"The battle of the e-readers"

[NVash]

Yes thats them. The person does seem very anti-technology but that whole aspect raised some interesting questions. Hopefully theyll have some way to recycle these old e-readers someday.

Now as for the winning one, I agree with a commenter there. Whichever one that reads all formats. Thats the one thatll win, and if its in color the others wont even have a chance.

[EricDP]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Keyboards will probably be archaic to him.

I somehow doubt it. For simple interfaces like mobile phones, it makes sense to have a simple touch interface, but just try editing a novel with an interface like that. For professional work, keyboard is still much more efficient, even compared to mouse interfaces. Once I took the time to learn the hot keys to do things, my hands almost never leave the keyboard. So much faster.

We have eight fingers and two thumbs... the only interface that makes use of them all is the keyboard.

[mrscoach]

I loved it when some of them called out thornz for using some of the same technology he was trashing to post his comments.

I think the footprint idea is valid, but not more than for many, or most, other items. Someone on there talked about the impact of both books and ereaders, and I found it interesting.

[MikeFromHC]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Ah, but you should see my 2 year old nephew manipulate the touch screens of my Sony and my Nokia smartphone. If he sees a screen now, he automatically pokes it. Keyboards will probably be archaic to him. Reminds me of the scene in "Star Trek: The Voyage Home", where Scotty automatically tries to operate a computer by voice commands.

A cartoon from about that time shows a guy in front of a screen with a microphone. The caption:
"Down, down, down, over, over, up one, right, right, down, left, left.
There, erase that word."

[NVash]

Another thing Id like to add, wouldnt it also matter which one has the better store? The better selection, better prices? Right now Id figure Kindle is winning that since theyve been around for awhile but Im sure everyone will catch up one day.

[luqmaninbmore]

Originally Posted by mrscoach

I loved it when some of them called out thornz for using some of the same technology he was trashing to post his comments.

And this would be an example of the Tu Quoque (You, too!) fallacy. The fact that he is using technology that he disparages is absolutely irrelevant when it comes to the rational consideration of his argument.

[mrscoach]

He was trashing ALL technology, as far as I could tell. Cell phones, readers, everything. All he was doing was standing on a soapbox shouting at others about how they were wrong to want to own things. And espousing how he was better because his computer didn't have capacitors made from whatever. Or something like that.

He could have stated his point without hammering it, and sounding so snooty.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by rkomar

"A keyboard! How quaint!" Followed by typing at about 200 words per minute.

Only one of the many, many things I despised about that flick...

But yes, it'll be interesting to see how interface evolves in the next few years/decades. I'm betting on a combination of heavy voice backed up by icon/image control, and followed up by keyboards only when necessary. We're so close to accurate voice reco that even touchscreens may be superfluous in many applications soon.

When that happens... woe be unto any time-traveler who has to manipulate a keyboard-based computer system... 200WPM my Aunt Marguerite's @$$...

Originally Posted by NVash

Now as for the winning one, I agree with a commenter there. Whichever one that reads all formats. Thats the one thatll win, and if its in color the others wont even have a chance.

That means my smartphone wins!

[NVash]

Ah yes, smartphones. How could I forget them? But the screen is usually too small.

[Marcy]

Originally Posted by EricDP

Yeah, people touch my nook screen all the time and I chastise them, saying "would you want to read through fingerprints?" I hate touch-screen on the reading screen. I think B&N found the perfect balance for touch screen interface on the bottom, but non-touch reading screen.

The new Sony touch screens are perfect and don't leave fingerprints. I think it's a combination of a slightly rough texture to the screen and the fact that you don't have to actually touch the screen to activate it.

I hated the fingerprints on my PRS-900, but after a week of heavy use, there isn't a single fingerprint (at least a visible one) on my PRS-650. I forgot how much I missed simple touch dictionary look-up!

-Marcy

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

But yes, it'll be interesting to see how interface evolves in the next few years/decades. I'm betting on a combination of heavy voice backed up by icon/image control, and followed up by keyboards only when necessary. We're so close to accurate voice reco that even touchscreens may be superfluous in many applications soon.

My problem with voice commands is that everyone else around will be hearing you use the device. A touch interface is much more private, and much less annoying to everyone else. Oh, and internationalization of apps will be even more hellish to develop than it currently is.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

And this would be an example of the Tu Quoque (You, too!) fallacy. The fact that he is using technology that he disparages is absolutely irrelevant when it comes to the rational consideration of his argument.

Yes and no. Tu quoque is a logical fallacy, which means that it does not mean that his argument is logically invalid. However, it does suggest that the scope of the problem presented described in his argument may be fairly small - in the same way that it would be hard to take seriously an argument that manufacturing bicycles has too great of a carbon footprint when the argument is made by someone driving an SUV. I mean, yes, the fact that the person making the argument drives an SUV doesn't mean that a bicycle manufacturing has no carbon footprint...but it does suggest that the importance of that carbon footprint may be overstated.

Which I think is the main problem with "Thornz" argument - not that it was wrong per se (although it may be), but that he had lost perspective of the issue.

Or it may just mean that he is a troll interested in stirring up trouble.

[mrscoach]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

Or it may just mean that he is a troll interested in stirring up trouble.

We have a winner!!!!

[pboss]

Just because he's a troll doesn't mean he's wrong. For the most part, I liked what he said and I'm far from being against technology. But the way he said it makes me think he's either naive and/or has an ego with the perimeter of a pulsar's magnetosphere. If I believed I could change anything I would seek for ways to express a similar opinion.

[Williamlk]

Good article! Thanks for sharing.