Interview with Wizpac, creators of the txtr at Leipzig Book Fair - Page 5

Sweetpea · 03-20-2009, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonbone

Oh that's an interesting comment, coming from a multi device user!
Yes..... I suppose I'm quite happy with the screen size of my little Sony while reading a novel. It's not like I'm reading and thinking, 'Darn, if only the screen was bigger!'

I just thought a bigger screen will be easier, especially for college text books and notes and stuff like that. I also want to be able to write notes on the screen with the stylus..... Maybe in the near future....

I think it's mostly a matter of getting used to...

I'm reading from a 3.4" screen. And when I saw my first 6" device a few weeks ago, I was like: ohhh, it's huge! The Mentor mock-ups (8" or 9") looked even too large for normal book reading.

dragonbone · 03-20-2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I think it's mostly a matter of getting used to...

I'm reading from a 3.4" screen. And when I saw my first 6" device a few weeks ago, I was like: ohhh, it's huge! The Mentor mock-ups (8" or 9") looked even too large for normal book reading.

Oh...... I'd never even heard of the Mentor and had to google it. Looks great to me

. So what happened to them, are they still around?

wallcraft · 03-20-2009, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonbone

Oh...... I'd never even heard of the Mentor and had to google it. Looks great to me

. So what happened to them, are they still around?

See First glance at Astak's Mentor line, and Short Summary.

Charbax · 03-22-2009, 01:09 AM

If you want a device to take with you everyday to work, to school, then it needs to be pocketable. A 5" screen device can actually be pocketable, as long as it doesn't have too much unnecessary screen bezel.

The idea is to have your E-Ink screen to take out of your pocket anytime you are in a bus, a train, in a waiting room, on the backseat of a car, at work and in school. For those things, a 6" screen device is too big, unless you carry around with you a bag for stuff. Though most people do not carry bags everywhere that they go. I think that there are some statistics around saying stuff like most newspapers are read on public transportation to and from work, that is where the E-Ink reader needs to be targetted.

I guess though that the important thing then is that the 5" E-Ink screen needs to have the same high resolution as a 6" version so that book pages can be displayed in the same way, even though it's smaller. Another way to display books could be in larger fonts zoomed in so you have to hit the "next page" button twice as often and that it would basically show a half page per page.

wallcraft · 03-22-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charbax

I guess though that the important thing then is that the 5" E-Ink screen needs to have the same high resolution as a 6" version so that book pages can be displayed in the same way, even though it's smaller.

The Vizplez EInk 5"and 6" screens have the same resolution (600x800). If you are willing to use a narrower boarder around the text, then a 5" screen can display essentially the same text as a 6" screen. The Ectaco jetBook is not EInk, but its 5" 480x640 screen seems to be well received (Very detailed jetBook review with many pictures).

tompe · 03-22-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charbax

The idea is to have your E-Ink screen to take out of your pocket anytime you are in a bus, a train, in a waiting room, on the backseat of a car, at work and in school. For those things, a 6" screen device is too big, unless you carry around with you a bag for stuff.

Well, I do carry my Cybook in a jacket pocket and it works.

noonscoomo · 04-23-2009, 04:15 PM

Hi there,

some more information for you about the txtr reader:
- it will come in October if everything goes as expected
- some developer devices will come much earlier but not full featured together with a developer website
- developer devices will be shipped worldwide without mobile subscription
- first version will come with EDGE. We tried our best, but 3G is still too expensive and needs too much power. Will be an option later...
- we will not make a device with a bigger screen until the flexible displays are in mass production
- we think, Google Books access is a good idea
- the case design will change a little bit (to the better ;-))
- there will be case-color options, but not from the early beginning, White case makes the display-white look a little bit darker but the contrast better, black case does the opposite
- price will be definitively below 400,- Euro and going down while volume is going up ;-)
- we do a lot of work to make the case feel like the iphones case... let's see how far we can go...
- text input will be possible but not comfortable. Use a BT keyboard for heavy text work or use your notebook ;-) We will not try to make a notebook replacement or a web browsing machine with the device, it's a reader.

zelda_pinwheel · 04-24-2009, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

Hi there,

some more information for you about the txtr reader:
- it will come in October if everything goes as expected
- some developer devices will come much earlier but not full featured together with a developer website
- developer devices will be shipped worldwide without mobile subscription
- first version will come with EDGE. We tried our best, but 3G is still too expensive and needs too much power. Will be an option later...
- we will not make a device with a bigger screen until the flexible displays are in mass production
- we think, Google Books access is a good idea
- the case design will change a little bit (to the better ;-))
- there will be case-color options, but not from the early beginning, White case makes the display-white look a little bit darker but the contrast better, black case does the opposite
- price will be definitively below 400,- Euro and going down while volume is going up ;-)
- we do a lot of work to make the case feel like the iphones case... let's see how far we can go...
- text input will be possible but not comfortable. Use a BT keyboard for heavy text work or use your notebook ;-) We will not try to make a notebook replacement or a web browsing machine with the device, it's a reader.

hi noonscoomo, thanks for the update ! google books access sounds like a great idea. any photos of the new case ? i'm looking forward to seeing the finalised product. i guess october is not so far away...

Phogg · 04-24-2009, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

- we will not make a device with a bigger screen until the flexible displays are in mass production

Will the smaller devices be plastic screen as well? I had been under the impression that waiting for those was the primary reason the first generation ofyour device hasnt been pushed into the market yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

- the case design will change a little bit (to the better ;-))
- there will be case-color options, but not from the early beginning, White case makes the display-white look a little bit darker but the contrast better, black case does the opposite.

Is there any hope of licensed after market cases like for cell phones and the PSP? That is something I always enjoy, and a book reader will have a lot longer service life than a phone.

CommanderROR · 04-25-2009, 06:13 PM

Thank you for posting these tidbits here.
I'm very interested in hearing about the new casing...does this mean there will be a user-replaceabe battery after all?
EDGE is also OK, heavy webbrowsing should not be a main focus for an ebook reader without keayboard anyway and books you might download on the go usually come in acceptable file-sizes. Comics/mangas could be a problem though, but I'm not sure how many people read those on a greyscale 6" screen anyway.

Good news about the developer units as well, can you tell us in which ways the functionality will be limited? Or are they just going to be "beta" and not all features implemented yet?

Thanks.

noonscoomo · 05-01-2009, 05:57 AM

Plastic screens are not available today, so the txtr reader will have 6" glas displays, but we do a lot of work to stabilize the case so the glas won't break.
The new case looks very similar to the old one, but the space for the USB plug will be a little bit larger, because there needs to be the EDGE antenna. Battery will not be replaceable, this makes absolutely no sense, because with 3 weeks recharge cycle the battery will not break for such a long time... A replaceable battery would make the device 4mm thicker and more expensive. No need for that.
Developer devices will be hardware complete but not all features implemented.

snipenekkid · 05-01-2009, 06:34 AM

a non-user replaceable battery is a non-starter for me. While I am sure I can disassemble any device and find any battery a device might use, at a cost of as you say "under" 400 (400 what?) it darned well better have a user replaceable battery. I expect at least a 5-yr ;lifespan from something which costs that much. In my experience after about 2yrs use a lithium battery will only hold 50-70% of it's original charge.

If the battery is hardwired into the device the situation is even worse. I cannot see why adding an access panel to the device would add significantly to the cost or size. I mean who cares if the panel has screws in order to remove it. Heck, Nokia has a user replaceable battery, one internal SDHC and one external SDHC slot on their N800 family of devices and those are not overly thick, nor expensive. So, nope, not buying that "explanation".

A non-user replaceable battery will also KILL any resale value of the device, especially if there are any battery related issues which arise over the lifespan of the device. Even if it is a different model.

Great concept and a very nice device, but seriously that battery situation truly kills the deal for me as there will be many options which actually do offer such a battery configuration for well under 50% of that 400-whatever price point.

CommanderROR · 05-01-2009, 02:42 PM

I must admit that the battery relacement thingy also confuses me.
Why should the device be thicker if the battery can be removed? A simple plug as connection and a screw-and-clip system to hold the flap and that's it. Even a watertight device can easily be built with a replaceable battery.

And about the 3 week charging cycle...that might be true for reading, but as soon as the wireless is used regularly battery life will be different. Also, every time you connect the device to your computer to transfer files it will start charging, that will also wear down the battery, not much, but every little bit adds to the "damage".

You also forget that many people like to add stronger batteries to their mobile devices...so I think this might be a bad idea...

wallcraft · 05-01-2009, 03:00 PM

Amazon argued that not making the Kindle 2 battery user replaceable gave them much more flexibility in case design etcetera, but this is hard to believe when you see the actual battery (Kindle 2 disassembly).

I like the Hanlin V3's approach of using clones of standard Nokia cell phone batteries. It also has a screw to hold on the battery door.

Barcey · 05-01-2009, 05:42 PM

For me personally the user replaceable battery is much more important then the 4mm savings in the thickness of the case. I never use the device without a case and that adds a lot more then 4mm. The thickness isn't an issue.

Batteries do die and things like temperature extremes can kill them early. I know one person who's Cybook battery died and had to be replaced. The incremental cost to design a case that would allow the battery to be replaced is much cheaper then the waste of throwing away the entire device or having to send it somewhere for service.

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03-22-2009, 01:09 AM	#64
Charbax Addict Posts: 203 Karma: 550683 Join Date: Mar 2007	If you want a device to take with you everyday to work, to school, then it needs to be pocketable. A 5" screen device can actually be pocketable, as long as it doesn't have too much unnecessary screen bezel. The idea is to have your E-Ink screen to take out of your pocket anytime you are in a bus, a train, in a waiting room, on the backseat of a car, at work and in school. For those things, a 6" screen device is too big, unless you carry around with you a bag for stuff. Though most people do not carry bags everywhere that they go. I think that there are some statistics around saying stuff like most newspapers are read on public transportation to and from work, that is where the E-Ink reader needs to be targetted. I guess though that the important thing then is that the 5" E-Ink screen needs to have the same high resolution as a 6" version so that book pages can be displayed in the same way, even though it's smaller. Another way to display books could be in larger fonts zoomed in so you have to hit the "next page" button twice as often and that it would basically show a half page per page.

04-23-2009, 04:15 PM	#67
noonscoomo Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 168 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: txtr reader	Hi there, some more information for you about the txtr reader: - it will come in October if everything goes as expected - some developer devices will come much earlier but not full featured together with a developer website - developer devices will be shipped worldwide without mobile subscription - first version will come with EDGE. We tried our best, but 3G is still too expensive and needs too much power. Will be an option later... - we will not make a device with a bigger screen until the flexible displays are in mass production - we think, Google Books access is a good idea - the case design will change a little bit (to the better ;-)) - there will be case-color options, but not from the early beginning, White case makes the display-white look a little bit darker but the contrast better, black case does the opposite - price will be definitively below 400,- Euro and going down while volume is going up ;-) - we do a lot of work to make the case feel like the iphones case... let's see how far we can go... - text input will be possible but not comfortable. Use a BT keyboard for heavy text work or use your notebook ;-) We will not try to make a notebook replacement or a web browsing machine with the device, it's a reader.

04-25-2009, 06:13 PM	#70
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	Thank you for posting these tidbits here. I'm very interested in hearing about the new casing...does this mean there will be a user-replaceabe battery after all? EDGE is also OK, heavy webbrowsing should not be a main focus for an ebook reader without keayboard anyway and books you might download on the go usually come in acceptable file-sizes. Comics/mangas could be a problem though, but I'm not sure how many people read those on a greyscale 6" screen anyway. Good news about the developer units as well, can you tell us in which ways the functionality will be limited? Or are they just going to be "beta" and not all features implemented yet? Thanks.

05-01-2009, 05:57 AM	#71
noonscoomo Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 168 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: txtr reader	Plastic screens are not available today, so the txtr reader will have 6" glas displays, but we do a lot of work to stabilize the case so the glas won't break. The new case looks very similar to the old one, but the space for the USB plug will be a little bit larger, because there needs to be the EDGE antenna. Battery will not be replaceable, this makes absolutely no sense, because with 3 weeks recharge cycle the battery will not break for such a long time... A replaceable battery would make the device 4mm thicker and more expensive. No need for that. Developer devices will be hardware complete but not all features implemented.

05-01-2009, 06:34 AM	#72
snipenekkid Banned Posts: 760 Karma: 51034 Join Date: Feb 2009	a non-user replaceable battery is a non-starter for me. While I am sure I can disassemble any device and find any battery a device might use, at a cost of as you say "under" 400 (400 what?) it darned well better have a user replaceable battery. I expect at least a 5-yr ;lifespan from something which costs that much. In my experience after about 2yrs use a lithium battery will only hold 50-70% of it's original charge. If the battery is hardwired into the device the situation is even worse. I cannot see why adding an access panel to the device would add significantly to the cost or size. I mean who cares if the panel has screws in order to remove it. Heck, Nokia has a user replaceable battery, one internal SDHC and one external SDHC slot on their N800 family of devices and those are not overly thick, nor expensive. So, nope, not buying that "explanation". A non-user replaceable battery will also KILL any resale value of the device, especially if there are any battery related issues which arise over the lifespan of the device. Even if it is a different model. Great concept and a very nice device, but seriously that battery situation truly kills the deal for me as there will be many options which actually do offer such a battery configuration for well under 50% of that 400-whatever price point.

05-01-2009, 02:42 PM	#73
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	I must admit that the battery relacement thingy also confuses me. Why should the device be thicker if the battery can be removed? A simple plug as connection and a screw-and-clip system to hold the flap and that's it. Even a watertight device can easily be built with a replaceable battery. And about the 3 week charging cycle...that might be true for reading, but as soon as the wireless is used regularly battery life will be different. Also, every time you connect the device to your computer to transfer files it will start charging, that will also wear down the battery, not much, but every little bit adds to the "damage". You also forget that many people like to add stronger batteries to their mobile devices...so I think this might be a bad idea...

05-01-2009, 03:00 PM	#74
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	Amazon argued that not making the Kindle 2 battery user replaceable gave them much more flexibility in case design etcetera, but this is hard to believe when you see the actual battery (Kindle 2 disassembly). I like the Hanlin V3's approach of using clones of standard Nokia cell phone batteries. It also has a screw to hold on the battery door.

05-01-2009, 05:42 PM	#75
Barcey Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 8059866 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Device: Kobo H2O / Aura HD / Glo / iPad3	For me personally the user replaceable battery is much more important then the 4mm savings in the thickness of the case. I never use the device without a case and that adds a lot more then 4mm. The thickness isn't an issue. Batteries do die and things like temperature extremes can kill them early. I know one person who's Cybook battery died and had to be replaced. The incremental cost to design a case that would allow the battery to be replaced is much cheaper then the waste of throwing away the entire device or having to send it somewhere for service.

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