How many 'improvements' do we really need?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Fozzybear

Is there something lacking from the devices of today that tangibly interferes with your reading?

Yes. The fragility, low resolution, low contrast and short battery life of current ebook readers.

I want a robust ebook reader (no glass that shatters), at least 300dpi display, contrast at least as good as current paperbacks, and a battery that lasts at least a month (i.e. 15 books) before needing a recharge.

I expect to get everything except the battery life in the next five to ten years.

[Greg Anos]

Receipe for "future proofing" your investments in technology.

#1. Modularize! - That means keeping data and processing separate. Put you data on a flexible data storage and your computing on another machine. An example would be keeping your music on an external hard drive and the playing software on you computer. you plug in your external hard drive into the computer to play music. Why? Example. Computer goes kaput, (or you just need/want to upgrade your computer), you get a new computer and plug the external hard drive into the new computer. Off you go. Same should the external hard drive fail. Copy the backup (you do have a backup?) and plug it in. Plug it in and once again, off you go.

#2 Don't buy unmodularizable equipment, no matter how fancy it is. Otherwise, you've just stuck your neck in a noose.

#3 Use open source answers as much as you can. The odds are much better that you can do data conversions to new standards in the future with open source.

#4 Use popular data formats. Some obscure data format may actually be better, but you'll have better, more common support if your data is in a common format.
#5 Replacable batteries! Buy the gadget with a replaceable battery whenever possible. And the more common the battery, the better. A gadget may have a replacable battery, but if nobody makes a replacement, it doesn't mean anything. (AAA! AAA! Use NiMH rechargables.)

#6 Don't buy or use "activation required (phone home) software". If you do, you are dependent on somebody else to let you use the software in the future as you end up changing machines. And they may not let you. Someday, Microsoft is going to turn off activation of XP machines. Then you'll be flat out of luck running XP, for example.

#7 Upgrade only when you see a benefit. If it's already working, you don't have to fix it. You're just swapping one set of bugs for another. You already know the current bugs...

#8 Avoid non-local storage. Your data is then no longer under your control! If the non-local business keeping your data fails, you lose you data. Bad show!

Example of all these combined - I have 4 (AZTAK/BeBook One) 6" readers. They have replacable batteries and use SD card for data storage. I keep all my books on a SD card (with backups). When one machine dies, I'll just start using the next one, until it dies. I'll probably use them until I croak. The battery used is a Nokia cellphone battery. They're more likely to me manufactured that most other batteries, and are designed to be user replacable. See how this works? Modular, (data separate from the computer), no "phone home" activations required, the data is kept (mostly) in standard, open source standard (Epub), replacable battery so I'm not dependent on the battery not failing. that's about as "future proofed" as you can get.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by wodin

Well, yes "The power of computer chips is increasing at an exponential rate"; but not "prices continue to crash". A high end PC costs the same today as it did in 1985. Around $1000 would get you a state of the art PC AT clone then, and it will get you a high end quad core processer with a TByte drive and 8 GB of RAM today.

It's just that a high end PC is very much higher end than it was in 1985. Actually the prices are decreasing, but only in terms of the dollar not being worth as much today as it was then.

I disagree. In the 1980s through the mid to late 90s, the price of a computer system was about $5000. Computer, monitor, printer. And that was not a leading edge computer, but a mainstream, what you wanted to buy.

Heck, in 1985 a 5 MB hard drive was $5000. A double sided, double density floppy drive was around $1000.

In the early 90s, I upgraded a 386 computer to a 486. The motherboard and processor (with trade in credit) was $1500. Later, a 486/66 CPU for that machine was about $1000.

Now days, a system is well under $1000.

Yes, to computer you buy today is a lot more powerful than the computer of before, but the prices have REALLY fallen.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Improvements that would get me to buy a new ereader would include:

• full MP3 player (for music & audiobooks)
• mSD card slot (for music & audiobooks)
• folder organization (to store more books, games, & music)
• 5" touch screen (same size as Galaxy Player 5)

I'd love to have an eink reader the same size as my Galaxy Player 5 and with the above features. Such a device would get me to carry it everywhere I went.

But, tis not to be. So, I'll settle for my K3 with just a few books on it and do my reading at home.

Sounds like a Sony PRS-650 with PRS+ installed.

MP3 player - Yes
SD and Memory Stick slots - Yes (no micro SD, but you can use an adapter)
Folder Organization - Native has collections - PRS+ adds folders and sub collections
5" touch screen - Yes

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Not exactly exponential anymore. For most folks, we already have excess CPU power available for desktop computers and laptops. Outside of benchmarking and specialized applications, you'd be hard pressed to notice a difference between a $1000 hexa-core Core i7 Sandy Bridge-EX and a $50 dual-core Celeron Sandy Bridge. The move in x86 right now is more towards integration and lower power consumption.

Yes, still exponentially. See Moore's Law.

Moore postulated that the number of transistors that can be put on a chip doubles every 2 years. Intel Corollary is that CPU performance doubles every 18 months due to increases in speed and transistors.

And that has been occuring since the 80s.

No arguement that most users could not tell the difference between the high end of today and the middle ground from several years ago, but the high end of today is just as far above the high end of 2 years ago as any 2 year period of computers.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

Sounds like a Sony PRS-650 with PRS+ installed.

MP3 player - Yes
SD and Memory Stick slots - Yes (no micro SD, but you can use an adapter)
Folder Organization - Native has collections - PRS+ adds folders and sub collections
5" touch screen - Yes

Thanks; I did consider the Sony 350, but ruled it out. Although it has a 5" screen, it lacks an audio player and card slot. Also, it's too wide to stuff in a shirt pocket.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

Sounds like a Sony PRS-650 with PRS+ installed.

MP3 player - Yes
SD and Memory Stick slots - Yes (no micro SD, but you can use an adapter)
Folder Organization - Native has collections - PRS+ adds folders and sub collections
5" touch screen - Yes

650 has a 6 inch screen, does it not?

[Fozzybear]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes. The fragility, low resolution, low contrast and short battery life of current ebook readers.

I want a robust ebook reader (no glass that shatters), at least 300dpi display, contrast at least as good as current paperbacks, and a battery that lasts at least a month (i.e. 15 books) before needing a recharge.

I expect to get everything except the battery life in the next five to ten years.

Some good points. I hadn't really realised the display was quite fragile, but yes, if they could make it more robust and really paper-like and extend the battery life then that would be good. I imagine like other devices though there will be a drive towards extra 'features' instead as something with lots of bells and whistles will sell more easily than a good, but simple device.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Fozzybear

Some good points. I hadn't really realised the display was quite fragile, but yes, if they could make it more robust and really paper-like and extend the battery life then that would be good. I imagine like other devices though there will be a drive towards extra 'features' instead as something with lots of bells and whistles will sell more easily than a good, but simple device.

Hmm, I'd upgrade to a reasonably priced coffee-proof, sturdier reader if they release one.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Before and after the introduction of E-Ink readers, I read my ebooks on a PDA. There was only one "improvement" that I wanted, that would make me want a dedicated reader: Access to the color magazines I already had on subscription. When the Nook Color came out, the first of such dedicated devices, I got that (as a gift... my wife knew I wanted it).

Since then, I haven't felt the need to upgrade or switch... the NC does its job wonderfully.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

I disagree. In the 1980s through the mid to late 90s, the price of a computer system was about $5000. Computer, monitor, printer. And that was not a leading edge computer, but a mainstream, what you wanted to buy.

Heck, in 1985 a 5 MB hard drive was $5000. A double sided, double density floppy drive was around $1000.

In the early 90s, I upgraded a 386 computer to a 486. The motherboard and processor (with trade in credit) was $1500. Later, a 486/66 CPU for that machine was about $1000.

Now days, a system is well under $1000.

Yes, to computer you buy today is a lot more powerful than the computer of before, but the prices have REALLY fallen.

Not so.

Granted, and IBM PC-XT (8086 processor) with a 5 MB HDD came in at around four grand, but a LeadingEdge, Acer, Compaq, Packard Bell, Gateway, and Micron as well as several other "clone" manufacturers were about $1,000. When IBM came out with the IBM AT (80286 with 20 MB Drive) they too were around $4,000, and the clones were about $1,200. This trend continued through the entire 80*86 line of processors, and into the era of the Pentiums, eventually driving IBM out of the PC market entirely.

I put together my first white box in 1985. It was an XT clone with a 20 MB drive, a double sided double density 5.25" floppy drive, 1 MB of RAM (in the words of Mr. Gates "More than anyone would ever need!"), and a 12" 16 color CGA monitor all in a flip top box and the total bill was right at $1,000. A Star NX-10 dot matrix printer was another $200.

[pdurrant]

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by wodin

I put together my first white box in 1985. It was an XT clone with a 20 MB drive, a double sided double density 5.25" floppy drive, 1 MB of RAM (in the words of Mr. Gates "More than anyone would ever need!"), and a 12" 16 color CGA monitor all in a flip top box and the total bill was right at $1,000. A Star NX-10 dot matrix printer was another $200.

I hestitate to suggest it, but I think your memory must be faulty. I have in front of me a UK computer magazine from December 1985.

The cheapest hard disk I can find in the adverts is £595 for 10MB.
12" colour monitors were at least £150
1MB RAM wasn't possible in an XT clone - 640KB maximum. 512KB add on memory for IBMs is listed as £275.
A 1.2MB floppy drive was at least £100.


Even allowing for the common $1:£1 computer 'exchange' rate of the time, I find it very hard to believe that you could have put together the system you describe for $1000 in 1985.


Also, I can't find the Star MX-10 in it. The user manual that's online has a copyright date of 1986.
A Star SG-10 cost around £200. and was the cheapest of the star range.


I could believe such a system in 1986 or 1987.

[Ninjalawyer]

Originally Posted by wodin

Not so.

Granted, and IBM PC-XT (8086 processor) with a 5 MB HDD came in at around four grand, but a LeadingEdge, Acer, Compaq, Packard Bell, Gateway, and Micron as well as several other "clone" manufacturers were about $1,000. When IBM came out with the IBM AT (80286 with 20 MB Drive) they too were around $4,000, and the clones were about $1,200. This trend continued through the entire 80*86 line of processors, and into the era of the Pentiums, eventually driving IBM out of the PC market entirely.

I put together my first white box in 1985. It was an XT clone with a 20 MB drive, a double sided double density 5.25" floppy drive, 1 MB of RAM (in the words of Mr. Gates "More than anyone would ever need!"), and a 12" 16 color CGA monitor all in a flip top box and the total bill was right at $1,000. A Star NX-10 dot matrix printer was another $200.

The price of that hardware today would be in the low single digits and could (save for the monitor obviously) be put on something that would fit comfortably in your pocket. In fact, the Raspberry Pi single chip computer will retail for about $25, and feature 256 times the ram and a 700mhz processor.

Which is all to say that the price of computer hardware has crashed precipitously. Which is also why new features get added to hardware constantly - it becomes cheap and easy to do it as hardware prices drop.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes. The fragility, low resolution, low contrast and short battery life of current ebook readers.

I want a robust ebook reader (no glass that shatters), at least 300dpi display, contrast at least as good as current paperbacks, and a battery that lasts at least a month (i.e. 15 books) before needing a recharge.

I expect to get everything except the battery life in the next five to ten years.

Those are my wants as well. I also wouldn't be adverse to purchasing a device with a larger screen - I really am not happy with the fact that it seems like screen sizes other than 6 inches are being slowly fazed out.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Belfaborac

In a world which has decided that economic growth is the only meaningful measure of success and where we are constantly bombarded by advertisements urging us to spend, spend, spend on crap we don't need, it really isn't surprising that every hobby and every gadget, no matter how pointless or insignificant, is subject up upgradeitis.

And, yet, some of us ignore the bombardment and some don't.