Is the ereader dead?

[leebase]

24 hours in a day. It's all the power I ever need. Well 99% of the time. I don't hike away from civilization. I have no problem plugging my electronics in at night.

The iPad in particular can usually go 3 or 4 days of average use for me. And that use includes everything, not just reading. The nice thing about the iPad is that it draws very little power when you aren't using it.

My biggest pet peeve of the Kindle Fire tablets is that they run out of power even when you aren't using them.

It's nice that the kindle and audible apps sync flawlessly between devices. iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire 8. I use each.

[Frenzie]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

So you admit to just being confrontational and all but that in the second part of the quote above made no contribution at all to the matter except to amplify that and worry about interpretations of "meme".

A claim without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. It's as simple as that. You haven't provided even a smidgeon of evidence.

With respect to your comment on photons. Of course photons have different wavelengths, such an observation is trivial and of no relevance when comparing reflection and non reflected. I thought that was pretty obvious but apparently not.

If one takes the case of a specific proton reflected and another that is not reflected and both of the same color then they have the same wavelength. Both photons are the same - so "a photon is a photon".

You're the one bringing the physical properties of light into the discussion. The fact that you complain that light is technically all photons is utterly irrelevant to the fact that reflected vs emitted light are indeed different for the viewing experience as anyone can plainly see with their own two eyes. Until you provide evidence to the contrary, there's no reason to believe anyone claimed anything more than that.

Of course you may be meaning that a reflected photon perceived as a specific red, say, has a different wavelength than one of the same specific red if it has not been reflected, but I hope you are not . If you don't mean that then your mention of wavelength is irrelevant and just another meme thrown into the pot misleading others.

Sheesh, did you even read the parts of my post that you omitted in your quote? Here, I'll repeat exactly how I claimed emitted and reflective light to be different in practice, as opposed to some weird irrelevant "technically right" sense that, barring evidence to the contrary, I'm rather inclined to assume originated with you given how wildly you extrapolated from my own post:

1. At night, it won't be too bright because there's no minimum brightness inherent in what you're looking at. This is presumably your "meme" about having a light shining in your eyes. If you have a device right in front of you that can't dim the brightness below "it can pretty much light the room at night," then that simple observation is not a meme, let alone parroting a meme. Moreover, I posit that most of us probably have plenty of such devices around the house.
   
   It could be a faulty generalization depending on how it's phrased. Whether it's true for most LCD displays in regular consumer devices is a different question than whether it's inherent in the technology.
2. During the day, there won't be delays or mismatches because the light sensor is shaded. This can be particularly relevant if you're in a moving vehicle, though I would suggest disabling auto-brightness and keeping it too bright in the shadows in that case.

Setting aside that bizarre extrapolation, it should be self-evident that even if I did say something like that it would not be a meme. It would be one person saying something crazy.

[Mivo]

As others have already expressed, I use an e-ink reader because it's much easier on my eyes. Also, I like the single-purpose aspect of a dedicated device, because it's less distracting and not associated with work.

I have an iPad, a 5.5" smartphone, a laptop, and a desktop -- all of them have high quality displays, and I stare at them all day every day. However, for reading longer texts, like books, I always fall back on the e-ink reader. Eyestrain aside, none of them work particularly well in bright daylight. I've tried, again and again, to get used to reading on the iPad or the phone, but these attempts never last longer than a book or two. Only e-ink readers give me a similar experience to reading a traditional paper book.

It's probably been mentioned already, but e-ink readers haven't really been evolving much over the past few years. They don't become obsolete as quickly as a smartphone or a tablet. There's not much incentive to upgrade one's e-ink reader, just like I don't upgrade my coffeemaker every year. What real innovations have we seen in the past few years? The frontlight and the night-/smartlight were bigger features, but besides that? I don't feel the higher dpi really matters much with e-ink devices.

I just bought a Pocketbook InkPad 3, and while it's lovely, I didn't really need it. I was, and still am, happy with my Kobo Glo (non-HD). I got the PB because I wanted to try a larger display (has both up- and downsides) and theorized that it would be useful to be able to have two ebooks open at the same time. But there was no actual need, no killer features that made my trusty Glo feel inadequate. Now my phone and my tablet, there is constant temptation to get the latest model.

If it wasn't for e-ink devices, I'd not buy or read ebooks. I'd stick to paper books instead.

[Arbait]

For me the most important thing on a ereader are two ) waterproof and dustproof...

[cfrizz]

Smartphones and tablets will only become obsolete if YOU have to have the latest and greatest new features or updates to the systems that run them.

I got my Samsung Note 2 about 5 or 6 years ago. It stopped getting system updates even before I bought it. However, every app that I have on it continues to be updated which is all that matters.

Just because Google come out with a new Android update doesn't mean that you have to run out buy a new device just so you can get it.

I don't have any eyestrain no matter which device I use, and I want to be able to read & listen to music on whatever device I have with me which means I'm only carrying one device that happens to be my Note 2.

But if you are one of those who HAS to have every update that comes out, be prepared to spend a lot of money.

[Mivo]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Smartphones and tablets will only become obsolete if YOU have to have the latest and greatest new features or updates to the systems that run them.

I need/want a smartphone that receives security updates because I use it for work and it connects to the internet. It's not about the latest and greatest features for me (I stick to mid-range phones), just about support and security. It's also why I don't buy phones from brands that quickly abandon their devices or take half a year to push security updates.

Another issue is battery life and the rate at which built-in batteries deteriorate. With an ebook reader I don't really notice it, but with a phone that I use for all sorts of things, all of which eat more power than reading an ebook and require more frequent recharging of the phone, it becomes an issue sooner.

But my point was mostly that phones and tablets evolve faster than e-ink readers. Readers don't overly benefit from faster processors, more RAM, higher resolutions, new display technologies (OLED and such), better cameras, etc. There haven't been any game changing features since frontlight. I realize that there are people who buy every new Kindle, but I feel this isn't as common with readers as it is with smartphones.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Mivo

But my point was mostly that phones and tablets evolve faster than e-ink readers. Readers don't overly benefit from faster processors, more RAM, higher resolutions, new display technologies (OLED and such), better cameras, etc. There haven't been any game changing features since frontlight. I realize that there are people who buy every new Kindle, but I feel this isn't as common with readers as it is with smartphones.

I think you're right about all of this. I don't even update my smartphone – still using a Blackberry Q10 (and will until they tell me it's not supported anymore, or it falls apart – then I'll probably get a flip phone). I don't want iOS or Android.

[harriska2]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Most Android tablets I've used tend to have crappy battery life.

That said, I can easily get 10+ hours of reading on a 7.9" iPad mini 4 which honestly doesn't seem to be much lower than what I get with the Paperwhite 3.

Frankly, I think the half an hour for 6 weeks quoted for the Paperwhite is a bit too optimistic.

I have a PW 1 or 2 and I can read about 6-8 books (about 30 hours) on a charge. Maybe more.

[harriska2]

Originally Posted by pittendrigh

Most in this thread are missing the embedded video point. Video will become increasingly important as book reading habits evolve. Are you reading about Bonobos on the Congo River? A few well-placed video clips would be attractive to me. Embedded video is too big to download and store on a dedicated device. They will need to work more like browsers where video is streamed and not stored.

Dedicated devices as they are do their best to mimic the paper technology experience--which shackles the technology as a whole. Ebooks are more powerful than paper. If and only if they act like browsers.

I think textbooks and kids books will have this (like Apple Author for ibooks) but regular paperback type books, nope.

[Apparition B5]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Smartphones and tablets will only become obsolete if YOU have to have the latest and greatest new features or updates to the systems that run them.

I got my Samsung Note 2 about 5 or 6 years ago. It stopped getting system updates even before I bought it. However, every app that I have on it continues to be updated which is all that matters.

Just because Google come out with a new Android update doesn't mean that you have to run out buy a new device just so you can get it.

App updates are far from being all that matters. System updates are even more important. Your Samsung Note 2 has so many security holes from running an ancient version of Android that it is as easy to get into as a box of Cheerios.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by harriska2

I have a PW 1 or 2 and I can read about 6-8 books (about 30 hours) on a charge. Maybe more.

Curious, what settings? Font, font-size, brightness, wifi?

[DiapDealer]

If I don't have access to an electrical outlet to charge my devices any old time I need/want to, then I have waaaay bigger problems than how I'm going to read my next book to worry about. A battery that lasts longer than a couple of days is wasted on me and my life habits.

In fact, battery life is a complete non-factor for me when choosing a device. They're all good enough to get me through the day/evening (and most of a second should I happen to forget to charge every now and again). That's all I ever need. *shrug*

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If I don't have access to an electrical outlet to charge my devices any old time I need/want to, then I have waaaay bigger problems than how I'm going to read my next book to worry about. A battery that lasts longer than a couple of days is wasted on me and my life habits.

In fact, battery life is a complete non-factor for me when choosing a device. They're all good enough to get me through the day/evening (and most of a second should I happen to forget to charge every now and again). That's all I ever need. *shrug*

I find that I have two different sets of electronics, one for home, one for backpacking. At home, as long as I can get through the day without recharging, then I'm good. Backpacking is a different matter. I even have two different watches - an Apple Watch for every day and a Casio solar powered watch for backpacking. At home I use a tablet to read, backpacking, I use an eInk device with built in backlight.

[DiapDealer]

I understand the need for longer battery life for the outdoorsy/campy folk, but that just ain't me (not any more, anyway). The farthest I hike is the 10 minute walk to work (where they have electricity) and the 8 steps out the door to my garden. The rest of my time is spent indoors, in a car, or doing outdoor things like mowing, gardening, snow removal, and auto maintenance. I'm a homebody. My time spent away from electric outlets is best measured in minutes. And that's the way I like it.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If I don't have access to an electrical outlet to charge my devices any old time I need/want to, then I have waaaay bigger problems than how I'm going to read my next book to worry about. A battery that lasts longer than a couple of days is wasted on me and my life habits.

In fact, battery life is a complete non-factor for me when choosing a device. They're all good enough to get me through the day/evening (and most of a second should I happen to forget to charge every now and again). That's all I ever need. *shrug*

I do agree with you and I do think the importance of the battery life of e-ink readers is sometimes oversold. But there is something to be said for not having to plug in all of my devices to charge every night.

My tablet lasts for days because I don't use it often and my e-ink reader lasts because that's what they do. But if I used a tablet for my daily reader, I'd feel the need to charge it every night. And when taking a trip, I would worry a lot more about relying on a tablet to read on a long flight with layovers/delays.