Monthly Archives: September 2009

Yesterday we discussed eBook reader and Bob came up with an answer which deserves more than just a space in the comments list.

I read e-book novels on both my Treo and my Sony Reader. The Treo wins in the area of backlight and always being with me. The Sony Reader wins in that it’s really comfortable and fun to read on. That may not sound like much, but those aesthetics are a big deal if you are going to spend hours and hours reading books. Some people say real paper is so much more comfortable (and sentimental), and won’t do e-books for that very reason. For me, there’s nothing like the feel of reading e-ink in sunlight. But it does take decent light to get some good contrast.

I’m funny that way, though. Reading a nice font on an electronic display screen has fascinated and pleased me for over two decades. In fact, something as simple as using Ubuntu’s command line terminal console makes me feel good just because of the way the characters look on the screen. Somehow it’s strangely comforting and delightful. Strange, but true.

A big advantage over paper (for me) is that I don’t have to smell the book. Some people like it, but it just gives me a headache if it’s at all dusty/musty. Even some new books can bother me. Plus, I can carry around so many e-books in a light portable gagdet, without taking up bookshelf space.

I also find it easier to hold and turn pages than with paper. Some people don’t like the short delay using e-ink. That’s fair, but I don’t really notice it much unless I’m trying to navigate across pages quickly.

Netbooks seem to be a decent alternative, which I’m still considering personally in the future. I’d like to see them cheaper, with better battery life and maybe even a slightly better screen quality. Even better if the screen folds all the way back, or rotates like a tablet. But any backlit LCD screen is going to produce more eye strain than e-ink in decent light.

Oh, and speaking of eye strain, it’s really nice as my eyes age to be able to pick the font size. Even on my Treo, it helps over paper books. But especially on the e-ink device with the 6″ screen.

I agree with eccleshill… DRM is the biggest battle facing e-books.

And I think there are a lot of people that are concluding that, in the future, most e-book devices will not be single purpose. I think that just depends on price points for the various display technologies, and quality of the displays. If netbook battery life and screens were markedly better, why would anyone need e-ink. But if e-ink gets cheaper as well as larger color versions and flexible screens, why would anyone settle for netbooks for large amounts of reading.

It will sure be interesting to see what we’re reading on 10 years from now!

Steve Jobs recently said the following when asked his opinion of eBook readers-

“I’m sure there will always be dedicated devices, and they may have a few advantages in doing just one thing. But I think the general-purpose devices will win the day because I think people just probably aren’t willing to pay for a dedicated device. You notice Amazon never says how much they sell; usually if they sell a lot of something, you want to tell everybody.

I’m not sure that Amazon, as an example, really cares that much about being in the hardware business. If I were Amazon, I’d love selling stuff where I didn’t have to have a warehouse, didn’t need UPS.”

I am sure he has business reasons in the back of his mind when saying the above, but I cannot help but completely agree with his assessment. For a long time now I have struggled with the concept of eBook readers because, in my view, they represent poor value for money and are in effect a one trick pony.

Last week I was browsing my local bookstore when I spotted the Sony eReader PRS-300 Pocket Edition. It was priced at £179.99 and looked extremely smart at first glance. The 5 inch screen suits eBook reader very well, but when I tested it everything felt slow and it was definitely underpowered. The crispness of the screen is a huge advantage, but is it that much better than the screens found on other devices such as the iPhone, Touch HD and BlackBerry Storm?

These other devices are where the problems lie. An iPod Touch is cheaper and can do infinitely more things as well as provide an excellent eBook experience. Of course the screen is smaller, but it is hardly so small that you cannot read it. When you look at the pricing for eBooks used on dedicated eReaders you cannot help but notice how expensive these are as well. All in all, you are paying a lot for eReading on a dedicated device, and I just don’t get it.

Feel free to add your thoughts and let me know what I have missed, but I have the view that these dedicated readers will struggle to gain traction for people who use a smartphone with a decent sized screen.