Sony Reader for geeks but not for the masses says NYT

[NatCh]

I think it's safe to assume that Sony, at least, is interested in the textbook thing.

And the Pubs are probably drooling themselves all pruney about the prospect of gutting the used book market -- that's why they do new editions with no substantial changes every few years, you know.

[Leaping Gnome]

I really disagree with Mossberg's statement of:

Another big disappointment: The Reader lacks a bunch of features that would enhance the reading experience. You can't enter notes, search inside books or documents, or look up words in a built-in dictionary. And while you can bookmark pages for later retrieval, you can't highlight passages.

How do those things enhance the reading experience? Entering notes? Searching? They don't have anything to do with actually reading a book. About the only reading-related thing he mentions is the word-definitions. From that paragraph it sounds like he wants a research tool, not a recreational reader. I guess different expectations...

[anotherchance]

Originally Posted by Leaping Gnome

I really disagree with Mossberg's statement of:


How do those things enhance the reading experience? Entering notes? Searching? They don't have anything to do with actually reading a book. About the only reading-related thing he mentions is the word-definitions. From that paragraph it sounds like he wants a research tool, not a recreational reader. I guess different expectations...

I agree. I READ books. I read in lighted conditions, open them at the beginning, read through to the end, marking my place with my trusty leather bookmark of 25 years. I don't Search, highlight, write Notes, use a booklight, or anything like that. I rarely lend books to anyone, so I don't see that as a big DRM downer either. I can't see any reason for my habits to change. A Sony Reader would be cool recreational gadget for me, if only I could afford the damn thing.

I've looked through the Connect store, and there's plenty of content there for me, all of it cheaper than the Pbook. That recent argument about saving money on miles of bookshelves is a good one too.

[Bandito]

To some extent, I agree with Leaping Gnome and anotherchance that my typical reading experience is read a bit, bookmark, read a bit more, bookmark, and so on, until the book is done. This is generally how it works. I do, however, get interrupted frequently when reading or can only catch a page or two here and there, so quite often I will go back to check on something that I read previously to make sure that I remember it correctly. (As an aside, I catch a fair number of continuity errors and references to the wrong character this way!). So, for me, a search feature would be very beneficial and useful.

When reading technical documents, whether for work or for pleasure, or educational materials, the features that Walter S. Mossberg refers to in his Wall Street Journal article are what makes electronic reading a much, much better solution than paper. If you've never used a Tablet PC, you might not know what you're missing! So, to really target and provide a more useful experience to the educational market, particularly for university and college students, I think those functions would be crucial to an e-book reader's success.

Additionally, even when reading fiction, you often come across a phrase, saying, or even valuable information that would be nice to note and keep track of for future use. Being able to highlight this and have it automatically saved to a reference file with some keywords, the usual references such as title, author, copyright date, page number, etc. would be really handy. The original e-book from which it came could then be erased, but the reference file would be permanent and could be synced with your main PC for a wonderful, personalized knowledgebase. Then think about just how useful all that reading time could really become for you.

Yeah, I know, I know. But, I can dream, can't I??

[doctorow]

Slashdot commentary on the NYC article:

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article...13258&from=rss

[TadW]

Gizmodo covers it too (with cool graphics of Pogue and Mossberg).

Mossberg says that the Reader is a good start, but recommends that the ebook fans (they actually exist?) wait for a better version. Pogue gives props to the older style reading mechanisms, you know, books. – Travis Hudson

[NatCh]

I found the "paraphrase" of their findings particularly amusing.

[Leaping Gnome]

If you mean amusing as in a "reminder why I don't read gizmodo", I agree.

[NatCh]

No, I meant that the phrase "blows goats" struck me as funny.
But then, I'm easily amused.

I can see where you might interpret it that way though, LG.

[TomBolini]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Meanwhile, Walter Mossberg from the Wall Street Journal has a mixed verdict on the Reader. He favors the paper-like display and seemingly endless battery life, but more work is needed to improve format compatibilities and the "poorly organized" online bookstore.

Alexander, for what you know, is there any opinion from Walter Mossberg about the iLiad?
Thank you!

[athlonkmf]

Well, of course it's only for a select market. It's a pricey investment just for the reader. And there are plenty of reasons not to buy a reader.

Some say they take their reader to the beach and stuff, but I highly doubt that the reader is sand, lemonade, dirtyfingers, etc-proof. I'm airdusting my reader once in awhile to keep it clean. I know I won't take it with me to the beach if I know that I could drop it in the sand. With a traditional book you can flap it a bit and go with it.
With such an expensive device as the reader, you will never doe that.... even if the reader is only 50 bucks, you will take care of it differently than a book.

[kacir]

The Reader is DEFINITELY not for teh mases.

Tell me who reads more than 5 books per year.

What percentage of USA citizens have read a book during the last year?

The Reader is definitely for
- geeks
- nerds
- misfits
- people who prefer to read instead of watching television.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Some say they take their reader to the beach and stuff, but I highly doubt that the reader is sand, lemonade, dirtyfingers, etc-proof.

Ah, yes, but around here we know the mystical and arcane secrets of the Zip-Lock™ bag Reader-protection device.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kacir

The Reader is DEFINITELY not for teh mases.

Tell me who reads more than 5 books per year.

What percentage of USA citizens have read a book during the last year?

The Reader is definitely for
- geeks
- nerds
- misfits
- people who prefer to read instead of watching television.

My mother reads a lot. My sister reads, my wife reads, I read. So there's 4 people who read books. I read more then my wife or sister for sure. I might even read more then my mother. But then, I enjoy reading. It's a good way to pass the time.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by TomBolini

Alexander, for what you know, is there any opinion from Walter Mossberg about the iLiad?
Thank you!

Unfortunately I don't. Not sure if he had the chance already to play with the iLiad. It would be interesting to hear his opinion though.