Demi Recipe Reader = eBook Reader?

Timoleon · 03-30-2009, 11:54 AM

Today over on Engadget there is a blurb about the upcoming release on Amazon of the "Demi Digital Recipe Reader." Judging from the photos, the thing has a decent looking & sized color display as well as a nice form factor in general, and supposedly holds up to 2500 recipes. It has a USB connection, which I guess you use to manage your recipe database at www.keyindgredients.com.

http://www.mydemy.com/index.html

I was wondering...what are the chances that some clever soul (like an igorsk-type person

) could adapt this device to read books instead of recipes? How many books can you cook with 2500 recipes? I can imagine your quintessential housewife using this thing in the kitchen to brew together her latest dinner concoction for the family, and then sitting down at the table while it cooks and switching her Demi from "Chicken Con Carne Alfredo" to the latest Anne Rice vampire novel...

What do you think? Doable? Worth doing?

lilac_jive · 03-30-2009, 11:56 AM

Holy crap I love it. I wonder how much it will be.

wayrad · 03-30-2009, 12:09 PM

I wonder if that humongous stand can be completely removed from the back? From the Engadget pictures, it looks like it can at least be rotated.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-30-2009, 12:14 PM

From the pictures, I'd consider putting that screen in a new case altogether... it looks a bit thick. I'd guess that memory could be added, and should... 2500 recipes, only a page or two (or less) in length, isn't much of a memory-hog, and it will surely need lots more for a decent collection of e-books.

Jellby · 03-30-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timoleon

switching her Demi from "Chicken Con Carne Alfredo" to the latest Anne Rice vampire novel...

From "Dark Chickens" to "Charles Dickens"?

pagansoul · 03-30-2009, 12:32 PM

I remember reading about someone using one of those computer picture frames as a reader. Put your books or magazine on a flashcard and there you go, full color and portable.

estral · 03-30-2009, 12:39 PM

Cost is $299 usd on Amazon.

Be careful what you wish for.

Unless you want to use only their recipies, you must send hard copies of recipies to a scanning service at $0.39 per copy or type it in yourself. It does not appear that you can transfer recipies from other websites to you device. If you have your own recepie programs and an extensive database you cannot upload those recepies.

All recepies are kept on their website, if they go under so do your recepies. I wonder if they charge a monthly fee for this service, or they give you a free period to get you hooked and then start charging.

If you have your own recepie programs and an extensive database you cannot upload those recepies.

Uncle Eric

bhartman36 · 03-30-2009, 12:47 PM

I'm having a hard time seeing this as any kind of book reader unless there is some major recoding involved.

The way the text is displayed on the device, I think you could only fit about a half a paragraph on it at a time. And I think that's how you have to measure it, rather than by memory. How painful would it be to actually read a book on it, if you wanted to?

Think of it this way: A lot of recipes only take up a 3X5 index card. Now think of your favorite book. How many 3X5 index cards would it take up?

And that's all assuming you could repurpose it from syncing to the recipe website for content to begin with.

I'd say not worth doing, even if it could be done.

Alisa · 03-30-2009, 12:57 PM

Ugh. No thanks. I do wish the cooking world would settle on a standard XML format for recipes. I don't get nearly as much as I could out of my cookbooks because they're not, as a group, portable and easily searchable. The recipes that are on my Kindle get used way more.

As for that device, for the price I'd rather get a netbook or spend a little more and get the new Shuttle touch screen nettop for the kitchen and use all the recipes I already have on my computer and saved at various recipe sites. Plus I could use it for other things. The reason I tolerate the Kindle being basically single function is that the screen offers the advantage of superior readability. I see no particular advantage here.

Timoleon · 03-30-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I'm having a hard time seeing this as any kind of book reader unless there is some major recoding involved.

The way the text is displayed on the device, I think you could only fit about a half a paragraph on it at a time. And I think that's how you have to measure it, rather than by memory. How painful would it be to actually read a book on it, if you wanted to?

Think of it this way: A lot of recipes only take up a 3X5 index card. Now think of your favorite book. How many 3X5 index cards would it take up?

And that's all assuming you could repurpose it from syncing to the recipe website for content to begin with.

I'd say not worth doing, even if it could be done.

I don't know...
From the photos it looks like you would have a better reading experience than you would reading from, say, a Palm Tungsten E --- which is my backup reader after my Sony PRS-505. Maybe four paragraphs per page turn? Also, it appears that you can play with font size...

DaleDe · 03-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Personally this is one place a netbook fits well. Just add One Million recipes http://www.acrllc.com/onemillion.php, also available from Packard Technologies for PC's and PDA (mobi format). The PC version even includes calorie and nutrition data like the ones on the side of the box (formatted the same way). And you can enter you own recipes. My wife keeps her netbook in the kitchen and always handy for lots of tasks including eBooks.

Dale

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-30-2009, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Personally this is one place a netbook fits well. Just add One Million recipes http://www.acrllc.com/onemillion.php, also available from Packard Technologies for PC's and PDA (mobi format). ..

Dale

Hmm. Is that any good for a novice-level cook (like meself)?

DaleDe · 03-30-2009, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Hmm. Is that any good for a novice-level cook (like meself)?

It is especially good for novice cooks. I grabbed the one from Packard Technologies but they are all the same software. you can also add your own notes, and highlight your favorites.

Dale

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-30-2009, 02:32 PM

Cool beans! (Baked, too!) Thanks!

Sydney's Mom · 03-30-2009, 02:40 PM

Thanks for the info! Can a new ebook reader be far behind? Now, if it just has folders (groan).

03-30-2009, 11:54 AM	#1
Timoleon Time Enough at Last Posts: 387 Karma: 1151316 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New England Device: iPad 3, iPhone 5, Kindle 3, Fire, Sony PRS-350	Demi Recipe Reader = eBook Reader? Today over on Engadget there is a blurb about the upcoming release on Amazon of the "Demi Digital Recipe Reader." Judging from the photos, the thing has a decent looking & sized color display as well as a nice form factor in general, and supposedly holds up to 2500 recipes. It has a USB connection, which I guess you use to manage your recipe database at www.keyindgredients.com. http://www.mydemy.com/index.html I was wondering...what are the chances that some clever soul (like an igorsk-type person ) could adapt this device to read books instead of recipes? How many books can you cook with 2500 recipes? I can imagine your quintessential housewife using this thing in the kitchen to brew together her latest dinner concoction for the family, and then sitting down at the table while it cooks and switching her Demi from "Chicken Con Carne Alfredo" to the latest Anne Rice vampire novel... What do you think? Doable? Worth doing? Attached Thumbnails

03-30-2009, 12:47 PM	#8
bhartman36 Wizard Posts: 1,316 Karma: 1515835 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 3 Wi-Fi, Craig CMP738a Android Tablet	Not Much of a Screen I'm having a hard time seeing this as any kind of book reader unless there is some major recoding involved. The way the text is displayed on the device, I think you could only fit about a half a paragraph on it at a time. And I think that's how you have to measure it, rather than by memory. How painful would it be to actually read a book on it, if you wanted to? Think of it this way: A lot of recipes only take up a 3X5 index card. Now think of your favorite book. How many 3X5 index cards would it take up? And that's all assuming you could repurpose it from syncing to the recipe website for content to begin with. I'd say not worth doing, even if it could be done.

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03-30-2009, 11:56 AM	#2
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Holy crap I love it. I wonder how much it will be.

03-30-2009, 12:09 PM	#3
wayrad Fanatic Posts: 551 Karma: 1121392 Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Device: HTC One M8	I wonder if that humongous stand can be completely removed from the back? From the Engadget pictures, it looks like it can at least be rotated.

03-30-2009, 12:14 PM	#4
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	From the pictures, I'd consider putting that screen in a new case altogether... it looks a bit thick. I'd guess that memory could be added, and should... 2500 recipes, only a page or two (or less) in length, isn't much of a memory-hog, and it will surely need lots more for a decent collection of e-books.

03-30-2009, 12:32 PM	#6
pagansoul Fanatic Posts: 509 Karma: 1098204 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Earth Device: iPhone5, iPad Gen3, Kobo, Kindle Fire, Kobo Vox. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7	I remember reading about someone using one of those computer picture frames as a reader. Put your books or magazine on a flashcard and there you go, full color and portable.

03-30-2009, 12:39 PM	#7
estral Just trying to survive Posts: 53 Karma: 210 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Nexus 7 2013, Galaxy Note 10.1 2014	Cost is $299 usd on Amazon. Be careful what you wish for. Unless you want to use only their recipies, you must send hard copies of recipies to a scanning service at $0.39 per copy or type it in yourself. It does not appear that you can transfer recipies from other websites to you device. If you have your own recepie programs and an extensive database you cannot upload those recepies. All recepies are kept on their website, if they go under so do your recepies. I wonder if they charge a monthly fee for this service, or they give you a free period to get you hooked and then start charging. If you have your own recepie programs and an extensive database you cannot upload those recepies. Uncle Eric

03-30-2009, 12:57 PM	#9
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	Ugh. No thanks. I do wish the cooking world would settle on a standard XML format for recipes. I don't get nearly as much as I could out of my cookbooks because they're not, as a group, portable and easily searchable. The recipes that are on my Kindle get used way more. As for that device, for the price I'd rather get a netbook or spend a little more and get the new Shuttle touch screen nettop for the kitchen and use all the recipes I already have on my computer and saved at various recipe sites. Plus I could use it for other things. The reason I tolerate the Kindle being basically single function is that the screen offers the advantage of superior readability. I see no particular advantage here.

03-30-2009, 01:13 PM	#11
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Personally this is one place a netbook fits well. Just add One Million recipes http://www.acrllc.com/onemillion.php, also available from Packard Technologies for PC's and PDA (mobi format). The PC version even includes calorie and nutrition data like the ones on the side of the box (formatted the same way). And you can enter you own recipes. My wife keeps her netbook in the kitchen and always handy for lots of tasks including eBooks. Dale

03-30-2009, 02:32 PM	#14
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Cool beans! (Baked, too!) Thanks!

03-30-2009, 02:40 PM	#15
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	Thanks for the info! Can a new ebook reader be far behind? Now, if it just has folders (groan).