Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack B Nimble
I had trouble deciding to reply to this... as many have pointed out, we have discussed this extensively already. So... keeping it short:
eInk does not equal eBook
It is possible to enjoy ebooks, and not use an eink reader. Asking for features not offered on some or several readers (lighting, dictionary search, annotation, PDA functionality, whatever) does not constitute a rejection of eBooks in general.
Speaking for myself, for nearly a decade (since '99 when the Palm IIIx came out), I have been doing most of my reading on handhelds, and the ability to read in lots of different locations/situations was one of the big advantages of eBooks. It felt really odd to me the first time I looked at the new generation of specialized readers and realized that stepping up to the high end would mean losing functionality.
For those that love eInk -- great! For those that do not -- look around, there are lots of other ways to enjoy ebooks.
Jack
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I
have used regular desktops, laptops, pdas and even tried using cellphones and mp3/mp4 players to read ebooks. I wouldn't recommend mp3/4 players or small-screen cellphones.
As long as I
had to tolerate PCs and laptops, I tended to choose dead-tree instead because the computers were far too restrictive in their use. PDAs, well, if I
can't use my Cybook such as when a family member is borrowing it, I will fall back on my Dell and HP pdas - but I've found the LCD screens far too straining on my eyes in full daylight - I love to sit outside and read - or in complete darkness - I love to lie in bed at night and read.
The Cybook works. Simple as that. It works well at letting me read stories. No fuss, no muss, no having to fumble to change batteries (and
carry them) at an inopportune moment. Sure, I have to have an external light for reading in complete darkness, but in all other lighting situations from a single 30W lamp to full-sunlight, it delivers comfortable,
lightweight, capacious (you can stuff one hell of a lot of ebooks on a 2GB card) book reader.
For the benefits I gain from a dedicated e-book reader, I can forego having all those 'kitchen-sink' features you seem to demand. And as for the price... Well, I don't have to pay $350 per e-book. I pay the price once and then I read. Over the last six months, while putting the Cybook through the wringer, I've read over 600 e-books. I'm rapidly approaching 700. That means I've added 50 cents to each ebook's price as part of the amortization of my Cybook. And I fully expect to hit more than 2,000 ebooks read on it before I upgrade to another, more feature-laden, reader. Which means
this reader will have added less than 18
cents to each of those e-books!
I guess I can grasp the value of the e-ink reader.
Derek