So you have a ebook device. When will you upgrade?

[gingercat]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I guess I am so used to reading books with a lamp or light turned on and I use my eBook Reader that way to... so it isn't unusal. And pretty much and clip on book reading light will work on a reader too.

BOb

clip on lights for pbooks are readily available - just use one of those.

[brecklundin]

One simple change and one more, well complex.

Simple:

Drop the Kindle to about $100, add some sort of lighting to improve contrast to something reasonable under normal to low light conditions so one is not required to read under the 1-billion (or whatever it really is to quell those jailhouse lawyer/factoid types) lumen light called the sun. And improve the allowed formats to at least extend to DRM'd MOBI & ePub.

More Complex:

Features and power of something like a Nokia Internet Tablet but with a COLOR 9" or so eink display. Put a big battery in it. I do not care if the reader weighs a couple pounds and is 11" in size. Again some sort of lighting to improve contrast under average to low light conditions. Keep the ability to add a total 64GB of SDHC memory cards to the system as the N800 can currently support via it's two SDHC card slots. Improve the DPI of the display to at minimum 300dpi but 600dpi is better since it's color and color means more diverse content. The active touch screen technology or Wacom type display. Ability to function as more then a simple reading device but need not be near a laptop/UMPC/tablet PC in processing power. Last modular mobile broadband connectivity to all me to decide what service works for me, in addition to wifi. Keep the price under $300US. The only new thing is the display all the other components and OS's are decades mature and hence not expensive. So a sub-$300 device is possible even with a 9"-plus display.

And oh yeah, add a silly post where a wrist lanyard can be attached to help prevent drops. I cannot believe this was left out of every reader device I have seen. Leaving the only option as a cheesy stick-on camera lens cover sort of thing.

Last licence some sort of crossword puzzle software that supports AcrossLite .puz format. Reading and xword puzzles seem to go hand in hand, especially with newspaper subs.

I know it sounds like a lot...but for the price point they all seem to be shooting for...I want and expect what I want. Until then I will keep on with my Clie nx73v and my Nokia N800 using FBReader (I am suprised how much I like that software...obviously it still has a ways to go but so far it's pretty cool stuff.)

[aleks]

If the Astak 9.7" Mentor sells for the projected cost of ~$350 I most likely will buy one for my pdf files.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by aleks

If the Astak 9.7" Mentor sells for the projected cost of ~$350 I most likely will buy one for my pdf files.

I was just thinking the same thing. If anyone comes in with an eInk device of 9-10 inch display size for under $400 that will be the onus for me to get a new one.

However, my son has hijacked mine... yesterday he asked me for the Sony software so he could add more books. I told him I only lent it to him to read the 5 books that I put on it for him. Well, his b-day is comming up in June, so I may be getting him one, or getting me a new one and letting him keep mine... is that cheesy?

Luckily I have my loaner JetBook that I am reviewing and I am reading the free Steven Burst firefly book on it.

BOb

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by ehubbard

Seems so simple... reading these posts.. I didn't see a lot of people asking for a built in night light. How weird!

Because one of the advantages to eInk is battery life. A built-in light would reduce it. If a built-in backlight is desired, something with an LCD screen would be a better choice.

[ehubbard]

Originally Posted by bwaldron

Because one of the advantages to eInk is battery life. A built-in light would reduce it. If a built-in backlight is desired, something with an LCD screen would be a better choice.

I have a clip-on light. I've tried 3 or 4 of them so far. They all have glare problems. They are such point sources of light that they reflect back. You have to keep the light paralell to the surface in order to read. It sucks. You roll over in bed and knock it around and you have glare again.

I was reading on PDAs for 4 years before I got my Sony. So I got really used to reading without a book light.

I love the eInk. It is much easier on the eyes. I also enjoy my ridiculous battery life. However I'd be okay with a sidelight that you could turn on/off. Wouldn't hurt battery life for customers who left it off. The current light I use has about a 20 hour life on 3 x AAA. I'm assuming the eReader doesn't have that much juice in it -- after all it doesn't need it.

Ya know.. I'd be happy with a clip on light that was *designed* for my eReader. A light wedge type of thing -- or just a light bar type of thing that mounted to the eReader. It would solve my only complaint.

If the Kindle had such an accessory... I'd have to go get one.. I do like the idea of having an easy to grab selection of books.

[camarotx]

Originally Posted by athlonkmf

Let's assume all of you have JUST paid big bucks for an ebook device like the sony reader or the irex.

So... if a company now announce that within this year, they will beginning to sell a new ebook device...
What kind of features does this device needs to have at what price in order to lure you to buy it instantly?

If someone announced a eInk PDA(ebook reader, full function planner, touch screen notetaker, sync capable with outlook, browser capable, 802.11) between the size of the IRex and a full sheet of paper the day after I bought a Gen2 IRex I would gladly purchase and give the IRex to my son that same day.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I was just thinking the same thing. If anyone comes in with an eInk device of 9-10 inch display size for under $400 that will be the onus for me to get a new one.

The primary reason I sold my iLiad is that I found it too big to carry around with me everywhere I go, which is what I did with my Sony and now do with the Gen3.

There clearly is a market for devices with larger screens, but I think it's a different market to the "paperback book" size devices we now have, which are (for me) the perfect "take anywhere" size.

[camarotx]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The primary reason I sold my iLiad is that I found it too big to carry around with me everywhere I go, which is what I did with my Sony and now do with the Gen3.

There clearly is a market for devices with larger screens, but I think it's a different market to the "paperback book" size devices we now have, which are (for me) the perfect "take anywhere" size.

I agree with you 'it does matter' It all depends on what you want to do with it. As a straight reader, paperback size is probably perfect. But for a more functional 'at work' device to work as a digital planner, notebook, workpaper reader and reference it must be bigger. IMHO

[boradicus]

Of course - that is what is so great about ebooks - they are great for straight through reads - such as you would encounter in paperbacks. Tables of Contents are not necessary .

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There clearly is a market for devices with larger screens, but I think it's a different market to the "paperback book" size devices we now have, which are (for me) the perfect "take anywhere" size.

Exactally right. a 5 or 6inch device is great for fiction and recreational reading that is all text. But, I want a bigger one for work. technical texts that have alot of diagrams and sample code etc. Something I can put on the desk next to me. Of course, I could probably buy a third monitor for the PC, but that's not as portable, can't take into meetings, etc.

The only reason I could think to get a second 6inch one is if someone else in the house was hogging mine. Or, if they came down to a much more commodity price like maybe under $100.

BOb

[huari]

What I'm looking for in an upgrade:

Take my Kindle
which has the
+free wireless EVDO
+replaceable battery
+ideal form factor
+decent refresh viziplex grayscale non-battery draining e-ink

• Add MORE content (sorry)
• open the Linux so I can rsync, grep, find, perl, etc, allow Debian repos like my Asus eee and support these great developers. or just add spotlight or lucene searching with regex support
• really could use MORE books available
• add touchscreen a la my Palm TX or wacom Iliad so I can scribble on E-ink
• support PDF either with desktop app or onboard like xpdf so I can read journals articles on it.
• getting MORE publishers onboard to convert their back catalog
• HYmini wind and miniSolar support

I can skip the wifi,bluetooth and color which will drain the battery.

I could use the solar to sustain its long battery life when I'm trapped in the mountains.
I can scribble or type in my novel.
I can keep every conceivable document format in it.

Did I mention MORE content?

[HarryT]

I'm surprised that you don't mention the ability to load your own fonts - that seems (to me) to be the biggest current limitation of the Kindle. I'd hate to have a device which could only displays books in a single font.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by huari

What I'm looking for in an upgrade:

Take my Kindle
which has the
+free wireless EVDO
+replaceable battery
+ideal form factor
+decent refresh viziplex grayscale non-battery draining e-ink

• Add MORE content (sorry)
• open the Linux so I can rsync, grep, find, perl, etc, allow Debian repos like my Asus eee and support these great developers. or just add spotlight or lucene searching with regex support
• really could use MORE books available
• add touchscreen a la my Palm TX or wacom Iliad so I can scribble on E-ink
• support PDF either with desktop app or onboard like xpdf so I can read journals articles on it.
• getting MORE publishers onboard to convert their back catalog
• HYmini wind and miniSolar support

I can skip the wifi,bluetooth and color which will drain the battery.

I could use the solar to sustain its long battery life when I'm trapped in the mountains.
I can scribble or type in my novel.
I can keep every conceivable document format in it.

Did I mention MORE content?

I'm with you on all of this, but think you're undershooting with the new content requests.

[huari]

Fonts, fonts and more of them:

Yes I forgot, more Fonts or better yet, as HarryT rightfully noted of having it open to the user to install. It would be great to offer in different languages: cyrillic, kanji, etc

On undershooting:
I have some experience with mobile devices and I think alot of the technology is there but not many companies for different reasons don't want to take the innovative risk or design commitments. Maybe it is a rush to market mentality or inexperienced design teams, but many designs go the feature-laden, bloat route and end up missing the user experience. I see this alot with MS products because of their OS dominance. I was excited with their Origami teasers of the new UMPC sub $500 do-everything device, but the current lead is now taken but the Linux powered, nimble, open, Asus eee. I think the Zen of Palm, brought out by the old Hawkins team applies here along with Apple and the lead with multitouch. Listen to the users, support the dev base and don't over promise and under deliver with buggy bloated messes.
I really feel for the Irex Iliad because that is what I wanted in lieu of the Kindle for the touchscreen, and native pdf, but their potential is still nesting with slow dev movement. The incredible work of the MobileRead devs motivated by users outshines what the companies can do.
Unfortunately this view is in the minority, but it is my hope that the companies designing these devices will take user experience which includes long battery life, to heart. And better yet, that users back with their $ support.
Global warming is pushing more action to Green energy and we'll need devices that are more efficient and functional to that end.

Best,
tony