Gizmodo got some pictures of upcoming reader:
http://gizmodo.com/ (http://gizmodo.com/5380942/barnes-and-nobles-e+reader-like-a-kindleiphone-chimera-first-photos-and-details)

Truly a chimera. Methinks I also saw a built in reading light at the top?

Interesting!

I'm wondering if they are going to continue to support the DRM'd ereader format or move to epub?

I sure hope that LCD turns off while reading.

Truly a chimera. Methinks I also saw a built in reading light at the top?

Actually it appears to wrap around the device. Perhaps it also fits the other way, covering the screens when not in use?

interesting indeed.
I thought plastic logic made an announcement that B&N reader would not be in color e-ink screen, although they do have plans to produce a model later on.
from the pictures it does look like it will be in color ( look at the bottom menu part where books covers are in color.)

interesting indeed.
I thought plastic logic made an announcement that B&N reader would not be in color e-ink screen, although they do have plans to produce a model later on.
from the pictures it does look like it will be in color ( look at the bottom menu part where books covers are in color.)

Just the bottom LCD part is in color - the reading screen is the regular eink gray scale.

^ What he said.

Oh my, I REALLY want one of those. And cheaper than the Kindle? Yes please...

Oh my, I REALLY want one of those. And cheaper than the Kindle? Yes please...


Refurbished Kindles are pretty reasonable....

So they're basically combining an ebook reader with elements from an iPod touch. I don't expect to see this thing for a penny less than $349, and probably closer to $399 (or more).

It looks pretty cool but I wish they said more about it. We'll have to wait until next week I guess . . .

I sure hope that LCD turns off while reading.

They mentioned it does turns off on a caption next to one of the pictures.

From the Gizmodo article, "image 5" blurb:

"Pricing is yet unknown, but no matter what, it was planned to be sold at less than the price of a Kindle, with the majority of revenue made up through book sales."

http://gizmodo.com/5381149/bn-reader-gal//gallery?selectedImage=5

btw, this blurry pic look pretty real to me.

First reader I have ever seen that makes me consider something different to my Sony.

First reader I have ever seen that makes me consider something different to my Sony.

and why is that?

The name of the gadget, which I cannot reveal and may have changed anyhow, is freaking terrible. I hope they change it before it ships.

LOL, I wonder what the name is.



It's interesting. It'll be nice to find out specifics, like format support.

I do like the touch screen on the bottom. Seems like it would be useful.

and why is that?

I love Gadgets!

and currently all other readers are the same as the sony except not as good!

Secret name of reader must be something international like: The Shiitake

Maybe this device will only cost $100 by using the LCD for banner ads. Nothing like commercials while reading, especially if it's related to the text on the page.

Checking the original FCC image, the device in the new photos is longer, so maybe it is yet *another* device...

The first screen is an 6-inch e-ink display with an 800x600 pixel resolution. That's standard for e-books, with this screen having similar refresh and contrast as the second generation Kindle's. The second display, however, is as wide as the e-ink display but is a multitouch LCD that is meant to be used as the sole interface for browsing swiftly through colored book covers (like Apple's coverflow, but books instead of of Album art) and buying "rather than forcing eink do things it was not made for." It is 480x144 pixels in size and has a resolution of 150dpi.

For me the touchscreen at the bottom is the most exciting part of this tidbit. It's really hard to flip through pages on an ebook device given the inherent limitations of eInk refreshes, and a coverflow-like preview of pages that I can scroll through at the speed of a regular LCD screen would be a major improvement in the reading experience. The BN reader might only allow flipping through book covers as opposed to book pages, but it's a start!

It strikes me, that this thing could take the odd phone call or two (not that I am sure that would be a good thing). I wonder about a web browser?

It definitely is an interesting approach with the two screens...and it opens up so many possibilities. I agree with the other poster that mentioned that here is a reader that makes me think I might be able to switch from my Sony readers.

One thing I don't like about most other readers is that they are plastic. I actually do like the feel of the Kindle 2, but other plastic readers have not felt as good to me, nor do they look as good. This one does. And other readers don't have anything that my Sony doesn't have that I care about. But the dual screen is definitely intriguing :2thumbsup

That's rather ingenious. I didn't think Barnes and Noble could pull this off well.. (given their high priced online and brick and mortar stores) but that's a sleek device. The LCD is particularly brilliant - browsing, searching, etc.. all these are agonizingly slow on the Kindle (annotations having a level of their own in Dante's Inferno).

I'd be sorely tempted but all those books on my Kindle weren't binding me to it. Stupid DRM. But then again.. that's why they have it! It traps you!

Still, given the books I aren't available elsewhere there's not much to do about it.

Secret name of reader must be something international like: The Shiitake

....

Nah, something like "Hussain" :eek:

or maybe Weeder - World Reader ... drop a few letters.. :rofl:

I like the two screen idea also.

I wonder if they will be available on the 20th after B&N has their press conference.

Nothing like a hands on test!

It definitely is an interesting approach with the two screens..
Intersting indead.
I wonder if it will be availible outside US.

It's a sensible design. You can also have a truly responsive menu, keyboard and other functions and read on an e-ink screen. And since the lower screen will be off while reading, you're not going to have major battery issues.

Yes, there will be comprimises because of the dual-screen design, but I like the concept, very much. The problem is, as Eowyn notes, avaliability.

This is one of the most innovated reader so far. They are thinking outside of the box. I'm looking forward to finally updating my PRS-505 with the PRS-900 but this will definitely go in list of options. I'll wait to learn more!

Nah, something like "Hussain" :eek:

or maybe Weeder - World Reader ... drop a few letters.. :rofl:

"The Liseuse"...

"The Liseuse"...

:rofl:

The device does look cool and the LCD idea sounds great, but if Barnes and Noble does sell it cheaper than Kindle, it most certainly will be tied to their store exclusively for DRM'd books. There's NO WAY there going to add DRM ePub support. The only way they could do that is by beating everyone on ebook price across the boards . . .

And that ain't happen', mon.

My guess is that they were planning to sell it cheaper than the previous K2 price -299$- The recent price cut must have come as a surprise, I wonder if they will match it. On the other hand, they may be more expensive if they includes a cover and a reading light.

"The Liseuse"...

Aiiiieeeee!!!! :eek:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

LOL, I wonder what the name is.




Accelerant.:rofl:

The device does look cool and the LCD idea sounds great, but if Barnes and Noble does sell it cheaper than Kindle, it most certainly will be tied to their store exclusively for DRM'd books. There's NO WAY there going to add DRM ePub support. The only way they could do that is by beating everyone on ebook price across the boards . . .

And that ain't happen', mon.

I was just about to ask this question. So you think this will be closed as well as the kindle? Do you think the prices will be cheaper than the kindle store at least? hmm... i wonder.
I'm also worried about the touch part. It's a great idea and all but i hope it's responsive as well...

From the Gizmodo article, "image 5" blurb:
http://gizmodo.com/5381149/bn-reader-gal//gallery?selectedImage=5

btw, this blurry pic look pretty real to me.

What exactly are we looking at in image #5? It looks like some sort of tabs on top and bottom.

Names???

Along the lines of pshrynk's idea... The Blaze or Wildfire?

I did read that it says "Athena" on the top right front of the device in image #3.

So you think this will be closed as well as the kindle? Do you think the prices will be cheaper than the kindle store at least?

I don't see how it wouldn't be closed DRM-wise, since BN just unveiled their new online store back in July, boasting 700,000 titles. And they currently require users to use their specific ereader software to read any of their books.

But they might be able to mange some lower prices and deals since they publisher their own brand of books. But not across the board.

Support e-pub I'm in - no support - no interest

Support e-pub I'm in - no support - no interest

I agree. I think they would really get a significant market share if they would go with something (anything) other than the eReader (Palm Reader) format and DRM scheme. I just don't think I can choke that down.

That looks so very very cool. It looks how I imagine a kindle might after another year or two of iterations. As long as that LCD keyboard has the same kind of sensitivity as the iphone screen (easy to type on). I bet the price point is high.

Well - Amazon is launching the international K2 in October.
Irex launches an affordable reader in October.
B&N launches a nifty combo reader in October.
Amazon slashes prices in October.

Sony "maybe" launches the Daily Reader by Xmas.

You do the math.

The device looks sleek. When I saw the Kindle I, the expression 'face that only a mother could love' came to mind.

The unknowns are:
1) Price? Reports are saying less than Kindle but it looks expensive. But if the iRex costs $400 and uses the B&N store why would they release two products at the same price, cheaper seems likely. B&N < iRex < Plastic Logic would be the most likely price structure.
2) What formats will it support? Will it one up the Kindle 2 and support PDF?
3) Delivery method? Wireless looks likely, and my guess is that the iRex device is giving us some clues.
4) DRM? Probably, I think we have to just resign ourselves to DRM at this point.
5) International? B&N has no int'l stores and I recently noticed that almost all of their ebooks say 'only ships within the US' so I doubt it. Then again iRex will be intl?
6) Unicode? B&N eReader program only supports Western languages, so doubtful.
7) Android? I was psyched about this initially but Android is still very young, I couldn't find a non-beta PDF viewer for it. I don't know much about Android though so I could be wrong.

Like I mentioned I think the iRex and the B&N ebook store will provide some clues.
iRex)
"DR800SG's Qualcomm Gobi chip means it will work on overseas HSDPA networks: Not only will the same product ship in Europe, but the press release promises international roaming sometime next year."
"Yes, the included 3G data is unlimited (no contract required), but there's no browser—so it'd take a lot of books to freak Verizon out."
http://gizmodo.com/5365676/irex-dr800sg-ebook-reader-verizon-3g-bn-books-stylus-touchscreen

BTW: I've read that out of the 700k ebooks B&N offers, 500k are actually just Google books, so mostly public domain stuff.

The device does look cool and the LCD idea sounds great, but if Barnes and Noble does sell it cheaper than Kindle, it most certainly will be tied to their store exclusively for DRM'd books. There's NO WAY there going to add DRM ePub support. The only way they could do that is by beating everyone on ebook price across the boards . . .

And that ain't happen', mon.

No entirely accurate from what I had read....

They were going to addi DRM Epub support, however it will be with the Ereader type DRM, no ADE compatible.

Do you guys think they'll have newspaper subscriptions like kindle?

5) International? B&N has no int'l stores and I recently noticed that almost all of their ebooks says 'only ships within the US' so I doubt it. Then again iRex will be intl?

The 800 will be sold in other countries, eventually, but they are looking for bookstore partners for those countries, it won't be B&N.

No entirely accurate from what I had read....

They were going to addi DRM Epub support, however it will be with the Ereader type DRM, no ADE compatible.

We know Fictionwise has talked about ePub with eReader style DRM, but to the best of my knowledge they haven't talked about it for quite a while and no mention has been made by any device manufacturers. Have you heard something recent about it?

Aside from the white, I like it. I won't be jumping on the B&N wagon until others have had the chance to play with it and I'm still in want of the Plastic Logic Reader.

I'd hope/assume these will be sold in B&N brick & mortar stores as well as online. This would give them a potential advantage over Amazon. I know you can return a Kindle within 30 days, but it's much easier to pop into a store and check something out.

Some sites are already reporting the name as Athena. I'm surprised that Gizmodo wrote "The name of the gadget, which I cannot reveal and may have changed anyhow, is freaking terrible."

Greek goddess of Wisdom, makes sense to me. No worse than Kindle or Sony Lettersfollowedbynumbers.

I'd hope/assume these will be sold in B&N brick & mortar stores as well as online. This would give them a potential advantage over Amazon. I know you can return a Kindle within 30 days, but it's much easier to pop into a store and check something out.

Absolutely on target here.

So which reader manufacturer does this dual screen 6" display device spring from? Maybe it's the Apple device we keep hearing about. :D.

Aside from the white, I like it. I won't be jumping on the B&N wagon until others have had the chance to play with it and I'm still in want of the Plastic Logic Reader.

I'm in a quandary myself, Daffy, and I really don't like white for a reader.

I buy a lot of pbooks from B&N (spent $150 on hardcovers there yesterday) and ebooks from Fictionwise, so I am looking forward to being able to buy ebooks from B&N -- but I'm not sure about the device and the Plastic Logic device has a lot of vaporware appeal (I call it vaporware because everything sounds great but I haven't seen it for sale yet).

I'm not sure how comfortable the PL size will be for reading and portability. And price is a concern.

Plus there is the Sony Daily Edition and the iRex DSG800.

There are going to be too many choices and too many compromises will have to be made when I settle on a new device.

and it quotes ......

What's interesting is that B&N will sell the books it also publishes (yes, remember, they are also a publisher and not just a store) at a deep discount compared to print editions.

Came across this rumour that Taiwanese firm Inventec is to be the manufacturer of the new B&N reader.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2009/10/10/2003455626

If the "first quarter of next year" is accurate, Inventec probably isn't making the Athena. Otherwise B&N is going to miss out on Christmas sales.

I'd hope/assume these will be sold in B&N brick & mortar stores as well as online. This would give them a potential advantage over Amazon. I know you can return a Kindle within 30 days, but it's much easier to pop into a store and check something out.

Why?

Do you want Amazon to lose? I love my Kindle.

Anything else I get would be in addition to it...not a replacement for it.



I'd love to be able to use ADE on my portable -ereader, for example.

Why?
Do you want Amazon to lose?
...
It is possible that they don't want them to lose, but just to compete, with the thought that competition is good and market dominance bad, for the consumer.
Cheers,
Marc

A decidely much more mixed reaction: http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,14567.0.html

Why?

Do you want Amazon to lose? ....

....

My answer is yes, as long as they continue to sell exclusively in a propitiatory format. The same goes for B&N is that is where they are headed.

P.S. even so I'm very tempted to purchase a kindle simply for access to the books and prices that Amazon offers.......

There are going to be too many choices and too many compromises will have to be made when I settle on a new device.

I have an extra large bottle of aspirin that I'm willing to share for the headaches that come with the gift of too many choices. ;)

Why?

Do you want Amazon to lose? I love my Kindle.

Anything else I get would be in addition to it...not a replacement for it.


I'd love to be able to use ADE on my portable -ereader, for example.

It has nothing to do with wanting them to lose or win. I want them to have more competition. I'd like to see them open the Kindle up to other formats and make Kindle format available to other companies readers.

Support e-pub I'm in - no support - no interest

I just bought a Kindle DX a few months ago, so justifying another ereader would be pretty difficult -- even with ePub support. However, I just might be tempted.

If they added ePub, supported folders, and an SD Card then I'd probably just have to breakdown. Really looking forward to hearing the details next week.

P.S. I like the name Athena.

My answer is yes, as long as they continue to sell exclusively in a propitiatory format.

/

P.S. even so I'm very tempted to purchase a kindle simply for access to the books and prices that Amazon offers.......


Is it THAT big of a deal in your private personal life -- or are you just hugging to principle?

I love the device-- which means I live with its shortcomings.

Is it THAT big of a deal in your private personal life -- or are you just hugging to principle?

I love the device-- which means I live with its shortcomings.

Yes. I'm a person of principle. :D

Original: http://www.shanzai.com/index.php/bandit-gadgets/media-players/199-3g-ereader-from-china-mobile

The Athena name is mentioned from another source:
http://www.mobilitysite.com/2009/10/athena-and-google-editions

While I understand that Athena alludes to the greek goddess of wisdom, I think the main issue is giving a device a person's name, especially when it's a woman's name.

I'm not sure a man would want to, in public, refer to his device with a woman's name. Not sure how women would feel in the same situation. What if the iPhone was called Steve? Or Susan? Remember Microsoft B.O.B.?

Or maybe the name is not quite subtle. It is the goddess of wisdom. May as well call it "Awesome", "Omnipotent", "SuperCool", or "KnowItAll".

Friend: Is that the Athena ereader?
You: I prefer to call it the <clears throat in a manly fashion> A.T. N.A.
Friend: Did you order her online or from a store?
You: Store. I bought it in a store.
Friend: She looks great. Can I try her out?
You: <Stress builds...>

I have an extra large bottle of aspirin that I'm willing to share for the headaches that come with the gift of too many choices. ;)

I appreciate the offer, and may take you up on it.

I really am glad that there will be a great diversity of devices available. I just wonder how I'll ultimately make a decision -- and when I'll make it. I sometimes find that when there are too many choices, no one choice has a feature that is so compelling as to make it the undisputed must-have device, so I them procrastinate. Which only makes the problem worse because it gives time for even more choices to appear. I believe they call this the neverending circle of my life's decision-making process.

There are only certain things i know for certain: (1) I will not buy a Kindle; (2) I will only buy a device that supports ePub (in hopes that it will be proof against obsolescence at least for 6 months); and (3) the screen must be at least 6 inches and e-ink (i.e., I don't want to read on an LCD screen). After that I'm in a quandary.

The biggest advantage to the Plastic Logic, iRex, and the B&N devices are that they will give me access to the B&N bookstore.

We know Fictionwise has talked about ePub with eReader style DRM, but to the best of my knowledge they haven't talked about it for quite a while and no mention has been made by any device manufacturers. Have you heard something recent about it?

No I have not heard anymore about, however B&N to this point have not been too free with discussing their plans.

We will see on the 20th when they announce their device as to just what formats it will support.

A decidely much more mixed reaction: http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,14567.0.html

An all Kindle forum is not very impressed with a non Kindle device? I'm shocked!

A rose by any other name.....

Why?

Do you want Amazon to lose? I love my Kindle.

Anything else I get would be in addition to it...not a replacement for it.



I'd love to be able to use ADE on my portable -ereader, for example.

Not everyone likes the Kindle. Just because you like it, doesn't mean it is perfect for everyone.

If the "first quarter of next year" is accurate, Inventec probably isn't making the Athena. Otherwise B&N is going to miss out on Christmas sales.

Their deal with Irex might make more sense if their own reader (Athena) isn't going to be available 'till "first quarter of next year". I'd be hacked if I was Irex and B&N announce their own reader will be available before Christmas. Here you are, releasing the DR800SG at the end of October, and your partner (B&N) cuts you off at the knees by announcing on the 20th (supposedly), that their new, cheaper reader, with more interesting specs, will be available in Nov/Dec.

Stranger things have happened though. Hopefully more will be revealed on the 20th

Let's see what they say on the 20th, eh. They may have been hedging their bets or it may be a one, two, whammy with B&W by Christmas and color for spring. :)

There are only certain things i know for certain: (1) I will not buy a Kindle; .

Ok, your loss. :thumbsup:

An all Kindle forum is not very impressed with a non Kindle device? I'm shocked!

Rationalization is in play. :chinscratch:

I

There are only certain things i know for certain: (1) I will not buy a Kindle; (2) I will only buy a device that supports ePub (in hopes that it will be proof against obsolescence at least for 6 months); and (3) the screen must be at least 6 inches and e-ink (i.e., I don't want to read on an LCD screen). After that I'm in a quandary.



Hey, never say never. :) I have no interest in purchasing any of the current versions of the Sony Readers but I am open to future versions. You might feel the same way about a future Kindle.

I would like to have a larger sized reader (want not need). The PL is different enough from the Kindle to grab my interest (plastic, touch screen, size). I know ePub is important to a lot of folks but for my reading style (rarely re-reading a book), it hasn't been a concern but if it does become a concern the PL reader can cover that base (same for PDF files).

An all Kindle forum is not very impressed with a non Kindle device? I'm shocked!

mixed /= negative

the mp3 players have gotten around exclusive/proprietary music on various devices, why is it such a hang up with the readers? I understand that the different companies want to promote their own devices, but this is becoming ridiculous! as much as I love my kindles, when/if a device becomes available that offers non-exclusive material via a whisper net type delivery, I'm there!

and for what it's worth, my daughter's name is Athena. it would be odd to have to clarify if I am referring to a reading device, or my offspring

mixed /= negative

What is the point of this post?

not very impressed != negative (I'm a programmer at heart)

Hey, never say never. :) I have no interest in purchasing any of the current versions of the Sony Readers but I am open to future versions. You might feel the same way about a future Kindle.

I think in this case I can say never, although normally I would agree with you. I have philosophical differences with Amazon and consequently I don't buy at Amazon. Haven't done so for years and at my age I doubt I will change. :)

According to R. R. Bowker’s Pubtrack 2008 Consumer Book Survey, book purchasing is becoming more concentrated among avid book buyers, defined as those who purchase a minimum of 12 books per year.

Standing tallest are older Americans—the Baby Boomers and “Matures” born prior to 1965. These groups constitute 54% of the U.S. population but account for 67% of all book purchases.

This skew likely will trend beyond 70% as the 78 million Boomers downshift into retirement and find themselves with greater leisure time for reading and browsing.
--
It’s all well and good for journalists to write about how the Kindle isn’t cool because young kids aren’t toting it around. Who cares?

eReaders are meant for people who read books and buy books. Most of those people are Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Perhaps it’s time we stopped trying to make eReaders sexy and just made them work for the people who want them.

Amazon is the only company that seems to have gotten the memo.

No wonder the Kindle was the device that finally ignited ebook sales. Everyone else was trying to create a sexy reading device for people who didn’t read and didn’t care.

http://ireaderreview.com/2009/10/15/baby-boomer-ereader-kindle-is-best/

Hey, never say never. :) I have no interest in purchasing any of the current versions of the Sony Readers but I am open to future versions. You might feel the same way about a future Kindle.

.

I feel the same way about the Sonys and others on the market, but am looking forward to seeing what BN has to offer.

You might feel the same way about a future Kindle.

Yep, give it a decade after Amazon publically drop DRM. Five years if they eat crow, admit they were wrong and strip DRM from every kindle book out there.

Then I might consider the Kindle.
Because punishing corperations who use DRM is, to me, good policy.

Yep, give it a decade after Amazon publically drop DRM. Five years if they eat crow, admit they were wrong and strip DRM from every kindle book out there.

Then I might consider the Kindle.
Because punishing corperations who use DRM is, to me, good policy.

It's okay if you don't. :) There are corporations I avoid like the plague but there are battles more near and dear to my heart than ebook DRM (which can pretty easily be overcome for the most part).

daffy - I won't "overcome DRM". If you don't want to sell to me, that's fine. I won't fight, I'll take my money elsewhere. This is better than propping up the companies by stripping DRM.

daffy - I won't "overcome DRM". If you don't want to sell to me, that's fine. I won't fight, I'll take my money elsewhere. This is better than propping up the companies by stripping DRM.

Okay! :)

You're talking to someone who prefers to buy print books, preferably second hand, than DRM'ed ebooks :P

Of course, non-DRM'ed ebooks come first... (Hi Baen!)

LOVE the idea of this take on a reader device...give it a PDA type set of added apps like say, my Clie :D...and toss in a simple IMAP email client along with the ability to run some small apps, like my fav grocery/shopping list app (HandyShopper) that I use all the time along with a crossword puzzle app (BeCrossword or even better Xword) all at less than the Kindle's current price and I am 90% sold right now...

I gotta say that my gut reaction to this is one of my favorite George Carlin lines "If you nail together two things that have never been nailed together before, some schmuck will buy it from you."

I might think better of it if I held it in my hands and experienced it, but it just doesn't do a lot for me as-is.

I gotta say that my gut reaction to this is one of my favorite George Carlin lines "If you nail together two things that have never been nailed together before, some schmuck will buy it from you."

I might think better of it if I held it in my hands and experienced it, but it just doesn't do a lot for me as-is.

Like a phone and a camera? Nah, no clear headed person would buy that.

I like George Carlin, but I'm not that much of a skeptic or cynic.

http://ireaderreview.com/2009/10/15/baby-boomer-ereader-kindle-is-best/

Amazon is the only company that seems to have gotten the memo.


Give me a break.

According to R. R. Bowker’s Pubtrack 2008 Consumer Book Survey, book purchasing is becoming more concentrated among avid book buyers, defined as those who purchase a minimum of 12 books per year.

I find this interesting, mainly because the threshold for "avid" seems to me to be so low. I would have thought the minimum number of books purchased in a year would have to be 25 or even higher.

Of course, I can only judge by my own experience, and I admit that my book-buying habits are atypical. Two days ago I bought 6 pbooks at B&N (4 for me in hardcover and 2 paperbacks for my wife), and 6 days before that I bought 7 books at Fictionwise for myself. That's just what I bought in the past 2 weeks. I have bought more than 50 ebooks at Fictionwise and Smashwords since January, and more than 25 hardcovers from B&N (plus probably a dozen paperbacks for my wife) and have 9 hardcovers preordered (to which I will add a few books once I get through this weeks' New York Review of Books :)).

So it seems to me that 12 is a low number.

I do, however, fit the demographics (Baby Boomer generation closing in on retirement).

The statistic also makes me wonder whether it is a statistic for pbooks only. I've noticed in my own buying habits that since receiving my Sony 505, my book purchasing has increased. Without exception, I would have bought none of the ebooks I have as pbooks and my hardcover pbook purchasing has not declined since receiving the Sony. Has anyone else noted a similar buying pattern?

Looking to get an ereader as a present for my wife and this one looks pretty good. If it isn't compatible with epub, that would probably be a deal breaker.

http://ireaderreview.com/2009/10/15/...indle-is-best/

Standing tallest are older Americans—the Baby Boomers and “Matures” born prior to 1965. These groups constitute 54% of the U.S. population but account for 67% of all book purchases.

Is this anything new? Has anything changed? Twenty or forty years ago, how many books were bought by people under 18? And what does age has anything to do with eReaders? Does it mean that older people buy ebooks and younger people prefer paper books???

Further, the article implies that people who read do not care if the ebook reader is ugly! And Amazon realized this, so they designed an ugly reader? On purpose? And that's the reason of Kindle's success? While all the others readers were trying to be ... sexy?


This is a bad, meaningless article!


The Kindle was successful only because Amazon offered useful services. Currently nobody offers a comparable service. It is the same as with the iPod: integration of a device with an online marketplace which is easy to use. Only amazon has this.

And of course both Apple and Amazon have good marketing and pay a lot for advertisements.

I can't wait for tomorrow!!!!! :eek:

"The Liseuse"...


Hahahahahaah!


:rofl::rofl:


Don

is it on b and n website yet?

Not that I could find.....but I find their website confusing.

website for the reader is supposed to be nook.com

nice name.

website for the reader is supposed to be nook.com

nice name.

Thats a joke, right?

are they basing the sales numbers on NEW retail sales only? If not then I bet the demographics of USED book sales is different by a significant amount. Younger readers in that 15-25yr old range cannot afford new books like once you get your feet under you more. What does it mean if they are not considering used book purchases, including from used stores, yard sales, thrift shops...etc...there is a big segment of readers in that area...if you can buy 100 books/yr , read them then re-donate them back and get even a small tax deduction (or not as we aren't talking a lot of money there) but readers in this category recycle their libraries often in order to at least partially fund additional book purchases. Online book sellers really need to look at this demographic. I think Sony has with their "find a library" feature...others need to give more attention because the used market is a HUGE amount of lost sales to publishers.

Thats a joke, right?

no its not
The Nook will feature the same kind of electronic ink technology used by Kindle and other devices. It will be sold in Barnes & Noble stores as well as on a Web site, nook.com.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/technology/20reader.html

website for the reader is supposed to be nook.com

nice name.

So those who go there are looking for a leetle Nookie? :rofl:

anyone know if it will support open formats? pdf?

anyone know if it will support open formats? pdf?

We probably won't know until the press conference at 4pm EST. Hopefully they'll give full specs then.

are they basing the sales numbers on NEW retail sales only? If not then I bet the demographics of USED book sales is different by a significant amount. Younger readers in that 15-25yr old range cannot afford new books like once you get your feet under you more. What does it mean if they are not considering used book purchases, including from used stores, yard sales, thrift shops...etc...there is a big segment of readers in that area...if you can buy 100 books/yr , read them then re-donate them back and get even a small tax deduction (or not as we aren't talking a lot of money there) but readers in this category recycle their libraries often in order to at least partially fund additional book purchases. Online book sellers really need to look at this demographic. I think Sony has with their "find a library" feature...others need to give more attention because the used market is a HUGE amount of lost sales to publishers.

is there any way of tracking that? outside of rare books, who would be keeping an inventory of sales of used books? I have an outstanding little used bookstore here where I live, the most organized, easy to use and helpful used bookstore I've ever been in. I seriously doubt they keep a record of all of the titles they sell. whenever I have asked for something, they have had to physically go and look as opposed to using any kind of a database. I know that they put stuff that they consider collectible into some kind of a record as they do a certain amount of online selling of rare books, but they don't track the average stuff

Looks like it does support epub.

It's...beautiful. This is what I wanted my Kindle to look like.
Have we confirmed that they will be ePub?

Or is it going to use FW's proprietary format?

It's...beautiful. This is what I wanted my Kindle to look like.
Have we confirmed that they will be ePub?

Or is it going to use FW's proprietary format?


See this thread for tons more details:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59811

Truly a chimera. Methinks I also saw a built in reading light at the top?

So far the built-in reading light appears on the CAD drawings. However, it is not metioned at all in the side-by-side feature listing that Gizmodo did. I guess we will have to wait and see.

DD

Is it THAT big of a deal in your private personal life -- or are you just hugging to principle?

I love the device-- which means I live with its shortcomings.

To each his own, certainly. But, still... It's a device, not a relationship.

is there any way of tracking that? outside of rare books, who would be keeping an inventory of sales of used books? I have an outstanding little used bookstore here where I live, the most organized, easy to use and helpful used bookstore I've ever been in. I seriously doubt they keep a record of all of the titles they sell. whenever I have asked for something, they have had to physically go and look as opposed to using any kind of a database. I know that they put stuff that they consider collectible into some kind of a record as they do a certain amount of online selling of rare books, but they don't track the average stuff

Actually our town's biggest and best stocked used bookstore has everything in a database. There does exist (Even Used & Rare) Bookstore Management applications. A lot of stores do not use it though because of the overhead involved to catalog all books already in the store as well as new books as they come in...but once everything is up to date, it's pretty fast. They can even use a bar-code scanner on newer books.

As for actually tracking the sales and such, I doubt it is possible at all. Anything would be pure guesstimation. But I will say, both publishers and new-book retail sellers want to do anything possible to drive used book stores out of business.

Makes me remember there is/was (I dunno if it is even still in business) but in San Luis Obispo, California, there was one of the best used book stores I have ever been in...wood floors with each flooring strip creaking from each step taken through the store...and that odor of a clean but used bookstore...a shame I don't get up there anymore...it might be closed down by now though, the property is just too valuable, even in today's economy.

the nook site is live and the price is $259 - formats are:

* EPUB and eReader Formats
* PDFs load easily and look great.
* PDFs, MP3s and graphics load to your nook from your computer or micro SD card.
* Use JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP files to create personal screensavers.

no text, rich text or html :(

lots of covers to choose from including a couple that don't use leather.

i wonder if the color screen can be turned off. after all, those of us who read on an ebook reader partly because of eyestrain - particular caused by refresh - may not want a little refreshing screen that's on while we're reading.

How many font sizes and how many gray levels?

See: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Nook

I think the number of font sizes depends on the ebook format..

See: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Nook

I think the number of font sizes depends on the ebook format..

Probably so, I suspect 5 is the standard these days for Adobe stuff.

Dale

I hope it doesn't have the 500-book limit that the Palm Ereader app does (not sure about other platforms). Of course, without folder support, 500 books would be a pain anyway. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing one when they hit the stores!

Looks like Kindle owners will be crying an ocean of tears!

Here's a feature-by-feature comparison of the Nook and the Kindle 2:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/

And, here's Wired magazine's take on it:
"Barnes & Noble Unveils Kindle-Killing, Dual-Screen ‘Nook’ E-Reader"
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/barnes-nobles-kindle-killing-dual-screen-nook-e-reader-leaked/