Are smartphones the future?

[William F]

Presently the rate is 55% buying smartphones and you have to know that that number is going to increase-recession or not

It's getting harder every day to buy a phone that doesn't have all them new fangled apps and widgets consarn it. In my day phones were fer talkin', books were fer readin', feet were fer walkin', onions were fer snackin' and that's how we liked it!

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by William F

It's getting harder every day to buy a phone that doesn't have all them new fangled apps and widgets consarn it. In my day phones were fer talkin', books were fer readin', feet were fer walkin', onions were fer snackin' and that's how we liked it!

You forgot:

"Hey you kids, get off my lawn!"

[TedJ]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

You forgot:

"Hey you kids, get off my lawn!"

The steady diet of onions keeps them at bay.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by toddos

Or something like Timex's Indiglo.

So, basically something like the old Palm PDAs with the green backlight. Those were awesome for reading -- I did a lot of reading on them. Then I started buying "better" color screens and my ebook reading dropped off significantly, but with e-ink I'm back.

I've actually considered buying an old Palm m100 off ebay for the very reasons that you mention... much smaller than my Kindle, easy on the eyes (similar to e-ink since they're not backlit), and the green backlighting is easier on the eyes than LCD backlighting.

edit: looking now, it looks like the m100 and m105 suffered from a worse backlight... I guess I'd have to get the original Palm III like I used to have to get those properties back.

[toddos]

Originally Posted by twowheels

So, basically something like the old Palm PDAs with the green backlight. Those were awesome for reading -- I did a lot of reading on them. Then I started buying "better" color screens and my ebook reading dropped off significantly, but with e-ink I'm back.

I've actually considered buying an old Palm m100 off ebay for the very reasons that you mention... much smaller than my Kindle, easy on the eyes (similar to e-ink since they're not backlit), and the green backlighting is easier on the eyes than LCD backlighting.

edit: looking now, it looks like the m100 and m105 suffered from a worse backlight... I guess I'd have to get the original Palm III like I used to have to get those properties back.

As I understand it, eink is entirely opaque so a "backlight" can't work. However surface-mounted "frontlighting" should work just fine. I just don't understand why nobody's done this. When I use a booklight on my Nook, I do something similar to that -- I twist the light so that it's on the edge of the reader pointing sideways, and the light illuminates the screen just fine without glare like you get if you have the light pointing down at the screen. The next step is to pull the LEDs out of the light, embed them into the bezel of the reader, and power them from the device's battery. But to do that correctly would require manufacturing the LEDs into the bezel. Anything done after the fact just won't work well.

[TedJ]

I suspect that embedded LEDs in the bezel would interfere with the IR touchscreen sensors used in the current crop of readers.

[toddos]

Originally Posted by TedJ

I suspect that embedded LEDs in the bezel would interfere with the IR touchscreen sensors used in the current crop of readers.

If that were the case, using a booklight from the side would do the same but it doesn't.

It's not an intractable problem. It can be solved. Perhaps it's a conspiracy to prevent cannibalizing the booklight market (when you can sell a springy piece of metal, battery, and LED that cost $2 total for $30, you don't want to give up that revenue stream).

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by toddos

As I understand it, eink is entirely opaque so a "backlight" can't work. However surface-mounted "frontlighting" should work just fine. I just don't understand why nobody's done this. When I use a booklight on my Nook, I do something similar to that -- I twist the light so that it's on the edge of the reader pointing sideways, and the light illuminates the screen just fine without glare like you get if you have the light pointing down at the screen. The next step is to pull the LEDs out of the light, embed them into the bezel of the reader, and power them from the device's battery. But to do that correctly would require manufacturing the LEDs into the bezel. Anything done after the fact just won't work well.

Just one comment - Sony PRS 700 - embedded lighting in bezel...

[afa]

From what I understand, the main problem with the PRS-700 was the additional touch-screen layer that was added on top of the e-Ink. I don't know how much of an issue the light itself was.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by afa

From what I understand, the main problem with the PRS-700 was the additional touch-screen layer that was added on top of the e-Ink. I don't know how much of an issue the light itself was.

Yes, 700 was not so good like the 300, 600 & 900 with the touch screen layer, a lot of people found it decreased contrast and degraded the reading quality but I was just answering Toddos point about why nobody put lighting in the bezel because Sony did...

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by William F

It's getting harder every day to buy a phone that doesn't have all them new fangled apps and widgets consarn it. In my day phones were fer talkin', books were fer readin', feet were fer walkin', onions were fer snackin' and that's how we liked it!

You didn't wear your onions on your belt? Because that was the style back then.

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by toddos

As I understand it, eink is entirely opaque so a "backlight" can't work. However surface-mounted "frontlighting" should work just fine. I just don't understand why nobody's done this. When I use a booklight on my Nook, I do something similar to that -- I twist the light so that it's on the edge of the reader pointing sideways, and the light illuminates the screen just fine without glare like you get if you have the light pointing down at the screen. The next step is to pull the LEDs out of the light, embed them into the bezel of the reader, and power them from the device's battery. But to do that correctly would require manufacturing the LEDs into the bezel. Anything done after the fact just won't work well.

I always wonder that too. It wouldn't be that hard to raise up the surface a little and drop a tiny LED light onto it. Both Lenovo Thinkpads I have had for work have one at the top of the LCD to light up the keys. I'd love something like that I could toggle on.

Like someone says, apparently a few of the older Sony models had 'em...

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I suspect that what we call "smartphones" still have some evolving to do. I imagine them becoming all-purpose communications and computer/storage devices that we can use as-is, or plug in (physically or wirelessly) to peripheral slave-devices like portable screens, media players, vehicles, etc, bought individually to suit personal usage and preferences, to allow for specialized use. (I think the entire computer infrastructure that individuals enjoy will eventually be built around this modular system.)

To an extent, many of the smartphones and other devices can do this now... I expect it to be even easier and much more common in the future. And at that point, the smartphone will be the primary device to store the ebook, and split the duty of displaying it between itself and any peripheral devices.

So, does that mean people will read on the smartphones? Yes and no: They can use their smartphone to connect to their reading device of choice, or even borrow someone else's, if one is convenient, and read on that; or, if no such peripheral is available, they can read on the smartphone's screen.

For today: I think smartphones are dominating some ebook markets and not others, thanks to the dedicated devices available to some markets today. But it's only a matter of time before they play a greater role in all ebook markets, as the central device of a modular system.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I suspect that what we call "smartphones" still have some evolving to do. I imagine them becoming all-purpose communications and computer/storage devices that we can use as-is, or plug in (physically or wirelessly) to peripheral slave-devices like portable screens, media players, vehicles, etc, bought individually to suit personal usage and preferences, to allow for specialized use. (I think the entire computer infrastructure that individuals enjoy will eventually be built around this modular system.)

To an extent, many of the smartphones and other devices can do this now... I expect it to be even easier and much more common in the future. And at that point, the smartphone will be the primary device to store the ebook, and split the duty of displaying it between itself and any peripheral devices.

So, does that mean people will read on the smartphones? Yes and no: They can use their smartphone to connect to their reading device of choice, or even borrow someone else's, if one is convenient, and read on that; or, if no such peripheral is available, they can read on the smartphone's screen.

For today: I think smartphones are dominating some ebook markets and not others, thanks to the dedicated devices available to some markets today. But it's only a matter of time before they play a greater role in all ebook markets, as the central device of a modular system.

+1. I should be able to have a dumb eInk display that recieves its images from my phone.

[Namekuseijin]

Once smartphones come equipped with Qualcomm's Mirasol display (cheaper on small screens), e Ink will be in trouble. Next will be in tablets and dedicated e-readers will be history.

Modularity and conectivity is great, as long as it doesn't force onto us several featureless barebones devices in a heavy backpack rather than my trusty all-in-one pocket device.