My dream Ebook reader

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

If you want to put a keyboard at the bottom though i think 6 inch makes sense over 8 inch.

True. *If*.
As it's probably clear by now, I see little need for a physical keyboard on a content consumption device. A good onscreen keyboard is enough for *my* needs. Other folks obviously think otherwise.

[Dulin's Books]

i agree with you, a soft keyboard is plenty for my needs.

[GeoffC]

I'd like a customisable iPad; one I can directly link to my PC .... and at a price I can afford ....

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I'd like a customisable iPad; one I can directly link to my PC .... and at a price I can afford ....

Give it six months.
They're coming.

You'll have a choice between webpads in the US$200-300 range and CoreULV-driven Win7 (or Linux-based) tablets in the iPad range.

Checkout the Asus EeePad as a sign of things to come at the high-end:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/31/a...ows-7-and-a-1/

At the lower reaches:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/05/l...ses-android-2/
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/04/...ete-with-ipad/
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/04/...s-unavailable/
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/05/...ndroid-tablet/

The Android WebPads are waiting on Android 2.2 and the Win7 Tablets on the dual core Atoms.

So your choice will be between a web-centric appliance or a full function slate PC.

If you really can't wait, the Viliv X70 is here today at iPad pricing:
http://www.dynamism.com/#Product=viliv_x70

Time is on our side; fun stuff is coming.

[banjobama]

I would like to have an ebook reader that's usable while plugged in. Sony informed me that my laptop's battery performance would best be preserved by keeping the battery at 50% charge since I mostly use the AC adapter to power it. Now I'm paranoid about my Reader's battery eventually failing because I can't take the same precaution with it.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by banjobama

I would like to have an ebook reader that's usable while plugged in. Sony informed me that my laptop's battery performance would best be preserved by keeping the battery at 50% charge since I mostly use the AC adapter to power it. Now I'm paranoid about my Reader's battery eventually failing because I can't take the same precaution with it.

I think things might be different for eInk devices.
But if you *insist* on doing that, Pocketbook Readers let you read while plugged in. I think a few others do, too.

[banjobama]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I think things might be different for eInk devices.
But if you *insist* on doing that, Pocketbook Readers let you read while plugged in. I think a few others do, too.

I figured some reader did. Too bad I didn't consider this before I got mine. I'm sure it's not a big deal, but I want it to last a long time so I do what I can.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by banjobama

I figured some reader did. Too bad I didn't consider this before I got mine. I'm sure it's not a big deal, but I want it to last a long time so I do what I can.

Even the readers with sealed batteries last a long time.
Most batteries in that range last around 300 charge cycles; even at a week per charge-cycle (the connected readers with connectivity enabled full-time), that's about six years life cycle. For non-connected readers (or connected but with connectivity used sparsely) 300 cycles should be about ten years.

http://www.cellpower.com/cell-phone-battery-info.cfm

Readers with user replaceable batteries can be expected to last as long as the eInk panel holds up.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by banjobama

I would like to have an ebook reader that's usable while plugged in. Sony informed me that my laptop's battery performance would best be preserved by keeping the battery at 50% charge since I mostly use the AC adapter to power it. Now I'm paranoid about my Reader's battery eventually failing because I can't take the same precaution with it.

I've always read that for ensuring the longest possible laptop battery life, one should use the laptop unplugged as much as possible, to avoid the increased heat of charging plus draw. Heat is by far the biggest killer of battery lifetimes. Yes, there are rules for ideal charge percentage, but those are li-ion storage rules, like in the table here.

And here are other guidelines for prolonging lithium-based batteries.

I'd say with 95% confidence the person from Sony was either misunderstanding what you wanted to know, or was just plain wrong.

Enjoy your Reader unplugged, topping up when needed and not using. I've got a Sony PDA that I bought refurbished in 2004, still supplying unbelievable power from its original battery. I charge it about once every two weeks, not worrying about topping up, just charging when I see it needs it.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

exactly which is why i was so excited for both of them when i first saw them.

And another player that gets it:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90603

Not sure about the paging(?) button shapes but the double curve on the right looks like it'll make for a great grip. And the thing runs on AAA batteries?
The Jetbook firmware is on the basic side but reasonably robust so it might be worth a look.

I definitely want to know more.

[perost]

The perfect e-reader for me would be about the size of a normal USB stick, so that it's small enough to comfortably fit in my pocket while being large enough that I don't loose it. It should never need to be charged.

The screen should be adjustable between about 6" to A4 size, since I prefer a smaller screen while reading normal books but a larger screen when reading PDF documents. The screen should of course be readable in all light conditions, and the screen should also be touch sensitive so that no physical keys are needed.

The reader should know itself when I'm finished reading one page and automatically go to the next page. It should always be connected to the Internet, with access to a bookstore that contains every book ever written for a reasonable price. It should also be able to display all relevant document formats, and automatically strip DRM so that I don't have to.

And, last but not least, it should be cheap and available today. I suspect I may have to wait some time for my dream e-reader.

[banjobama]

Originally Posted by jj2me

I've always read that for ensuring the longest possible laptop battery life, one should use the laptop unplugged as much as possible, to avoid the increased heat of charging plus draw. Heat is by far the biggest killer of battery lifetimes. Yes, there are rules for ideal charge percentage, but those are li-ion storage rules, like in the table here.

And here are other guidelines for prolonging lithium-based batteries.

I'd say with 95% confidence the person from Sony was either misunderstanding what you wanted to know, or was just plain wrong.

I'm going by the Vaio care software that came with my computer. On keeping the battery 50% charged and on AC power it says "Battery life will be about 50% shorter than the one of the fully charged battery, however, this mode prevents battery degradation and is more effective if you usually use the computer with the AC adapter." So I just do what it tells me.

I'm going to check out those links too, thanks for that info.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by perost

The perfect e-reader for me would be about the size of a normal USB stick, so that it's small enough to comfortably fit in my pocket while being large enough that I don't loose it. It should never need to be charged.

The screen should be adjustable between about 6" to A4 size, since I prefer a smaller screen while reading normal books but a larger screen when reading PDF documents. The screen should of course be readable in all light conditions, and the screen should also be touch sensitive so that no physical keys are needed.

The reader should know itself when I'm finished reading one page and automatically go to the next page. It should always be connected to the Internet, with access to a bookstore that contains every book ever written for a reasonable price. It should also be able to display all relevant document formats, and automatically strip DRM so that I don't have to.

And, last but not least, it should be cheap and available today. I suspect I may have to wait some time for my dream e-reader.

[jj2me]

[QUOTE=banjobama;1007261]I'm going by the Vaio care software that came with my computer. On keeping the battery 50% charged and on AC power it says "Battery life will be about 50% shorter than the one of the fully charged battery, however, this mode prevents battery degradation and is more effective if you usually use the computer with the AC adapter." So I just do what it tells me. QUOTE]

That's interesting. It sounds to me like the Vaio has a special mode for only topping up to ~ 50%, which they created because so many people run their laptops while plugged in (which is bad for the battery because of the double heat sources--charge and draw). Perhaps it doesn't push much current into the battery in this mode, keeping the heat in the battery at a lower temp than if they just charged at regular power.

Or I could be totally wrong. I just feel badly that you would lose the convenience of portabilty because of that Sony laptop guideline. I can only say that 1) I have many li-ion gadgets from years back that still don't need battery replacement--they've never been subjected to high heat, and 2) there is a chance that using a reader plugged-in would actually diminish battery lifetime (not having a special, plugged-in charging mode like the Vaio).

[JanetCinNC]

Originally Posted by banjobama

I would like to have an ebook reader that's usable while plugged in. Sony informed me that my laptop's battery performance would best be preserved by keeping the battery at 50% charge since I mostly use the AC adapter to power it. Now I'm paranoid about my Reader's battery eventually failing because I can't take the same precaution with it.

You can read on the Sony readers while they're being charged. You need to use the optional AC power adaptor. I've often read my Sony readers - my PRS-500, my PRS-505, and my PRS-600 Touch reader - while plugged up and charging.