MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - A manufacturer wants your opinion on 9.7" device features

bjrnfrdnnd · 06-16-2010, 01:31 PM

An e-reader this large is first of all a means to read large-format books,
most probably with figures or other elements that make it necessary to
print in large format.
Technical papers, as published in journals, as well as spreadsheets also
come to mind.
All of these are work-related reading items.

I would like to be able to annotate all content in a way that let's me export these annotations lateron. That is, for pdf, these annotations should be compatible with adobe's standards. For txt, html, and epub, I do not know
whether there is any such standard. If there is not, we need one. A stylus would be helpful for annotations.
Second, I would need excellent paper-organising capabilities, fast document switching, lists of recently read items, bookmarks, and so on. These are more important on large reading devices, as work-related reading is not just a novel at a time.
Third, all content should be readable and annotatable. That means, DRM is a must.

Long battery life, flexible display, Dictionary and search functions, and touchscreen are prerequisites that I think do not need mentioning. No device without these features will be competitive. But as this holds also for small devices (except for the flexible screen), they are not special for large-screen devices.

All the rest are just nice bonuses: WiFi, browser, colour screen, online store(s), 3g, none of that is really important but certainly would add value. If I would have to choose the importance, it is
1) WiFi and browser
2) colour
and for the rest I do not really care.
Most of work-related literature will not come through online book stores anyway.

Make a sturdy, light, standard-based annotatable touchscreen device with long battery life, and I will buy it. No such thing is yet on the market. I do not know whether the que or the skiff will live up to this. Anyways, all I hear from them is "delay, delay, delay". I wonder whether there will be any devices from them at all in the end.

06-16-2010, 01:31 PM	#157
bjrnfrdnnd Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: pocketbook 360˚	Annotation, Annotation, Annotation An e-reader this large is first of all a means to read large-format books, most probably with figures or other elements that make it necessary to print in large format. Technical papers, as published in journals, as well as spreadsheets also come to mind. All of these are work-related reading items. I would like to be able to annotate all content in a way that let's me export these annotations lateron. That is, for pdf, these annotations should be compatible with adobe's standards. For txt, html, and epub, I do not know whether there is any such standard. If there is not, we need one. A stylus would be helpful for annotations. Second, I would need excellent paper-organising capabilities, fast document switching, lists of recently read items, bookmarks, and so on. These are more important on large reading devices, as work-related reading is not just a novel at a time. Third, all content should be readable and annotatable. That means, DRM is a must. Long battery life, flexible display, Dictionary and search functions, and touchscreen are prerequisites that I think do not need mentioning. No device without these features will be competitive. But as this holds also for small devices (except for the flexible screen), they are not special for large-screen devices. All the rest are just nice bonuses: WiFi, browser, colour screen, online store(s), 3g, none of that is really important but certainly would add value. If I would have to choose the importance, it is 1) WiFi and browser 2) colour and for the rest I do not really care. Most of work-related literature will not come through online book stores anyway. Make a sturdy, light, standard-based annotatable touchscreen device with long battery life, and I will buy it. No such thing is yet on the market. I do not know whether the que or the skiff will live up to this. Anyways, all I hear from them is "delay, delay, delay". I wonder whether there will be any devices from them at all in the end.