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Old 10-17-2006, 06:52 PM   #31
Bob Russell
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It would be really interesting to come up with a few simple questions to ask random people after showing them a Sony Reader. Sort of our own informal market research to see what people think and why they do or don't like it.

Anyone want to take a stab and set up a thread for us to post "man on the street" thoughts about the Reader?
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Old 10-17-2006, 07:05 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radleyp
It seems to me that you are all hung up on one notion, namely that you can put hundreds of books on one device.
We're only hung up on that because that's what we care about, radleyp!

But you're right of course, that's not what most folks care about. Carry around 2 or three, maybe, but more than that is just bragware to most folks.
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Originally Posted by radleyp
It does not surprise me that the marketing of the Sony is not making much headway, since quantity - which you all stress so much - is not a selling point.
Actually, they haven't done much advertising so far, something several have commented on as being odd.

I think the reason is that they realize the biggest selling point of the Reader is the e-ink display, which can't be truly understood except in person. That's why they're going to the trouble of putting them in Borders stores I expect. The display sets it completely apart from all the e-reading stuff that has gone before, and folks can't see that until the see it.


I like Bob's idea of getting a list of "research" questions together! But maybe a new thread?
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Old 10-17-2006, 08:59 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh
let's see, at 250 Euros a page....
Well, the price will go down...

But, sure, if you'd like it to be 250 Euros per page, fine.
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Old 10-18-2006, 03:32 AM   #34
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Been a long time since I've been around this site, but I couldn't resist answering this one.

Why don't I read more e-books?

PRICE

Why do so many e-books cost as much as their printed equivalent?
For example, the other day I was watching a great series on Elizabeth I. When it finished I took my TX and started looking for English history books.

I found this and thought "great".

Great_Tales_from_English_History

But then I saw the price: $16.95

Look at Amazon:

On Amazon

$16.75!! Same price more or less, for a lush hardback book

This isn't the only case I've found

Surely printing costs etc. should be discounted from e-books?

If a hardback costs 16 dollars why doesn't an e-book cost, say, half the price?

However handy it may be to have the e-book around to read where I want, somehow it seems you get so much more for your money with the hardcover edition, for example, it is much easier to lend it to a friend, looks nice on the bookshelf etc.

I say, drop the price, e-book sellers.
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Old 10-18-2006, 05:40 AM   #35
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Hey!
I still use my Psion 5 today!! battery life of about a weeks general usage on 2 "AA"'s, it still sync's with the latest version of MS Outlook, works as a dictation machine etc etc

I agree that often niche products hit the market need just right, sometimes it is because of great timing or marketing and often it is because other stars align (in the case of palm perhaps the widespread adoption of corporate e-mail and calendaring, in the case fo the iPod freely available MP3's).

In the case of ebook readers, to me stars still feel unaligned ... DRM issues, format issues, business model issues .... I still doubt that a great device with great marketing can reach widespread adoption, mainly because of external factors at this point.
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Old 10-18-2006, 08:48 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moonraker
My daughter always scorned my eBookwise saying she preferred the "Real Thing".

However, once I got my iLiad the eBookwise became redundant and I was greatly surprised when she asked to borrow it for a trip overseas.

I loaded it up with books I hoped she would enjoy and gave it to her well before her trip was due.

She started to use it straight away and I was so pleased to hear her say she loves it and "can she have it on permanent loan please?"

Well! Do so! Now you have the perfect excuse to buy the Sony.

That is the way it worked here before the kids left home for better horizons. Now they can't stand my "old crap"
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Old 10-18-2006, 11:00 AM   #37
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Pdam, I agree, it's the external factors, which are out of Sony control, that work against this and similar devices now. What matters is what we want to read, not what can be loaded (stop with Gutenberg, already, these books are of little interest to the present reader who wants to read Steele, Connelly, Lecarre, Coulter, etc...). Consider this: two weeks ago I read two stories of Isaac Babel (in Russian), one week ago Camus' Stranger (in French), and am now reading Kaku's Parallel Worlds. NOT ONE of these books can be loaded onto the Sony or Iliad, so why would I buy them? And if I can load one of them on one, and another on the other, do I buy two readers? I wouldn't, and I won't, buy either now, not until the whole book distribution problem is resolved (and in light of all the publishers involved, it's hard to see when that could be). BTW, by constantly harping on the Gutenberg availability, you risk making the reader of today think that these devices are for reading older books only.
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Old 10-18-2006, 11:40 AM   #38
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I think that's a good way to say it: The stars are unaligned. But, if they keep it up, it will succeed.

For what it's worth, I think it's a major victory that Borders has (or will have) these devices. They _need_ to be in bookstores, not computer stores.
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Old 10-18-2006, 11:47 AM   #39
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Good point, but I don't see the Borders placement as hopefully as you do: as I recall, when RCA brought out its book reader some years ago, it was sold at Barnes & Noble, and it flopped (but then it wasn't nearly as good a device).
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Old 10-18-2006, 12:00 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radleyp
(but then it wasn't nearly as good a device).
Truly you are a master of the art of understatement, radleyp!
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Old 10-18-2006, 12:46 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radleyp
It seems to me that you are all hung up on one notion, namely that you can put hundreds of books on one device. In my experience with relatives and friends, this point is irrelevant.
Some books are too large to handle easily, especially at the beginning and toward the end. The ereader elliminates that problem as well.

[QUOTE=radleyp]People read a book, not libraries: that's the way most readers I know think. It does not surprise me that the marketing of the Sony is not making much headway, since quantity - w
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hich you all stress so much - is not a selling point.
Also people do read libraries - one book at a time. Like how to eat an elephant - one bite at a time.
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Old 10-18-2006, 01:10 PM   #42
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Let me jump in here. A harlequin executive once stated that the typical ebook reader would not be a technological person but an avid reader. I believe that to be true. A person who reads, on average, at least one or two books a week would want an ebook device. I have "evangalized" several of my fellow romance readers into being ebook readers. My neighbor, who has no tech knowledge to speak off (doesn't even send or receive emails), loves her Ebookwise and has bought only a dozen or so print books since getting the Ebookwise.

I think readers are marketed wrong. Someone here said that Sony should have sold ebook readers branded the romance reader or the sci fi reader and each one would come with a pack of popular romance books (instead of the $50 GC). I think that would have been successful. I wonder why they didn't go to one of the really successful online publishers like Ellora's Cave and say, let's partner. You have revenues in excess of $5 M and we want your readers to read on the E Ink device. I think some type of partnership like that could be wildly successful.
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Old 10-18-2006, 01:50 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by radleyp
Good point, but I don't see the Borders placement as hopefully as you do: as I recall, when RCA brought out its book reader some years ago, it was sold at Barnes & Noble, and it flopped (but then it wasn't nearly as good a device).
Okay! But no one knows yet if they have an ebook selling page in planning? That would justify their selling the prs.
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Old 10-18-2006, 02:05 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by da_jane
Let me jump in here. A harlequin executive once stated that the typical ebook reader would not be a technological person but an avid reader. I believe that to be true. A person who reads, on average, at least one or two books a week would want an ebook device. I have "evangalized" several of my fellow romance readers into being ebook readers. My neighbor, who has no tech knowledge to speak off (doesn't even send or receive emails), loves her Ebookwise and has bought only a dozen or so print books since getting the Ebookwise.

I think readers are marketed wrong. Someone here said that Sony should have sold ebook readers branded the romance reader or the sci fi reader and each one would come with a pack of popular romance books (instead of the $50 GC). I think that would have been successful. I wonder why they didn't go to one of the really successful online publishers like Ellora's Cave and say, let's partner. You have revenues in excess of $5 M and we want your readers to read on the E Ink device. I think some type of partnership like that could be wildly successful.
You are very right da_jane. The readers are catering to a closed market.

As I've mentioned in previous threads, reading novels will represent 30% of what I'll do with the reader. Here is what I plan to do.

When I meet my clients: I will have the reader with me. It will contain all the data I have concerning these clients.

Bills
Exel tables
Plans of the furniture I've done for them and plans of others.
Pictures of furniture that might interest them.
Contracts
Estimates

Everything a business needs to function on the road. The documents will be on the SD card. I have a small SD USB adapter. Install it on their computer and download or print what is of interest. The reader serves as an excellent viewer.
The Iliad is the winner here. Because of the input interface I could sketch the furniture right before the customer's eyes.

This is serious business stuff!!! Sony is basically downgrading a fantastic tool!
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Old 10-18-2006, 02:12 PM   #45
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But you can already do this with existing handhelds, or even just a usb storage device. Moreover, how will you get such documents on the reader? If you're just putting everything on a card, you can do that now with your card reader.
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