E-ink is dying(?)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

From a math book. As for the rest, I think it belongs in another forum.

Ok, they would still need paper or chalkboards. Neither of which require electricity.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

And how are they supposed to charge the devices?
Most places in Africa have very limited electricity.
They have greater needs than sending them used stuff they really can't use.
No internet, limited electricity.
They need food not electronics.
And how many Native African e-books are there?
How are you going to do math on an ereader?

There are poor children in the US too.
Why don't you donate to your local community on the electronics?

Most do have access to electricity, even if only a few hours a day or week and aresurprisingly inventive!
Take their 12v car battery downtown for charging, and take them home during the week for radio or light.

An e-ink device is Africa's only hope! Forget computers, or even low powered ones. Even laptops are largely unused over there, as they won't even last a day on a battery.
But Africa, with the strong sun, needs e-ink!
Lcds are only useable indoors, and even then, have to be put at maximum brightness to compensate for the light reflection!

Also current water proof devices are highly needed in the rainy season, as nothing remains dry when a monsoon passes by.

An e-ink device will allow them access to offline documents for a whole week, while they can spend their weekends charging the device, and downloading free stuff on it.

But to tell the truth,
Current eink devices are too complex in most cases to be used over there.
Most don't spend enough time browsing the web to know where to find the right files for free.

I would love to see an e-ink device with separate keyboard converted to a pc, that will work weeks on a charge.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Ok, they would still need paper or chalkboards. Neither of which require electricity.

Paper and chalkboards require what they don't have,
A continuous inflow of pens and papers.
Best technology invented to date for them is the "boogie board",
A passive lcd that can be hand written on, uses no batteries, only a tiny wrist watch battery, to reset the pixels to clear the board, and should last for 3000 wipes.

I have one on my fridge as a memo board, works really nice!

[murg]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Do not even mention the word "user manual" around me right now.
Oh yes there was a link to download a pdf of the 856 page manual. Yes I did.
Most unfriendly manual.
Apparently they just scanned the paper copy. Note this is for a 2015 not a 1977 vehicle.
Oh and just so one knows where they hid the jack was on page 657.
The stupid user guide for 3 different vehicles said it might be in a door, or under the back seat or under the driver's seat. Nope, it was under the passenger seat.

The manual for my car doesn't mention how long the wiper blades are. And they are considered a consumable...

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by murg

The manual for my car doesn't mention how long the wiper blades are. And they are considered a consumable...

That is because you are not allowed to eat them while driving .

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by murg

The manual for my car doesn't mention how long the wiper blades are. And they are considered a consumable...

Thanks for letting me know what else I need to look up.

[tdonline]

One of my libraries recently added the magazine and newspaper feature of Overdrive via Nook. I had been reading downloaded magazines on my laptop and e-reader but today I gave the Nook app on my phone a shot and...I have to say, it's not bad. I'm still adamant about not reading for very long on the phone but perhaps it will be handy for an article or two whilst on the train.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

And how are they supposed to charge the devices?
Most places in Africa have very limited electricity.

With a Solar (phone) charge like one of these (there are dozens on the market)
http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Portab...+phone+charger

[crankypants]

And how are they supposed to charge the devices?

Not being connected to a power grid is not the same as having "no power". There are plenty of off-grid solutions, from solar power, to 12v batteries and an invertor.

There have been a handful of initiatives in the past 5 years alone to get solar charged lanterns and other solar charged batteries to places in Africa. Some of the solar charged LED lights have ports to charge other items. Plus, charging stations are becoming more common in Africa, the cell phone penetration rate there is surprisingly high, because it's the most reliable way to communicate with others who are normally a great distance away.

One of the initiatives is to provide light after dark so kids can do more schoolwork, and thus learn more.

1. Lighting Africa, a symposium of off-grid lighting technology. https://www.lightingafrica.org/ Look at the Products page, lots of stuff there.
2. LED Africa, provides lights for kids in Malawi. http://www.ledafrica.org/
3. Urban Gateway, Solar powered LED lights for Africa. http://www.urbangateway.org/news/sol...-lights-africa
4. Solar lighting spreading fast in Africa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkvbZ0ADmz0
5. Dozens of search results on Google. https://www.google.com/search?num=20...90.RIl9FhXnTvc
6. The WakaWaka solar LED light is also a phone charger. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ht/description

Only the most remote areas have no solar charged batteries, because the market isn't big enough for them. They are very creative in getting power if they want it and they are helped by multiple NGOs.

How are you going to do math on an ereader?

I remember seeing flash card apps for the Kindle 3.

The problem with giving the Africans food is most of the governments confiscate it. Very little food actually reaches the people who need it, so it's a moot point. The gov't is less likely to confiscate a tiny LED light.

[geekmaster]

Against all odds, print books are on the rise again in the US
http://qz.com/578025/against-all-odd...ain-in-the-us/

[Ravensknight]

From the article linked above
"The same can’t be said of the e-book, which is seeing a decline in popularity. A Pew Research Center study in October found that fewer Americans are buying and using e-reading devices like Kindles and Nooks than they did in past years."

That right there shows me that the writer of this article doesn't know up from down. Equating DEVICE sales with EBOOK sales is not only ludicrous, it is ignorant beyond belief.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

From the article linked above
"The same can’t be said of the e-book, which is seeing a decline in popularity. A Pew Research Center study in October found that fewer Americans are buying and using e-reading devices like Kindles and Nooks than they did in past years."

That right there shows me that the writer of this article doesn't know up from down. Equating DEVICE sales with EBOOK sales is not only ludicrous, it is ignorant beyond belief.

Why? Seems pretty reasonable to conclude that if, as is claimed, fewer ebook readers are being used then fewer ebooks are being bought.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why? Seems pretty reasonable to conclude that if, as is claimed, fewer ebook readers are being used then fewer ebooks are being bought.

Because their reference links point back to themself, and finally to a Pew poll which says dedicated E-Ink devices are less popular.


Now where in that does it sound like ebook readers, period, are in decline?

Nielsen reports whatever is in their self-interest, and they are heavily tied to the paper book market.
But they state that the number of books sold has gone up, which is interesting and may actually mean something.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why? Seems pretty reasonable to conclude that if, as is claimed, fewer ebook readers are being used then fewer ebooks are being bought.

Without more information, it could instead be a sign of a shift toward general purpose devices, such as tablets and phones, for e-book reading.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Without more information, it could instead be a sign of a shift toward general purpose devices, such as tablets and phones, for e-book reading.

A valid point, to be sure.