Bored with ereaders?

[PurpleStar]

Originally Posted by barryem

I think the technology has been pretty much perfected in recent years. Now all that's left to do is little stuff. The point of the technology isn't to please tech fans (of which I am one) but to produce a good reading experience, and ereaders have been doing that for quite a while.

Barry

I'd love to see a colour e-ink reader. You know, one that displays the covers in colour!

[teija]

I am definitely not getting bored of my eReaders, in fact I feel like I'm only just getting started! I've only this past year gotten my hands on my first (gently used) Kindle and then a Paperwhite - and I'm loving the integration I get between them. I can leave one next to my bed, and use another on-the-go and they will both sync up so that I never lose my spot. If I had two paper books they would
1. take a lot more space and
2. Definitely not update themselves to keep up with the other copy.

On the Kobo front, I finally sorted myself out to borrow library books (since in Canada we still cannot do this via Kindle), which I find is REALLY a nice treat. I sometimes spot an interesting looking used paperback at our local thrift store and will opt to sign out the library eBook version instead (I am SUPPOSED to be de-cluttering, not adding to our physical stack of books). If I can't get it via the library or cheap on Kindle, I might splash out and pay the $1 for the second-hand paper copy.

Originally Posted by barryem

The point of the technology isn't to please tech fans (of which I am one) but to produce a good reading experience, and ereaders have been doing that for quite a while.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Barry. The companies who make eReaders just can't really go much further with the technology as it already quite efficiently does what it needs to... and if they can't make "bigger and better", their shareholders will not want them investing in making the same thing year after year... Let's hope some companies understand that the lesser investment required in R&D can still make the ereaders a viable item to support. Personally I don't NEED any extra bells and whistles, I'd be happy if they just offer a reliable device that does what they already all do!

Definitely not bored of mine - I am enjoying them even more of late than I ever have!

[darryl]

Do they still make those paper things?

[Timboli]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

I'd love to see a colour e-ink reader. You know, one that displays the covers in colour!

barryem is essentially right it seems to me. Though that is as far as just plain reading goes, which is what I presume many care most about.

It is true though, that part of the reading experience for a good number of us, is the cover image and any internal images in a book, which black & white does not really do justice to.

So without color, it is not quite the full experience yet, in many instances. It might be a little thing, but obviously a big thing to achieve, going by how long it is taking to come to fruition.

Of course, you could be like myself and many others, and use a tablet for ebooks that warrant it due to images. But then you forego the benefit of E-Ink.

I am very doubtful after all this time, and due to the advent and rise of tablets (iPads, etc), that we will ever see a color E-Ink device. I still hope we do, but I am even fearful of a standard E-Ink device remaining viable, in the face of what a tablet can do, and the costs involved. Many want value for money, as they perceive it, and most don't appreciate the benefit of E-Ink.

Perhaps if the price of E-Ink devices continues to come down, there might be some hope. Color in my estimation would make a big difference, but the developers and backers are the ones needing to be convinced of a decent return for the R&D.

I believe in the right tool for the job, but that doesn't always turn out to be case in the long run. Perhaps in decades to come, many will look back and indeed see a E-Ink as a device that was a novelty for a period of time. It will never be so for me or a good number of others here I suspect.

[pwalker8]

The last big technology jump for eInk readers was battery life, otherwise it's just them becoming a bit lighter and less clunky. Right now, eReader/tablet/smart phone technology seems to be more incremental than anything else.

It will be interesting to see where they go next. Perhaps smart glasses, maybe some sort of holographic projection system or expanding screen.

[Squirsier]

Originally Posted by barryem

I think the technology has been pretty much perfected in recent years. Now all that's left to do is little stuff. The point of the technology isn't to please tech fans (of which I am one) but to produce a good reading experience, and ereaders have been doing that for quite a while.

Barry

The contrast ratio is one thing that seemingly has been neglected over the years, I would have expected that by now the screen would be, if not pure, at least white and the blacks black.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Squirsier

The contrast ratio is one thing that seemingly has been neglected over the years, I would have expected that by now the screen would be, if not pure, at least white and the blacks black.

The contrast ratio of eInk screens has dramatically improved over the years as screens have gone from Vizplex to Pearl to Carta. The current generation of eInk screens, Carta, has a contast ratio on a par with that of a paperback book (and that's before front-lighting makes it drastically better).

[Timboli]

Originally Posted by Squirsier

The contrast ratio is one thing that seemingly has been neglected over the years, I would have expected that by now the screen would be, if not pure, at least white and the blacks black.

White for many is too glary and bright.
Off-white has always been a better background for me, and more like the physical books I am used to.
And I find the black black enough.
So I don't see any issue or even any need for improvement in that regard.
But each to their own and no doubt it varies between devices.
Supporting color of course, should give you more contrast options.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

I'd love to see a colour e-ink reader. You know, one that displays the covers in colour!

I would like to see the covers in color again too. The first Nook e-ink device had them and I haven't seen them since. I wonder why?

[Pajamaman]

Not bored with Ereaders. I have a poke pro. It has Android 6. I use it for more than just reading. Same goes with my old rooted nook GL. I don't like LCD and eink screens enable to use screens more. Plus they portable and distraction free.

[crossi]

I would like color covers but other than that there is no technological changes that I see much need for.

Where they need improvement is library management for prolific book buyers. A standard windows folder system where you can name and nest folders as suits you best is what I would really like with the folders not containing the book files themselves but links to the books which are all stored in a separate folder. That way you could have the same book link in multiple folders (Author, series, genres, read/unread, and so on).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Content is king for me. Not the doodad I read it on. I couldn't imagine going back to the days of waiting on physical books to arrive in the mail. Or having to drive to a store or a library to get them (not to mention going back to dealing with fixed font sizes). The ability to discover a book and start reading it (with a comfortable font size) within seconds from wherever I happen to be is absolutely priceless.

Or the pain of finding a right position so that external light source lit your book and not your partner sleeping beside you...

Originally Posted by Squirsier

The contrast ratio is one thing that seemingly has been neglected over the years, I would have expected that by now the screen would be, if not pure, at least white and the blacks black.

No thank you... Even on my tablet, if I do read on that, I have a yellowish background with dark gray lettering. And I love the natural light on my One, it's actually turned up to around 75%, which means the screen is almost orange...

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by crossi

Where they need improvement is library management for prolific book buyers. A standard windows folder system where you can name and nest folders as suits you best is what I would really like with the folders not containing the book files themselves but links to the books which are all stored in a separate folder. That way you could have the same book link in multiple folders (Author, series, genres, read/unread, and so on).

Yep, would like better library management as well. Probably faster CPU and more RAM, too, in order to accommodate large libraries.

Nested collections rather than a folder system (which, incidentally, was already supported on Kindles before Amazon switched to Cloud Collections). Something similar to Calibre Companion (modified to play nicer with e-ink) as a native interface would be great.

[Squirsier]

Originally Posted by teija

I think you hit the nail on the head, Barry. The companies who make eReaders just can't really go much further with the technology as it already quite efficiently does what it needs to...

After all, who needs more than 640k of RAM...

[Squirsier]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

No thank you... Even on my tablet, if I do read on that, I have a yellowish background with dark gray lettering. And I love the natural light on my One, it's actually turned up to around 75%, which means the screen is almost orange...

Because you adjusted it. You had the freedom to chose your own preferable setting.

To each their own, true enough