i wish there were an eink reader for under $200

[HarryT]

Hi basschick,

What makes you wary of carrying your CyBook? Like the other posters, I carry mine around with me everywhere (in its case); have been doing so for about 18 months now, and have had no problems whatsoever.

It's really not that fragile .

[Mrgauth]

Paperbacks can be dropped from incredible heights and are still readable. I'm just saying. : )

But on topic, yes, I agree. Give me a sub $200 reader and I'm in. The $350-450 we have to pay now is too friggin high.

I would suspect most of us struggled with the decision to get one, well enough 2 readers just to have a back up. So, I don't see that as a viable option for most.

While I don't have a reader, I would not hesitate to take it with me everywhere. I can appreciate the OP's concern though. The price of these things and the thought of it breaking and being readerless is THE very two things that keep me from buying one in the first place.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

But on topic, yes, I agree. Give me a sub $200 reader and I'm in. The $350-450 we have to pay now is too friggin high.

That's very much a matter of personal perspective. I use my reader a heck of a lot more than I do my TV, and yet I paid a lot more than $450 for my TV. For me personally, the CyBook was an absolute bargain.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

Paperbacks can be dropped from incredible heights and are still readable. I'm just saying. : )

But on topic, yes, I agree. Give me a sub $200 reader and I'm in. The $350-450 we have to pay now is too friggin high.

I would suspect most of us struggled with the decision to get one, well enough 2 readers just to have a back up. So, I don't see that as a viable option for most.

While I don't have a reader, I would not hesitate to take it with me everywhere. I can appreciate the OP's concern though. The price of these things and the thought of it breaking and being readerless is THE very two things that keep me from buying one in the first place.

Given that we've reached the Moon, 'great heights' simply MUST include distances of 240,000 miles. If we plug in values for a large MMPB (say Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged") and sufficient energy to get beyond the Moon's gravitational pull and into Earth's, we find that it will probably enter Earth's atmosphere between 5,500 and 7,000 MPH (I may be a 'bit' off as I tend to estimate for lower values). Clearly, at that velocity, your typical MMPB will NOT survive the fall.

Derek

[dmaul1114]

Just buy used. I got a Kindle 1 in great condition off of Craigslist in March for $200.

The $350-400 is too much for me as well as I just don't read enough to justify it. But for $200 I could as now I read a bit more as I don't have to buy books I'll read once and have cluttering up the place (or hassling with selling etc.) or hassling with the library.

I can see the prices being worth it for the avid readers who read several hours a day. But I work long hours and have many hobbies I put far ahead of reading--exercise, TV, movies,video games, hiking and other outdoors stuff, social outings, good beer, good food etc. etc. So I basically just read for an hour or so at night before going to sleep a few nights a week and that's about it.

[Mrgauth]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Given that we've reached the Moon, 'great heights' simply MUST include distances of 240,000 miles. If we plug in values for a large MMPB (say Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged") and sufficient energy to get beyond the Moon's gravitational pull and into Earth's, we find that it will probably enter Earth's atmosphere between 5,500 and 7,000 MPH (I may be a 'bit' off as I tend to estimate for lower values). Clearly, at that velocity, your typical MMPB will NOT survive the fall.

Derek

Good one.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

Good one.

Just think about when they start building all those orbital power satellites that Obama and the state of California want. All those bored yet dedicated work crews, each and every one wanting fresh books to read. Why, I imagine we'll be pelted by tons of de-orbiting MMPBs around the clock!

Derek

[Lemurion]

I wish there was a $200 E-Ink reader as well. It would lower the barrier to entry and that's a huge benefit. No matter the benefits of the K2, it's unavailable to anyone who cannot put $359 together in a lump sum.

There are also mental barriers associated with price points too - Many people think $300+ is just too expensive for a Reader - $200 would bring the price to a level more people would be willing to pay.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

Paperbacks can be dropped from incredible heights and are still readable. I'm just saying. : )

I dropped my PDA from the wash basin table-thingy in our bathroom... I'm just saying And it wasn't even in its protective cover!


I'd say, you can lug anything with you, as long as you have a cover on it. And don't sit on it...

[galavanter]

Imho this shot accurately depicts e-ink vs the lcd of the jetBook. The jetBook gives up nothing to e-ink as far as readability (or eyestrain) is concerned. The text is much blacker and sharper to my eye. Those flashing page turns I pretended not to care about are history too.

The paperback size is what got me looking at the jetBook in the first place.

[netseeker]

Originally Posted by galavanter

Imho this shot accurately depicts e-ink vs the lcd of the jetBook. The jetBook gives up nothing to e-ink as far as readability (or eyestrain) is concerned.

Please take the same picture in the sunshine or under another source of light...

[Penforhire]

PRS-505 prices are almost there. I carry mine everywhere with its original cover. It has gone back to Sony for a power switch repair, nothing caused by handling. Otherwise it has proven quite durable.

[galavanter]

Originally Posted by netseeker

Please take the same picture in the sunshine or under another source of light...

No sunshine at the moment in Los Angeles, but this shot is outdoors with natural light. Hand held, both camera and readers. The first shot was under a fluorescent light bulb.

Sorry different book and maybe different font size. I have been messing around. I made a strange discovery that strikes me as odd. I would have thought I could get the same page back, meaning first word and last word on the page would be the same, after turning some pages and changing the font size back and forth. But on the Kindle, I cannot get the same page back as in the first shot, no matter what font size I use. Oh well.

Now you owe me your opinion.

[sirbruce]

They look almost identical to me. The JetBook may have slightly darker text on a slightly darker background.

The Kindle issue is an artifact of reflowable text; sometimes when you go back a page the formatting at the start of a paragraph two pages earlier is lost, so it won't be the same as coming at it from the other direction.

[galavanter]

Originally Posted by sirbruce

They look almost identical to me. The JetBook may have slightly darker text on a slightly darker background.

The Kindle issue is an artifact of reflowable text; sometimes when you go back a page the formatting at the start of a paragraph two pages earlier is lost, so it won't be the same as coming at it from the other direction.

Thanks for that explanation. Yeah the first day I got the Kindle I spent hours outside reading. It was great, and I think the Kindle reads best in bright light. But indoors, and of course this is subjective using my eyes, I found that it was wanting, or maybe the lighting in my apartment is.

The jetBook is on par outdoors, although the gray background of the Kindle is preferable to me. But indoors, where I do most of my reading, I prefer the jetBook. I find it crisper and easier to read in lower light levels. Also, the size just appeals to my paperback mentality. I had told myself the flash refresh didn't matter, but I sure don't miss it.