Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I see absolutely no need for a screensaver on a reader, personally. I always use a sleep cover on my reader, so it switches on when I open the cover, and off (or, more accurately, goes to sleep) when I close the cover. A blank screen (to indicate that the device is asleep) is absolutely fine with me.
Equally, I'm a little puzzled by the desire to see a summary of the book you're currently reading. If you're reading it, you don't need a summary, surely?
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Well, for starters, I miss seeing the cover that is always there with a physical book, so that is one aspect of ebooks that has always irked me. Many of them have great covers, and as an ebook you rarely see them, and when you do, mostly just a thumbnail. Of course I am talking e-ink, and hopefully a color version one day, and like you say, it retains the image when asleep. It is also a reminder of what you are currently reading or just finished ... perhaps a while back.
I have on many occasions, wanted to check on something mentioned in the blurb, even if just to tell someone a quick rundown of what I am reading, but also because I have a fleeting memory of something I thought was mentioned ... perhaps a name, etc, etc. There can be many reasons to want to recheck the summary, especially early on, as you don't really know a book until it is mostly finished. Then you have the scenario, where you may have to put the book aside for a while, for whatever reason, perhaps another ebook, maybe on another device, or just something happening in your life ... so you need a refresher when you get back to it ... especially early in the story.
To truly replace a physical book, an ebook needs, in my opinion, to be able to emulate the physical book as much as possible. Looking at a book's cover has often given great pleasure. Propping an ereader on a bookshelf where you can see the book cover due to transparency, would be a really nice feature.