$13 eReader?

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

12-15 books would still be huge. I'll believe it when I see it. So far every reader I've had in my hands didn't last for a week without recharging. I'm lucky if I can get through one book, I'm pushing it for two, and three is entirely impossible. Of course since I read with a comfortable font size (6-8 words per line) I have at least twice as many page flips as someone who likes to have the same squinty-eye feeling that paper books offer... but still.

You have to consider that reading 15 books on this thing requires you to transfer books three times, and I assume bluetooth will suck as much energy as wifi. The 12-15 books figure is either based on small books, small fonts (fewest pageflips possible), or is just a theoretical value based on pure pageflip count, not taking standby times into account. Same way any other company is overly optimistic regarding their battery times.

Bluetooth is much lower power consumption than Wi-Fi. It only has a range of 30 feet under the best of conditions and more likely 7-10 feet but this is good enough for the task. I suspect the pages are compressed for the transfer and decompressed by the book reader. Depending on the compression technique there is very little overhead in decompressing while compression can have quite a bit of overhead using the smartphone processor. Since this device is read only on decompression is needed on the device and power transfer is greatly aided by compression of the content as is transfer time.

Dale

[CommonReader]

I do not quite understand the extreme negativity toward this device. Obviously a lot will depend on the actual price and any sort of other pitfalls. However, once you stop seeing it as a crippled ebook reader but as an accessory for a smartphone it does make a lot of sense. A cheap device you can take into the bath tub, to the beach or on a daytrip without having to worry about it too much.

I guess that the limitation to five books at a time may have legal rather than technical reasons. This way the device probably just counts as a display rather than an independent reading device. Otherwise there would be all sorts of capyright and DRM issues. The 5 books limit also avoids the emergence of a secondary market. If it could hold a large number of books people may get into the business of loading them with dozens of books as presents or for selling them.

Who cares about the 5 books limit if you have your books on your smartphone and you can change them on the device whenever it's required?
As to the Vizplex display, I was never unhappy with it with my PRS-300.

[rogue_librarian]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I do not quite understand the extreme negativity toward this device.

Well, it does sound like a terrible idea, coming from a company with a less than stellar reputation, announcing what can only be termed a misleading price.

However, once you stop seeing it as a crippled ebook reader ...

But isn't that how they're setting themselves up?

Who cares about the 5 books limit if you have your books on your smartphone and you can change them on the device whenever it's required?

It's for people who read a book a month or so, perhaps two. But, yes, I'll reserve final judgement until they actually become available to the general puplic (if at all).

[CommonReader]

I don't see why it is a "terrible idea". It rather seems to be a stringent concept. Most people seem to have a smartphone nowadays - at least more people than those who own dedicated e-readers. The smartphone is also always taken along as it is the mobile phone. The smartphone provides connectivity via 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth, it has also plenty of processing power and it provides means of payment (e.g. via Google play or the billing of the network provider). So why should you provide all this in a e-reader as well, if the main thing you are looking for is the e-ink display?

The company claims that you can use all files that can be processed by the phone or the PC. If this means that you can read on the device books both from Amazon and those that use ADEPT (including books from the public library) it is quite an attractive concept.

[tompe]

I kind of like it also. A device in all rooms in the apartment (including in the bathroom...). I suppose it should be useful for teaching to distribute text to be read during a lesson. And so on.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tompe

I kind of like it also. A device in all rooms in the apartment (including in the bathroom...). I suppose it should be useful for teaching to distribute text to be read during a lesson. And so on.

Yes, it "could" be useful.
But at 60 euros? For classroom use you could get real ebook readers or even stripped down tablets for that kind of money, give or take a high volume discount.
Remember, the 10 euro price is only bundled with a cellphone contract. It is supposed to be sold to telecoms who then try to sell it to the casual-reading masses. Like that is going to work.

[Teknikal]

I originally thought it was good but now I know all the details I wouldn't buy one especially not at the unsubsidised price which I think is about 77 dollars. I agree with the opinions of it being nothing more than an e-ink picture frame and even the thought of transferring hundreds of large bitmaps over bluetooth is madness and lacking any common sense.

Good idea executed very poorly in my opinion although I do like the idea of a small AAA powered reader.

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I don't see why it is a "terrible idea". It rather seems to be a stringent concept.
[...]
So why should you provide all this in a e-reader as well, if the main thing you are looking for is the e-ink display?

People have very high expectations when it comes to eReaders. People shunned the iriver Story HD due to it's supposed lack of features, when it was a fully functional device with EPUB and PDF support and SD-Card slot, plus the high res screen as stand alone feature 1-2 years before it became mainstream.

The only argument for the txtr beagle is the cheap price - if txtr can actually hold that promise, which is doubtful. If it's a picture frame at the price point of a fully functional ereader (either to be paid up front or through the mobile carrier contract), I just don't see how it can succeed.

[Ekaros]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Yes, it "could" be useful.
But at 60 euros? For classroom use you could get real ebook readers or even stripped down tablets for that kind of money, give or take a high volume discount.
Remember, the 10 euro price is only bundled with a cellphone contract. It is supposed to be sold to telecoms who then try to sell it to the casual-reading masses. Like that is going to work.

10 euros and it's likely going to added 5 to 10 euros per month contract of 2 years. So real cost would be 130 to 250€... ;D

One cheap reader... And I don't trust the mobile providers to aim for quality user experience, after initial sale they got buyers in these type of deals if they use the service or not...

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by Ekaros

10 euros and it's likely going to added 5 to 10 euros per month contract of 2 years. So real cost would be 130 to 250€... ;D

One cheap reader... And I don't trust the mobile providers to aim for quality user experience, after initial sale they got buyers in these type of deals if they use the service or not...

So it ends up being more expensive than real e-readers. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will fall for it though.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

So it ends up being more expensive than real e-readers. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will fall for it though.

And isn't it a delightful business model that relies on unwary people "falling for it"?
A few of those are bound to end up with a sour taste and fighting the telecom. Hard to see a happy ending here...

[CommonReader]

Plenty of assumptions here. Given the cut-throat competition and the fact that even rather expensive smartphones only add about 10€/month to the phone bill it is highly unlikely that the providers can add 5 - 10€/month just for the reader. Wait until you see the real price and then we can discuss this again.
As to the iRiver Story: it just looked like a piece of junk. That was probably the main reason for its lack of success, not a lack of features.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by CommonReader

As to the iRiver Story: it just looked like a piece of junk. That was probably the main reason for its lack of success, not a lack of features.

Actually, the iRiver Hd failed mostly because it had an XGA screen but did nothing to optimize font display so it didn't look any better than the SVGA models with tuned fonts and good antialiasing.
And because it had generic reading software with no special features.
And because it tied to the Google store at a time Google wasn't even actively promoting ebooks.
Three strikes.
(Four, if you count on relying on Target to sell the things, but that was a dropped third strike.)

[teh603]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

People have very high expectations when it comes to eReaders. People shunned the iriver Story HD due to it's supposed lack of features, when it was a fully functional device with EPUB and PDF support and SD-Card slot, plus the high res screen as stand alone feature 1-2 years before it became mainstream.

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Actually, the iRiver Hd failed mostly because it had an XGA screen but did nothing to optimize font display so it didn't look any better than the SVGA models with tuned fonts and good antialiasing.
And because it had generic reading software with no special features.
And because it tied to the Google store at a time Google wasn't even actively promoting ebooks.
Three strikes.
(Four, if you count on relying on Target to sell the things, but that was a dropped third strike.)

I dunno, I got one the first time Target put it on sale, and loved it up until it went missing at work. It was a great no-frills ePub reader, even if Google Books wasn't very big at the time. Having it as a Target exclusive was IMO the only serious mistake that iRiver made with it.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by teh603

It was a great no-frills ePub reader

Right: no frills.
Priced the same as more capable readers that accessed better ebookstores.
The ePub reader space is crowded with both cheap no-frills readers and with competent ones. iRiver was neither.
Though I hear there's a few still around; they're going for $75, new.