Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie Leung
For me, tablets are the present and future, till something better comes along. Dedicated e-readers are of very limited use to me.
On a tablet, I can read all the online news I like, watch related multimedia and buy books from a variety of sources without the hassle of converting. As with the NYT story I mentioned above, iPad let me:
* Read on NYT.com.
* Watch a related video, on which a hedge fund guy, a Nobel winner and a Spanish finance official discussed the Greek economic fiasco.
* Google for a book mentioned in the NYT story.
* Download from a book site to the Stanza app, on which I can adjust a bunch of formatting, font and brightness settings to my liking.
I used to read news and books on netbook and Kindle. For me, a tablet is the best combination of form factor and wide access to content. Yeah for lots of choice. It'll be even better when other tablet makers start delivering.
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It's also a matter of underlying assumptions. I, for example want portability. Not just physical portability, but informational portability. I may be where there is no urban data feeds (an airplane, out on a lake, middle of nowhere, Texas). Therefore I want to have the download now (as available), consume later model. And I may not have access to electrical outlets, so battery life is of paramount importance. That's why a tablet is a dead-end for my reading purposes. Now if the Mirasol display ever comes out, (same power usage as e-ink, but color and fast page turns), I might re-evaluate, but for now, the iPad is a gadget for urban hepsters. Not my lifestyle (though that's not a judgement. There's nothing wrong with the urban lifestyle.)