MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

pdam · 08-24-2006, 06:01 PM

A really interesting thread, I have a couple of thoughts to add:

If you read a lot - you probably carry around a paperback - you don't really expect to put this in your jeans (unless you have weird shaped jeans) - so an 8-9in device is OK (but no bigger) as long as it's light and sturdy.

I read novels, business books and academic papers, I know I should be better organised, but I always end up writing in the margins or highlighting stuff (even tearing pages out of magazines and newspapers - interaction is a really useful feature in any reader, it's (at least my) human nature.

Wireless is only OK - if - it's simple (ala the iLiad) and it does what I want (not like the iLiad) I don't need to interact with the Internet when reading stuff - but it is good to "clip" stuff to deal with later without having to shuffle keyfobs - maybe I want to mail later or maybe I want to ask author for usage etc.

What else?
Colour? Overrated unless you really need it - more of a vertical requirement.

Battery life? Essential. A real 4 hours a day for a week - the only device I have that does this is my Psion5 ... which is no good for really reading.

Formats?
pdf, doc, txt, oeb, rtf ... maybe Mobipocket. What would also be useful is for my device manufacturer to offer an oline conversion utility to convert my ppt's, xls's openoffice docs etc into a suitable optimised format.
Formats - HTML? nah ... If I want to read something online I'd either convert it or print it out on treeware - If I don't interact with the HTML - I'd be transfering it somehow - so again a simple "one press" conversion/transfer process would work for me.

Storage/Connectivity? 256MB, USB expansion/connection, wireless "my briefcase" like function to sync with my online folder. probably bluetooth so I can send stuff from my mobile to my reader when travelling.

Cost? £230/$410 max, in reality this is for early adopters/vertical markets - what I'd really pay for a mass marlet product would be @£170 max.

That's it! This device should be available pretty much now and should hit a mass market price point in 2007/8 ...

08-24-2006, 06:01 PM	#23
pdam Groupie Posts: 199 Karma: 100 Join Date: Aug 2006 Device: iLiad, iPaq, Psion5&7, Blackberry	What I really really want. A really interesting thread, I have a couple of thoughts to add: If you read a lot - you probably carry around a paperback - you don't really expect to put this in your jeans (unless you have weird shaped jeans) - so an 8-9in device is OK (but no bigger) as long as it's light and sturdy. I read novels, business books and academic papers, I know I should be better organised, but I always end up writing in the margins or highlighting stuff (even tearing pages out of magazines and newspapers - interaction is a really useful feature in any reader, it's (at least my) human nature. Wireless is only OK - if - it's simple (ala the iLiad) and it does what I want (not like the iLiad) I don't need to interact with the Internet when reading stuff - but it is good to "clip" stuff to deal with later without having to shuffle keyfobs - maybe I want to mail later or maybe I want to ask author for usage etc. What else? Colour? Overrated unless you really need it - more of a vertical requirement. Battery life? Essential. A real 4 hours a day for a week - the only device I have that does this is my Psion5 ... which is no good for really reading. Formats? pdf, doc, txt, oeb, rtf ... maybe Mobipocket. What would also be useful is for my device manufacturer to offer an oline conversion utility to convert my ppt's, xls's openoffice docs etc into a suitable optimised format. Formats - HTML? nah ... If I want to read something online I'd either convert it or print it out on treeware - If I don't interact with the HTML - I'd be transfering it somehow - so again a simple "one press" conversion/transfer process would work for me. Storage/Connectivity? 256MB, USB expansion/connection, wireless "my briefcase" like function to sync with my online folder. probably bluetooth so I can send stuff from my mobile to my reader when travelling. Cost? £230/$410 max, in reality this is for early adopters/vertical markets - what I'd really pay for a mass marlet product would be @£170 max. That's it! This device should be available pretty much now and should hit a mass market price point in 2007/8 ...