Hello everyone. I have been quietly hanging around these forums for 2 years or more, checking in almost daily for any bit of news regarding advancements in the E-book reader industry.
While I was tempted on several occasions to join in and offer my 2 cents worth, it wasn't until Canada needed my help in desertgrandma's
poll that I finally decided to sign up.
I do not currently own an E-Ink based reader, and below is series of top 4 lists summarizing what I am looking for in an E-book reader, and why I still haven't found it.
Planned usage stats:
1) 50% technical books in pdf, chm, or even plaintext formats. (programming languages, networking, OS manuals, etc)
2) 40% public domain books
3) 5% purchased books
4) 5% Wikipedia or other similar online articles (text only is ok for now)
Most important factors for me are:
1) Reasonably smooth navigation and comfortable viewing of technical books
2) Price.
3) Linux, or at least Mac OS, compatible. (I live in a house without Windows)
4) Open to developers, with active community and 3rd party software available.
Top reasons I haven't purchased an E-book reader yet:
1) The models that are most likely to suit my needs (Iliad, PRS-700) are too expensive for my liking.
2) The one model that I think looks great, is reasonably priced, and that I would most likely just go ahead and purchase, is tragically not available in my area (Quebec)
3) No E-Ink readers of any kind are available in my area for a "try before you buy" kind of hands on examination.
4) The overall quality and availability is improving with each new generation, and I like to believe that next batch of readers will be real winners.
Although my heart is set on eventually purchasing an E-Ink based reader, I may decide to put that ambition on hold and purchase one of the upcoming Asus eee pc
convertibles. They look very interesting, and would probably be a decent substitute for a dedicated E-book reader, especially for technical books and reference material. In an ideal world where I'd be fabulously wealthy (and a few inches taller), I would own separate readers for novels and tech manuals.