Any chance of a PDA sized ebook reader???

[hidari]

I was not sure where to post this. I have seen and read plenty about the 5 inch readers out there on the market but the all seem to have too much real estate outside of the screen area...except maybe the Opus and PB360... So, Are any companies going for a 4 inch e-ink screen?

I would find that to be much more pocket size and in line with an ipod touch or traditional PDA......

Any news or rumors on this?

hidari...

[wodin]

I use my Android cell phone for reading all the time.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Is there something wrong with just getting a PDA (assuming you can find one these days) or a smartphone for reading? Or is the point that you just want a 4" eInk screen?

[Solitaire1]

Some of the Palm PDAs might suit your needs. Before getting my Sony Reader I used one (a Palm T|X) as an ebook reader and it worked very well (although the screen was a little small).

I used the Palm Reader software for reading ebooks on my PDA, and the Palm EBook Studio to make the ebooks for my PDA. The Palm EBook Studio will:

- Take plain text files and HTML files and convert them into a Palm Markup Language (PML) file. PML is a markup language that is similar to HTML.

- Allow you edit the .pml file, and then save it as a PDB file for your Palm PDA.

[hidari]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Is there something wrong with just getting a PDA (assuming you can find one these days) or a smartphone for reading? Or is the point that you just want a 4" eInk screen?

Cheers for the feedback. Had a PDA in the past. Actually I want a 4 inch eink screen.....just hope someone tries to make one one day...

[Dylrob]

The problem is that PVI/eInk doesn't even offer a screen that small [at this point].

I think there is a better chance that we'll see full function PDAs and Smartphones in the three to four inch size range incorporating Mirasol, LiquaVista, or 3Qi technology in the relatively near future.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by hidari

Cheers for the feedback. Had a PDA in the past. Actually I want a 4 inch eink screen.....just hope someone tries to make one one day...

Hmm... that's a hard one to guess. I can understand the desire, especially if you just plan to read novels (without extensive graphics or the need for color) on it. If a dedicated reader with an eInk screen was pocket-sized, I'd be a lot more interested in owning one, myself.

OTOH, I don't know whether the profit margins would make a smaller device an attractive product for manufacturers. I suspect it would be hard to sell against the similar-sized color screens of smartphones, PDAs, etc. And I haven't heard too many public calls for smaller eInk screens (versus the calls for more e-book content for smartphones, for instance), so I don't know what kind of demand there would be for them.

Originally Posted by Dylrob

I think there is a better chance that we'll see full function PDAs and Smartphones in the three to four inch size range incorporating Mirasol, LiquaVista, or 3Qi technology in the relatively near future.

Maybe, but that could take a while: LCD is established, and cost to produce is low thanks to standardization. Competing techs could have an uphill battle penetrating that market.

[hidari]

Well, After seeing a Video on PB360... I have to say the size factor is very impressive and the real estate is very small. In fact it looks pocketable to some extent....as in Jackets and suit pockets ... plus it seems very impressive in many other respects....tempting........

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Hmm... that's a hard one to guess. I can understand the desire, especially if you just plan to read novels (without extensive graphics or the need for color) on it. If a dedicated reader with an eInk screen was pocket-sized, I'd be a lot more interested in owning one, myself.

OTOH, I don't know whether the profit margins would make a smaller device an attractive product for manufacturers. I suspect it would be hard to sell against the similar-sized color screens of smartphones, PDAs, etc. And I haven't heard too many public calls for smaller eInk screens (versus the calls for more e-book content for smartphones, for instance), so I don't know what kind of demand there would be for them.



Maybe, but that could take a while: LCD is established, and cost to produce is low thanks to standardization. Competing techs could have an uphill battle penetrating that market.

[poshm]

Originally Posted by hidari

Well, After seeing a Video on PB360... I have to say the size factor is very impressive and the real estate is very small. In fact it looks pocketable to some extent....as in Jackets and suit pockets ... plus it seems very impressive in many other respects....tempting........

It certainly is quite pocketable - I can fit mine in my coat pockets, my dressing gown pockets and also in small bags. Slightly too big for my trouser pockets though. I guess you'd have to weigh up how you'd carry it about. The bonus with it having its own hard cover is that you don't need to bulk out the size further with a leather case.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Maybe, but that could take a while: LCD is established, and cost to produce is low thanks to standardization. Competing techs could have an uphill battle penetrating that market.

That standardization is exactly why all three technologies were designed to use the existing LCD manufacturing infrastructure with little modification. So while there could be a significant cost premium initially, it shouldn't be as bad or last nearly as long as technologies that had to create their own infrastructure (like eInk or OLED).