New Chapter on Digital Reading (Sony)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes since I believe the power consumption is very low for just maintaining the lcd screen.

I agree that most of the power is used by the backlight rather than by the screen itself, but virtually all modern LCD screens seem to require the backlight in situations where eInk can be comfortably read without artificial light. There are very few situations where my iPod Touch, HP iPaq, or HTC Smartphone can be used without a backlight.

[jljones]

Originally Posted by tonyofla

Hope they announce a bigger catalogue here in Europe. I guess Mobipocket access won’t happen since they are already DRMed up with Abobe Digital editions?

Mobipocket would be the easiest way of making many more books available. With the possible exception of Amazon/Kindle, Mobipocket must have the largest range of books. And just about all readers use it.

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by igorsk

I'm guessing there'll be a new model with the new Epson controller and possibly touch screen.

Touch screen is good, as long as they replace the buttons on the right side of the screen with a touch on the screen to page forward and back. Touch screen is also necessary for the device to connect to bookstores and give users an easy way to chose the books they want to buy.

[jerryleejr]

Oh I guess I forgot, If it were me with the Recent U.K release and possible other markets to follow I would bet that it is a Content announcement as well as maybe more functionality of the current Model say a built in search feature or Dictionary etc... A new Model this close to the U.K. release would be a slap in the face. With alot of angry customers and possible alot of returns with now purchase of the new model.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

Touch screen is good, as long as they replace the buttons on the right side of the screen with a touch on the screen to page forward and back. Touch screen is also necessary for the device to connect to bookstores and give users an easy way to chose the books they want to buy.

I don't want a touch screen on a book reader - I couldn't bear to read on a screen with fingerprints on it. Hardware buttons for page turning, please!

[MerLock]

I've been reading that Sony is planning to continue introducing the Reader throughout Europe this year and they just released it in the UK. Would they really announce a new Reader so soon? I'm thinking perhaps mid/end of next yr. would be the next logical release. Maybe they are introducing changes in the sony store, we'll see!

[Tattncat]

That sounds good to me! I'd be happy with that and more books.

[Faenad]

Personally I don't care much about wireless book delivery.

When I buy books I like to check the editor and user reviews on Amazon and Books reviews websites. If I am looking for a book on a specific subject I will compare several books before deciding which one I want to read.
If it's a series, I will make a visit on the author blog or on its Wikipedia page to check the reading order, and to be sure that I will not be waiting 10 years for the final tome.
I don't see myself doing that on a 6" eink screen. I will rather do it in front of my computer. Wireless delivery would be a plus but it's far from being a deal breaker.

What Sony need to do is :
- Going worldwide.
- Improving pdf and epub support.
- Eventually opening more Ebook format (mobi would be great, even it for the moment I don't see them agreeing )
- Reducing the price would be great too.

The connect store can't take Amazon by himself. But if we can purchase ebook for the sony Reader from a variety of site, it would leverage things a lot.

Especially as I don't think that it's in the authors/publishers/final customers best interest to have Amazon getting a monopoly on ebook distribution. We need competition to lower the prices, and an open format supported by all the devices on the market.

[Timoleon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't want a touch screen on a book reader - I couldn't bear to read on a screen with fingerprints on it. Hardware buttons for page turning, please!

I'm with you, Harry. My brother has an iPhone, and if he turns it at just the right angle under a bright light it looks like he left his lunch on the screen.

Now a stylus for annotations is an altogether different prospect...

Tim

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I would believe 10% of sales in recent quarter were 10%. But, I don't think that equates to 10% of machines in use being Macs. I also thing the vast majority of Macs out there are still PPC?

Although I would like to see some solid numbers, it's really hard to get accurate ones. I certainly would like to see Sony support Mac/Linux. It seems that letting you just by via web browser would be the easiest way. Not sure what they do to "authorize" a machine, but I assume they just put a hidden license file on the device somewhere... not sure why any type of driver is needed to do that.

BOb

I stand corrected. After actually reviewing what I belived to be my source, I turns out I was wrong. ~6% was the latest number I could find, and that was indeed based on browser count.

[sononkyo]

Touch screen Sony - it's the ubiquitous mass market technology for 2009.

Cede the wireless to Amazon.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by jerryleejr

I knew it I even posted way back when. As soon as I bought something 31 days later a new model would roll right out!!! Breathe 10, 9, 8, 7.... Hey I can read on mine it does what I want, I can find the books I like. Stupid Red PRS just had to have it. So goes technology. It is all the ducks fault and Probably the Kat to as the armadillo snickers in the background!!!

JJ

Hey Igorsk dont you work for Sony????

I feel you pain. I've owned my iPod Touch less than one month and new version is out.

[nikkos010]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I will agree, though, that the Eink screen is a much nicer experience. But the screen refresh is too slow. If the next gen screen come out with a .01s refresh, I might get one.

I would also agree that there are some situations where an Eink screen is better than LCD. But in most situations it is not.

ya ya, I'm delurking again.

I have to agree with Nate on this. While I like the look of the eink screen, I read so fast that the refresh on the devices I've looked at is hugely distracting. Currently I use a PDA in landscape mode with mobipocket. It displays 1/3rd-1/2 a page, and pressing the page flip button results in an instantaneous refresh.

When I read I'm so engrossed that I'm not actually aware that I'm reading. But reading eink is like a fitful night of sleep - I keep "waking up"

I'm looking forward to organic display tech - thin, flexible, low power, and fast refreshing. So far eink seems to be an "in-between" tech to me. I just don't see it being used outside of niche markets once the technologies Samsung/Sony/Panasonic/etc have spent millions of dollars on in R&D are commercialized.

Doesn't mean I won't buy one someday, but something better may come out beforehand.

[NatCh]

While I wouldn't want to hijack the discussion away from the LCD vs. e-Ink debate ....

Originally Posted by tonyofla

They can’t announce a new model next month can they, just after launching the 505 with Waterstones in the UK and Ireland? That would mean that they were offloading old stock on us. Sony would never do something like that would they?

They're not making a secret of this, which is interesting because they have been so secretive about such things in the past. That suggests to me that they aren't concerned about getting stuck with a large supply of 505s they can't sell, so I'm thinking they're likely not planning a replacement model, per se ....

However, the beginning of October is when they seem to like to announce new stuff -- both the 500 and the 505 launched right at that time in their respective years. I don't think they'd make such a big deal of simple firmware improvements, they haven't before. It's possible, but I'm thinking it would have to be a pretty drastic improvement to get this kind of treatment.

I'm thinking they must have something up their sleeve that's big enough foir them to be willing to risk slowing 505 sales for most of a month in order to build a little anticipation. If it is just a firmware-based function improvement, they're going to look a bit silly.

Even adding mobi support (assuming Amazon -- which owns mobi, for any who don't already know that -- went along with it, which they've been extremely resistant to thus far) would be a bit of a let-down from this kind of announcement venue.

There could be some new partnership with a big player, they could be switching to plastic logic displays or something (timing's wrong for that, though), but I think I'll put my money on a new device that's aimed in something of a different direction than the 500/505 has been aimed. I think maybe a somewhat larger display, perhaps aimed at students (note-taking functions and such), or a more professionally aimed device ... but none of that would qualify as a "new chapter" in ebooks, would it? So I'm probably just wishing for what I'd like to see here.

Anyway, I wanted to get my guess on record, just in case it actually turns out to be right.

[vivaldirules]

I have to say that this forum is mostly filled with gadget geeks who are constantly looking and drooling for better hardware and software and that certainly goes for engadget, too. So, sorry, but my guess (okay, desperate hope) is that it's a deal with a partner who wants to sell ebooks. Or perhaps some software/firmware change that will allow more ebooks to be viewed on the existing Readers. No new hardware this year. That's a wild guess, of course, based on absolutely no information.