txtr launch on the Book-Fair in Frankfurt

[orwell2k]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Relax (auch ich bin Deutscher), even the grand master of marketing, Steve Jobs, said "people just don't read anymore". And he was referring to Americans. I suppose it definitely is true for most countries, the average person today reads less and watches more TV or surfs the net. That obviously does not apply to members of this forum.

But that could be one side-effect of eReader devices - it could draw people back to reading, or encourage them to read, by providing sexy reading devices. People love their lightning fast PCs, their iMacs, their iPods, and their super-wide HD TVs. So if we get some sexy reading devices that perform and look good people will also love using them, and they have the added convenience of being able to carry their library on an SD card or in a device, just like their music.

I actually enjoy using the reader more than a pBook now, and heave a bit of a sigh when I have to read a paper book because it's not available in e-format.

I for one will be watching this device closely. I love the freedom of my BeBook for formats, and have been eagerly awaiting the release of this Txtr device. New Kindles and Sonys can go to hell as far as I'm concerned - their regional marketing practices and lack of formats drove me away long ago, and now I refuse to even consider their devices - my meagre protest against their corporate heavy-handedness.

The potential of the Txtr, in providing an SDK and allowing 3rd party software development, makes me very hopeful that there will soon be a lot of apps ported to the device, especially supporting things like my favourite FB2 format. If that happens, and their ePub support is adequate, then this will be my next device.

I was going to go for the Cool-ER as it already has FB2, but they can't seem to meet demand (always listed as Pre-Order on their web page) and buying the device from a distributor takes it from EUR225 to nearly 300 - and the bastards claim removing DRM is criminal!!

The only sour note on the Txtr is the price - not a surprise, but I would have thought keeping it below EUR300 would have been better for the psychology of their marketing (EUR299 sounds better than 320, even though they're nearly the same). I will spit chips if the price to the US is set at $319!!

It remains to be seen if these guys can get it right, but at least they're starting with a good approach of openness, clearly showing they have some understanding of the users out there.

I sincerely hope they succeed!

[FBoespflug]

It is actually astonishing the reactions about the german Txtr-reader; probably why we were waiting for a long time for it and maybe we have idealised it and now we are frustrated because we don't know much more about it than a few days ago.
But I don't think the Germans are worse than other people in the world about the lack of reading or buying e-readers. I think most people in France are not ready tu buy a device for reading. It is still too expensive.

[K-Thom]

Of couse I've been generalizing. If you want to refer to a community of 80+ million people as a single unit, you've got to generalize.

It's just an observation that even some of the German eBook reading members on this board are rather critical about the txtr (me included). So if they can't convince their core audience, how do they think they can reach the (not so much reading) man in the street?

[CommanderROR]

Calm down everyone...

I think people in Germany read a fair bit more than, for expample, people in the US. I'm German myself and a devourer of books, so I'm sure my opinion is biased, but I don't think the trend is as negative as some, like Mr. Jobs, pretend.
All you have to do is go to town and look at how busy some of the big bookstores (like Hugendubel and Thalia) are. Also, Amazon.de is still around and selling books (although these days they sell just about everything else as well).
Ebooks have been a bit of an oddity in Germany so far, mainly because there were no devices readily available before the Sony Reader popped up on shelves earlier this year, because Germans tend to be a bit "traditional" and don't pick up new habits as quickly as some other nations, but mainly (as I have stated before) because there were hardly any books worth reading available in eBook formats. You could get stuff as PDF files, mostly self-help and non-fiction, but the stuff most people crave (fiction) was often unavailable for our language. The next big hurdle is going to be prices, because the reading devices are expensive and the ebooks aren't really cheap either. German publishers want to make as much of a profit as they can out of ebooks, so they price them (at least) as high as paper books...hardcover price of course...as long as they can get away with it.
I'm pretty confident though that all that and the geo-restriction stuff that has recently started plagueing the eReading world will resolve itself over the course of the next few years. Those manufacturers that can survive the initial meagre returns will start shoveling money in a few years time and so will the publishers IF they manage to see the light of reason and follow the example of iTunes and similar systems.

[Sweetpea]

Yes, that's the same problem we have/had here. People did want to use electronic device, but as there was hardly any content, people didn't buy the device and because there were no devices there was no content. With the introduction of an ebook store + readers by bol.com, that circle was broken. Bol.com states they'll be reaching their goal for this year, without problem, so you might say it's a success. The problem with pricing is that ebooks aren't books according to "Europe". So, no low VAT for those. Generally, bol.com states that most ebooks are 80% of the pbook price. Which could be lower, if the VAT were lower... (6% on pbooks, 19% on ebooks).

As soon as publishers see the light and aren't afraid of new developments in their expertise area, I think the ebook will take flight.

[noonscoomo]

Originally Posted by Harry001

nobody will pay a monthly fee just to have their files stored on the companys server!

harry

To make that 100% clear, there is _no_ monthly fee for using the txtr website.
And there is _no_ monthly fee or contract to browse the store and to buy books even via txtr net on the reader.

Only if you choose the txtr net connection for private document transfer, then you pay for the mobile traffic as usual... This is unlimited (in terms of fair use), no extra cost per document or blog like kindle. Just the few bugs for txtr net.

[noonscoomo]

Originally Posted by Godzil

The sample and official Epson S1D13521 Framebuffer code for Linux is under the GPLv2

I am not talking about the framebuffer code. Don't worry. We will not block developers in any way and we will not violate GPL.
And btw., if you don't like what we do, throw it away, use your own. We will not block you by booting your own OS. We boot from SD Card, so no big deal and no install process. And you can't brick it, because it's no flash memory in the device. We will explain the jtag interface and all other interfaces.

[noonscoomo]

Originally Posted by Godzil

We don't know if the show us real books, on not just pictures of text.

I guarantee, it's real epub. And pageturn it's allways that fast.

[noonscoomo]

Originally Posted by FBoespflug

maybe we have idealised it and now we are frustrated because we don't know much more about it than a few days ago.

What do you want to know? Ask. Maybe I know the answers... And maybe I can give you some.

If you want to know if it is real what was shown at the fair. Yes it was. A real EDGE connection, real EPUB and PDF rendering, real menu rendering, a real shop.

[Godzil]

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

I am not talking about the framebuffer code. Don't worry. We will not block developers in any way and we will not violate GPL.
And btw., if you don't like what we do, throw it away, use your own. We will not block you by booting your own OS. We boot from SD Card, so no big deal and no install process. And you can't brick it, because it's no flash memory in the device. We will explain the jtag interface and all other interfaces.

So you need a SD card to use the device?! That's weird

[K-Thom]

So you need a SD card to use the device?! That's weird

Yup, it is, isn' it. Without a SD card this device is a brick.

Just the few bugs for txtr net.

It's "bucks", noonscoomo, bucks. At least I hope. Don't we just all love those Freudian slips? *sorry, couldn't help it*

[FBoespflug]

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

What do you want to know? Ask. Maybe I know the answers... And maybe I can give you some.

If you want to know if it is real what was shown at the fair. Yes it was. A real EDGE connection, real EPUB and PDF rendering, real menu rendering, a real shop.

Sorry if I hurted anyone, I didn't intend. I actually expected more details from the presentation at the fair in Frankfurt, because I was fond of the txtr-reader from the beginning. Maybe I didn't understand everything but now it is clearer in my mind about the fees, connections possibilities ..., thanks the different threads in this forum.
thank you all.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Godzil

So you need a SD card to use the device?! That's weird

No. That is not that weird.
It is extremely good news for all power users, tinkers, hackers ...
The device can not be bricked!

txtr is not the only device that boots from external media.
Have a look at this: http://openpandora.org/

[K-Thom]

It is extremely good news for all power users, tinkers, hackers ...

Maybe so, but not definitely the mainstream audience I would address to with a presentation on an event like the Frankfurt Book Fair. That's an event to convince consumers, publishers, book shop owners.

Have a look at this: http://openpandora.org/

Right, another device aimed towards the mass market ...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Godzil

So you need a SD card to use the device?! That's weird

That's also the way the iRex devices work, and strange though it seems at first, if you give it some thought, it's actually an excellent idea. It means that the developers can use all the internal storage space for the operating system, so there are far fewer space constraints than there are on devices which use internal storage for user data storage. SD cards are very cheap - I have a 16GB SDHC card on my iRex DR1000.