Quote:
Originally Posted by Alisa
I think ebooks haven't been very popular in the past because of the difference in reading experience from paper with the converged devices. It's the screens, IMO, not the fact that they're multi-function. Most people find reading on them uncomfortable for long periods. I've wanted to switch to ebooks for over a decade but didn't until e-ink because I simply couldn't bear reading for hours on a CRT or LCD. Some people don't mind it or even prefer it but from what I've seen, they're not in the majority. I think if we can get the right screen technology, we can go back to converged devices. I think most people would prefer them, even people that aren't big into reading. They'd use them for other things, mostly, but that's fine. If this kind of device became mass market, that would likely mean lower prices. I bet practically every student would want a netbook that you could use to take notes, do a little school work, and comfortably read all your texts. You could carry around a whole library with you that was searchable. Internet access would get you even more. These days more and more libraries are putting resources on line. Annotations and citations would be a breeze. I would've loved something like that when I was in university.
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completely agree... i discovered PG and downloaded dozens of books that just sat on my hard drive because i couldn't bear to read them on my computer screen. now i have an eb1150 which is a lot better but i really don't like the backlight. sometimes i read on my telephone (in the subway) but i would absolutely hate to read more than a short ride like that, and i would never do it at home where i have other (more comfortable) options. i wouldn't mind a somewhat converged device since it would theoretically mean fewer devices total... but then again i'm not sure which other devices could usefully be converged in a size and a screen that would appeal to me for reading.
but yes, when i was a student, i would have loved a device like the one described there...