Switched On: e-readers drive to digital distraction

[m-reader]

Another great article by Ross Rubin discussing why dedicated e-readers will always have a special spot under the Sun .

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/19/s...l-distraction/

[Donnageddon]

Very perplexing article.

Beyond the observation that the author seems to believe that only the kindle and nook exist in the market, he definitely appears to embrace the multi use device. His analog is the still capture camera vs the video and still capture device.

In the second to last paragraph he acknowledges that even the Photography pros now gravitate to a multi use device.

And ultimately the article is a ceding to a future where multi use eReaders prevail.

"Just as for the passionate pro photographer who must now decide when to capture a still versus video, the exercise of electronic book reading will require the exercise of self-discipline."

The author is stating that multi use is the wave of the future, and those who use them will need to better police their own attention spans.

[m-reader]

This is exactly why I liked the article. It's short, sweet, and not trying to make a point. It analyses the state of affairs and doesn't tell anybody what or how to think.

[Richey79]

I'd suggest a better comparison would be between a photographer choosing film or digital.

There are still plenty out there who develop their own film, particularly black & white, and many of the reasons why they choose it over digital are similar to the reasons why one would choose eink over a back-lit screen: richer texture, better resolution, less distractions from the art-form, simplicity as a strength.

You might respond, 'aren't film-users more like p-book readers?' However, many who use film ultimately scan their negatives electronically, making selective use of tech developments in a similar way to those who choose eink readers.

No 'pro' photographer would ever make a digital film and then use individual still frames from the video.

[Sil_liS]

I don't really get why people think that multifunctional devices provide distractions. I read because I want to, I play games because I want to. Mobile phones had had games for a really long time. I've read books before going to sleep, with a phone with games on it within arm's reach, and a laptop with even more games on it a little farther away, and I wasn't tempted to leave my book for either.

So what changes if you have a reader with games? While reading you get a sudden urge to play angry birds; if the reader is basic, you wouldn't make the effort to grab the phone, but if the reader has the game, you can't help it but leave the ebook and play the game?

And the biggest problem with the dual screen devices is the low battery life, not the distractions.

[Namekuseijin]

Here's the distraction that all ereaders face: books. Lots of them, almost Alexandria Library level...

seriously, you begin a book and almost imediately start another book in parallel. and another, and another...

Perhaps they should add something like "Achievement unlocked! You've read 2 books in a row and are now entitled to another 2 books from your library..."

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

Here's the distraction that all ereaders face: books. Lots of them, almost Alexandria Library level...

seriously, you begin a book and almost imediately start another book in parallel. and another, and another...

Perhaps they should add something like "Achievement unlocked! You've read 2 books in a row and are now entitled to another 2 books from your library..."

+1. I find myself more distracted by other books (often hopping through different genres) than playing games, surfing the web or checking emails. Oh well, that's one of the reasons I have an ebook reader - so I have pretty much my entire library available at my disposal and have books available in whatever genre I'm currently in the mood reading.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

I don't really get why people think that multifunctional devices provide distractions. I read because I want to, I play games because I want to. Mobile phones had had games for a really long time. I've read books before going to sleep, with a phone with games on it within arm's reach, and a laptop with even more games on it a little farther away, and I wasn't tempted to leave my book for either.

They get it from empirical observations of themselves and others.

So what changes if you have a reader with games? While reading you get a sudden urge to play angry birds; if the reader is basic, you wouldn't make the effort to grab the phone, but if the reader has the game, you can't help it but leave the ebook and play the game?

Yes. Or in my case there is some notification when you read so you have to check twitter, facebook, gtalk or email. Or you just feel to check if anything has happened.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

seriously, you begin a book and almost imediately start another book in parallel. and another, and another...

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

+1. I find myself more distracted by other books (often hopping through different genres) than playing games, surfing the web or checking emails.

Not me. I will almost always stick to a single book at a time. The only time I don't is when I'm in class. I'll read whatever the syllabus requires and I'll generally be reading a book for pleasure as well.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Not me. I will almost always stick to a single book at a time.

Most of the time, I also stick to a single book until I finish it. However, there are times when I'm feeling restless (or sometimes, the book is just plain boring) that I'd switch to a different one prior to finishing.

[twowheels]

I usually have three or four in progress at any one time... one on my Kindle, one on my phone [usually short stories for those shorter reading sessions] (I have the WiFi Kindle, and share an account with my daughter, so syncing is out), an audiobook in the car, and a technical pbook related to my work.

I'm currently working on Lord of the Flies, Sarah's Key, The Hitchhiker's guide [dramatized audiobook version, read the pbook years ago], and Code Complete.

[Namekuseijin]

oh no, not boring at all. It's just that there's so many books that you feel like reading them all right away before dropping dead. It's natural information age anxiety when you feel the need to consume everything like a burger king addict.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

I don't really get why people think that multifunctional devices provide distractions. I read because I want to, I play games because I want to. Mobile phones had had games for a really long time. I've read books before going to sleep, with a phone with games on it within arm's reach, and a laptop with even more games on it a little farther away, and I wasn't tempted to leave my book for either.

So what changes if you have a reader with games? While reading you get a sudden urge to play angry birds; if the reader is basic, you wouldn't make the effort to grab the phone, but if the reader has the game, you can't help it but leave the ebook and play the game?

And the biggest problem with the dual screen devices is the low battery life, not the distractions.

This confuses me, too.

The biggest reason people give for not rooting their NC seems to be that they "don't want to be distracted". I respect their decision and they understand their own limits and inclinations better than I do, so I'm not going to tell them what they should/shouldn't do, but it DOES confuse me.

I have ADD, but I've never found a situation where a desire to "stop reading and do X" would be thwarted by an unrooted NC but facilitated by a rooted one. Even when I'm on the go, I have my phone with me and it can do all the fun things that my rooted NC can do, so it's not like NOT rooting it would keep me pure from the Angry Birds.

I can understand not wanting a multi-use device if you think the developers will spread themselves thin -- that makes sense to me. But if the quality was perfect either way, a multi-use device is more useful to me.

'Course, I also don't understand the GoodReads people who argue that instituting half-stars in the rating system should not be allowed to happen, despite its overwhelming popularity, because the change would FORCE them to re-rate all their books. To me, "force" implies, well, the GoodReads staff pointing a gun at you. But apparently I'm weird that way.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes. Or in my case there is some notification when you read so you have to check twitter, facebook, gtalk or email. Or you just feel to check if anything has happened.

This is the thing, you don't "have to". So what if you get a notification? If somebody sends you an email, they shouldn't expect you to answer immediately, if it is something urgent, they would use the phone anyway. There is absolutely no reason to feel the need to check if anything has happened.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

The biggest reason people give for not rooting their NC seems to be that they "don't want to be distracted". I respect their decision and they understand their own limits and inclinations better than I do, so I'm not going to tell them what they should/shouldn't do, but it DOES confuse me.

I think that it is the same kind of argument as I heard about bags of chips. Some people just feel compelled to eat them if they are in the same room.