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Old 11-14-2009, 03:50 PM   #16
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The comfort factor keeps me from reading on laptops/netbooks. I don't mind the screen-stare at pc/laptop screens all day anyway. They're just not comfortable to curl up with in bed, which is 97% of my Kindle usage.

I also just have no need for a Netbook. I was thinking of one for casual netsurfing etc., but after trying to do streaming video (Hulu, ESPN360, Netflix etc.) on a few and having playback issues I scrapped that idea as that would be a big usage for me.

I'll just stick with my work laptop, and maybe pick up a 12" or so laptop if I see a deal somewhere that has enough memory and a decent enough video card to do streaming HD video.
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Old 11-14-2009, 03:51 PM   #17
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That being said: I still want something with a tablet form factor. And I don't mean the "convertible" kinds where the screen flips back on itself. I want a true tablet, no keyboard, but still wireless/internet capable, and with the hardware to back it up. I'd even be willing to take a chance on a dual screen setup like the proposed Microsoft Courier device. At this point in time, the Archos 9 comes closest; but it's still short in the hardware department, in my opinion. I'm hoping whatever Microsoft ends up releasing will end up being closer to what I'm looking for.
Yeah, as I've said many times I'm interested in a tablet like that as well, mainly for reading and marking up books/articles in my academic work.
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:06 PM   #18
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The comfort factor keeps me from reading on laptops/netbooks. I don't mind the screen-stare at pc/laptop screens all day anyway. They're just not comfortable to curl up with in bed, which is 97% of my Kindle usage.

I also just have no need for a Netbook. I was thinking of one for casual netsurfing etc., but after trying to do streaming video (Hulu, ESPN360, Netflix etc.) on a few and having playback issues I scrapped that idea as that would be a big usage for me.

I'll just stick with my work laptop, and maybe pick up a 12" or so laptop if I see a deal somewhere that has enough memory and a decent enough video card to do streaming HD video.

I just tried Hulu on my old laptop -- which I use to play internet radio through my stereo -- and no-go. I was hoping maybe I could use it to watch on my TV. so tried my Acer netbook and no-go there either. I guess if I'm going that direction I'll need either an new/faster laptop or desktop for that video function (my desktop works fine, but I'm not dedicating it video duties)

As far as reading even a netbook is really not portable enough for me, I read in bed and while walking and curled up in a chair or couch and my Sony 505 or kindle2 is just much more usable and comforatable.
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:06 PM   #19
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I am pretty sure I can't change from landscape to portrait mode on the netBook. But let me add this. I can read and buy from any source, Amazon, Sony, B&N, etc. and then use the correct reader software to display the file. I find the B&N, MobiPocket and ThomRaider the best. Amazon's kindle software the worst but it is new and should get better.

Here is a shot from the B&N on my Asus. The herringbone effect is in the camera's capture, not on the screen.


Having the Sony 600, I wanted to buy a new ebook. Sony price about $18.
Amazon hardcover price about $17. Kindle price $9. B&N ebook price also $9.

I will buy from B&N. Best reader software, best price. This is an option I don't have using a Reader.

I will edit to add this. In the photo no flash was used. I was directly in front of the screen. There was a lamp behind the computer. Notice there is no glare. NONE! Perhaps it is me but positioning the ebook reader to achieve no glare is a pain in the neck.

Last edited by The Old Man; 11-14-2009 at 04:14 PM. Reason: Add a comment
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:28 PM   #20
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....

I will buy from B&N. Best reader software, best price. This is an option I don't have using a Reader.

...

Sure it is. You just need to be willing to strip the drm and convert the files. I bought a Kindle as much to have access to Amazon as to use it in its own right, but I still do most of my reading on my Sony 505.

Same with at least one Ereader book - Half Broke Horses -- because B&N had the best price.
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:34 PM   #21
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Sure it is. You just need to be willing to strip the drm and convert the files. I bought a Kindle as much to have access to Amazon as to use it in its own right, but I still do most of my reading on my Sony 505.

Same with at least one Ereader book - Half Broke Horses -- because B&N had the best price.
Yo! I read a bit about striping the DRM. I dn't know anything about python, I don't want to take the time to learn or convert AND...I am not that smart
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:35 PM   #22
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I just tried Hulu on my old laptop -- which I use to play internet radio through my stereo -- and no-go. I was hoping maybe I could use it to watch on my TV. so tried my Acer netbook and no-go there either. I guess if I'm going that direction I'll need either an new/faster laptop or desktop for that video function (my desktop works fine, but I'm not dedicating it video duties)
Yeah, my work laptop is pretty powerful, so it has no issues with streaming video.

I just don't have a personal pc or laptop since moving, so I was considering a netbook for personal use, videos more risky to get virus (i.e. torrent downloads etc.) but they just don't have the power.
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Old 11-14-2009, 04:36 PM   #23
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Yo! I read a bit about striping the DRM. I dn't know anything about python, I don't want to take the time to learn or convert AND...I am not that smart
jus' sayin' that it's possible and easy enough to do. at least at this point and hopefully someday we'll either have a common standard and/or no drm.

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Old 11-14-2009, 04:57 PM   #24
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Is there a program which will allow the display of the text on the netbook to switch from landscape to portrait mode?

If so, would the reading experience be more like reading a book, and therefore more pleasant?
Yes, that feature is built into windows. Some hardware vendors make this feature easily accessible by putting a hardware switch or software. Some you have to dig down into the window configuration.

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Old 11-14-2009, 05:33 PM   #25
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The differentiating factor between the two (for me) is that I consider an ebook device to use technology which makes it easier to read, as opposed to technology that makes it better for gaming/videos and so on.

A netbook usually has an LCD screen, many ebook devices use eink or some kind of display technology which is easier to read.

Eventually the resolution on LCD screens will reach a level where reading on them becomes easier. But for now I consider the ebook devices niche products which are better for reading plain text on. Ebook devices are also usually designed to be held like a book, netbooks usually require a table or a lap (depending on how warm they get).

Because ebook devices are so simplistic, they don't need power chewing CPUs as well, unlike the netbook which needs a lot of power for the screen and cpu. So the ebook product usually gets better battery life and still fills a niche netbooks don't 'exactly' cover.

My view is that within 5 years netbooks/tablets will be so advanced (esp as batteries and screens advance) that their disadvantages will be tiny. Dedicated ebook devices will boom for a few years but then tablets/netbooks will dominate the mobile computing sector including mobile reading.
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Old 11-14-2009, 05:54 PM   #26
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fugazied, interesting observations!
I tend to agree except the battery life is the bug-a-boo. No mater how advance they (Readers and Netbooks) become the reader will always have the advantage on battery life unless they opt for color and then the gap will close - not become equal.

For me, the main advantage of the Reader is size, not battery life.
The main advantage of the Netbook is readability and openness to all formats. Because of the glare I like reading on the Netbook more than the Reader.
I understand this is not true of many.
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Old 11-14-2009, 06:02 PM   #27
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Interesting topic. I have a slightly different slant on it.

* primary reading devices

All my ebook reading devices:
- 2.8" screen smartphone - good for casual reading only[1]; very versatile, can read all formats except Kindle; also replaces/consolidates agenda, PMP, MID, dumb phone, email terminal, pager, pocket calculator, notepad, etc. 5 mo. old granddaughter and I groove to Warren Zevon on it.
*- 3.5" screen obsolete PDAs (2) - good for all kinds of reading except direct sunlight; very versatile, can read all formats except Kindle
*- 5" screen Ectaco jetBook - good for many kinds of reading, especially in direct sunlight; versatile formats, but limited in presentation; no DRM formats but the next device can cover up a multitude of sins
- 17" laptop - very versatile, but a bit heavy; can use in a variety of settings except direct sunlight; has a million other uses
- desktop PC - very versatile, but completely immobile; not mine, employers; also runs UG & ANSYS Workbench (even numbered versions only)

For me, the combination of a 3.5" PDA and a jetBook together makes a good "reader". I simply keep my books on an SD card and swap it back and forth. I wish I had a PDA with a 5" reflective LCD screen, but no one makes that. I suspect a small netbook would split the difference, but with one key failing, sunlight readability. In that respect, the jetBook is clearly superior to any other device, including eInk slates.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[1] 2.8" is just a bit too small for comfortable reading. 3.2-3.5" is fine for reading, IMO.
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Old 11-14-2009, 08:10 PM   #28
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Yes, that feature is built into windows. Some hardware vendors make this feature easily accessible by putting a hardware switch or software. Some you have to dig down into the window configuration.

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Old 11-14-2009, 08:36 PM   #29
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My view is that within 5 years netbooks/tablets will be so advanced (esp as batteries and screens advance) that their disadvantages will be tiny. Dedicated ebook devices will boom for a few years but then tablets/netbooks will dominate the mobile computing sector including mobile reading.
I agree.

Dedicated e-readers will certainly stick around as there's at the very least a very sizeable niche for them with people who don't do anything but read and don't need, or want to pay for, other features.

But in 5 years or so I think the majority of e-books will be bought on tablets, netbooks, smartphones etc. vs. dedicated readers as there are larger markets for those devices than there are people who read enough to justify owning a gadget that does nothing but display e-books.

But it's good news for those people and the dedicated e-reader crowd as expanding the market for e-books beyond tech-inclined avid readers means better selection and prices for everyone--regardless of the type of device they read them on.
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Old 11-14-2009, 09:14 PM   #30
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Well, I make no predictions regarding the sales of tablets, but I don't think that people will want to read novels on screens like computer monitors.

I wonder why no one other than the jetBook manufacturer has picked up on Toshiba's alternative to eInk. But regardless, I think that there will always be a market among reading folk for screens which are not backlit.
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