What's next for E-readers?

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

A 6" reader that is waterproof and has color changing frontlight would be nice. I'm guessing that'll be the Paperwhite 5 or Clara 2.

YOU just Mated the PW4 [Waterproof] & Clara [Color changes] Their Off spring!

[barryem]

I have to agree that the Paperwhites have gotten about as good as they're likely to get in the near future. Still, I've also been wanting something smaller. I've been reading more and more on my phone and finally I've read my last 6 books exclusively on my phone. It was pulling the battery down so I got one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a $50 phone. It works with my service provider although I don't have service on it. If my regular phone fails I can fall back on this. In the meantime I'm using it as my ereader and it's excellent for that.

It also has a user replaceable battery so with any luck I should have it for a long time.

Barry

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by barryem

I have to agree that the Paperwhites have gotten about as good as they're likely to get in the near future. Still, I've also been wanting something smaller. I've been reading more and more on my phone and finally I've read my last 6 books exclusively on my phone. It was pulling the battery down so I got one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBX14NZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's a $50 phone. It works with my service provider although I don't have service on it. If my regular phone fails I can fall back on this. In the meantime I'm using it as my ereader and it's excellent for that.

It also has a user replaceable battery so with any luck I should have it for a long time.

Barry

WOW I had this for over a year
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galax...e%2C167&sr=1-4
I read on it too!

[Nausicaa]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I'd still like a smaller device than 6"... I mostly read in bed, lying down, and I cannot hold my kindle or kobo one handed (arthritis). 5" would be almost perfect. Front lit of course. And not 4:3. I have come to prefer a longer device rather than squarish. Comes from reading on my phone a lot. None of this will ever happen of course. Seems like everyone wants to go even bigger with their screens.

Honestly you should just use an OLED screen with an old phone. Been trying it out. I also have a much nicer LCD version that I can also use but not at night.

Not sure what you want OP. OLED screens exist already and they do everything you'd want, its OK with LCD reading too. Clearink is probably what you're interested in.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

Honestly you should just use an OLED screen with an old phone. Been trying it out. I also have a much nicer LCD version that I can also use but not at night.

I use my iPhone SE at night, and my iPhone 7 in the daytime (indoors). I keep using them because I use an app called Hyphen Reader which is the most reliable as far as sync between devices is concerned. I'd consider switching to the Kindle app... but I hate it. It isnt as configurable as either Hyphen or Marvin (I no longer use Marvin but it needed a mention) and the thought of converting hundreds of epubs just defeats me. Maybe I need to start saving for one of the X series phones. I wont get an Android phone because... Mr Google already knows way too much about me. I value privacy even though much has been compromised over the years... and android is just not there.

[Nausicaa]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I use my iPhone SE at night, and my iPhone 7 in the daytime (indoors). I keep using them because I use an app called Hyphen Reader which is the most reliable as far as sync between devices is concerned. I'd consider switching to the Kindle app... but I hate it. It isnt as configurable as either Hyphen or Marvin (I no longer use Marvin but it needed a mention) and the thought of converting hundreds of epubs just defeats me. Maybe I need to start saving for one of the X series phones. I wont get an Android phone because... Mr Google already knows way too much about me. I value privacy even though much has been compromised over the years... and android is just not there.

You don't have to connect it online. I rooted and put a custom rom on it, so there is no google on it. Its not like PRISM will care if it comes from apple or google either. I am using an S3 without service. The OLED is great and much better than any LCD at night. In the day its not better or worse although OLED uses more power when its white.

[meeera]

I'm not particularly interested in colour, but would like to see flexible substrates in lower end readers.

[Bookstooge]

I'm still waiting for the scrollable collapsable ebook reader, like from Earth: Final Conflict...

[underscore]

Originally Posted by meeera

I'm not particularly interested in colour, but would like to see flexible substrates in lower end readers.

If you are not interested in colour i guess you love e-ink as much as i do for eye fatigue.
Having colour on e-ink , plus android increase device use cases

You can use whatever google play app, like
- browser (for long read web articles), email, calendar, without programmers having to worry about e-ink (so far they don't, so you often have bad ui experience)
- you can read magazines
- you can read picture book
- you can read comics

If the technology, as it seems, can have more fps to the cost of less battery, we can have better computers monitors at work.
Of course not if your work is video editing.
I remember having seen many movies on a 13 inches b/w crt, that's what we had at the time as secondary tv :-)

[meeera]

Originally Posted by underscore

If you are not interested in colour i guess you love e-ink as much as i do for eye fatigue.
Having colour on e-ink , plus android increase device use cases

You can use whatever google play app, like
- browser (for long read web articles), email, calendar, without programmers having to worry about e-ink (so far they don't, so you often have bad ui experience)
- you can read magazines
- you can read picture book
- you can read comics

For me it's just about using the best tool for the task. I browse on a tablet or laptop, read magazines and comics on a tablet, and read novels and text based nonfiction on an eink reader. Suddenly having colour eink wouldn't make my ereader any more suited to comic and magazine reading, so it's not on my personal wishlist.

[patrik]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

A 6" reader that is waterproof and has color changing frontlight would be nice. I'm guessing that'll be the Paperwhite 5 or Clara 2.

I'm getting deja vu.... haven't you said this once before, and I answered Pocketbook Touch HD 3?

In any case, HD3 does all that.

When Pocketbook updates the old fbreader with the same software they have in the app, they will have a killer product.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by Nausicaa

You don't have to connect it online. I rooted and put a custom rom on it, so there is no google on it. Its not like PRISM will care if it comes from apple or google either. I am using an S3 without service. The OLED is great and much better than any LCD at night. In the day its not better or worse although OLED uses more power when its white.

So if you don't have the play store, how do you get your favoured reading apps on there?

White screen,... never, for me. I always have a black/charcoal screen with a lemony coloured text. But I do get a bit headachey after a while and thats why I wanted an e-ink screen in a much smaller version.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

So if you don't have the play store, how do you get your favoured reading apps on there?

You can make a throwaway Google account, connect the phone to your home WiFi just once to load the apps, then disconnect from wifi and never connect again.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by patrik

I'm getting deja vu.... haven't you said this once before, and I answered Pocketbook Touch HD 3?

In any case, HD3 does all that.

When Pocketbook updates the old fbreader with the same software they have in the app, they will have a killer product.

Yes, yes. But Pocketbook is an unknown here. It looks like a nice enough device, but it costs more and I feel that before long color frontlight and waterproofing will be the standard anyway.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by theducks

Why does there need to be a LOT of change in e-readers?

It isn't a single big change, but a number of small incremental steps.

On the hardware side, we have:
* Color;
* Size: Smaller: A6 / Mass market paperback size;
* Size: Larger: A4 / 8.5x11 inches;
* MicroSD slot, with the ability to read at least a 256 GB card;

On the software side, we have:
* Library organization;
* Book selection;
* Text2Speech, without having to manually scroll pages;

In the book reading software:
* Display two non-consecutive pages at the same time;
* Annotate material;
* Cut and paste paragraphs;