Quote:
Originally Posted by nrapallo
just under half (43%) are using Gemstar/ETI devices and have not entered the world of e-ink devices. Could backlghting be THAT important?
|
Yes. Well, self-lighting, not specifically back-lighting. If an e-ink unit came out with integral side-lighting in the bezel, and didn't mess up the ergonomics as so many seem to, I'd check it out. At the moment, shoving an OLPC dual-mode screen and an SD slot into an ETI-2 chassis seems the best option physically. Frankly, 900x1200 B&W (and lesser, typically 840x630 color) resolution is better than e-ink. It's self-lighting when needed, low-power (even if not ultra-low, like e-ink), inexpensive ($28 for just the screen, an old post I read somewhere said, though with the dollar's collapse it might be higher now), and at 7.5 inches a tad bigger than most e-ink 6-inchers. Except for battery fetishists and "I could never stare into a screen for hours" souls, an OLPC is generally a better option than current e-ink. An OLPC screened unit could go for an eBookwise price and be not only an ebook viewer, but also a video player.