MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - 'Ebook readers are dumb' says Liam from Gizmodo

Alisa · 10-13-2009, 12:11 AM

I think where I mostly differ from Lam is time line. He thinks the ideal tablet that can do all our multimedia and have great battery life and be a good reader is right on the horizon. I'm just not that optimistic. I do want this kind of device. I don't particularly want to have a smartphone, a reader and a netbook or tablet aside from my other computers. I just don't think that wondrous device is coming soon enough for me to wait it out.

I was reading the comments and heard so many people still talking about OLED as the panacea. How long have people been saying that's right around the corner? Years. Besides OLED isn't nearly as good for eyestrain or battery life as e-ink. I love the idea of PixelQi but I don't think it will replace my reader, either (at least in the first generation). I think it could make a great netbook, tablet, or smartphone but it's still going to need a sizable battery to get a full day on a 6-10" screen. They quoted 20 hours on netbook with a 2 lb battery and that's without the backlight. The Kindle 1 battery is listed on Amazon as weighing 1.6 oz. Yep. Ounces. PixelQi says they're working on improvements that will improve the battery life but that's what's ready in the immediate future (Lam's time line). I will probably jump on this for a netbook when it comes out. I've actually been waiting on a netbook for this very reason but a reader is of more immediate use to me than a netbook so I'm fine waiting.

Further down the road in 2010 we hear about color e-ink but I doubt the speed of the display will be enough for a multimedia device and I've yet to hear the price (maybe I've missed it). The Mirasol prototype looks great but it's just that: a prototype. I'll be rapturous if I see a device in a year. If I do, I'm sure it will be expensive as well as first gen. Remember how expensive the first small OLED screens were? Remember the months-long wait times on e-ink because production wasn't enough to nearly meet demand even with readers that were $400? I figure there's likely at least a couple years before there will be a great tablet in wide production at a halfway reasonable price. Most gadgets seem to have a 2-5 year life anyway. If you read a lot, I think you'd get your use out of a reader before anything compelling came out. If you worry about justifying the price to yourself, get a refurb unit.

10-13-2009, 12:11 AM	#23
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	I think where I mostly differ from Lam is time line. He thinks the ideal tablet that can do all our multimedia and have great battery life and be a good reader is right on the horizon. I'm just not that optimistic. I do want this kind of device. I don't particularly want to have a smartphone, a reader and a netbook or tablet aside from my other computers. I just don't think that wondrous device is coming soon enough for me to wait it out. I was reading the comments and heard so many people still talking about OLED as the panacea. How long have people been saying that's right around the corner? Years. Besides OLED isn't nearly as good for eyestrain or battery life as e-ink. I love the idea of PixelQi but I don't think it will replace my reader, either (at least in the first generation). I think it could make a great netbook, tablet, or smartphone but it's still going to need a sizable battery to get a full day on a 6-10" screen. They quoted 20 hours on netbook with a 2 lb battery and that's without the backlight. The Kindle 1 battery is listed on Amazon as weighing 1.6 oz. Yep. Ounces. PixelQi says they're working on improvements that will improve the battery life but that's what's ready in the immediate future (Lam's time line). I will probably jump on this for a netbook when it comes out. I've actually been waiting on a netbook for this very reason but a reader is of more immediate use to me than a netbook so I'm fine waiting. Further down the road in 2010 we hear about color e-ink but I doubt the speed of the display will be enough for a multimedia device and I've yet to hear the price (maybe I've missed it). The Mirasol prototype looks great but it's just that: a prototype. I'll be rapturous if I see a device in a year. If I do, I'm sure it will be expensive as well as first gen. Remember how expensive the first small OLED screens were? Remember the months-long wait times on e-ink because production wasn't enough to nearly meet demand even with readers that were $400? I figure there's likely at least a couple years before there will be a great tablet in wide production at a halfway reasonable price. Most gadgets seem to have a 2-5 year life anyway. If you read a lot, I think you'd get your use out of a reader before anything compelling came out. If you worry about justifying the price to yourself, get a refurb unit.