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Originally Posted by DMcCunney
And if it can still display ebooks just as it always did, but can do other things as well, does that lack of focus really matter?
As mentioned, I read ebooks on a multi-function device. That's a reason I'm not interested in a dedicated reader: I want a device that can do other things as well. Most of what I do with my primary reading device is read ebooks, but the fact that it does other things is extremely useful. I have a PDA and a cell phone that go with me everywhere. I'm not going to carry a phone, a PDA, and a reader.
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Well, I have tried several ereader "apps" and have found them all to be quite inferior to dedicated ereaders as far as the interface goes. If later ereaders lose the focus of being primarily for reading on (or at least reading on them being a large part of their job), I'm afraid they will become harder to use for reading. Yes, multi-purpose devices are nice, but they generally do lots of things in an inferior manner to dedicated devices. Some people are fine with that, but I don't really need the other stuff (yes, it is really cool to have a "do-everything" device).
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
You are guessing. I have no problems reading on a backlit screen (and my device is readable outdoors if I turn off the backlight, which it will let me do.)
It's highly subjective. Some folks have problems with backlit screens and prefer an eInk display. Others don't. I'm in the latter category.
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Apart from a few folks on here, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't have a problem reading (for long periods) on a backlit screen. That's why I said "most".
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Originally Posted by cmdahler
Well, of course it will. When you have a device that is capable of rich media in addition to merely displaying text, why would Amazon or any other company artificially limit it to text display? That's just leaving money on the table - marketing an ereader with the ability to also browse the full-on web with email, etc., is a huge plus. Are you saying you would refuse to buy such a product simply because it had those added capabilities in addition to being able to read books? Because then, you know, ah, you sort of have, well, an iPad... Hmmm.
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I'm not saying that they should be limited to only displaying text. The Kindle can do several things (music player, web browsing), but, it makes sure that it is a good ereader before it considers the other things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmdahler
So when we boil through all the chaff, what you're really saying is your definition of an ereader is something with an eInk screen. So long as the product has eInk versus LCD, you'll happily adjust your personal definition (and consequent level of irritation) to accommodate a newer generation of products that bill themselves as readers, but with all the capabilities of a tablet computer (but shhhh, we're keeping that part a secret; even though this new 5th generation Kindle is basically an iPad with an eInk screen, we don't want to call it a tablet, because that might offend the pedants on MobileRead - we need to keep calling it a reader so those people won't think it's a tablet, even though every single last one of them who buys it from us is going to use it just like a tablet...).
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Not at all. My current (main) ereader is the Aluratek Libre, which uses an LCD screen. Most of today's ereaders do have E-Ink screens, but there are several that don't that are still ereaders (Novel, The Book, etc). The difference between them and the iPad is that they focus on being devices for reading on.