Forbes gives Sony Reader short shrift

[unkilbeeg]

What if it's being reviewed as an eBook reader from someone who is a *reader* but not an eBook reader.

Because someone isn't an eBook reader does not mean that they don't understand what they're reviewing. Don't assume they confuse this with a PDA or a laptop. Although I occasionally read a book on my Palm, I'm a reader, I'm not an eBook reader.

If Sony is only marketing this to existing eBook readers, then this product is doomed.

I'm not saying this is the case -- I think this is the first generation of eBook readers that has some chance outside that small ghetto, but if it has any chance of breaking out, it has to aim at the larger community of readers. That means that you have to consider how it compares to paper books, and not just other eBook devices.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

[*]missing speaker: Guess what... the iPod doesn't have a speaker either.

[RWood]

This review reminds me of the movie critic that panned a film because it wasn’t exactly the same as the book.

Yes there are shortfalls in the Sony Reader that have been documented in many threads and posts in this forum and elsewhere. Everyone here has a thought or two about what could be done better or new features that they would like to see implemented.

The high rag content paper of old has given way to the cheap wood pulp used today – tan when purchased and growing darker each month thereafter. That is assuming that the glue binding stays together long enough for you to finish the book.

Now I grant you that the Reader is currently hard to read in dim light; but, then again so is a regular book. Before the Sony Reader I used a Palm powered Samsung phone that had even less contrast. I had to read fast before the backlight turned off and made the screen completely unreadable. In daylight it washed out. This is far better.

Sony and others have set a new standard for ebook readers. Future products will be better. This is called progress.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by unkilbeeg

What if it's being reviewed as an eBook reader from someone who is a *reader* but not an eBook reader.

Because someone isn't an eBook reader does not mean that they don't understand what they're reviewing. Don't assume they confuse this with a PDA or a laptop. Although I occasionally read a book on my Palm, I'm a reader, I'm not an eBook reader.

The people I've shown my Reader to at work have been extremely impressed by the clarity and readability of the screen. Several have commented that, although the wouldn't consider reading on a Pocket PC, they would be happy to do so on the Reader.

[Jake]

My prediction: e-ink (or other) displays will keep getting better and cheaper. The e-reading 'experience' will be more and more paper-like. The ease and experience of online buying and downloading will continue to increase. The concept of a "digital book" (still in infancy, if that) will evolve. And some folks will be scared of change and think that it will ruin things or sweep all of the good stuff away in a flood. This is understandable. Gimme that ol' time religion. It was good enough for grandpa.
Why try to change something that is after all, perfect? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And we'll all tussle and opine (I'm right there, too) back and forth.

A new generation will grow up who are not so wedded to the idea that books = paper-based and that format = content (we always told them 'don't judge a book by its cover', didn't we?). They will become the entrepreneurs, the "librarians" (if such still exist) and scholars of their day. Look, sometimes the most earth-shaking revolutions are almost imperceptible. Someday, some kid (probably not born yet) will look at a book and call it a book and think of it as a book ... and it will be digital.
But it will really just be a book. That's what books are, silly rabbit.

In the meantime, all of this discourse is great fun of course, but as the tired old saying goes: "In the battle between the rock and river, the river always wins. "
And there you are.

[jsuplido]

Originally Posted by unkilbeeg

What if it's being reviewed as an eBook reader from someone who is a *reader* but not an eBook reader.

Good point. However, I only see those kinds of reviews here at Mobileread. I find negative reviews more credible here than elsewhere that's because we understand what the Reader is for.

Because someone isn't an eBook reader does not mean that they don't understand what they're reviewing. Don't assume they confuse this with a PDA or a laptop. Although I occasionally read a book on my Palm, I'm a reader, I'm not an eBook reader. <chomp>

I stop reading "reviews" the minute they look for backlight, search, and refreshes or any similar "features." I put myself in their shoes and think that if I look for this, it's only because I've already used/experienced these features in... PDAs and laptops. Besides that, I'm betting that the Reader was used for only a few minutes and only for the "review."

[Mycropht]

It is difficult now to write anything that hasn't already been mentioned, especially by Unkilbeeg. Yes, I am a p-book reader considering to become an e-book reader - which I am definitely not at the moment. I believe I fit nicely into the audience Sony targets with the Reader. Now, it seems possible that Mr. Manes has a hidden agenda, but his review is hardly a bunch of evil lies.

Alexander, you compare the Sony Reader to a Playstation and iPod. Why not compare it also to a fridge or a potted plant? To me, only a comparison to p-books is interesting and the Reader is finally a device which made that comparison meaningful - by its qualities, its price and its mass production. I was waiting for such a device and I really like it, but it is not enough for me to make the switch. P-book won this round but (IMHO!) the war now looks hopeless for the mass marketed p-books. Few tweaks and features for a few $$$ less and the p-book will be twitching on the ground in agony soon to become a museum piece or a luxury item.

Then again, I also like the erasable paper:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4451

or

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_ne...00/6174052.stm

Finally, on the day the Sony released the reader, I would have buy one would it have been possible in a nearby store for $350.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Mycropht

Now, it seems possible that Mr. Manes has a hidden agenda, but his review is hardly a bunch of evil lies.

You're right, Mycropht, it's not. But what Alexander was pointing out (and I agree with him ), is that it's not really an objective review either.

For it to be that, Mr. Manes would need to make some attempt to set aside his agenda, and review the device in question, rather than just his opinions of what that device should be. Commenting on whether you like some feature is one thing, simply blasting it for not meeting your preconceptions, and focusing solely on what you perceive as negatives is another entirely.

That is the burden of journalism, one that is all too rarely shouldered in the field these days.

He has a right to his opinions, and a right to express them. However, it is disingenuous, at best (and deceptive, at least, in my opinion), to pass those opinions off as facts and an agenda off as a review. That's the sort of thing that annoys me.

[TadW]

Originally Posted by Mycropht

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_ne...00/6174052.stm

Thanks for the link, Mycropht. That paper is impressive!

[Mycropht]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Commenting on whether you like some feature is one thing, simply blasting it for not meeting your preconceptions, and focusing solely on what you perceive as negatives is another entirely.

Sorry NatCh, but there were more than a few reviews of the Reader which were as positive as the one by Manes is negative while being biased to about a same degree. Not so many annoyed readers then. Some reviewers were trying to be objective while missing the idea completely. One even reverted after realizing that it is actually a book and not a toy, home appliance or just another PDA. You have to read also a negative review while trying to get a measure of the reviewed object. Have faith that other readers (of this forum) also have a brain.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Mycropht

Sorry NatCh, but there were more than a few reviews of the Reader which were as positive as the one by Manes is negative while being biased to about a same degree. Not so many annoyed readers then.

You're right, it's just as disingenuous regardless of the direction of the bias, and should be equally as annoying to me. I can only plead that it was such a rare thing to see a "reviewer" who wasn't blasting it out of hand that it struck me as refreshing. No excuse, of course, but there it is.

Regarding the fellow who changed his mind about the Reader, it was pretty clear to me from reading his write ups that the first was a listing of his unmet preconceptions, and the second was a result of setting them aside, and figuring out what he'd missed at the first look. I felt like he did a good job of explaining why his take changed. And you're right, there is a certain, unavoidable measure of subjectiveness in any review -- it just should be something that's resisted, not served up as the main course.

I do trust the readers of this forum to make up their minds, that's why I make an effort to be frank about the shortcomings of the Reader, as well as its advantages -- if someone doesn't know about the bad as well as the good going into such a thing, they're going to be disappointed, and that's just not a good thing.

The folks I'm concerned about are the ones who only see things like the Forbes piece, and have no opportunity to see any of the good in the Reader (because it's handled in such a negatively biased way), and therefore dismiss out of hand something that might very well be quite useful to many of them.

It isn't a question of mental capacity, but more of garbage-in, garbage-out. Without good info, the sharpest mind can only make a good decision purely by chance, that's just not a good situation. I feel (as someone who's had some journalism training) like the folks who claim to be journalists should recognize their responsibility to give folks as good information as they can, regardless of whether it happens to support their opinions/agendas or not.

Further, it's exactly the agenda driven hype that makes folks dismiss reviews that are positive -- kind of a catch 22. (sigh) If reviewers were dedicated to presenting as impartial a review as possible on all things, then we'd actually have reviews that we could trust, instead of having to figure out and compensate for whatever agendas a given reviewer might be pushing (that's supposed to be their job as journalists).

[maccoul]

Originally Posted by Mycropht

Alexander, you compare the Sony Reader to a Playstation and iPod. Why not compare it also to a fridge or a potted plant? To me, only a comparison to p-books is interesting and the Reader is finally a device which made that comparison meaningful - by its qualities, its price and its mass production. I was waiting for such a device and I really like it, but it is not enough for me to make the switch. P-book won this round but (IMHO!) the war now looks hopeless for the mass marketed p-books. Few tweaks and features for a few $$$ less and the p-book will be twitching on the ground in agony soon to become a museum piece or a luxury item.

I would point out that a p-book will always win every round, every day, and twice on Sunday. The true comparison, in my mind, is not Reader to p-book but Reader to p-book*s*. And I believe the Sony Reader wins or at least makes it a draw. Its certainly easier to study and research many p-books but the Reader wins in portability and storage hands done.

[Mycropht]

Originally Posted by maccoul

I would point out that a p-book will always win every round, every day, and twice on Sunday.

My English definitely leaves a lot to be desired, which is probably the reason for a misunderstanding. I was not comparing the Reader to a specific p-book, of course. However, there are some books which are too clumsy to handle properly (size, weight) and I believe the Sony Reader would win over one of those.

IMHO, your quote above, should you become a bit more famous, would probably one day enjoy the company of the quotes like:

"This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
-- An internal Western Union memo, 1876

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, founder, chairman & president of DEC, 1977

[William Moates]

Mycropht,

I feel your English is quite good, and you made yourself clear. I wouldn't equate the Reader with the iPod, either. However, it has made definite strides, and shows that a p-book-competitive e-book is much nearer. I think that an iPod-like reader could be made using E-Ink, but I think it needs to double (or treble) the screen area, double the resolution to 300ppi, and add search capability. At that point, it will be able to surpass the p-book in usability. Toss in notetaking features, and e-book will not just have "arrived", but will have colonized the media landscape.

To compare it to colonization of North America, the Sony Bookman was a failed colony (Roanoke), the Rocket eBook was the first successful colony (Plymouth), and the Sony Reader will be a more successful colony (say, New Amsterdam or Philadelphia). If I compared it to the US's historical timeline, we have passed 1620, but we haven't reached 1776. With the Reader, we'll round 1700, getting us halfway to full establishment.

(Hopefully, I haven't stretched this analogy beyond the breaking point. )

[igorsk]

"Sony Bookman"? o.O