Greetings fellow readers! I've been following the MobileRead RSS feed since... well, since I started using Google Reader, thanks to DA Jane and her frequent MobileRead references. The folks here and at TeleRead keep me updated on upcoming eReader news and also keep my hope alive that the "perfect" eReader just might show up someday.
I'm currently reading ebooks on an HP iPAQ rx5900. Or, more correctly, I WAS reading on it. My middle-aged eyes just can't take the eye strain anymore. GAK!
And increasing the font size on that puny 3.5" screen makes reading way too irritating. So, I just don't read ebooks anymore, even free ones.
My perfect eReader would be a larger (5-7" screen) PDA type device running some version of Windows (i.e. Mobile, CE, etc.), but with longer battery life and eInk-like clarity (UMPC's failed on those last two plus price).
Why? Because I prefer MSReader's excellent features- bookmarks, notations, last page, furthest read, multiple ways to navigate, status bar, folder organization, and full color cover pics. Plus, I have HUNDREDS of ebooks in LIT format- many even date back to pre-DRM, pre-metadata days! I think Microsoft really dropped the ball with LIT and MSReader, and their negligence has all but made them irrelevent. What a shame.
Right now, I'm holding out hope that one of the upcoming tablets will meet my needs. I've got a 12" convertible HP TX1000, but with its standard LCD display, eye strain is still a problem when reading ebooks, and it's size makes it impossible to lug around in my purse. If nothing else, I'll at least have the Astak readers to consider, assuming they work the bugs out of their LIT display glitches.
So, anyway, I finally got around to joining MobileRead because I'm HOPING that there will soon
be products released that I'll want to jump in and ask questions about.