nice topic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermes
1. (Essential): Portable - fits in a breast or at least a trouser pocket
|
yes, absolutely!
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermes
2. (Essential): Versatile - can read books sold by multiple sellers
|
multiple formats, yes. And html and txt at a minimum. PDF not required.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermes
3. (Essential): Books - excellent selection of books at a reasonable price
|
I see this as outside the scope of a ebook device. That is, to tie it to some store in particular and e-commerce. You buy/download a book and then upload the file to your device, that's what any ereader worth its salt should do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermes
4. (Important): Simple - don't need to have a computer to use device
|
This would mean connectivity, wifi at a minimum. Good feature, but you'd like it to be off most of the time so as not to spend battery.
Of course, if you don't want to use a computer to purchase your books from any store, that would mean the ereader would need a web browser, a general purpose CPU etc. Which would mean you're in want of a portable computer, not an e-reader device.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermes
5. (Important): Anonymous - Payment in cash, no registration
|
outside the scope of a ereader device. And obviously, it begs the question: how would you do it in cash and at a distance?
I'd also like note-taking (preferrably with a stylus), bookmarks, and a good toc -- can't understand those silly reviewers giving iTablet high notes because you can flip pages at the bottom: the purpose of a index is precisely to make it agile to go to specific sections!
while we're at it: having a wall of sound to isolate you from external world is a need for some. MP3 playback should be easy to get if you also have a web browser and general purpose CPU.