05-12-2008, 09:32 PM | #1 |
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Ereader for Browsing the Web?
Hey guys been here lurking for some time now. Great posts and posters most of the time.
Was wondering if there is such a device out there with some rudimentary browser for the web, or is it just save .html pages and then read them on you e-ink device? As I have been reading around, it seems it's the latter, which is a pity, nothing like siting with a booklike devise and having the web at your fingertips it would seem. As an aside, isn't the 6" size of most readers too damn small? Wouldn't in all considerations a 7" at least be more practical. I really don't like how a decent reading font can only have something like on average 5 words per page... |
05-12-2008, 10:16 PM | #2 | ||
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You can use Calibre to download web pages... not sure if you need an RSS feed or if you can just do any page. Quote:
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05-12-2008, 10:34 PM | #3 |
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hey bob, thanks for your reply!
I wasn't aware of this functionality of kindle, that does set it apart from the rest, I presume the browsing is via wi fi. As for the size, true, not much smaller than mm paperbacks, but mm paperbacks are small to begin with, some of the smallest sizes of books out there, and you hardly have much of a margin to get an even smaller. I haven't had the chance to see a 6" device up close, but drawing it out on a piece of paper really took me by surprise at how small it seemed. |
05-12-2008, 11:04 PM | #4 |
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05-12-2008, 11:13 PM | #5 | ||
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05-13-2008, 12:18 AM | #6 | |
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Yeap the iliad is on my to buy list for the past one and a half years! And I am tempted to just go ahead and buy the be once a few hands on reviews start coming in. But to tell you the truth I d be best suited with something nice and small but not too small, like a 7.something screen, and one for pdfs with the 9 and upward screen, which fits the profile for the aztex/netronix reader (finally a dream come true for large pdfs for a lot of us...and it seems on everybody's and their cousins' buying list). |
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05-13-2008, 02:36 AM | #7 |
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Web browsing on eInk screens doesn't really work terribly well due to their slow refresh rate. The iLiad will do it (via WiFi) and the Kindle via EVDO (if you live in the USA). I've seen it on the iLiad; it's really not very practical.
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05-13-2008, 10:23 AM | #8 | |
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I like the easy-to-set fonts - in the morning, when my eyes are good, I set it to "3", which is about 9-11 words per line, and then in the evening, when my eyes are bad, I set it up to "4" which is about 6-7 words per line. |
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05-13-2008, 02:54 PM | #9 |
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I agree. Even for that, I still prefer my smartphone despite its small screen. Page draws take forever with the e-ink. I am not a patient woman. Wikipedia is great on it but that's a supported rather than experimental feature. If web browsing is important to you, I think a tablet PC or UMPC would make you much happier than any of the the e-ink devices. I'm sure someday in the not too distant future, we'll have lovely displays that are as kind on the eyes as e-ink but fast enough to support more applications. IMO, we're not there yet.
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05-13-2008, 03:36 PM | #10 |
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Read an article in EETimes today that Seiko Epson has a new controller for e-ink that allows a fast enough refresh rate to get things like pull-down menus and maybe even stylus use on an e-ink screen. The controller chips are supposed to be rolling out next month, so maybe 6 months or a year down the line we'll see them in use.
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05-13-2008, 03:40 PM | #11 | |
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05-13-2008, 04:26 PM | #12 | |
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I hear what you guys are saying about refresh rates, but I wouldn't want anything more than some primitive browsing function, seeing as I am really looking to replace some static article reading on my (future) ebook device instead of some flash playing website say. I just want to get away from the pc screen, being there all the time, you know, there are some lengthy articles that I would like to go over like reading a book, and not going into the trouble of first looking them up on my laptop, saving them to .html, and then transfering them to my ebook device. So, Harry, can you really browse the net on the iliad, I mean the average user, or is it some super computer literate trick one has to pull to do that? Jackie. |
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05-14-2008, 06:58 PM | #14 |
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harry, thanks man.
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05-20-2008, 03:59 AM | #15 |
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if you want more web browsing and can live w/o eink, you might consider the internet tablets from Nokia. Right now you can hunt up a deal on the N800's for under $200. I use FBReader and can browse the web pretty well...sorta...the display is 800x400. I am reasonably happy with my setup. And heck soon we will get free WiFi at all Starbucks when we use my Stabucks card to buy a coffee. And since I just drink plain old cawffee it's cheap access at about 80¢/hr...
Otherwise I would wait until the fall when we will see most, if not all of the next gen (or even variations on the current gen) eink reader devices released. Might be some better web browsing options in this next wave. |
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