these things is long and I won't be changing batteries regularly, but if I own it for a couple of years eventually the battery will stop holding charge. It happens. I don't want to 3 years from now be faced with a decision of either upgrading to a new device and throwing the old one in a drawer, or paying $50 to replace the battery.

It doesn't say "not supported outside the US" on it.

It supports unicode fonts. Specifically, I'm interested in Chinese. I'm not satisfied with "it works in PDF files." Maybe it would have some kind of "fonts" folder where I can easily add fonts too.

The company selling it doesn't give me the impression of a fly-by-night operation. like, presumably they should have a web page, and that web page at least shouldn't have lots of dead links on it.

I can look at it, hand someone $300, and own it.

Baring actually being able to buy the thing with cash: I can pay with a credit card and have it ship within a week. There are good reviews on the internet, and the company seems to have been responsive to the issues of it's customers as reflected by postings on boards like this one.

Linux/Open Source

Support for non-DRM formats

Screen: e-ink at least A5 size

USB port

Decent memory and/or memory card slot

A small keyboard for fast and convenient search and note taking

Ability to make bookmarks and text search

Reasonable boot time and battery life (unlike Irex Iliad)