What would your perfect reader look like?

[ProDigit]

I read many people writing about "which one should I buy?"; seemingly because all have something missing that we would love to see.

Here's my 'perfect' e-reader:

- A modern and good E-ink screen,
- Long battery life
- 9 or 10" screen, with about twice the resolution of current 6" readers, so that PDF will become viewable without zooming or rotating screen.
- Wifi and web browser
- Touch screen
- Page flip buttons
- 5 way pointer (4 way and enter/ok), as well as a setup, cancel, and one or two programmable buttons
- Hardware on-off switch (no button)
- AC adapter included, or mini-usb connector cable for USB charging.
- USB connection for file or firmware transfer
- SDHC cardslot
- Compatible with all major book formats (.doc, .pdf, .txt, .epub, .html, .hlp, and some more).
- Compatible with all major picture formats (gif, BMP, tiff, jpg, JPEG2000, raw,...)
- I don't really care for mp3 playback, but speech text reading (TTS) would be nice
- Installable apps like:
+ Games (like Sudoku, minesweeper, cardgames like solitaire, gem games, monopoly, chess, 4 in a row, or other games that don't require panning or 3D effects)
+ Programs (like a word and HTML editor, or a code editor like C++; a picture and text and PDF viewer, a calendar, perhaps an alarm clock, mail client, skype or MSN messenger-like client, chronometer, RSS reader, A drawing board or picture editor (like MS paint for e-ink)
+ Screen savers
+ A bookstore app

- Compatible with a USB hub, and USB keyboard and if possible a USB mouse (some sort of 'host' USB connector)
- micro HDMI out for connecting it to an external monitor
- 512MB ram
- 2GB of internal ROM for OS and programs and games
- ROM/firmware upgradeable
- A cover or sleeve, or something to protect the screen while in transport (looking like a binder or something).

[ProDigit]

add a graphic calculator, memo/notepad/text editor to the mix too!

What's more, it would be awesome to be able to have an ebook editor on your reader, to create an ebook on your own device!

[jj2me]

Your list is great. Plus multi-touch for pinch-zooming PDFs (I know your screen size generally needs no zooming, but what the hey), and change minimum RAM to 1GB.

More unreasonable, uh, futuristic:

- Foldable to breast pocket size, creases not noticeable
- Relatively white e-ink background
- Built-in perfect lighting
- Built-in solar charging
- Palm rejection notepad
- Color and B&W

[ProDigit]

Solar charging back panels would be interesting, soft background light for reading in dark places would be good (with an analog knob like from an old gameboy, to change background light intensity); and color would be nice (aka Jetbook color), but B&W would be ok for the first design!

[treadlightly]

Here's my list:
-very light background and dark text
-lots of font/size/alignment options
-very fast processor, lots of storage
-page turn buttons
-6" touchscreen that can be turned off while reading
-comfortable yet very durable dark case with no pointy corners, no weak plastic
-AC adapter included, USB connection, wireless that can be turned off
-compatible with both .mobi and .epub, as well as all others
-customizable screensavers with option for book cover
-ability to show clock and set alarms
-nightlight option
-great battery, user changeable
-dictionary
-ability to buy from any ebookstore or library and send wirelessly to device from home computer
-easy to manage collections with hierarchy, many ways of sorting and displaying books on the device

[monkeyluis]

My perfect reader, just for reading. Is the Kindle Touch. I've always been happy with the Kindle products.

[ProDigit]

I found a great travel adapter for a reader! It's based on a USB connection:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultra-m...-240v-ac-19242

The reason most readers only have a 200Mhz processor is because it saves them loads of energy. IF you'd have that same reader with a cortex A9 1Ghz processor, first of all, you would never really need that power (other than to reduce the first loading time of a book), and your battery life would go down from 1-2months to 10-20 hours (or from 10-20hrs to 6-11).

A fast processor imho makes sense when the screen is LCD, but not for e-ink.
If we ever get to the point where e-ink response can be improved, and latency can be reduced, then it might be interesting; however I would love to see ebook readers with a slightly faster processor too. Perhaps a 22nm 3d gated design running on 400mHz would use about the same power (or less) than current 200Mhz processors; but it'll be a while before ARM shifts over from their 65nm design

[vishcompany]

I like the feature-set of Sony's x50 line, additionaly I would like:

• refresh rate like this to use with a
• webbrowser
• Possibility to install fonts, adjust font size in small steps, adjust line spacing and margins.
• Possibility to install dictionaries of own choice, fast way to look up words.
• Possibility to develop and install apps (SDK), or Android based
• wifi
• bluetooth (takes less energy when using my mobile as access point on the go)

[CazMar]

Oooh! All of the above from Prodigit plus some sort of really good colour with the non glare of e-ink for magazines and astronomy books! (Yes, I know this is probably a way off yet)

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

Here's my list:
-very light background and dark text
-lots of font/size/alignment options (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-very fast processor, lots of storage
-page turn buttons (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-6" touchscreen that can be turned off while reading (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-comfortable yet very durable dark case with no pointy corners, no weak plastic (Nook Touch)
-AC adapter included, USB connection, wireless that can be turned off (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-compatible with both .mobi and .epub, as well as all others (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-customizable screensavers with option for book cover (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-ability to show clock and set alarms (Nook Touch)
-nightlight option
-great battery, user changeable
-dictionary (with Coolreader on Nook Touch)
-ability to buy from any ebookstore or library and send wirelessly to device from home computer (
-easy to manage collections with hierarchy, many ways of sorting and displaying books on the device

Many of the things in your list our possible with a rooted nook touch

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

Many of the things in your list our possible with a rooted nook touch

Interesting. So you are in Singapore - just curious, how did you buy one? I would have to go through a reseller or jump through hoops somehow. I know there are threads here outlining the process and I haven't read them. Did you ever have to fake a US address for registration or any other reason?

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

Interesting. So you are in Singapore - just curious, how did you buy one? I would have to go through a reseller or jump through hoops somehow. I know there are threads here outlining the process and I haven't read them. Did you ever have to fake a US address for registration or any other reason?

Just bought it off an ebay seller in singapore. As Singapore is such a small country many niche products are not viable for manufacturers to sell here so their is a large community of MPO's and importers. I just registered my email with
Barnes never needed to do anything else. I usually just remove drm from anything I buy so don't need to use barnes ebook store.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

The reason most readers only have a 200Mhz processor is because it saves them loads of energy.

This is incorrect; the Kindle, for example, has a 532MHz ARM Freescale processor. The key feature of the CPUs used in most modern bookreaders is not that they are slow, but that they have an extremely low-power "sleep" mode when not in active use.

It was only the very first generation of eInk devices which had processors as slow as 200MHz - eg, the original Cybook Gen3.

[carpetmojo]

How about a "roll-up" reader ?
Now that would be a hoot....

"Is that a kindle ?"

"No, it's my intelligent handkerchief.
See ?
Goodbye.. "

[jojoba]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

How about a "roll-up" reader ?
Now that would be a hoot....

"Is that a kindle ?"

"No, it's my intelligent handkerchief.
See ?
Goodbye.. "

This

I'd like an iPad with the opportunity for connecting an e-ink touch screen to it, to which you could download books from any e-book site in the world (and which could also display pdf files perfectly in reflow mode, with page numbers).