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Old 03-06-2008, 05:54 AM   #1
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Dutch newspaper NRC first to offer iLiad e-paper edition

Starting today, NRC Handelsblad will be the first Dutch newspaper to introduce a dedicated e-paper edition for the iLiad e-book device. Subscriptions are auto-delivered wirelessly to the iLiad so the latest edition is waiting for the subscriber every afternoon. The e-paper edition of NRC Handelsblad contains all articles found in the print edition, including annexes and extras.

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More information over at Ebookreaders.nl.
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Old 03-06-2008, 12:12 PM   #2
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Note to people outside The Netherlands: The NRC Handelsblad is considered a very high quality newspaper.

There's a combination of the iLiad + one year subscription for 699 euros (regular price of the reader alone is 649 euros); for existing subscribers to the newspaper, the iLiad can be had for 499 euros. Quite a hefty discount - I wish I had known this a month or so ago when I got my iLiad, since I already am an NRC subscriber...
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Old 03-06-2008, 03:21 PM   #3
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Very excited tonight. Longtime NRC subscriber, now iLiad owner, been waiting a year for this. Off to NRC website. Not welcoming. I can get a subscription for the NRC on my iLiad but I will have to pay euro 189 (well over half the year paper subscription) extra to do so. Nix discounts let alone free for paper edition subscribers or have I missed something? I hope so.
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Old 03-07-2008, 01:49 PM   #4
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If you have a NRC paper subscription (6 day subscription) and you already have an iLiad, then the ePaper edition is free, at least that's what they told me yesterday at the press conference. Don't know where to get the voucher code though, which you will have to enter at iRex' IDS website.
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Old 03-11-2008, 10:41 AM   #5
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On the site it says this :
BELANGRIJK: Indien u regulier NRC Handelsblad (zesdaags) abonnee bent én reeds een iLiad bezit, ontvangt u kosteloos het ePaper-abonnement. U kunt dit per e-mail aanvragen bij de klantenservice van NRC Handelsblad. Mailt u aan: registratie.nrc@pcmuitgevers.nl
So it seems you just need to send them an e-mail with your name and they'll send the voucher to the address listed with your paper subscription.
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Old 03-14-2008, 07:30 AM   #6
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Well whoop-dee-doo for all the Dutch speakers out there. You lucky bastards. Where's my NYT/WashPost/Guardian/Independent?
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Old 03-21-2008, 04:38 AM   #7
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What they don't say is that the subscription must be a full price one (not a special offer - not even a six-months-for-the-price-of-three special). They also don't say what happens if you cancel your paper subscription. There are no trial offers.
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Old 07-07-2008, 10:18 AM   #8
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"They also don't say what happens if you cancel your paper subscription."

In the FAQ they say that your subscription to the ePaper is cancelled as soon as you discontinue your regular subscription.

Never mind, the quality of the ePaper is such that you don't want to cancel your paper subscription :-(.

Read my experiences on: http://www.xs4all.nl/~morepork/ePaper.html
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Old 07-07-2008, 10:39 AM   #9
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Sorry, misdirected reply.
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Old 07-07-2008, 10:41 AM   #10
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I think an English translation of your conclusions would be greatly appreciated here.

Bedankt!
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Old 07-08-2008, 04:33 AM   #11
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@godidog: here you go!

Conclusion:
The NRC Handelsblad presents the ePaper as immense success. The first two month they sold more than 900 subscriptions in combination with an iLiad. They boast an active and enthusiastic user community that has come up with many interesting ideas. The truth is different. The ePaper turns out to be a half-baked product with many teething troubles. It has come into the market without sufficient testing. The iLiad does not live up to NRC's marketing slogan "From now on the NRC appears everywhere where you appear" and the NRC Handelsblad doesn't accept responsibility for fulfilling this slogan. The initially lively users forum has become silent because of lack of response from the side of the NRC Handelsblad.

Summary:
- I was interested in the sharply prized offer for regular subscribers of an iLiad together with an ePaper subscription, because I would love to read the paper in the train back to home after work, because I don't like the size of the paper and wanted to do away with the paper rubbish. According to the NRC 'the ePaper can be downloaded easily via wifi everywhere in the world an any time you like'.
- I was not able to read the users experiences on the users forum before buying, because the forum is open to ePaper subscribers only.
- According to the site of the NRC web shop delivery time would be 4 to 5 days, the confirmation of payment said delivery time would be about 10 days, the iLiad arrived after 21 days.
- When I read the forum I discovered that the iLiad cannot connect to hotspots.
- I also read on the forum that the ePaper subscription would be cancelled if I discontinued the regular subscription.
- The iLiad refused to connect to my wifi networks at home and at work, although my iBook and the Windows and Linux laptops of my colleagues connected without any problems.
- iRex support was not helpful in solving the connection problems.
- Someone on the users forum discovered the reason for my connection problems: the iLiad cannot connect to 'ad-hoc networks' set up by a computer, PDA or mobile phone, it needs a direct connection to a router.
- At work the problem was solved accidently because someone introduced an unprotected router; at home I bought a router.
- When I finally was able to read the ePaper I discovered how poor it is. Large parts of the paper are scrambled and, hence, unreadable. Columns with several short articles appear in the ePaper as one long paragraph without any typography. Articles stop suddenly and continue 25 pages later without any links or other signs that they are part of one article. Titles are missing. Links do not work. And so on, and so on.
- For more than 2 months, NRC Handelsblad ignored the users forum and the many complaints, solutions and suggestions brought up by the users. After actions of the users, NRC announced, at May 15th, a biweekly update about the progress and promised to engaged more actively in the forum.
- One staff member did so for two weeks. In those weeks it became clear that the NRC is working hard to solve the problems with the ePaper but that they don't feel responsible for solving the connection problems. A request of many users for a download site on the web was turned down because that would be too big a job.
- After those two weeks NRC became silent again, except for the publication of a 'biweekly' update on June, 16th and July, 1st. These updates were very short and did not address the many issues brought up by the users. In the update of June, 16th the NRC announced that ePaper subscriptions would be extended with the period that the teething troubles go on and promised an often requested list of known problems. The update of July, 1st told us that in order to speed up progress a project manager was added to the staff of the 'new media team' of the NRC Handelsblad and repeated the promisse of a list with known problems.
- The forum users became silent too; they said everything they had to say. Occasionally new subscribers drop in to complain about scrambled articles, lacking pages or other problems we complained about for 4 months, or to ask how to connect to hotspots, secure networks or other things the iLiad cannot connect to.
- I very much prefer the size of the iLiad over that of the paper NRC and I love the crisp, sharp screen. I am enthusiast about the possibility to take pdfs of scholarly articles with me on the iliad. I love the capability to scribble comments on student papers and add them to the pdf. Enough of the ePaper is readable to enjoy reading it in the train back to home and the ePaper seems to improve steadily. However, I can't say anything positive about the way in which the NRC communicates with its subscribers. For a quality paper, it is hilarious, unseemly and incomprehensible.

Last edited by Arno Wouters; 07-08-2008 at 06:11 AM. Reason: More improvements pf my English
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Old 07-08-2008, 04:53 PM   #12
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Hi Arno

Tanks for you contribution. It really sucks service like that.

Businesses think it's just jump the e-... wagon and they are set, and forget that it's always about service and that we, the costumers, will not take less then what we have now.

Pity a great idea - and an European one btw, so we can begin to come closer to others better experience - does not deliver.

I hope they resolve all the problems very soon and for sure your experience about this is more then welcome.
So please keep on let us know how it develops.

Best regards,
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