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BillSmithBooks · 09-19-2014, 12:13 PM

I was wondering if there is a market for a very affordable ($20-49) barebones ebook reader (and if such a device is feasible at that price point).

I look at all of the $20-30 4.3" screen MP3 players you can buy on Ebay and I wonder if there is a market potential for a very affordable ($20-49) basic ereader.

I think this low price and basic device would be greatly beneficial to readers all over the world.

Such a device would open up ebooks to children and lower income folks -- they would be great for libraries and schools -- but would also appeal to people like myself who want a device that is not too expensive (and easily replaced if it is broken) and more durable than the easily damaged eink screens.

There are plenty of sources to get ebooks -- the Mobile Read libraries, Project Gutenburg, ManyBooks, Smashwords and the host of DRM-free ebook sellers. Plus, you could use Calibre and sites like online-convert.com, zimzar, etc. to convert files to the appropriate format if, for technical reasons, the device does not read Epub or Mobi.

The device I envision:

Something akin to the old Alphasmart or Palm Pilots -- an LCD grayscale screen instead of eink (since eink seems to be more expensive), 4-6".

Long battery life (which is why I am thinking of grayscale LCD instead of a color screen -- cheap tablets are almost in this price range but battery life is awful).

User replaceable AA or AAA batteries (in addition to internal rechargeable battery?)

Card slot for memory cards.

Formats? Plain text...most novels are fine as plain text (with indicators for *bold* and _italics_). HTML or Epub would be great but perhaps asking a bit much of such a device.

Anybody have any comments about the 1) need for such a device, 2) technological feasibility, 3) Is this price point realistic?

09-19-2014, 12:13 PM	#1
BillSmithBooks Padawan Learner Posts: 243 Karma: 1085815 Join Date: May 2009 Location: www.OutlawGalaxy.com, Foothills of NY's Adirondack mountains Device: My PC...using Puppy Linux (FBReader, Calibre, Kindle Cloud Reader,	Market for cheap, barebones ereader? I was wondering if there is a market for a very affordable ($20-49) barebones ebook reader (and if such a device is feasible at that price point). I look at all of the $20-30 4.3" screen MP3 players you can buy on Ebay and I wonder if there is a market potential for a very affordable ($20-49) basic ereader. I think this low price and basic device would be greatly beneficial to readers all over the world. Such a device would open up ebooks to children and lower income folks -- they would be great for libraries and schools -- but would also appeal to people like myself who want a device that is not too expensive (and easily replaced if it is broken) and more durable than the easily damaged eink screens. There are plenty of sources to get ebooks -- the Mobile Read libraries, Project Gutenburg, ManyBooks, Smashwords and the host of DRM-free ebook sellers. Plus, you could use Calibre and sites like online-convert.com, zimzar, etc. to convert files to the appropriate format if, for technical reasons, the device does not read Epub or Mobi. The device I envision: Something akin to the old Alphasmart or Palm Pilots -- an LCD grayscale screen instead of eink (since eink seems to be more expensive), 4-6". Long battery life (which is why I am thinking of grayscale LCD instead of a color screen -- cheap tablets are almost in this price range but battery life is awful). User replaceable AA or AAA batteries (in addition to internal rechargeable battery?) Card slot for memory cards. Formats? Plain text...most novels are fine as plain text (with indicators for bold and _italics_). HTML or Epub would be great but perhaps asking a bit much of such a device. Anybody have any comments about the 1) need for such a device, 2) technological feasibility, 3) Is this price point realistic?