Second Thoughts...

Sonist · 11-05-2008, 02:31 AM

I was all set on the new PRS-700. I placed my order about a week ago and eagerly awaited its arrival in a couple of weeks.

But then, I started to read about the dimmer, less crisp than the PRS-505 screen. Tonight, I went to Borders, to take a look at it (I almost never shop at stores anymore, but buy everything online.)

Borders didn't have the 700, but let me play with a fairly worn out 505. After playing with it for a while and comparing it to a real book, I thought I can live with the grayish background. Not sure I can live with it, if it was much dimmer or grayer, as it appears on the 700 in the pictures posted in the PRS-700 sub-forum.

But the more I looked at the screen, the more I felt that the screen is a bit too small. How come more products don't go a little bigger?

I've read about the Iliad, but it seems slow, plus I really don't like the idea of trading battery life for note-taking abilities. iPhone-like control for page flipping sounds great, but this Wacom dedicated-pen thing is wasted on me. Wish they made an 8" device without the Wacom feature.

So, I am not sure what I am going to do. Really want an ebook reader, but none fill me with warm and fuzzy feelings.

gwynevans · 11-05-2008, 04:13 AM

Simply put, it's the fact that the cost of the display is a major proportion, even majority of the cost of the whole device, so a larger screen area would increase the device cost significantly.

As for the reading experience, for normal leisure reading it's not a problem - for graphics, etc, yes, bigger would be better, but compare the price of the Illiad to the Sony/Cybook - it's not the touchpad that's the real cost incrementer there.

HarryT · 11-05-2008, 04:21 AM

Another factor to consider is portability. One of the reasons I sold my iLiad and replaced it with a CyBook Gen3 (which uses the same screen as the Sony) was the fact that I found the iLiad too large to carry around with me everywhere, as I do the CyBook (and the Sony I owned previously). For me personally, 6" devices like the Sony are the perfect size for reading fiction.

Sonist · 11-05-2008, 04:35 AM

I am kind of flailing:-)

At this point, I am keeping my 700 order, we'll see when it comes.

But I just noticed, that the iRex 1000 does NOT have the Wacom feature, and it has a larger screen. Portability is not all that important for me, since I read mostly in bed:-)

But what I wonder is, if the iRex 1000 doesn't have the Wacom screen, shouldn't its battery life increase dramatically? If it did, it may be the one for me.

HarryT · 11-05-2008, 04:38 AM

Not necessarily. On the iLiad, the touch screen only powers up when you remove the stylus from its holder. The 10-15h battery life quoted for the iLiad is with infrequent use of the stylus. Use it a lot and the battery life will halve.

Sonist · 11-05-2008, 02:10 PM

You are right, Harry. I just got a response to my battery-life question from iRex, and it seems like the 1000 gets about 7 hours per charge. This would be fine for business, but not fine for me, since I really am looking for a paper book replacement.

I'll just keep my 700 order and see if what it looks like when it comes. If its dim and fuzzy, it will go back where it came from.

HarryT · 11-06-2008, 03:23 AM

One thing that eInk screens certainly are not is "fuzzy". The image is absolute "pin sharp".

11-05-2008, 02:31 AM	#1
Sonist Apeist Posts: 2,126 Karma: 381090 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The sunny part of California Device: Generic virtual reality story-experiential device	Second Thoughts... I was all set on the new PRS-700. I placed my order about a week ago and eagerly awaited its arrival in a couple of weeks. But then, I started to read about the dimmer, less crisp than the PRS-505 screen. Tonight, I went to Borders, to take a look at it (I almost never shop at stores anymore, but buy everything online.) Borders didn't have the 700, but let me play with a fairly worn out 505. After playing with it for a while and comparing it to a real book, I thought I can live with the grayish background. Not sure I can live with it, if it was much dimmer or grayer, as it appears on the 700 in the pictures posted in the PRS-700 sub-forum. But the more I looked at the screen, the more I felt that the screen is a bit too small. How come more products don't go a little bigger? I've read about the Iliad, but it seems slow, plus I really don't like the idea of trading battery life for note-taking abilities. iPhone-like control for page flipping sounds great, but this Wacom dedicated-pen thing is wasted on me. Wish they made an 8" device without the Wacom feature. So, I am not sure what I am going to do. Really want an ebook reader, but none fill me with warm and fuzzy feelings.

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11-05-2008, 04:13 AM	#2
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	Simply put, it's the fact that the cost of the display is a major proportion, even majority of the cost of the whole device, so a larger screen area would increase the device cost significantly. As for the reading experience, for normal leisure reading it's not a problem - for graphics, etc, yes, bigger would be better, but compare the price of the Illiad to the Sony/Cybook - it's not the touchpad that's the real cost incrementer there.

11-05-2008, 04:21 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Another factor to consider is portability. One of the reasons I sold my iLiad and replaced it with a CyBook Gen3 (which uses the same screen as the Sony) was the fact that I found the iLiad too large to carry around with me everywhere, as I do the CyBook (and the Sony I owned previously). For me personally, 6" devices like the Sony are the perfect size for reading fiction.

11-05-2008, 04:35 AM	#4
Sonist Apeist Posts: 2,126 Karma: 381090 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The sunny part of California Device: Generic virtual reality story-experiential device	I am kind of flailing:-) At this point, I am keeping my 700 order, we'll see when it comes. But I just noticed, that the iRex 1000 does NOT have the Wacom feature, and it has a larger screen. Portability is not all that important for me, since I read mostly in bed:-) But what I wonder is, if the iRex 1000 doesn't have the Wacom screen, shouldn't its battery life increase dramatically? If it did, it may be the one for me.

11-05-2008, 04:38 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Not necessarily. On the iLiad, the touch screen only powers up when you remove the stylus from its holder. The 10-15h battery life quoted for the iLiad is with infrequent use of the stylus. Use it a lot and the battery life will halve.

11-05-2008, 02:10 PM	#6
Sonist Apeist Posts: 2,126 Karma: 381090 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The sunny part of California Device: Generic virtual reality story-experiential device	You are right, Harry. I just got a response to my battery-life question from iRex, and it seems like the 1000 gets about 7 hours per charge. This would be fine for business, but not fine for me, since I really am looking for a paper book replacement. I'll just keep my 700 order and see if what it looks like when it comes. If its dim and fuzzy, it will go back where it came from.

11-06-2008, 03:23 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	One thing that eInk screens certainly are not is "fuzzy". The image is absolute "pin sharp".

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