Barnes and Noble confirms COLOR e-book reader for Spring 2010 [INCORRECT]

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by kazbates

They are an incredible product if they are actually used. However, putting one in a Kindergarten or even a first grade classroom is just overkill.

Whoa, red rider. We have them in k rooms and up. Not exactly over kill.

Ever seen the joy and wonder on a 5 year olds face when /she can walk up to the board, and with his finger, drag the proper letter/word/sentence/number?

Or, unscramble a sentence by simply dragging the words to their proper place?


It depends on the training the teacher gets in using it. At first, we didn't know what the thing did. Special training classes took care of that. Its an awesome training tool, but like all new technical gadgets, needs trained operators.

Just wanted to give another view.........

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by kazbates

Having said all that, school boards are happy to make a committment to new technology that is an effective teaching tool and one they see that will make an impact with student learning. A color e-ink display device which allows for storage of multiple books and is sturdy enough to stand up to the riggers of young students would be a perfect example and one that, if the price is right, would have school boards, administrators, and teachers (not to mention parents) salivating.

Okay, I know I'll get slammed for this.......but again, no. As a parent, I want a wall full of colorful books, not a color eink device. Its the texture, pictures, rifling thru the books which encourages the reading. Going thru a boxful of paper books is a different experience than going thru a few pages of an ebook reader, color or not.

Kids love to read together. Sharing a book is way easier than sharing an ebook reader, which is designed for one person.

Maybe I am a luddite in this particular area, but keep the ereaders for the older kids......junior high and up. Let the littler ones discover the joys of paper books.

With all the cuts in schools today, from salariess to classroom supplies, even 'reasonably priced' ebook readers would be a questionable purchase.

[fuzzy_dunlop]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

I'm surprised to see this news posted here today since plastic logic has denied the color e reader rumor. Basically this BN guy is talking out of his poop-chute and is wrong, at least, about the Plastic Logic part.

It's important to remember, Plastic Logic is making *ONE* reader, they are not branding it under any companies, but they are partnering with some. One is BN and it will be a source for content, not a brand on the reader itself.

Anyway, you can see the denial on plastic logic's twitter feed.

That puts the whole color argument to rest.

Btw, according to the NY Times the real (non-color, not Plastic Logic,) B&N device looks like it will be announced on Oct. 20.

The bookseller will likely introduce it on Oct. 20. The company has an event planned for that day at Chelsea Piers in New York, for what an invitation calls “a major event in our company’s history.” Again, Barnes & Noble has no comment.

http://tinyurl.com/yfmyjf7

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay, I know I'll get slammed for this.......but again, no. As a parent, I want a wall full of colorful books, not a color eink device. Its the texture, pictures, rifling thru the books which encourages the reading. Going thru a boxful of paper books is a different experience than going thru a few pages of an ebook reader, color or not.

Kids love to read together. Sharing a book is way easier than sharing an ebook reader, which is designed for one person.

Maybe I am a luddite in this particular area, but keep the ereaders for the older kids......junior high and up. Let the littler ones discover the joys of paper books.

With all the cuts in schools today, from salariess to classroom supplies, even 'reasonably priced' ebook readers would be a questionable purchase.

How is your POV different from say, not teaching them read until age 12? No computers, nothing...kids are SPONGES and the sooner you introduce them to the technology (or any subject for that matter) the better their life will be...in fact we baby kids by not helping them learn more, sooner than we currently do. This can be born out that in most colleges professors complain that the first 1-2yrs for a significant number of those professors (and the students's) time is spent teaching them the tools they should have come to college already armed with...

Time to push them not hold them back even more...and to hire smarter teachers...but that is a much different topic.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay, I know I'll get slammed for this.......but again, no. As a parent, I want a wall full of colorful books, not a color eink device. Its the texture, pictures, rifling thru the books which encourages the reading. Going thru a boxful of paper books is a different experience than going thru a few pages of an ebook reader, color or not.

I respect your opinion but I disagree with it. For the same reason the smart board is excellent in K so would be a color ebook reader for kids. Imagine it could animate the pictures, read the book to them, pronounce the words. There are devices like this out not but they are rudimentary, expensive and lack content.

Kids like to touch gadgets and see them respond.... I think any toddler would love a touch color interactive ebook reader.

BOb

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by badbob001

Check out the e-ink website section on flexible displays, which mentions that plastic logic is still using e-ink: http://www.eink.com/technology/flexible.html

What makes current displays inflexible is the rigid lcd-style backplane that manufacturers add to e-ink's layer to control the pixels. Plastic Logic has developed some process so that the backplane is made of flexible organic transistors. There is a press release link in the above page that gives more details.

What Plastic Logic developed was a method of using a plastic substrate instead of a glass one. Thus lending the screen a limited degree of flexibility. The "organic transistors" are what Polymer Vision use to make their flexible displays rollable.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by Alisa

... All the color prototypes I've seen in videos were significantly slower than the current black and white readers. I will be thoroughly impressed if the upcoming color devices are as fast as what we have now. I will be surprised if they're faster. ...

Actually those prototypes you saw weren't really eInk at all, but rather a different form of epaper (I'm not entirely sure where all the confusion started).

Fast forward to 1:10 to see a brief clip of real color eInk in action:

Originally Posted by fuzzy_dunlop

The relevance of color depends on the price. The Fujitsu Flepia (http://tinyurl.com/cl2so3) is the first color e-ink reader available now and it retails for 99,750 yen or US$1110.

The Flepia uses a bistable LCD. Not eInk.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I respect your opinion but I disagree with it. For the same reason the smart board is excellent in K so would be a color ebook reader for kids. Imagine it could animate the pictures, read the book to them, pronounce the words. There are devices like this out not but they are rudimentary, expensive and lack content.

Kids like to touch gadgets and see them respond.... I think any toddler would love a touch color interactive ebook reader.

BOb

nonono.......I disagree. I think there is a huge difference between the smart board and the ebook readeer.

The smart board is designed to be seen, shared and enjoyed by the entire class.

The book readers are an individual thing. I don't want a book to read to the kids, I want the kids to read the books! Animation is okay for tv, but books are meant to be read, not watched.

Pronunciation is learned by sounding out words, and learning all the stupid english rules....its an ongoing process, and depends on interaction with a teacher, parent, etc.

Toddlers don't need a touch, color, interactive ebook reader. Thats dumbing them down.

They need constant exposure to many kinds of books by caring parents, daycare centers, teachers, etc. They already love the pictures, 'fuzzies' and turning pages.

I've watched my granddaughter go thru this process. She even had one of those "read to me" gadgets bought by her parents. I think it is just an way for parents to not put forth the effort of reading to the kids themselves, and thank goodness my daughter soon realize this for herself.

Reading is such an essential part of learning in school, and succeeding in life, and generally being a happier person.

Where would we here at mobileread be without our books?

Please realize I speak only for the little ones.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

How is your POV different from say, not teaching them read until age 12? No computers, nothing...kids are SPONGES and the sooner you introduce them to the technology (or any subject for that matter) the better their life will be...in fact we baby kids by not helping them learn more, sooner than we currently do. This can be born out that in most colleges professors complain that the first 1-2yrs for a significant number of those professors (and the students's) time is spent teaching them the tools they should have come to college already armed with...

Time to push them not hold them back even more...and to hire smarter teachers...but that is a much different topic.

Where did I ever say to not introduce them to technology? The more tech savvy they are, the better.

I am only speaking about using ebook readers to teach/practice reading at that early stage.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I respect your opinion but I disagree with it. For the same reason the smart board is excellent in K so would be a color ebook reader for kids. Imagine it could animate the pictures, read the book to them, pronounce the words. There are devices like this out not but they are rudimentary, expensive and lack content.

Kids like to touch gadgets and see them respond.... I think any toddler would love a touch color interactive ebook reader.

BOb

Exactly...can anyone say "See-n-Say"? No different than an ereading device...let the Chicken Littles call them "learning tablets" if that makes it more easy to digest...ever read Ender's Game? Same idea same tool...

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Where did I ever say to not introduce them to technology? The more tech savvy they are, the better.

I am only speaking about using ebook readers to teach/practice reading at that early stage.

you teach, yes?

[lee1234]

PVI has demo color display using E Ink, and by talking to their sales rep., she believes they should be ready by next mid. year. The real interesting question is who will be the first device maker to launch the product?

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

you teach, yes?

No. I volunteer. I see what works.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

No. I volunteer. I see what works.

And yet you fail to see the contradiction in your comments wrt NOT using ereading devices yet say exposing kids to tech is good? THAT is an example of what is wrong in education today.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

And yet you fail to see the contradiction in your comments wrt NOT using ereading devices yet say exposing kids to tech is good? THAT is an example of what is wrong in education today.

Again. I am not saying little ones should not be exposed to tech advances. Please re-read my post on smartboards.
I totally support teaching them about computers at an early age.

I am saying they do not need color, animated, talking ebook readers to learn to read.

You know whats wrong with education today? Many things.

But its not a lack of ebook readers.