Quote:
Originally Posted by meika
In addition it must be able to run a reference manager, i.e. it's library functions must integrate with a reference manager which integrates with noting taking, annotations.
The key issue here is software development, something which combines the database function (ie calibre, itunes organisation of book/files) the referencing function (endnote/ zotero bibliographic function of relating/attributing authors and their ideas to certain texts/files) as well as the ability to read any file format and write (or support writing which) referencing those authors ideas in those files.
An academic ereader would kick the competition out of the water. Huge market if done properly.
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This is why trials of the Kindle in an academic environment have failed so badly. It (and
all current low-power ereaders aimed at the fiction market) sucks badly at managing annotations and references.
A properly-purposed academic reader in which you could create entries in a database which organised citations with your notes on them and links to take you directly to the relevant passage in your library would be unique and would readily find a market in both the academic and professional spheres. As long as it did all this across PDFs, epubs and .docs. Add wireless connectivity to online databases like PubMed and it would be a killer.
The only issues are:
1) This takes power and moves you away from the ultra-light fiction-reader model.
2) It's only a matter of time before someone manages to do this on the iPad (though right now all the options are a bit of a disappointment).