Kindle 4 Pseudofantasy: How you want it?

[curstpriest]

You could always buy the EnTourage eDGe, lol?


Give them 5 years, mabye it will be ready then =X.

I still think that amazon should go with no buttons + mini lcd @ bottom like nook.
Or if they can find a way to make the touchscreen less reflective, throw that in with a stylus and get rid of the nook lcd.

Regardless, they could just upgrade the firmware we already have so that it at least works better. Like i hate using the keyboard because it's such a hassle, but when I do, I can't really do anything with it except go to locations (not page numbers) and look up words................................

STUPID

[Barty]

The thing with color e-ink is you just know the first gen is going to suck. Shudder. I just hope they'll have a cheaper grayscale version as well.

More than colors, I want greater bit depth (can we at least go to 8?), higher res, like at least 300dpi, and of course better contrast. To me everything else beside the screen is secondary.

[curstpriest]

I seriously doubt 300 dpi ever becoming a reality. It's just really hard for most people to even notice that, even going from 150-200 is pushing it if you are looking at something >1ft from your face.

Kind of like the whole debate videophiles have with going over 24/30 fps, demanding 60.. 85.. 125.. like their eyes can even register the change (they can't)
Common ground has to be met here somewhere.

Also when you deal with older people, or with simpler media where either the senses decline or the media is low resolution anyways (most pdfs use raster images, but i guess you could use high DPI fonts/vector graphics, but still you won't really notice them, and you can anti alias low-res fonts with a few shades of gray effectively)

I'd honestly like to see color, because news/textbooks/technical manuals make use of it effectively. But that is going to take some while and I assume that when it comes it will be weak =(

[zoran]

Originally Posted by curstpriest

I still think that amazon should go with no buttons + mini lcd @ bottom like nook.
Or if they can find a way to make the touchscreen less reflective, throw that in with a stylus and get rid of the nook lcd.
[/COLOR]

Kobo sounds like something similar, without kb, without wifi and
with no-glare screen. SD card adapter included. Epub format is the
default one. The same screen is pretty gray and it is the matter of
technology. As far as I see, the screen quality is the only that should
be looked for. In color? I say "no".
I'm not sure where people have a grip on k3, since they cannot get
fingers over the kb.

[Kevin2960]

Originally Posted by OakIris

No need for color if you just read fiction, but if you read histories or biographies, scientific books of any sort, color would be nice for the maps, diagrams, color photographs, etc. And, although I am not one of them, it would be nice for those who want comic books on their eReaders.

Holly

Yeah I guess so, but i thibk most read plain old novels, I still don't like the idea of color screen

[Nexutix]

They should keep two models. Color screen and classic Grayshade.

1. Many academic documents and books are in intense need of color.
2. Children's books will be more interesting for them.
3. Reading news will be nicer experience.
4. With sony touch, magazines will become better.

[dwallbaum]

Universal document support -- any eBook type, anywhere.

Enable library sharing so you can check out ebooks from your local library.

I favor keeping the Kindle as an eBook reader, with no desire to pimp it up with other stuff. Don't need web browsing, beyond what you need to order books.

I wouldn't turn down web email, but not if it interferes with the primary ebook reader mission.

[hellraiser06]

Originally Posted by Kevin2960

PLEASE No color screen Why would anyone want to read on a color screen ? I've never read a paperback Novel with pink and Green ink on rainbow colored paper


And Amazxon will never use ePub, sorry folks get used to it

I hope he meant Color e-ink screen.

Also, never say never, coz Sony was not supposed to use a memory card slot other than Pro duo, but here we are..

[Barty]

Originally Posted by curstpriest;

I seriously doubt 300 dpi ever becoming a reality. It's just really hard for most people to even notice that, even going from 150-200 is pushing it if you are looking at something >1ft from your face.

Kind of like the whole debate videophiles have with going over 24/30 fps, demanding 60.. 85.. 125.. like their eyes can even register the change (they can't)
Common ground has to be met here somewhere.

Also when you deal with older people, or with simpler media where either the senses decline or the media is low resolution anyways (most pdfs use raster images, but i guess you could use high DPI fonts/vector graphics, but still you won't really notice them, and you can anti alias low-res fonts with a few shades of gray effectively)

I'd honestly like to see color, because news/textbooks/technical manuals make use of it effectively. But that is going to take some while and I assume that when it comes it will be weak =(

I have far less than 20/20 vision and I see a different between, say, newsprint and decent laser output. I can see a big difference between the iPad (pixels) and the new iPhone 4 display.

The Mirasol display supposedly combines a reflective display technology with high refresh rate and colors. No idea what it looks like in real life. I imagine it will be pretty expensive.

[curstpriest]

well my point was that the dpi on text won't really matter going from 150->300, regardless..

http://www.mirasoldisplays.com/mobil...mod-technology
they have a demo but it's not a real video so there is no way to know like you said
don't know if they even have a working prototype yet, but once it's out there we will probably start seeing it it netbooks/phones/readers

Refresh rate looks low (5-15) which is still pretty decent for an e-reader.
I'm no engineer, but the way they describe the technology in the video, it looks like the attraction of the plates requires constant current to retain pixel state, similar to how LCD works. The only advantage is that you won't have a backlight sucking up energy so you will still get relatively long life. I could be completely wrong however. As far as # of colors, doubt that a single pixel can be regulated that much with that small space, so I'm guessing 32-128, but again random guess on my part =X.

[ski_power]

@Curstpriest: Wasn't it claimed that mirasol was bistable as well?
If there is no mechanical force between the plates (springs) then it wouldn't need constant current. Things at the micronano scale work with different 'rules' than conventional physical systems.

[Nexutix]

Mirasol displays will really change the e-book readers today. So viplex and other e-ink companies are going to slack soon. Mirasol and similar displays will take over e-readers, making the future even more HAPPY!

Edit:
Oh wait! Not as bright as e-reader! Look for yourself:
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/43003...in-sun-easier/

[ski_power]

I'm not sure if it'll personally change my opinion though. I've always been a "3rd Generation" guy, in almost everything I get. My logic is simple.
G1 - New Product
G2 - Fix kinks of first, new features
G3 - Mature product, and some more new features, and much cheaper than the first 2 generations.
Think about it. I've learnt by being an early adopter a couple of times that it holds true in the every field of the consumer industry.

Something tells me I'll wait for color reflective bistable displays to reach the 3rd generation before I'm ready to lay the cash on the table.

EDIT: I notice it might just be my buyers regret for the Kindle 3, but then again I'm too weary to question my mindset right now.

[ricsmania]

I would like a slightly bigger screen and better resolution. Like 7" 1024x768. Besides that the usual improvements, like better contrast and whiter background.