Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
That's a tough one.
The signature of the PB360 is its form factor (portabiity, ergonomics, size and weight) and its focus on reading (limited bell-n-whistles; no audio, no case, no touchscreen). It is an ebook reader pure and simple.
More precisely, it is a paperback-replacement ebook reader.
In a world of (seemingly) a zillion 6" Kindle wannabes, PB360 stands out as the class of a smaller, more focused category; a pocketable reader you take with you.
So, the question you need to ask is: what does wireless (WiFi, 3G, 4G, whatever) add to the PB360 value equation?
Barring a full-function browser, wireless brings in the ability to, what? Shop wirelessly? For Kindle and Nook, devices that are essentially storefronts, it makes some sense to offer wireless. For an open, transparent, multi-vendor platform? Not so much. Not with the battery-sucking that comes with wireless. Not with the extra cost for components that might go unused 90% of the time.
Now, if a full-function browser (frames, etc) is part of the deal, then there might be some value in wireless for checking email, news sites, connecting to a personal server (a friend of mine keeps his full ebook collection on his home server and downloads books to his Kindle as needed). A full AJAX-capable browser in a PB360 package would be an interesting *communication* and cloud-computing device. But it wouldn't be an ebook reader. And it shouldn't use eink. (The PB360 could afford to thicken a bit, I suppose; so a color LCD version with a bigger battery might work. Wouldn't bet the farm on it, though. Cost. Cost. Cost.)
Priority-wise, I would suggest that future PB360 hardware evolution should look to color second and wireless third. First priority should be a PB360a that smooths out the few rough edges on the already good design (ahem; the wing buttons!). Explore/refine the *software* side. Add cheap value via apps and software options. To-do lists? Contacts lists? A recipe database app? A secure private-info repository ala eWallet? Work the software!
Above all, avoid checklist engineering; adding features for the sake of extending the spec sheet adds cost faster than it adds value and can easily undercut the gadget's value proposition. Remember the Pareto rule (80% of the cost comes from 20% of the features) and keep it simple. So far, PB360 is a shining example of this. (vis-a-vis MP3 playback).
You will *never* be able to satisfy everybody, so don't try; one of the hardest lessons to learn in business is that some customers you are better off without. Let your competitors go broke trying to satisfy them. If it is even possible...
Now, all this refers to the PB360 as a 5" reader.
(9" readers are obviously a different story.)
Bottom line, I think the PB360 will be more successful at a lower price point without wireless than with it at a (necessarily) higher price. Unless you are looking to establish a deal with either an ebook retailer or a wireless carrier for subsidized hardware... <shrug>
PB360 has a good value proposition now (expecially against the Sony and the Hanlin 5 inchers) built on solid software and ergonomics; riding the price curve downwards makes more sense to me than adding features of limited general value.
YMMV, of course.
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I am not sure if my rambling post was very clear, and it happens where I know what I am thinking but what my fingers type....welll....ummm, ok anyway, I agree with your points. First and foremost the attraction of the PB360, for me, is the form factor & integrated cover. Second is obviously firmware, last is price. But I also consider it only slightly a bit high for a 5" device. A magic point is that $199 and under market for a basic no wireless/touch reader. I would never want to see the current version of the 360 to price itself out of that market via, as you say and I love the phrase, "checklist engineering".
My comments were for a new version of the current 360 as I understood Yar to be asking.
The two changes I would want to see in the existing 360 device are weather/environmental sealing and a plastic panel with a scratchproof top layer for those days on the beach or dusty trail where grit can find it's way onto the panel then without thinking a person just uses a shirt corner to wipe the panel off...result....scratches.
poshm: I want to mention that you can buy Point's shoot DSLR's that are totally waterproof for under $300. And a digital camera is far more expensive parts wise than a 5" reader. a digital sensor along with the associated processor is very expensive compared to the guts of an ereader where the cpu is like $4-$5 in the quantities Netronix would buy them. I expect you are thinking people might be discussing waterproofing to the point of taking the camera diving, that is a different animal all together because pressure seals ARE expensive to design and test. I know I am taking about waterproofing for the accident spilled beverage, a drop in a puddle or even into the pool where it should survive for a few seconds even at 3-4ft under water. The side effect of this sealing is it will also prevent dust from creeping into the device.
The gaskets used as the seals are simple in design, usually they expand when in contact with moisture sealing any gaps. it's not advanced technology and also very inexpensive. Plus there already exist waterproof buttons (which as luck would have it, are also soft-click silent buttons) So improving the water resistance should be cheap and be easily off-set by the drop in the price of other components.
The actual difficult part is a scratch-proof plastic top layer for the panel. Right now for about $10-$15 one can buy a nice plastic sheet type overlay for a device to protect the panel which do not alter the clarity at all. So, the added cost to a device is again, trivial since the cost to Netronix would be probably around $3-$4 each max...yet there are types of Lexan that are virtually immune to scratching. Still, thinking about it a high quality user added screen protector might be a better option.
So, in general these changes should add nothing to the cost directly other than possibly allowing the PB to keep their devices slightly above other low budget brands like Astak.