Are you happy with your EReader form factor?

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Prince Hal

The Archos 43 might be the one for you. I am interested in it for the same reasons that you are. It has a 4.3 inch screen - not quite the resolution of an Ipod Touch 4g, but excellent none the less. Bigger screen in a small format, it seems to be the new heir to the PDA world - along of course with the iTouch. I prefer it to a phone for which you would need a phone contract.

The Archos 43 looks very sweet, but I actually want a bigger screen. I'm not after a palm sized device usable one handed. As mentioned, something in an iPad form factor is closer to the mark.
______
Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Ankh

Always Innovating has something that is close to your wishes: https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/products/smartbook.htm

Close, but no cigar. The small device is not a cell phone.

True, but at least people are thinking along the "more than one device, but connected" model. They or someone like them might make a combo that included a cell phone.

I've resisted convergence precisely because of form factor. Too much of what I want to do needs a screen too big for anything usable as a phone, so a "one size fits all" device doesn't work for me because one size doesn't fit all.

Thanks for the link! Bookmarked for future reference.
______
Dennis

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

It's expensive and kind of "overkill" for a reader. But you should check out Dell Streak. Beautifully designed, highly portable and still way much more screen estate than your usual smartphone. ...
Battery life of course remains an issue, but at least the battery is user-replaceable.

I don't think I want a phone as an ebook reader. (I want to be able to read my book while I'm on hold wading through voicemail.) And while I'm not absolutely stuck on "must have at least 1 week's reading on a single battery charge," I'm not going back to less than 2 days' reading on a battery charge, and I often read more than 4 hours/day. Most of the phone-sized devices don't last long enough on a charge for me to be happy with them.

A big part of the reason I switched from a PDA instead of just finding another one, was that I got tired of the battery dying mid-book. Or giving me the "low battery" warning on the train home from work, and then dying later in the evening. The annoyance of having to stop reading in order to read more later pushed me into e-ink.

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I started my e-reading with a PDA as well, in fact I still have many thousands of .pdb ebooks. Your post is almost an advert for the 5" reflective TFT readers like the Ectaco Jetbooks and Aluratek Libre Pro.

I had a Jetbook for two weeks. The substrate broke, and wasn't covered by warranty. (When my Sony's substrate broke--entirely my fault--it was covered. Or maybe I got lucky with the support techie who took the call.) Since I don't know what broke the Jetbook--it was in a purse, being dealt with as gently (or as harshly) as I normally deal with my things, I'm not going to replace it. It's in the "apparently too fragile for me" category.

But yes, other than that, a Jetbook or JBL sounds very good, and when I decide it really is time to switch, I'll be comparing them to the newest Sony 5" and whatever Jinke model is available.

(I don't think I want the JBL. I read a *lot;* I had a Clie that ran on AAA's and I remember having to change them annoyingly often. I don't want a reader that churns through a dozen pairs of batteries a month.)

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

A big part of the reason I switched from a PDA instead of just finding another one, was that I got tired of the battery dying mid-book. Or giving me the "low battery" warning on the train home from work, and then dying later in the evening. The annoyance of having to stop reading in order to read more later pushed me into e-ink.



I had a Jetbook for two weeks. The substrate broke, and wasn't covered by warranty. (When my Sony's substrate broke--entirely my fault--it was covered. Or maybe I got lucky with the support techie who took the call.) Since I don't know what broke the Jetbook--it was in a purse, being dealt with as gently (or as harshly) as I normally deal with my things, I'm not going to replace it. It's in the "apparently too fragile for me" category.

But yes, other than that, a Jetbook or JBL sounds very good, and when I decide it really is time to switch, I'll be comparing them to the newest Sony 5" and whatever Jinke model is available.

(I don't think I want the JBL. I read a *lot;* I had a Clie that ran on AAA's and I remember having to change them annoyingly often. I don't want a reader that churns through a dozen pairs of batteries a month.)

The great thing about using rechargeable AA batteries vs. the built-in
rechargable battery, is that you can easily have a set of charged batteries
ready when your device runs out of juice. It is a quick and easy thing to
swap out the used batteries with a set of charged ones, and you don't have
to wait hours before your device is ready to go again. A few minutes and you
are right back where you left off in your book. ( I did a number of tests a
while back and you can easily expect at least as much reading time as with
the built-in battery, between charges of the battery or battery set.)

I don't see much coming for the 5" readers, in the near future except some
low pricing (Newegg has been running some good sales on the JBL with some
accessories and free shipping, <$90.) The buzz seems directed towards larger readers and tablets.

It would be hard to damage a JBL, in a bag, if it were in the leather slip-on
cover, and one of the Newegg promotions included one.

The small Sony looks nice as well, I don't know if they can handle the formats or DRM scams that the JBL can though.

Luck;
Ken

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

The small Sony looks nice as well, I don't know if they can handle the formats or DRM scams that the JBL can though.

Sony doesn't have as broad a format support; the Jinke devices like the Astak Pocket Pro do. I'm comfortable with converting, but it'd be nice not to need to. I don't care about DRM support; I don't do DRM. (I think the Sony does the same DRM support that the JBL does--Adobe Digital Editions.)

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Sony doesn't have as broad a format support; the Jinke devices like the Astak Pocket Pro do. I'm comfortable with converting, but it'd be nice not to need to. I don't care about DRM support; I don't do DRM. (I think the Sony does the same DRM support that the JBL does--Adobe Digital Editions.)

Just to keep the record straight the JBL has the eReader (.pdb) DRM and
the B&N (.epub) DRM as well as the ADE (.epub&.pdf) DRM. I remove all
DRM from my purchases so the DRM features mean little to me, as well.

To get back to the thread with the pocketable form factor already covered,
the next form factor of interest, to me, would be a 10" color reader for
magazines, text books, reference material, and such. It would need a high
resolution display, a long battery life, be light weight, and little larger than
the display area. Page turn buttons and some for making selections easily,
but no keyboard. The best potential candidate might be the Mirasol display,
but I fear they will be gobbled up for "Media Players" with video, audio and
surfing functions instead of for simple ereading, and longer battery life.

Luck;
Ken

[GraceKrispy]

I have a 6in screen (sony 505) and a 4.3in screen (droid x). They are both perfect, for different reasons. If I've got time to really read for a while, I prefer the sony. It's a great size, akin to a mm paperback, which is the size book I often read anyway- pre-ereader. The droid is perfect for small bouts of reading when I can catch 5-10 minutes of a read (waiting in line or something). It's convenient and quick, and the experience is much more satisfying than it was when I read on my blackberry curve or ipod touch. More words on a page = easier to engage in the story. I'm not sure I'd like a 9in screen though, there can be *too* many words on a page- I'd rather read on a sony-sized screen than a screen that looks like a regular old piece of paper.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

People who want to read letter-sized PDFs or color magazines are going to need larger devices, and I think we'll see a growing number of tablets. I hope we don't lose the small, pocket-sized ereaders; I have no interest in "upgrading" to something I can't comfortably hold in one hand for an hour on a crowded train.

This kind of use on public transport is a huge reason why my ipad could never take over most of my reading, it is just a bit too big to match the portability of a normal book or a typical ebook reader.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

True, but at least people are thinking along the "more than one device, but connected" model. They or someone like them might make a combo that included a cell phone.

While not quite the same thing, this is why I have just replaced my sony ebook with a kindle to go along with the kindle apps on my phone and ipad.

[dougf4]

My Jetbook Lite with its infamous "battery bulge" is the perfect fit for my hand.

I've read on my wife's Kindle and don't find it nearly as easy to hang on to.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Kitabi

The Kindle DX already sits in the 8-10" range. But it is not portable. What I want is for the current 6" models to get rid of their keypads, LCD screens etc and go to e-ink touch screens so that the portability of the form factor remains the same but the reading area increases.

Have you seen the new Sony PRS-650? I think it fits your criteria.

[SensualPoet]

Something around 6" seems right to me. You could probably talk me into 7". What I like about the 6" Kindle 2 / Kindle 3 / Kobo that I've experienced is that they are mass paperbackish in terms of printed word real estate. I think trade paperback would work too -- hence my hesitation about ruling out 7".

But either larger or smaller start hitting trade-offs: too few words (especially if I increase the font size) or starting to get unwieldy to handle.

The thing that I love about eink devices is that they are very light and long battery life. It's always ready to go and, unlike my cellphone, I don't have to remember to plug it in every night.

Magazines, and newspapers, are still a tough sell for me on eink devices: colour or not, they are way too small. I wonder about 10" -- is that enough? I don't think so. Magazines are about double-page spreads and even a 12" device isn't big enough. And newspapers are out of date so quickly ... you really want the website version. At that point you've ceased to talk about newpapers and the thing is web access. That's a long way from b&w eink devices nicely focussed on long form reading -- and is exactly why I think they have a longer term future and why color (and certainly video) isn't so important.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

The thing that I love about eink devices is that they are very light and long battery life. It's always ready to go and, unlike my cellphone, I don't have to remember to plug it in every night.

Me too. When I get a new cell phone, I try to make sure that it has a long battery life. I hate having a cell that I have to charge all the time.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

Me too. When I get a new cell phone, I try to make sure that it has a long battery life. I hate having a cell that I have to charge all the time.

It is such a joke when you see people having to goto great lengths just to eke out a day's use from their phone.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

320x480 is usable, though I heard about but haven't actually seen a Palm model with a 640x400 resolution. A little custom font configuration helps a lot.

My old Loox (600) was 320x200, and I thought that was enough... Untill I got my current Loox (720), with the same screensize, but double the resolution. What a shocker! (but the Loox's are Windows devices, not Palm). Now, I doubt I want a lesser resolution on a screen of that size

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

How large a screen would you want?

I'm still not sure of that. Let's say it was availabe, if I would be able to get my hand on a 5, 6 or 7 inch transflective touchscreen LCD screen, I'd get it. No matter the OS. But I'd also love a larger screen, 10 to 12 inch. But I'd need Windows on that (XP or 7). I'd love to be able to take my National Geographics with me...

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Expect a lot more Android devices to arrive. It's Linux based, and free and open source, so anyone can grab and use it with no license fees or permission required from Google. It's also modular, so device makers can include the parts that support the particular hardware and functions they want to include.

I was wondering back when it was first released when we'd see devices based on it that weren't smartphones, and now we have them in plenty.

On a basic reader, I wouldn't mind Android that much. But as stated above, if I had a larger screen, I'd use it mostly for my National Geographic collection. And that would require windows...