[mogui]

dj_modus_ponens, did you lose a post? We often have to suggest to new users that they not use the advanced editor. You can go to User CP and select the next lower level editor. It works fine.

There have been suggestions about a dumb terminal approach to a handheld device here before. I, for one, am interested in this. I would like to see it wireless though. This device would not be for traveling, so I don't mind keeping it on a charger stand when I am not using it. With no controls other than a touch screen and a power switch, it would have uses way beyond just reading. One should be able to disable a touch screen though, to prevent unwanted phenomena when reading.

When we are considering a feature list to include in a reader, we can consider recurring costs versus non-recurring costs of development and manufacturing. Hardware is always a recurring cost for each unit produced, but for mature silicon, a more featureful chip is not necessarily more expensive than a chip with minimal features. The programming of the device is a non-recurring expense, so if enough units are sold, the cost is constrained.

One of the major uses of a reader for me is for travel. For this reason, e-ink and long battery life are a big plus. I am willing to forego backlighting for the ability to read sitting next to a train window or using the overhead light. Some sort of front-lighting would be a plus. Also, it is useful to be able to carry a large library on an SD card. The current library list of the Sony Reader becomes unwieldy very quickly. I once put about 1500 lrf eBooks on an SD card. The Reader took so long to index them that I finally gave up and removed the card. For this reason, we need the file management of files and directories built in. Perhaps we don't need to be able to create files and folders, but we would like to be able to move and delete files. I think this can be managed without a touchscreen.

I agree that a simple reader is a good approach to design. We have room in the marketplace though for other features. One feature I would use is the ability to switch to text-to-speech (TTS) mode when the sun goes down or I want to "read" in the dark or my eyes get tired. A speed control would be needed as well as a "jump back a few sentences" button, as my attention wanders when listening. This feature would open the market to the visually impaired.

Your list has shown a lot of thought. I think it is a good one for the simple reader we mostly agree should be available. We might see such a reader offered by ebook sellers as a subsidy option offered with a subscription. Other than the LCD screen and the weight, the eBookwise 1150 fits many of the above criteria. And at US$110 it is a bargain. We will see something similar with eInk, I am sure, in a few years when increased production of eInk brings the costs down. I think a US$50 reader is possible.

For those who want loads of features, a UMPC or a pocket computer is probably a better choice.