Gat a Sony Reader Re: I want an electonic book viewer
- From: Ian Robinson <junk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2007 20:55:48 -0700
Two and a half years after the post below, I'm now the happy owner of a
Sony Reader eInk book reader. They were on sale for $299 in Borders in
San Francisco (but sales tax, which I always forget when in the USA,
was another $25). Given the current exchange rate it was good value.
First impressions are very good. It is very light. The screen is very
sharp. Page turning is acceptably fast. Recent content may be an issue
as you have to have a USA credit card to use the Sony Connect Store,
but there are ways to get round that. There are scratch cards for sale
in Borders for the Connect Store. maybe they'll be useable. It ships
with some content pre-installed , including Orwell's 1984 (which I've
never read!!).
More details as I use it more over the next while.
Ian
On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 22:50:28 -0700, Ian Robinson wrote
(in article <0001HW.BDBC4034000D9E2FF03865B0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):
And I think Apple could do it right. They even have the trademarked
name of iBook.
After entering my books into Delicious Library I've realised that I
have a lot of paper sitting on shelves. I don't think it makes sense
anymore. Also saw on BBC News 24 that there are 100,000 books published
in the Uk every year. Even if the vast majority are small print runs
that's still a lot of paper.
So I want an electronic book. I'd like it to be about the size of a
hardback book (about 24cm x 16cm). I could live with it being about an
inch thick. It should open like a book to reveal 2 colour screens for
page display. The bezel around the screens should be as small as
possible. Simple forward and back buttons for page flipping is all the
interface that would be needed. Real buttons that you use your thumb
on, not on screen buttons that need a stylus. In use it would be like a
real book. Its weight should be about the same as a hard back book. It
could have a hard disk for storing the books, magazines, newspapers
etc. (I get my IT magazines via Zinio these days). Battery life should
be about 16 hours. Should be doable in a device this size.
Content would be key. Whilst there are many older texts available from
places like Project Gutenburg such a device would need publishers to
make books available in a suitable format. Some DRM enabled format
specific to the device that allowed you to lend you books to others
would be useful. An application for syncing the books onto the device
would be good as well (iLibrary??). An incentive for publishers to make
books available in the device format would be that they get to sell us
our favourite books all over again. In much the same way as we bought
our music on vinyl and then on CD. I assume that the book publishing
process today involves the text being in electronic format at some
point so it should be simple to produce versions in a format suitable
for the viewer device. Apple could have an iLBS (iLibrary Book Store).
We can take all our music with us with iPod. In time this would allow
us to take our whole library with us as well.
I've seen the Sony LIBRIé press releases etc but it doesn't seem to
replicate the feel of a real book. The device I have in mind should
replicate the feel of a real book as far as possible.
Anyone think such a device will appear anytime soon?
Maybe I'll send this to Apple.
Ian
--
Ian Robinson, Belfast, UK
<http://www.canicula.com/wp/>
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