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Originally Posted by Yar-PocketBooker
Wow...!!! I love this forum))))
What do you folks think about adding a wi-fi and/or 3G to small device like PB360?
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You know I almost added why I might not want that in a 5" device. In my small device I really want one primary thing and that is reading. Seconday and not truly needed would be few common apps. An almost must have is the porting of X-word to the device, next I would love an app similar to an old Palm app called HandyShopper as well because that app is very useful for all forms of shopping, not simply the obvious like groceries. I use it for projects I am working on so that I never leave anything out. But something like HandyShopper is really not needed. I really am happy with the Pocketbooks concept of a device that is for recreational reading. I have a PDA I can drag along when it is relevant to my day.
I was going to suggest for some form of 3g (maybe wifi) but in reality, other than the removal of the need to use a cable to transfer content, I just am not sure I care about it in my pocket device. Maybe adding something like GPS in with the Wifi then it could be useful for me when out fishing or on a photography hike since my camera does not have that ability, even with an EyeFi card because of how their pseudo-GPS functions. Of course I am NOT one to carry a cell phone ever again...there is never a reason anyone needs to contact me anywhere I might be nor I they...if I fall down the side of a cliff then I can just lay there and enjoy the view on the way out.
I have walked MILES at 10,000ft plus on broken or sprained ankles and no cell phone would have made a lick of difference. I just to not like an over reliance on connectivity everywhere we roam. Call me a Luddite but I feel it somehow makes us far less self reliant and able to take care of ourselves.
Also, I have no need to access some online book store from anywhere either, so wifi, sure, maybe or even cheap included in the price 3G fine, but that would only be for those who see it as a must have feature, and I suppose that is going to be the case soon anyway, if a device has no 3G then it's a POS and cannot possibly be worth buying. Just know I won't ever pay a premium for that particular feature. Sorry, I guess I have an opinion here...hehehehe...
But there is also a part of me which say, no to most changes other than a few apps like the X-word app. Why? Because the simplicity of the PB360 is he real attraction of the PB360 and 5" readers in general. I will add a larger format slate style device as a laptop replacement soon as they become a viable option. I have come to feel there really needs to be two classes of readers, the dedicated and simple reading device and the more advance slate device which is a real laptop replacement for 99% of what I do everyday.
One change I would like to bring into the mix is increased RAM. 512 MB is just really limiting and I do not want the added problems of an SD card slot given the way readers will grind away re-indexing content on the card a side effect of which is the need to power the slot the entire time the card is being accessed in addition to the CPU running non-stop until the indexing is done. I know my K1 is very frustrating at times because of the low internal user memory and adding a SDHC card can have a bad effect in battery life if there are too many files and the device spends waaaay to long indexing those files. So maybe increasing the internal USER accessible RAM to just 2GB as the 360 is a small device and I am not going to keep huge reference books on it. I imagine users who travel might like a bit more room to load up their devices before leaving. In fact if I very get back into my 3-4 week camping trips in the Sierra's I KNOW I would want more memory.
A battery with a bit more capacity than the 1000mA rating would be nice. These are LiPoly which means they are very easily produce in odd shapes allowing them to fit within the available space in the device...even if this means hooking two batteries together. As I recall to get more life hooking them in parallel would be the way to go but I am fuzzy on that at this micro second.
Back to 3g, my preferred connectivity over Wifi as I could use 3g to connect to my own VPN even from home, to access my home network resources or even the web. 3G represents more in terms of user mobility, wifi offers a tech that adds like 50-cents to the cost of the device for the wifi board and antenna (just wire). So, I would be fine with wifi but as I mention, I like the 360 almost as it is now with only a couple feature additions rather than touch or other hardware changes.
Obviously we all want silent click buttons to replace the current buttons. In fact it would be nice to offer an upgrade for owners of the current devices should a change be made in this area. I don't see it as a difficult change, PB could simply swap devices sending the old device back to the factory to be refurb'd then sold during sort of warehouse clearance type sales.
I am wandering off point here. Distilled down, I would NOT want a touch layer unless it is capacitive and had no negative impact on runtime. No resistive touch. I am probably not in favor of wireless of any sort as my intention for a 5" device is only reading. I do like the idea of increasing internal RAM, adding a few apps to offer other distractions when I am not quite in the mood to read (this would eliminate on of my needs to still carry my Clie).
Last, and this is going to require someone at Pocketbook actually use one of these devices, but get a Clie either the nx73v or nx80v, load up Mobireader the learn to use the "jog wheel" as Sony called it. Put it on the same side as the control buttons so it's position is hand agnostic. The wheel belongs there and after using it it will become apparent that as the eink-like panels improve to the point of things such as smooth scrolling a well developed integrated wheel will offer an alternative way to control the device over just the buttons, including accessing menus. For the many forlorn Clie users out there who took to this feature like ducks to water, that simply wheel is an invaluable/irreplaceable was to interact with your small handheld device, for one handed operation. On the right side it's not nearly as useful for right handed people. But even on devices with the current panel tech, a simply flick of the wheel up or down would change the page. If it would help I would be happy to send my precious nx73v to you so people there, even if you need to send it one to those "Wacky Guys In Kiev"...of course I would need a PB360 to ransom the thing back...heheheh...naw I would be happy to send it to you to play with. Sony had the device right other than their locked down version of the PalmOS. But a working version of either device can be had on eBay for about $100 and you get the added benefit of seeing what a real MgAlloy case can be like...these things are near indestructible.
One other thing. While using my K1 to see if I could really use it as an everyday reader, I ran into an issue I had previously never given a second thought the other day. And that is because of living somewhere with very bright & intense sunlight I discovered that the white of the K1 was horrible on my eyes because of the amount of light it reflected in direct sunlight. I like to read on my deck, which I built with that as one of my specific uses in mind. Only I did not use my Kindle for more than a couple days as it was commandeered by the better half as her reader. But some consideration might be given to trying different color options in such lighting. Now I am not all that close to the equator but even at 34-degrees northern latitude (a place like the beach in San Diego CA would be even worse), the sun is quite intense compared to even the light in a place like Seattle, WA which is, as I recall like 43-degrees northern latitude. In face you notice the lower natural like the moment you walk off the plane. Up there, no such issue exists. It's only for those of us closer to the equator where this can be an problem. I would ask that even the black framed readers be checked for such reflectance of light and alternatives be considered to avoid such a potential experience for a user. I would have been crest fallen if on vacation or working somewhere under really bright conditions that required I find a work around to avoid the sun. If one does not read outdoors then it will never be a factor. But for me, I had to stop trying to fight it after only 10-15 mins as i was getting a headache and really could not focus on the screen, which by the way looks AWESOME in the sunlight we have here.
I mention it because I was almost going to choose that really fun looking pearlized white over my favored black but now I know white is not even an option for me. And of course others will never have this sort of experience.