Quote:
Originally Posted by sirbruce
That's irrelevant. You can wait forever for "digital convergence" to come but there will always be new gadgets being invented and integrated into our lives. The issue is what's a viable solution right now, and right now all-laptop is not an option, nor will it be in 5 years, so laptop + ereader is better than laptop + lots of big heavy textbooks.
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The issue is whether Amazon will be successful marketing the DX to students, which brings up the broader issue of whether ereaders have even enough flexibility to fulfill their single use, reading books, in the manner required for college classes. All-laptop is definitely an option, and given the laptop's superiority in retaining the layout of texts, cross-referencing and multitasking, along with the elimination of one more device and half your gadget expenses, it may be a superior option for a lot of students. If you have a trust fund, then no question, get both; you gain screen real-estate and for the initial close-reading of texts, the Kindle is easier on the eyes. If you had to make do with one, however--and just as a replacement for textbooks, ignoring the laptop's additional utility--the Kindle would not suffice.
Maybe when the cost of eInk devices comes down around $200, they'll make more sense as a student accessory, and/or when they integrate color and/or when standards stabilize to the point that textbooks are being designed for these displays. Given the current state of the art, however, including the rate of ebook adoption in the textbook industry, you're probably better off with the physical book + PDF on a laptop than Kindle + laptop. You read from the physical book at home/dorm and carry the laptop to class.