Ebook Research

TomC21 · 10-12-2006, 10:20 PM

Hey everyone,

I am currently in the process of writing a research paper in which I have to introduce a new product to coffee shops in an effort to increase customer "stay time". I had an idea to introduce ebooks that would be available to customers on a subscription basis. The customer would typically subscribe to a service via the coffee shop and have the ability to borrow an ebook reader while they are in the cafe. These customers will then have the capability to access a library of books, newspapers, journals, etc right from the coffee shop. Since I have little to no knowledge of the capabilities of ebooks I was hoping to enlist the help of the "experts" that frequent this forum. My general questions are:

- What are the capabilities of ebooks? (ie can they download newspapers and magazines from around the world or just books?)

- Typical ebook battery life

- Can you access email from them, type papers, etc?

- Can a company database of literature be created to store a library that customers can download ebooks from?

Any answers to these questions would be extremely benefical to my research. If you have any other information that you think would be applicable to my research feel free to elaborate as you know much more about the subject than I do. I thank you in advance for your input.

Tom Email: ciccotti@uiuc.edu

yvanleterrible · 10-13-2006, 08:13 AM

E-book readers in their actual format are too small for the use you are planning. It would be a nightmare for a shop keeper to control. Think first of the cash outlay for the acquisition of the devices, and second the theft threat!

Being a cabinetmaker I would take a different route. I would build a thick tabletop on a fixed table. This table would be bolted over a connection for power and ethernet. The top would be thick glass under which you'd find a touch screen of whatever type you can find with the cpu locked in the pedestal. This system would be foolproof and impervious to coffee spills. There is no e-ink screen today that is large enough for this use, but I don't think we'll have to wait long for their appearance on the market. When color is available, computer screens will be the next step.

If a big rich furniture company was willing to niche market this product, it could contract with an electronics firm to have custom screens built on a large scale, but that is a big

"IF"

NatCh · 10-13-2006, 12:07 PM

yvanleterrible, your idea reminds me of those old table arcade games they used to have in bars.

@ TomC21: Whew, you don't ask for much, do you? Seriously, though, that is quite a set of questions, and some of the answers are still largely in a state of flux. You'd probably do best to have a look around the forums for yourself, and see what's here. The search feature would probably serve you well there, or you can look for threads dedicated to the topics you're interested in. I think you'll have better results if you don't get the info filtered through what we might think you want to know.

10-12-2006, 10:20 PM	#1
TomC21 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006	Ebook Research Hey everyone, I am currently in the process of writing a research paper in which I have to introduce a new product to coffee shops in an effort to increase customer "stay time". I had an idea to introduce ebooks that would be available to customers on a subscription basis. The customer would typically subscribe to a service via the coffee shop and have the ability to borrow an ebook reader while they are in the cafe. These customers will then have the capability to access a library of books, newspapers, journals, etc right from the coffee shop. Since I have little to no knowledge of the capabilities of ebooks I was hoping to enlist the help of the "experts" that frequent this forum. My general questions are: - What are the capabilities of ebooks? (ie can they download newspapers and magazines from around the world or just books?) - Typical ebook battery life - Can you access email from them, type papers, etc? - Can a company database of literature be created to store a library that customers can download ebooks from? Any answers to these questions would be extremely benefical to my research. If you have any other information that you think would be applicable to my research feel free to elaborate as you know much more about the subject than I do. I thank you in advance for your input. Tom Email: ciccotti@uiuc.edu

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10-13-2006, 08:13 AM	#2
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	E-book readers in their actual format are too small for the use you are planning. It would be a nightmare for a shop keeper to control. Think first of the cash outlay for the acquisition of the devices, and second the theft threat! Being a cabinetmaker I would take a different route. I would build a thick tabletop on a fixed table. This table would be bolted over a connection for power and ethernet. The top would be thick glass under which you'd find a touch screen of whatever type you can find with the cpu locked in the pedestal. This system would be foolproof and impervious to coffee spills. There is no e-ink screen today that is large enough for this use, but I don't think we'll have to wait long for their appearance on the market. When color is available, computer screens will be the next step. If a big rich furniture company was willing to niche market this product, it could contract with an electronics firm to have custom screens built on a large scale, but that is a big "IF"

10-13-2006, 12:07 PM	#3
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	yvanleterrible, your idea reminds me of those old table arcade games they used to have in bars. @ TomC21: Whew, you don't ask for much, do you? Seriously, though, that is quite a set of questions, and some of the answers are still largely in a state of flux. You'd probably do best to have a look around the forums for yourself, and see what's here. The search feature would probably serve you well there, or you can look for threads dedicated to the topics you're interested in. I think you'll have better results if you don't get the info filtered through what we might think you want to know.

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