Quote:
Originally Posted by Huyggy
I think that previous devices with bad advertising (without having studied for who the device was designed), bad ergonomy, poorly constructed, are the reasons why we are still waiting for the next big screen e-ink revolution.
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The problem is with people, and what they would buy. It's easy to say you'd like a device with an A4 screen, but if you actually think about the fact that A5 means half the size, half the weight and lower price, many would realize that they can live with the panning in landscape mode and get an A5 device for the benefits. Proof of that is the fact that people would even use A6 sized devices to read A4 files (actually, the 6" screens are smaller than A6, but you get my point).
Then you have to consider all the things that are required for a device dedicated for academic work:
1. Annotations! Really good annotations, that don't take forever to save and don't turn the page into an image. This is also why I say that we need A4 (14.3"), as just using a 12" screen that would imply cropping means the loss of the really nice margins, and the space for annotation that goes with them.
2. Easy and fast internet connection and a browser capable of downloading files directly to specific folders.
3. Different system for the file organization that accommodates the fact that articles have many co-authors, and books can have different authors for different chapters. Also, the titles of some articles can have the length of a small paragraph, and may contain strange characters.
4. If the references in the article have hyperlinks, those should open the browser to see the referenced article.
5. Easy switch between different articles.
6. A way to quickly browse through an article or book.
7. A quick way to view just the abstracts of the articles.
And even if we get all of this in a device, there would still be complaints about the fact that it needs color, and that it's easier to look at more than one article if you have them printed and spread across your desk.
BTW, the Triton e-ink screen has color, and has been around since last November, but guess what, we still don't have color e-ink devices. Hanvon announced that they were making a 9.7" color reader and 8 months later they still have nothing more than the prototype. We would be lucky to have a 12" device a whole year after somebody announces their intention of making one.