'Ebook readers are dumb' says Liam from Gizmodo

[Lemurion]

He forgets the basics: buy the device best suited for the intended purpose.

Multi-media tablets and Eink Readers are best suited for different purposes. Neither one can really replace the other. (I can display graphics on my Sony, I could read on a Tablet - but the Sony is better for reading and the Tablet would be better for graphics.)

[Ea]

The multifunctional device that would siut me is certainly not right around the corner, but I find myself sitting in the sofa with both my ereader and my netbook (for looking up that place or thing or whatever) often enough to know that if I can get a device that doesn't weigh more than a current e-ink device, the battery can last at least a week, have online access everywhere, colour screen etc. and is fast and responsive - I would be there *very* fast. But I expect it will take many years until we get there.

[ficbot]

I always used to say my dream device would be an oversized iPod Touch, but if I had such a device I would not use it as my music player anyway because it would not fit in my coat pocket while I am walking in snow, which I do often as a public transit user in Canada So for me, there will always need to be two devices in my bag, the smaller music player and the book-sized book-reading device. Therefore my current iPod-sized iPod Touch and book-sized Sony do everything I need and one device could not replace the other.

IF we ever got to the point of colour ebook readers with decent battery life AND widely available DRM-free magazine subscriptions of popular magazines (not just the sci-fi/mystery at Fictionwise) then I would reconsider my current setup.

[LDBoblo]

I'm all for color, but it'd be nice if they could figure out how to make a decent quality monochrome before they go to low-quality color.

Better screen quality and better responsiveness are my dream improvements...hopefully they're not sidestepped in favor of too much gimmickry. Seems like a tall order though, looking at current and proposed offerings.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I can't understand why anyone would buy a car these days.

You can't fly it to a tropical island. You can't load it up dump stuff out of it. It doesn't have a front loader on it. It only has four wheels and burns a single type of fuel.

All a lame car can do is transport you from place to place if there happens to be a road connected to that location that your car will fit on. Pfft...

I will stick with my bike. It doesn't need any fuel, it can go where there are smaller roads, heck where there are no roads. I can also carry it upstairs and store it in my closet. With such a versital think who the heck would by a dedicated single purpose device like a car. LAME!

BOb

Not being able to fly a car is not quite in the same neighbourhood as the ludicrously limited selection of books (and genres of books) for a device that some people expect to one day replace paper books.

- Ahi