Quote:
Originally Posted by john peer
The Nokia N800 does sound like a good replacement for my Mio thanks for that tip. I was interested to read the favourable comparison with a non-back-lighted Sony device.
I see that many eBook readers don't really need a backlight for their use. I suppose it's all about what we're used to. I remember my Grandma admonishing us for not putting on the light so's we could see the telly!
I would think though, that if a $15 clip-on device works...it would be easy for an engineer to design a little pop-out/telescoping-out LED light on these $500 e-ink units?
The idea of the "Borg" ear-mounted light brings me back many years to countless nights spent hiding under the bed-clothes reading with my trusty flashlight clutched between cheek and shoulder...as I turned the pages of RL Stevenson, Tolkien and Defoe...quietly so as to not alert my folks that I wasn't asleep on a school night!
I really could have made use of that ear-light back then.
I look forward to trying a NOKIA N800...just need to find where they're sold up here in Canada, no luck so far...(other than internet sales)
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I love how you toss around the word '$500'. First, it is quite possible to get a good e-ink reader for $300, with some running to $400. Our own Not Another E-Book version of the Cybook Gen3 runs $375. That's about 25% LESS than your mythical $500.
Second, I, personally, own both a Sony PRS-500 and a Bookeen Cybook Gen3. I routinely read them in 'low-light' (one 60W bulb) rooms without any need for a 'clip-on' booklight. I reserve my booklight for those times when I'm reading in a completely dark room, for example when I'm lying in bed with the lights off, just before going to sleep.
As others have pointed out, the current e-ink technology does not allow for back-lighting. I doubt it will any time soon, but then part of the reason for buying an e-ink reader is so one does NOT have to constantly re-charge the device's batteries every few hours. Backlit devices are notorious for sucking down battery juice.
And as for being mono-targeted, well, in today's corporate cultures, it makes sense to have a dedicated reader which can hold the IMPORTANT stuff, such as the latest hit from James Patterson while keeping the less important work stuff on the company's pdas or laptops. They won't fire you like they might for putting a novel on the pda.
Derek