Giving up on e-books.

[Mark_A_Lopez]

But the e-book phenomenon, for this adopter, has been squashed by the publishing industry, and so they've lost a customer.

Don't let the publishers ruin your eReading experience, there are too many free eBooks out there waiting to be read. Amazon has countless DRM free free books (that can be converted using Calibre), not to mention sites like Project Gutenberg or Google books. I enjoy going to the library for most of my newer titles, but for classics, ereaders are the way to go.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

My enthusiasm is gone ...

When you bought your e-book reader, did you stop reading paper books? If so then I really don't understand this mindset. I look upon my e-book reader as simply another way of reading things, rather than as some new technology that replaces everything else. Why should it be an either/or choice, instead of a win/win one? I am absolutely delighted with my new e-book reader, but could not imagine giving up reading paper books.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

When you bought your e-book reader, did you stop reading paper books?

I did.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

When you bought your e-book reader, did you stop reading paper books? If so then I really don't understand this mindset. I look upon my e-book reader as simply another way of reading things, rather than as some new technology that replaces everything else. Why should it be an either/or choice, instead of a win/win one? I am absolutely delighted with my new e-book reader, but could not imagine giving up reading paper books.

Now that the prices are getting closer to reasonable levels for the devices, it's getting easier for the typical consumer to see them as a supplement to paper books rather than as a replacement. When they were $250, $300, or even more for the 6" readers, it was not a casual expense for many buyers, but rather a serious investment, demanding a bit more in the way of justification.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

... a serious investment ...

Indeed, but it cuts both ways. I dread to think how much I've spent on paper books. Apart from ones that I've sold, or given away, I still have well in excess of a thousand.

[idraw22]

I don't get it, if your enthusiasm is gone cos you're ... connected, then there are lots of ereaders that aren't connected. The Jetbook well, at least the lite that I know of, it's not connected to any store, has no wifi, you can get books from almost anywhere you want, 'cept, Amazon. And if you know how to remove their drm, you can have those books too. But like some of the others said, at least your'e still reading, and their may come a time when you'll want to return. Your prs-505 will be waiting. Hoo nose, by that time, alll the drm will be... somewhat gone.

[cmdahler]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I am just curious, what sort of improvements do you want to your ebook reader? There are readers with wifi, touch screens, etc. The latest Sony readers combine the best screen yet with an excellent touch screen.

I'll tell you what I want in a dedicated eInk-based ereader:

1. A screen that better approximates the text block size of a typical hardback book.

2. A pixel density of at least 300 dpi at that screen size.

3. A background that better approximates the typical white color of a quality hardback page - I got so sick of reading text on a gray background.

I used a 505 for a year, and in the end I hated it for all the shortcomings in the areas above. I read on an iPad now, and I consider it a stopgap between the 505-generation reader and the eventual reader that will satisfy my needs. I liked the concept of eInk, but at the slow pace of development in that tech, I can't really see something becoming commercially viable that would meet my criteria much before about 2015 at the earliest. The eInk industry is too focused on silly eye-candy useless things like putting washed-out color on the screens: they need to mature the B&W experience first before getting lost on a tangent.

[J. Strnad]

I'm more of a "glass half full" guy myself.

[Salgueiros]

Originally Posted by cmdahler

I'll tell you what I want in a dedicated eInk-based ereader:

1. A screen that better approximates the text block size of a typical hardback book.

2. A pixel density of at least 300 dpi at that screen size.

3. A background that better approximates the typical white color of a quality hardback page - I got so sick of reading text on a gray background.

I used a 505 for a year, and in the end I hated it for all the shortcomings in the areas above. I read on an iPad now, and I consider it a stopgap between the 505-generation reader and the eventual reader that will satisfy my needs. I liked the concept of eInk, but at the slow pace of development in that tech, I can't really see something becoming commercially viable that would meet my criteria much before about 2015 at the earliest. The eInk industry is too focused on silly eye-candy useless things like putting washed-out color on the screens: they need to mature the B&W experience first before getting lost on a tangent.

Why don't you go back to paper books? They are great. Nice covers, you can write on the margins, they are cheap if you buy second-hand and the choice is amazing...that technology is definitely mature. And come back here in 5 years.

[Xanthe]

But the e-book phenomenon, for this adopter, has been squashed by the publishing industry, and so they've lost a customer.

[FF2]

I'm not sure what is meant by "white" paper. I just opened my Hard Bound copy of the Lost Symbol. The paper is definitely a very light beige or cream. It certain is not WHITE. That book's color is probably just as much off from white as the very pale Gray of my Kindle 3.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by cmdahler

... I got so sick of reading text on a gray background ...

Regarding whiteness, as I expect you know, e-ink relies on the ambient light level. So, the brighter the light, the whiter it looks. Whereas, the apparently white pages of paper books begin to yellow with increased exposure to light, even though at first you may not be aware of it. Those produced from cheap paper, containing high levels of lignin, tend to yellow more rapidly, whereas the ones produced from higher quality paper, typically containing 1/20th as much lignin, fair better. But even they will eventually begin to yellow when exposed to bright light. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your reading, how ever you do it.

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

I'm more of a "glass half full" guy myself.

So those who are critical, as in this case (ie of the limitations of the currently available technology), make a positive contribution by helping drive manufacturers to make improvements for the rest of us to enjoy.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by FF2

I'm not sure what is meant by "white" paper. I just opened my Hard Bound copy of the Lost Symbol. The paper is definitely a very light beige or cream. It certain is not WHITE. That book's color is probably just as much off from white as the very pale Gray of my Kindle 3.

A decent hardcover paper stock is indeed not white, but the white reflectance is significantly higher than what you get on EPDs, and the color is something many people would like to see improved.

I was going to add E-Ink Pearl to my picture showing different grades of paper, but I haven't had the time to set it up. E-Ink in the picture is PRS-505.

I too would like to see a boost in white reflectance as well as refresh speed and resolution. I can now handle reading on E-Ink Pearl, but was only barely tolerating it on the PRS-505.

[elemenoP]

LBDoblo, that's a neat image. Could you add a Pearl screen and also an iphone and/or ipad?

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

LBDoblo, that's a neat image. Could you add a Pearl screen and also an iphone and/or ipad?

Unfortunately I do not have an iPad or iPhone or any similar device with which to do a similar photo set. However, I did a new small group with Hardcover, paperback, and the two E-Ink variants. White balance was pre-set for each medium and brightness is pretty accurate in relative terms, but it's not perfect. The original goal was to compare the basic rendering and contrast levels.

This time I managed to get very close to the same typeface for all of them too, so it's slightly more apples-to-apples. I didn't tweak everything to be 100% accurate, and I didn't have time to do laser print, magazine, and newspaper like my previous examples. Apologies for that.