Transbook - Finally a Term For an Ereader that we can all pronounce

[K-Thom]

20 years from now we will probably contract e-book using a similar method to television, to sound like "eeb."

As long as you don't contract "printed books" to "boobs", that's fine with me.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by K-Thom

As long as you don't contract "printed books" to "boobs", that's fine with me.

Hey! What do you got against boobs?

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Hey! What do you got against boobs?

Honestly. . .must we digress! . . . men, hmpf!

[DrMoze]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

Last I checked though, portable TVs weren't that popular compared to portable computers.

ebook readers are at that size where it's not small enough to be a specialized device (tiny music player or watch) and it's not big enough to be a specialized device (chair, TV, refrigerator, other "fixed" devices).

I clearly disagree here. You can't shrink the display further (5-" is about it) and still have a conventional reading experience. The current reading devices are also petty thin, and battery life is great fore-ink: all factors that justify them as specialized reading devices. And e-ink is great for extended reading. I know you disagree, but that is only your minority opinion. Seriously, why do you even frequent an ebook site, and don't you get tired of hearing yourself constantly griping and dinging ebook devices? I know I do.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

I clearly disagree here. You can't shrink the display further (5-" is about it) and still have a conventional reading experience. The current reading devices are also petty thin, and battery life is great fore-ink: all factors that justify them as specialized reading devices. And e-ink is great for extended reading. I know you disagree, but that is only your minority opinion. Seriously, why do you even frequent an ebook site, and don't you get tired of hearing yourself constantly griping and dinging ebook devices? I know I do.

Dedicated device is not the only way to read eBooks, it's not the only way that this site recognizes reading them, and it's definitely not the only way the discussions are divided here. It makes no sense to wonder why a person would come to an eBook site on the basis that they dislike or disagree with one of the various ways to consume eBooks. Clearly they are interested in eBooks/electronic reading which is the broader topic of the this site and others like it.

Besides, electronic text existed far longer than any dedicated eBook reading device ever discussed here. I believe the point about portable TV's is a highly valid one. I remember always being fascinated by them. If I had the spare cash at the time I probably would've bought one. Now, technology has moved on and the modern replacement for portable TV's for me is a PMP. If I lived in europe, my phone would likely receive DV-B. The portable TV was never very successful. The dedicated portable eBook reader may have the same kind of temporary niche existence. You won't know until another decade or two has passed.

[Xiaopanda]

FRED...... Everyone needs a FRED...... But I call mine an E-book, on which I read...e-books.....only confusing if you think (too much) about it...

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

I clearly disagree here. You can't shrink the display further (5-" is about it) and still have a conventional reading experience. The current reading devices are also petty thin, and battery life is great fore-ink: all factors that justify them as specialized reading devices. And e-ink is great for extended reading. I know you disagree, but that is only your minority opinion. Seriously, why do you even frequent an ebook site, and don't you get tired of hearing yourself constantly griping and dinging ebook devices? I know I do.

I didn't say anything about shrinking them. I said they are a device that isn't small enough to be specialized for long, and isn't large enough to be specialized for long. They're only specialized because the technology sucks at the moment. Pull out the bottleneck of weak technology and these things will diversify in function.

There's certainly a chance that ebook readers will continue to have a specialized niche market, much like portable dvd players (which have not yet been replaced by netbooks only by virtue of the media format) and video game players with 100 or 200 built-in low quality games haven't been fully outdone by more expensive mainstream consoles because they're so cheap.

I just don't see readers staying "specialized" in mainstream market though.

And I'm glad you've got low enough standards to be satisfied with e-ink. Hopefully in the near future, one of the proposed or demonstrated screen techs that blow vizplex out of the water will be brought to market and will satisfy both of us.

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

Dedicated device is not the only way to read eBooks, it's not the only way that this site recognizes reading them, and it's definitely not the only way the discussions are divided here. It makes no sense to wonder why a person would come to an eBook site on the basis that they dislike or disagree with one of the various ways to consume eBooks. Clearly they are interested in eBooks/electronic reading which is the broader topic of the this site and others like it.

Besides, electronic text existed far longer than any dedicated eBook reading device ever discussed here. I believe the point about portable TV's is a highly valid one. I remember always being fascinated by them. If I had the spare cash at the time I probably would've bought one. Now, technology has moved on and the modern replacement for portable TV's for me is a PMP. If I lived in europe, my phone would likely receive DV-B. The portable TV was never very successful. The dedicated portable eBook reader may have the same kind of temporary niche existence. You won't know until another decade or two has passed.

I did have a portable TV. It wasn't so much a problem with the TV but the lack of signal you could receive. We were lucky enough to get one with a built in VCR which was a godsend on long trips to help keep my young children occupied. Now we have a portable DVD player which does the same for my youngest child. All 3 were a blessing for me at the time we purchased them. The fact the technology improved does not negate the effectiveness of what we had at that time.

You are absolutely correct about the advancements in technology changing the way we do things. I suspect that the dedicated ebook readers will change even more than they already have. I, for one, am always amazed by the ingenuity and foresight of R&D in the field of electronics technology. I remember working on computers whose physical space required a small room to do what our laptops can do today and that was only 25 years ago. Believe me, you haven't lived until you've dropped an entire box of punch cards containing a completely debugged program one hour before a deadline.

What DrMoze (and I, to be absolutely honest) objects to is the negativity with which some posters state their opinions (in just about every thread) about e-reading devices. Restating negative opinions over and over again is counterproductive to the conversation. Digital reading devices do not suck. The technology does not suck, particularly when compared to what we have used in the past. Neither does everyone view their uses in the same light. I for one, am happy with a device whose sole purpose is to display text. Having the ability to connect to the Internet would be superfluous for me and would probably included an expense that I am not willing to pay. Having said that, is there room for improvement in digital reading technology, absolutely. Should we focus on all types of technology and explore all avenues, no matter how far fetched, absolutely. Looking forwards toward something better is the cornerstone of the digital technology field. I'm excited to see what is developed and ultimately marketed in the years to come and will more than likely be the first in line to purchase it.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by DrMoze

And e-ink is great for extended reading. I know you disagree, but that is only your minority opinion. Seriously, why do you even frequent an ebook site, and don't you get tired of hearing yourself constantly griping and dinging ebook devices? I know I do.

I don't think you understand LDBoblo's position, DrMoze.

His dissatisfaction with eInk is due to entirely simple, objective reasons. Primarily: poor resolution, poor refresh rate, poor quality eBooks.

He probably frequents an eBook site because he owns a liseuse, and therefore has a stake in the developments of liseuses and the eBook market. And I, for one, hope he will continue to do so and continue to contribute... it's good now and then to have some counterbalance to those who have all-encompassing blind-spots when it comes to the flaws of eInk and ePub.

- Ahi

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by ahi

I don't think you understand LDBoblo's position, DrMoze.

His dissatisfaction with eInk is due to entirely simple, objective reasons. Primarily: poor resolution, poor refresh rate, poor quality eBooks.

Problem is that there are folks who really do believe the 150-200ppi displays are high-resolution. They are in a sense...but the contrast is low enough that font rendering often does more harm than good at small sizes.

Refresh rate keeps getting denied as important because it is always arbitrarily compared to turning a page manually, which is just complete tosh in the first place. Quickly skimming a newspaper is just a nightmare, as is going through just about any kind of literature other than novels.

As far as quality of the books...people are going to ultimately pull out the argument that the content itself is what matters, and presentation must then be irrelevant (we've seen that before already in other threads). Of course, if I had spent hundreds of dollars on the Kindle 1 or the Iliad or used a program like Calibre, I would have probably convinced myself of the same thing. Just seems a little ironic that people would pay the premium for the screen, and then reject quality text presentation.

He probably frequents an eBook site because he owns a liseuse, and therefore has a stake in the developments of liseuses and the eBook market. And I, for one, hope he will continue to do so and continue to contribute... it's good now and then to have some counterbalance to those who have all-encompassing blind-spots when it comes to the flaws of eInk and ePub.

I guess we can reasonably expect that a technology-adopter community would mostly be made up of high-fiving and back-patting. In such environments, harsh criticism is unwelcome even when agreeable. Sad thing is, quite a lot of people agree with my sentiments, albeit more passively and with less matter-of-fact language. Perhaps a minority still, but what would one expect from a community that is strongly grounded in purchase justification and confirmation bias?

Ebooks are a fantastic concept. There's still significant potential waiting to be unlocked (of course that was said in the 70s, 80s, and 90s of electronic books too), and I'm a fan of the possibility. I have a practical use for my reader due to where I live (space and book availability are both serious issues), and I also have significant interest in diversified ebook devices that can handle periodicals and journals easily. They don't do these things well at all yet. It's not wrong to point this out...and even if I do it a dozen times in every thread, it will still only be a tiny contribution compared to the blind praise that is showered upon these toys.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

Sad thing is, quite a lot of people agree with my sentiments, albeit more passively and with less matter-of-fact language. Perhaps a minority still, but what would one expect from a community that is strongly grounded in purchase justification and confirmation bias?

Flowery platitudes about every user having different needs? But, yeah, we are of largely the same view on most things.

In my earlier pointing out the obvious objective problems with the State of eBook( market)s today, I forgot perhaps the biggest one: an incredible poverty of the breadth and diversity of books available to read, in comparison with physical ones.

But, to be fair, beyond poor resolution, poor refresh rate, poor quality, and poor selection, the state of eInk and eBooks today is great!

- Ahi

[GeneS]

Interesting thread. I'm beginning to believe we all have too much time on our hands. In the long run, that vast "market" out there will determine what these collective devices will be called. As of now, unfortunately, the public seems to be using the term "kindle" regardless of the brand of the device. Just shows us the power of mass-marketing.

[Daithi]

I'm sticking with e-reader. Transbook sounds like a book that's confused about its gender.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Daithi

I'm sticking with e-reader. Transbook sounds like a book that confused about its gender.

Clearly!