'Ebook readers are dumb' says Liam from Gizmodo

[cvkemp]

I have used a tablet pc for reading. I do a lot of PDF document reading Tech stuff you know. The issue wht the tablet pc is that is is heavy and is hard to read in bed. Also the battery never last long enough and they all get hot to the touch. And Reading using LCD is hard on the eyes.
I spend my whole day in front of computer monitors and do not even wish to watch the TV at night, but I do love reading ebooks on my Ezreader. it is light and the screen does not hurt my eyes and it is much lighter than most of the paper books I have to read.

For now the ereaders are for me. I am a tech person not only do I love tech stuff but I make my living by it. I know that something else always comes out tomorrow that is better that what I have today but that is life. When something that is a true break thru shows up I will move on to something better than the e ink readers of today. As for as paper books I will buy them and read them if that is all I can get when I need to read something but I will always choice digital material when I can, I hate to see trees cut down for making anything much less paper.
Most of the paper that I see used today just goes to waste and that is a total shame.

Chuck

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by schmolch

It's not about e-readers being dumb but about books.
He says books are dumb but does not dare to write it like that because people who say "books are dumb" are generally considered stupid.

I think you're right.

[orion2001]

Pretty silly article if you ask me. I agree with schmolch that he just seems to dislike books altogether. That closing statement was quite amusing. As a technology writer, he of all people should know that you can't just write off the best current tech as dumb or useless based solely on the promise of future devices. By that logic you should call all PCs, laptops and cellphones dumb because 1-2 years from now there will be something better.

Tablets will have an impact, and they will be useful, but until they come up with a bistable color display that works well, they won't really make too huge an impact on the ebook reader market. As someone who has used my laptop on flights for reading/working, the one thing we are all painfully aware of is that we have made little progress in battery technology in the past few years. Tablets with LCD/OLED displays will still eat through their batteries in the span of reading a novel (or even less). To me, that is a deal breaker.

I love my new PRS-505 and I don't really find the resolution or quality of display, device form factor bad at all. I wouldn't trade it in for a reading device with a significantly shorter battery life and increased eye strain.

[Mr. Dalliard]

This guy might have a point if the average ebook-reader buyer was not fully aware of what they were themselves into.

[narbeauchamp]

I like my "dumb" device.If we keep waiting for the next best greatest,well no one would ever buy anything. One of the things I like is that I can't be online,that I'm not connected-it feels like I'm reading a "regular book",where my purpose is to relax and not be interrupted (or tempted) by all sorts of other distractions. I read a wide variety of materials on my reader,including now manuscripts and documents for work-rather than print (especially am testing the annotation feature with the 600).For right now,it suits my purposes just fine....doesn't mean I won't drool over the new gadgets as they come out LOL

[Lemurion]

My take on additional features is that they're all great - so long as they don't detract from the device's primary function. If I can't read as well from it and the battery life is markedly shorter, I'm going to stick with my Sony because it's better for reading books.

I really want a large-screen color tablet for reading comics - but that doesn't mean it would displace Eink for reading novels.

[iReaderReview]

Someone earlier in the thread pointed out the real thing i.e.
Brian Lam seems to want to say reading is dumb and can't really muster up the guts to say it.
So he's trying to use some roundabout arguments against eInk.

There have been a lot of lopsided posts against eReaders - his might take the cake though.

[Alisa]

I think where I mostly differ from Lam is time line. He thinks the ideal tablet that can do all our multimedia and have great battery life and be a good reader is right on the horizon. I'm just not that optimistic. I do want this kind of device. I don't particularly want to have a smartphone, a reader and a netbook or tablet aside from my other computers. I just don't think that wondrous device is coming soon enough for me to wait it out.

I was reading the comments and heard so many people still talking about OLED as the panacea. How long have people been saying that's right around the corner? Years. Besides OLED isn't nearly as good for eyestrain or battery life as e-ink. I love the idea of PixelQi but I don't think it will replace my reader, either (at least in the first generation). I think it could make a great netbook, tablet, or smartphone but it's still going to need a sizable battery to get a full day on a 6-10" screen. They quoted 20 hours on netbook with a 2 lb battery and that's without the backlight. The Kindle 1 battery is listed on Amazon as weighing 1.6 oz. Yep. Ounces. PixelQi says they're working on improvements that will improve the battery life but that's what's ready in the immediate future (Lam's time line). I will probably jump on this for a netbook when it comes out. I've actually been waiting on a netbook for this very reason but a reader is of more immediate use to me than a netbook so I'm fine waiting.

Further down the road in 2010 we hear about color e-ink but I doubt the speed of the display will be enough for a multimedia device and I've yet to hear the price (maybe I've missed it). The Mirasol prototype looks great but it's just that: a prototype. I'll be rapturous if I see a device in a year. If I do, I'm sure it will be expensive as well as first gen. Remember how expensive the first small OLED screens were? Remember the months-long wait times on e-ink because production wasn't enough to nearly meet demand even with readers that were $400? I figure there's likely at least a couple years before there will be a great tablet in wide production at a halfway reasonable price. Most gadgets seem to have a 2-5 year life anyway. If you read a lot, I think you'd get your use out of a reader before anything compelling came out. If you worry about justifying the price to yourself, get a refurb unit.

[Alisa]

I guess BLam didn't like getting blammed because he posted this poll. Seems a bit lacking in options, no? Would you rather have a reader or something like the Courier or Apple tablet (two non-existent products)?

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by Lemurion

I actually do love novels more than everything else mentioned in that list.

Current E-Ink based devices are very specialized, but they do what they're designed to do very well.

Absolutely- and they won't kill your eyes. I already suffer having to keep my glasses on more than I'd like to after years and years of laptopping for various reasons. Mind you, I love my laptop(s), and I wouldn't say they're dumb because they practically ruined my eyes

Originally Posted by schmolch

It's not about e-readers being dumb but about books.
He says books are dumb but does not dare to write it like that because people who say "books are dumb" are generally considered stupid.

Aren't they? Eh. I'm under the same impression. After all it's like saying that pbooks are dumb because they can't play videos. Uh, like, NO?

Originally Posted by Superlucky

I want portability and no eye strain. Period. My Reader does the job perfectly. I have another handy device for all that other crap - it's called a laptop and it's a crappy tool to read books on.

Or general text, if I can help it.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I can't understand why anyone would buy a car these days.

You can't fly it to a tropical island. You can't load it up dump stuff out of it. It doesn't have a front loader on it. It only has four wheels and burns a single type of fuel.

All a lame car can do is transport you from place to place if there happens to be a road connected to that location that your car will fit on. Pfft...

I will stick with my bike. It doesn't need any fuel, it can go where there are smaller roads, heck where there are no roads. I can also carry it upstairs and store it in my closet. With such a versital think who the heck would by a dedicated single purpose device like a car. LAME!

BOb

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by Alisa

I guess BLam didn't like getting blammed because he posted this poll. Seems a bit lacking in options, no? Would you rather have a reader or something like the Courier or Apple tablet (two non-existent products)?

Seems like a fairly blatant attempt to try and prove people agree with him when realistically any 3rd option on the poll along the lines of both or choosing the best one that suits its job would easily win.

[Sweetpea]

I don't get it... People expect a simple device to replace every single thing they do? Even if I had a tablet, I wouldn't want to watch tv on it, especially not movies. I prefer my big screen in the living room, with excellent vision and sound. And don't even mention the comfortable way of watching (holding my drink instead of my screen).

Cookbooks and glossys I don't use/buy. But we do plan to install a computer (touch screen) in the kitchen, internet-able, so I can browse the internet for recipes while I'm baking.

But I do like to lay in bed, curled around my book, and an ebook reader is perfect for that! I find my 7" JE100 already on the large side for that, so I've no need for a tablet for reading.

[LDBoblo]

I wouldn't mind a specialized device that only reads books/magazines/newspapers/journals and reads them really well.

When such a device finally exists, I'll probably buy it.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by juj1n

The most concerning line however is " And unless you love novels and non-fiction more than TV, movies, cookbooks and glossy magazines all together, you should, too"

He makes a good point with this line. If you don't love novels and non-fiction you probably won't be buying an e-reader any time soon.

But if he is waiting on technology that is 6 months out, he will be waiting forever. There is always the next cool widget just around the corner. Why buy that tech now when you can wait, and wait, and wait and ....

When they come out with a 1 pound tablet with a non-backlit, high contrast screen that can display PDF files as they are designed I'll be the first in line to purchase one. Even then it won't replace the compact Sony reader I use for daily reading.

I waited a year before I broke down and bought the PRS-505 last January. Since then I've read 60 books and 9 short stories. What did waiting get me. Well it did save me 150 dollars compared to the 400 initial price of the Kindle. If your 50 like me waiting would just mean that you didn't buy and read those printed books because the font was too small and reading glasses drove you nuts.

My advice would be if you love novels and non-fiction don't wait for the next new gadget when the gadgets that are here now do an excellent job for recreational reading.

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by juj1n

The most concerning line however is " And unless you love novels and non-fiction more than TV, movies, cookbooks and glossy magazines all together, you should, too"

...on a second thought, if you fall in this category, you wouldn't buy books, no matter ebooks or Readers/liseuses.

At this point, the article is a bit superfluous. I don't like gaming a lot- but I won't write a piece saying that since you can play game X on your PC then having an Xbox/PS/Wii/NDS/NDSi/GBA/dedicated gaming device is stupid because it will only do that (yes, I do know most of the devices I cited do have other functionalities!). It all depends on what you need. In fact, while I wouldn't buy a PS, but I do own a NDS because I can play sudoku and other board/solitaire games on it. If I were a avid gamer, I'd probably spend as much time deciding which platform would suit me more and working out its best or worse points as I spend now comparing readers and gathering info about them.