Yet another dual screener

[ThomasMc]

When is someone going to quit trying to put everything including the kitchen sink into a reader, and make a simple, usable, reader for under $100? I can buy a dvd player for under $20.

If they want ebooks to ever catch on with the general public, there is going to have to be an entry level machine priced a lot lower than most of these superdupergizmos are.

[LDBoblo]

I thought this was actually kind of interesting, how it integrates the two screens...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dtgHfAMP5I

I may have judged it a little too early...though I still don't like the forward/back buttons demanding a 2-hand grip (or the overall form factor)

You can navigate pretty quickly via the LCD and then "print" to the e-ink for reading. Can do that with just about any kind of viewable content...which is pretty cool actually.

[mateo]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I thought this was actually kind of interesting, how it integrates the two screens...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dtgHfAMP5I

I may have judged it a little too early...though I still don't like the forward/back buttons demanding a 2-hand grip (or the overall form factor)

You can navigate pretty quickly via the LCD and then "print" to the e-ink for reading. Can do that with just about any kind of viewable content...which is pretty cool actually.

Cool is an understatement. That's completely game-changing. What I've wanted more than anything is just to read my news on ereader. I do that now using feedbooks newspapers on the kindle and it works pretty well.... but this is something else entirely. I can browse the web and then read long articles on a crisp display..


One of the things that I didn't like about the nook (from what little ive seen) is that you can't turn off the LCD. But this lets you do that, and it seems pretty remarkable. I don't think they'll have the backing that B&N, Sony and Amazon provide for their readers but this feature alone makes it attractive. Finding a good market is going to be tough, though. Hopefully there will be a way to access the B&N market. But at least it will have access to the Google Books and upcoming Google Editions.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by mateo

Cool is an understatement. That's completely game-changing. What I've wanted more than anything is just to read my news on ereader. I do that now using feedbooks newspapers on the kindle and it works pretty well.... but this is something else entirely. I can browse the web and then read long articles on a crisp display..

Like many folks, I don't really need web functionality or lots of gadgetry like music playing...and I probably wouldn't use the music player or lots of the other functions, and quite a few will overlap with my phone or some other device...but the ability to view diverse media and navigate quickly, do color viewing where necessary, etc...I think that's just great.

I'm wondering what quirks it'll have, since I recall seeing it automatically flash off the e-ink display when going back to other programs...wonder if you can use both screens simultaneously...because it could be a real deal breaker if you have to turn a book off the e-ink screen in order to use a dictionary on the LCD...

Addendum: I was just watching the B&N Nook videos and the Alex one as well, and it wasn't lost on me how much faster the Alex is in general responsiveness. I hope that's not just a fluke...the speed is one of the main reasons to consider this device I think...

One of the things that I didn't like about the nook (from what little ive seen) is that you can't turn off the LCD. But this lets you do that, and it seems pretty remarkable. I don't think they'll have the backing that B&N, Sony and Amazon provide for their readers but this feature alone makes it attractive. Finding a good market is going to be tough, though. Hopefully there will be a way to access the B&N market. But at least it will have access to the Google Books and upcoming Google Editions.

Book sources will be an issue for many simpletons who depend on those services, but for more resourceful people, it's not much of an issue. It would be nice if they could partner up with someone though...

[Timoleon]

Is it just me, or has critical mass suddenly been reached in the ebook reader world in the last week?

[BBRags]

Originally Posted by Timoleon

Is it just me, or has critical mass suddenly been reached in the ebook reader world in the last week?

There are going to be lots of readers for sale, but the question is how many will be sold.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by Timoleon

Is it just me, or has critical mass suddenly been reached in the ebook reader world in the last week?

Originally Posted by BBRags

There are going to be lots of readers for sale, but the question is how many will be sold.

I think what we are finally seeing is, yes, critical mass is here, or at least very close. The tipping point is going to be can mfg's figure out ways to make solid use of the device format, the low power components like eink-displays as well as providing consumers with devices that service the wide range of user needs. Some want just a reader, those should be $50-$100 MAX for a 6" device. Then there should be a variety of PDA like devices, some hybrid netbook-ereading devices, then another level are those like the Courier from Microsoft. I think the device in this tread is striving to be in that mold. I like the B&N design as a PDA like device.

So, the next year will be HUGE in terms of device evolution...and this dual screen device is just a glimpse into that evolution.

[guyanonymous]

I actually like the idea of this machine - it would meet most needs I have for a portable ereader/pda. I already carry my ebw1150 with me everywhere, though I leave the old PDA at home all the time.

As for the lawsuit - if the facts are true (they'd shown their product/prototype/idea to B&N prior to B&N having that idea) then best of luck to them.

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by The-eBook-Reader

Even the name is hideous: Alex. What kind of name is that for an ebook reader. Not exactly catchy, is it?

No worse than Kindle, IMO. Nook at least is relevant to reading. (At least to me. The house I grew up in had an area we called the 'reading nook'. Actually just a bay window with a bench seat, but a nice place to curl up with a book on a sunny day.)

I want to make it clear, though, that I don't really like the name Nook. I just dislike it less than Kindle or Alex. Now if they called it, say eLib....

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by ThomasMc

When is someone going to quit trying to put everything including the kitchen sink into a reader, and make a simple, usable, reader for under $100? I can buy a dvd player for under $20.

Yeah, you can buy a dvd player for $20 now, but it wasn't always that way. The first generation dvd player I bought was around $700 and the features were very basic compared to what today's players can do.

eBook readers are still in their infancy and are a niche market. Prices will probably come down over time as the technology matures and the market grows.

[Hellmark]

Kitchen sink? Mine displays ebooks, and pictures. The only real frill feature it has is MP3 playback, which takes jack diddly to do.

[brecklundin]

the vast majority of what people seem to be judgmentally determining for everyone else as "frills" are simply added software which, on these devices are generally in the firmware rather than a app loaded within the file system and run within the OS itself. Therefore they are no more difficult to implement that the actual reader software itself. No FUD style magic to it as many here seem to constantly try and pass along.

Yeah, certain bits of software/features might require hardware but generally those are only in relation to wireless or wired connectivity. BFD, such components have been around for a decade or more, are dead cheap and already integrated with perfectly fine drivers for essentially every OS out there, at least any OS currently used for readers.

And as seen from the Kindle tear-down info we found over a year ago now, the cost of said components is trivial compared to the price of the device or even the tear-down price. Heck, the MBB components cost around $5-$7 for the hardware.

Basically I find any cries of "waaaahhhh....they are adding too many features...." completely baseless...it's not as if the readers without these features cost significantly less, if at all. To me, gimme a device more like an internet tablet running something like OneNote and an web browser under and OS which supports JAVA to allow full access to online web apps like Google Apps along with others. That sort of device might be worth about $200-$250 with a basic reader near the $100 price point, I mean if you want to be honest about it.

Technically a person could make do in the kitchen with a single pan...how many of you out there complaining about added abilities on readers live with a spork, a knife and a pan...remember a bowl is not needed since you can eat out of the pan. And who needs a fork AND a spoon when sporks exist?

[guyanonymous]

Two more articles re: this device

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/web...der?page=0%2C0

and

http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3662

[dmikov]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

the vast majority of what people seem to be judgmentally determining for everyone else as "frills" are simply added software which, on these devices are generally in the firmware rather than a app loaded within the file system and run within the OS itself. Therefore they are no more difficult to implement that the actual reader software itself. No FUD style magic to it as many here seem to constantly try and pass along.

The problem is with not putting them there, but with usability of it. I want to manipulate my book with as little interface as possible. Back/Forward a few menu choices for library and display. Most of the features of iPhone where there before it was created, but it became a hit because access to them was organic. I don't even have to explain to my wife how to use any bundled or bought apps. Too many universal devices do not provide seamless integration of them. So yeah they are annoying when you want one function done right.

And your example of kitchen is a little flawed, I will take Mauviel pan over any george foreman grill or any other gadgets any time of the day to pan fry or saute. Same goes for my Solingen chef knife, vs any combination of frilly eversharp cooking knifes with laser scopes

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I thought this was actually kind of interesting, how it integrates the two screens...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dtgHfAMP5I

I'm just going to steal you link and embed the video because I think the functionality of the Alex is very cool.