Delta Electronic's 13" e-Magazine (color ereader)!

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Apple !
Amazon !

You noting/listening ... ?

They don't create the content, the publishers do. But apple at least has provide the platform for innovative reading. Now it's the pub's turn.

Originally Posted by GeoffC

except the price of the cheapest iPad is rather steep !

Luckily it's only 10 dollar more than a 9.7" kindle, but it can do so much more.

[GeoffC]

ah but my point was that iBookstore is for Apple only, and similar for Amazon (Kindle) - there is no universality.

[athlonkmf]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

ah but my point was that iBookstore is for Apple only, and similar for Amazon (Kindle) - there is no universality.

Ehm.. but the content are still made by the publishers.

also. Amazon isn't kindle only. You can get kindle books on the ipad with the kindle-app. Same for B&N

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by Crowl

I am not fussed about the format being proprietary so much, as long as companies allow the format to be viewed on as many devices as possible i.e. the approach that amazon have taken with the kindle.

I must have missed something. I started reading ebooks on my desktop computer to see if I liked it. Answer - yes. Get a reader - got it. Of the 2 I prefer the reader and don't want to go back to the computer to read on.

Now one of the reasons I did NOT buy a Kindle was that if I switched to a different brand reader the Kindle AZW format wouldn't work on it without ripping the DRM from it.

When you say "as many devices as possible i.e. the approach that Amazon have taken" I'm wondering if you mean "as many computers and cell phones"? I bought an ereader to read on instead of reading on my computer.

Have I missed something? Does Amazon let us download books to readers like PocketBook, Sony, nook, iRex, etc without having to strip DRM?

Make no mistake, I do want them to do that because they have books I can't get elsewhere. If they ever do open up to multiple formats, companies like Smashwords will go down the tube.

[GeoffC]

mmm - okay, I sit duly corrected.

[fishface]

Delta's 13-inch color e-book reader is targeting the professional market where users may require a full display of content and fast pen input for notes. The company claimed that it is the only maker that is able to provide real pen input on the market as its product has faster response time than other e-book readers on the market.

Well I eat my pants, because this reader has some kind of pen support. Not sure what kind though.

No pricing for the Delta e-Magazine has been given, though Lee suggested that some publishers might offer the ereader free with a two- or three-year magazine subscription.

Err.

lolwut.

This device must cost well over $1000.

So they'll give it away free for a 2-3 year magazine subscription commitment. To break even that magazine must cost over $100 a month.

I mean I know some people might spend that much on porn, but seriously? Maybe they need to make the thing "waterproof" if that's really going to be their business model.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

When you say "as many devices as possible i.e. the approach that Amazon have taken" I'm wondering if you mean "as many computers and cell phones"? I bought an ereader to read on instead of reading on my computer.

Have I missed something? Does Amazon let us download books to readers like PocketBook, Sony, nook, iRex, etc without having to strip DRM?

While there is still plenty of room for amazon to improve, they do have very good coverage over a range of form factors from phones up to computers via tablets and ebook readers, the obvious gap is that they ignore the other half of the ebook reader market, but when you consider how much worse things could be e.g. ibooks or dedicated apps per magazine that some companies seem to be doing.

[SameOldStory]

I guess your right. I tend to think in terms of my reader.

We each get what we want to read from according to what appeals to us. The other platforms (except the computer) just don't appeal to me.

Maybe a MID though. But even then it will be used more at home than out in the world.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

There shouldn't really be a "fit" issue at all. The mags should be completely scalable, so they'll be consumable on any device. That's the point of being non-proprietary: Don't optimize it for one device, because users of all the other devices will suffer. Make it good for everyone, and you can't go wrong.

And BTW: Any e-magazine design that forces users to scroll around to see it all is a bad one.

Agree 100%. They need to be like websites and scale to screen size. Within reason of course--just like most non mobile-version websites won't display readably on a smart phone, magazines don't need to go down that far.

But they should display readably without scrolling on say devices with screens 7-8" and up.

Originally Posted by HansTWN

For me both 9.7" and 13" both are not really very portable. At least the ipad's 9.7. A 9.7" device with virtually no bezel and significantly lighter than the ipad might be borderline. But the report said the device weighed only half of what the ipad weighs. I could imagine it as a device used around the house, for web browsing, magazines, and newspapers. Very low weight, super thin, but big screen so that I wouldn't have to scroll around. Definitely not for carrying it with me.

Well for me it's all moot. My Kindle 1 has never went anywhere outside the house when it wasn't in my briefcase/backpack. I've never been one of those who has to have reading material everywhere I go.

So other than another pound or two of weight, a 12-13" tablet isn't any less portable for me than my Kindle as it would just go in my briefcase.

It's something I'd only use at home or the office anyway, and for out of town travel where I didn't need a laptop and could just check e-mail etc. on the tablet device.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by fishface

This device must cost well over $1000.

So they'll give it away free for a 2-3 year magazine subscription commitment. To break even that magazine must cost over $100 a month.

Some do. (more or less)
http://most-expensive.net/magazines
(And that's on paper--given the pricing model of the Price-Fix Five they can easily double it for the e-edition.)

They *said* professionals and they apparently mean it.

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, when they said that I wondered if they meant more professional trade magazines, rather than say professionals or read magazines like The Economist etc.

I wasn't thinking of those crazy expensive magazines etc., but there are trade magazines, journals etc. with subscriptions of $100-300 a year etc., and many higher than that.

[Crowl]

One point to consider, they may not expect to make all their money back from that initial subscription, they probably expect it to be the first step into digital magazines, although if they were taking a longer term view then it would also be in their interests to lock people into their device and thus you could probably rule out the use of an open format.

[zinj]

Originally Posted by m-reader

Nice find!
It's great to see a new screen technology being commercialised (Bridgstone).
To my knowledge, this may well be the first non-LCD, non-eInk colour screen available on the market (Fujitsu Flepia was e-Ink derivative, right?).
I am personally keen to see what it delivers in terms of refresh rate, contrast and battery life.

I'm pretty sure the Fujitsu Flepia display was not based on e-ink, I think it was cholestoric (bi-stable) lcd. I'm glad to see someone who knows that e-paper and e-ink are not the same thing.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

The screen size is PERFECT for e-magazines!
I could get rid of a lot of clutter, if I could get my magazine subscriptions on something like that! (drooling)

exactly! Me Drool too!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

There shouldn't really be a "fit" issue at all. The mags should be completely scalable, so they'll be consumable on any device. That's the point of being non-proprietary: Don't optimize it for one device, because users of all the other devices will suffer. Make it good for everyone, and you can't go wrong.

And BTW: Any e-magazine design that forces users to scroll around to see it all is a bad one.

Exactly! Even the technical mag subscriptions I get several of by email these days suck in this aspect -- even on a 20" screen at work or my 24" screen at home they generally still require "scrolling around" in order to read (one issue is the aspect ratio -- probably if I could rotate the screen there would likely be no need to scroll).