Rug Burn Junky on 21/10/2009 at 18:00
It does look pretty cool from what I saw yesterday, but isn't this really just a transitional technology?
I love e-books, and have done a high percentage of my reading on them for a number of years now. I've debated getting a Kindle for a while, and momentarily was intrigued by this as well.
But the whole point of e-books to me is the ease of carrying them around on devices I already carry - going back to the days of my PDA, and then following through from my P910 to blackberries for the past 5 or 6 years. A dedicated device doesn't really make sense to me for most people. If I have to carry that, I'd rather just carry the book itself. This is the kind of thing that can all be done in software on a smartphone, UMPC, or a cheap tablet netbook, all of which are just going to be more and more common. In five years these are going to be sitting there collecting dust - much like a 128MB MP3 player does now in the age of iPhones.
scarykitties on 21/10/2009 at 18:20
When the Kindle first came out, the big thing was its e-ink. That is, instead of using a digital display, it would magnetically darken parts of the screen (like an etch-a-sketch), so that it could be front-lit instead of back-lit, supposedly making it easier on the eyes than staring at a computer screen (and more like reading a book).
I'm not sure if that detail stuck. Now, e-book readers are basically really big PDAs that can just read e-books.
Renzatic on 21/10/2009 at 18:48
I wouldn't say so. The screens on the Kindles and the likes are by designed specifically to be easier on the eye after extended periods than your average netbook/cellphone display. No backlight, an even display across the entire screen regardless of the viewing angle, they're meant to simulate reading text on an actual sheet of paper. If you're gonna hunker down and read a few hundred pages of a novel, you'd probably prefer to do it on a Kindle than you would staring into the little fluorescent bulb on your phone for a couple hours.
Since they have a specific purpose and design that can't be easily integrated into a cellphone or an iPod screen, I'm gonna say they're not just a quick flash in the pan in the long march of portable screen technology.
SubJeff on 21/10/2009 at 19:02
But Renz, this is one of those technology integration things waiting to happen like mp3 players and mobile phones. Its just a matter of time til we get the HTC Android e-BookPhonePlayer or whatever with this screen tech integrated. Or even integrated with laptops.
scarykitties on 21/10/2009 at 19:08
I wouldn't want to read an entire book on a tiny cell phone screen. A small-page-sized e-ink display? Sure, I could do that.
Some things don't integrate because of practicality and functionality.
Renzatic on 21/10/2009 at 19:19
That's the thing. I think the technology between the two is so different you can't easily integrate them. Maybe someone clever could find a way to layer a Kindle style screen on top of your bog standard LCD. Thing is, that'd probably make for bulkier cellphones and netbooks, and won't change the fact most people wouldn't want to read an entire book on either one of those.
Really, that's where the real advantage of the Kindle lies. The screen is easy on the eyes and roughly the same size as a page in a good sized book. It's designed top to bottom to be all about comfortable reading over long periods. Unlike MP3 players, which were already small and could easily be thrown into a cellphone without losing anything, you'll miss alot of the advantages of the kindle if you try to cram it into something else.
Edit: Damnit, Scarykitties keeps stealing my thunder here. I need to post faster.
Rug Burn Junky on 21/10/2009 at 19:33
Those are all the same type of arguments made against cellphone MP3 players 5-6 years ago. In that case it was "audio fidelity," "storage space," or "dedicated controls" but the principles are the same. Screen capabilities improve over time; Saying that it's impractical or that you can't integrate them may be true at the moment, I doubt it will be in 5 years. 95% of the concepts can be adapted by existing devices, and the ones that are left (screen size?) aren't such killer apps to make them necessary for most users. I've read plenty of books (hundreds?) on PDA and smaller size screens, and you easily adapt - it's different, but it's not functionally any inferior.
Dedicated e-book readers may be useful for a couple of years, but they'll never be more than a niche product, and inside of a decade they won't be more than a novelty.
SubJeff on 21/10/2009 at 19:59
Quote Posted by scarykitties
I wouldn't want to read an entire book on a tiny cell phone screen. A small-page-sized e-ink display? Sure, I could do that.
I think more and more phones will end up with full touch-screens +/- slide out keyboards for exactly that reason - people want more screen real-estate. Sure there will always be small phones that reading is never going to be practical on but then there are phones without mp3 players, cameras, etc.
Besides, there is that "roll out" screen tech now and all this stuff will end up together on your web-browsing, tru-3D, GPS, camera, mp3 player, PDA, console, car remote control, sex aid integrated phone device of doom.
june gloom on 21/10/2009 at 23:06
You know what a good alternative to the Kindle would be? A fucking book.
