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Paper? That's like a baby's toy! [eReaders]

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  • AlegisAlegis Impeckable Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    smartphone? no. Resolution, refresh, touch are an issue (for example, apps). I see several e-readers coming out now with IR but I want to see those in action for small screens on small devices.

    old phone? well those displays have good battery life already.

    Display isn't such an issue with smartphones anyways (display used up 5% since last I unplugged). The things you use much battery power on aren't feasible with e-ink anyways so you might as well view less video.

    Alegis on
  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Really interested to see what Amazon does with the Kindle 4 or whatever the next e-ink device they make is called. As a librarian I am honestly interested in how companies continue to improve and change the devices.

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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Two month battery life on the new Nook. Blimey.

    Re: E-Ink on phones. LG, I think, did release a dumbphone with e-ink a while back. It had something insane like a four to six week batttery life.

    Cyvros on
  • Shazkar ShadowstormShazkar Shadowstorm Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    my kindle froze permanently
    amazon customer service in 5 minutes on the phone was like here's a new kindle replacement

    that's nice

    Shazkar Shadowstorm on
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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    gilrain wrote: »
    If somebody doesn't make an A4 e-reader that doesn't cost six million dollars very, very soon, I'm going to grow even more frustrated. We've seen 3 Kindles, a few nooks, some Kobos, and god knows how many Sony readers, but meanwhile there is only ONE Kindle DX model. Come onnnnnnn. I want to read PDFs on a screen the size of the PDF!
    I sort of agree, but it's a niche desire. Those things are big and hefty -- not really portable outside a book bag, or something. i can see them being well-liked by students, but I'm not sure it would gain traction in a larger market. A dedicated reader would need two devices: one for carrying around, one for larger format reading around the house.
    I agree, but not only is a large thing PERFECT for students (I mean, heck, it's significantly lighter than ONE textbook, let alone all of your textbooks), it's also nice for reading magazines, and it's not like an A4 e-reader is a massive hulking device. Hardcover books weigh about as much, yeah?

    If anyone would go ahead and buy a Kindle, that would be great, because as soon as you buy it the price will go down and then I can grab one for even cheaper!

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    I don't know why it took me this long to clue into this, but did anybody else catch on that the Nook appears to only be available as WiFi only? Seems they may be dropping the 3G capability entirely.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • MyDcmbrMyDcmbr PEWPEWPEW!!! America's WangRegistered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Crap.

    Now I am going to have to replace my Nook with the new Nook.

    MyDcmbr on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    Amazon shoots back.

    The long and short of it is, the "special offers" Kindle was apparently such a hit, that they're releasing a 3G version of it that will retail for $164.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    gilrain wrote: »
    If somebody doesn't make an A4 e-reader that doesn't cost six million dollars very, very soon, I'm going to grow even more frustrated. We've seen 3 Kindles, a few nooks, some Kobos, and god knows how many Sony readers, but meanwhile there is only ONE Kindle DX model. Come onnnnnnn. I want to read PDFs on a screen the size of the PDF!
    I sort of agree, but it's a niche desire. Those things are big and hefty -- not really portable outside a book bag, or something. i can see them being well-liked by students, but I'm not sure it would gain traction in a larger market. A dedicated reader would need two devices: one for carrying around, one for larger format reading around the house.
    I agree, but not only is a large thing PERFECT for students (I mean, heck, it's significantly lighter than ONE textbook, let alone all of your textbooks), it's also nice for reading magazines, and it's not like an A4 e-reader is a massive hulking device. Hardcover books weigh about as much, yeah?

    If anyone would go ahead and buy a Kindle, that would be great, because as soon as you buy it the price will go down and then I can grab one for even cheaper!
    And by students you mean the whole of academia. An A4 eReader that didn't cost the earth would pick up a standing order from every research institution, as they could cut down on their printing costs while showing off for how "green" they were.

    PhD students and Postdocs would just be issued them on arrival.

    It would be bliss.

    Mojo_Jojo on
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  • Buddy LeeBuddy Lee Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Two month battery life?! Count me in!

    The device itself looks pretty slick, too...

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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    Anybody that wasn't too excited by the Nook2, the Nook1 has gone on sale. $120 for the wifi version, and $170 for the 3G.

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  • JHunzJHunz Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Buddy Lee wrote: »
    Two month battery life?! Count me in!

    The device itself looks pretty slick, too...

    Of course, that number is completely meaningless without some measure of how much reading you can do per day in those two months. Which, of course, is also dependent on stuff like font size (in that you'll be causing more or less page turns). It's a big, worthless number.

    On the other hand, if they've managed to match (or even exceed) roughly what the Kindle is capable of I can't imagine anyone really complaining that it isn't actually two months.

    JHunz on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    Actually, reading specs this morning, it appears Kindle has quietly upgraded their battery life from one month to two.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Looks like the Nook battery life statement is based on a half-hour of reading a day. So if you read two hours a day, it's only a two-week battery life, same as the first and second gen Kobos, at least.

    Which is disappointing if it's really a fuck all improvement.

    Cyvros on
  • Buddy LeeBuddy Lee Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I was kind of disappointed in the original nook's battery life, to be honest with you, so an improvement on that and the removal of the sluggish and slow LCD touch screen is enough to pique my interest.

    Buddy Lee on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    I was reading up on the new Kobo today and was shocked to see it's battery life is still only two weeks. And it's only $10 cheaper than the competition.

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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    Actually, reading specs this morning, it appears Kindle has quietly upgraded their battery life from one month to two.

    Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice this.

    Amazon didn't change the battery, they just changed how they rate the battery life. To the same way Nook rates it.

    That's.... kinda shady of the Nook people to list double the battery life when you're actually getting the exact same life out of it.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Yeah, well, welcome to the world of goose-brain marketers. Also, yeah, the Kobo price is a disappointment for you guys, but I'm in Australia, where it's still $179 or $199 depending on when you buy. You're lucky and oh so hateable. :P

    I'm not sure if the Kobo two weeks includes reading PDFs, but if it does, it's pretty good considering the PDF zooming and panning features.

    Cyvros on
  • Helpless RockHelpless Rock Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I'm new the e-reader market after having my Kindle for about a week now. I don't think I have ever read this much in my life. 6 books in 8 days and over a dozen free samples, after having not read anything in years is pretty insane. For me at least.

    The other insane thing, and I know I'm not the first one to pick up on this, is the frankly stupid Kindle pricing. I know it's the publishers being dumb and not Amazon but it's still mind numbingly ridiculous that I'm pay the same price (often times even more!) for a 800KB file compared to a factory build and binded paper book that is shipped to me across the country.

    I suppose the logic comes down to book publishers reacting the same way to digital distribution that the music industry did at the beginning of the internet and MP3's. Which was equally as ridiculous. Who knows though, maybe we'll get e-books to the point that albums on vinyl are at where when you buy an LP you get a code for a free MP3 download included.

    I'm definitely not going to hold my breath on that though.

    Helpless Rock on
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  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I finally got around to giving Amazon a call about my 4 day battery life Kindle 3, and they replaced it and my defective non-lit cover. Both replacements should be here on the 31st. Amazon's customer service, from my experience, is top notch.

    Cormac on
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  • JollusJollus Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    If Amazon gave me a $25 credit, I would be more than happy to convert my Kindle into a "Special Offers" version. Hell, just let me flip the switch and forget the credit. Some of the deals on there are worth it.

    Jollus on
  • Helpless RockHelpless Rock Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Cormac wrote: »
    I finally got around to giving Amazon a call about my 4 day battery life Kindle 3, and they replaced it and my defective non-lit cover. Both replacements should be here on the 31st. Amazon's customer service, from my experience, is top notch.

    I'm curious about your 4 day battery life problem. Was this with wifi/3G on or a mixture of both? 'Cause mine doesn't seem to be last as long as I expected the battery to last. But I am using it a lot so I don't know. It is definitely not lasting 2 months.

    Helpless Rock on
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  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I'm curious about your 4 day battery life problem. Was this with wifi/3G on or a mixture of both? 'Cause mine doesn't seem to be last as long as I expected the battery to last. But I am using it a lot so I don't know. It is definitely not lasting 2 months.

    This was with wifi/3G off, no books being indexed, no faulty cover and reading for 1-2 hours a day. If I left wifi/3G on the battery would be dead in about a day. Even if I never took the device out of standby the battery would still discharge in about 5-6 days.

    Cormac on
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  • Junior YankJunior Yank Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Amazon didn't change the battery, they just changed how they rate the battery life. To the same way Nook rates it.

    That's.... kinda shady of the Nook people to list double the battery life when you're actually getting the exact same life out of it.

    BN is now claiming that in side by side tests, they're getting 2-3x as many page turns as the Kindle 3 (both w/o wireless).

    Once you get beyond two weeks per charge, does it really matter? I charge my phone every 1-2 days, and my nookColor every 2-3 days, and I've learned to live with it.

    Junior Yank on
  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    My Kobo generally gets a charge at least once a fortnight, anyway, when I plug it in to manage books and things.

    Cyvros on
  • JollusJollus Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    I think the battery life on these things is such a non issue that they shouldn't even bother advertising it. I have never even come close to draining my kindle down to zero.

    I have a question about the new Kobo. Which stores does it support? I see on their website that there is their own store, but does it also support the B&N Store, or do the ePub books transfer over?

    I got a bonus from work, and instead of giving us actual cash they gave us a credit for this lame ass catalog. A Borders gift card is one of the options, and I was considering getting it and cashing in for the Kobo. I don't really NEED a Kobo considering my Kindle 3 is only 5 months old, but it would be free, and I don't need anything else on this stupid catalog.

    Jollus on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    I think it'll only read non-DRM epub and pdf books, so no, the B&N store won't work.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    The Kobo supports DRM in both ePubs and PDFs, as well as non-DRM ePubs and PDFs. How long is the gift card valid for? The Kobo Touch comes out in June at 129, with the Kobo 2 at 99. I have the 2, previously the 1 (the 2 was a warranty replacement).

    Cyvros on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Now the whole "look at me zooming around a PDF like I just don't give a shit" makes me want a Kobo instead of a Kindle. I agree with Jollus: when your battery life is longer than a few days, who cares? Just plug it in during the night one day and you'll be good to go. I think the Kobo's faster processor certainly has the right idea, at least when there's no other alternative for viewing PDFs because there aren't any larger eReaders that are really worth it.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • JollusJollus Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    So I was listening to a podcast the other day, I think it was TWIT, and Leo made some comment that Kindle was going to support ePub soon. He sounded unsure of this fact. I wonder if he was thinking of the Library program Amazon is going with Overdrive? I thought that program was going to use the normal DRMed Kindle format.

    Am I crazy, or did I hear wrong?

    Cyvros wrote: »
    The Kobo supports DRM in both ePubs and PDFs, as well as non-DRM ePubs and PDFs. How long is the gift card valid for? The Kobo Touch comes out in June at 129, with the Kobo 2 at 99. I have the 2, previously the 1 (the 2 was a warranty replacement).
    So if i read you correctly, a DRMed ePub book purchased from Google, or B&N, or Borders will play on the Kobo? I suppose that goes for the Nook as well? I am sure all of this info is in the thread somewhere, but I am lazy.

    pre-edit: not that Lazy. Went looking into it a bit at the Google Bookstore, and they link to the Adobe Digital Editions page about supported devices.

    Jollus on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited May 2011
    It's both. Kindle will be supported in the Overdrive program, and all books will use the .azw format, at no extra cost to the Library. They've also announced that .epub support will be coming soon.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • JollusJollus Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    That makes it interesting. I will just get a damn borders gift card and purchase a retarded number of books once the Kindle supports ePub. Two hundred bucks should supply me for books for at least a year.

    I don't know why I couldn't find this story when I was googling earlier, but here is a link to what seems to be the source of the Kindle ePub story. I haven't really been able to find any other sources.

    http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/amazon-to-allow-epub-ebooks-on-the-kindle-e-reader/

    Jollus on
  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Jollus wrote: »
    So I was listening to a podcast the other day, I think it was TWIT, and Leo made some comment that Kindle was going to support ePub soon. He sounded unsure of this fact. I wonder if he was thinking of the Library program Amazon is going with Overdrive? I thought that program was going to use the normal DRMed Kindle format.

    Am I crazy, or did I hear wrong?
    We still have no idea. Someone somewhere speculated the rumour may have originated from a misunderstanding about the Amazon/Overdrive deal, though I can't find that article anymore.
    Jollus wrote: »
    Cyvros wrote: »
    The Kobo supports DRM in both ePubs and PDFs, as well as non-DRM ePubs and PDFs. How long is the gift card valid for? The Kobo Touch comes out in June at 129, with the Kobo 2 at 99. I have the 2, previously the 1 (the 2 was a warranty replacement).
    So if i read you correctly, a DRMed ePub book purchased from Google, or B&N, or Borders will play on the Kobo? I suppose that goes for the Nook as well? I am sure all of this info is in the thread somewhere, but I am lazy.

    pre-edit: not that Lazy. Went looking into it a bit at the Google Bookstore, and they link to the Adobe Digital Editions page about supported devices.
    Yeah, pretty much anything protected with ADEPT (Adobe's DRM system for e-books) will work on the Kobo. It's great, because it makes it easier to shop around on price.

    Cyvros on
  • taliosfalcontaliosfalcon Registered User regular
    edited May 2011
    Cyvros wrote: »
    Jollus wrote: »
    So I was listening to a podcast the other day, I think it was TWIT, and Leo made some comment that Kindle was going to support ePub soon. He sounded unsure of this fact. I wonder if he was thinking of the Library program Amazon is going with Overdrive? I thought that program was going to use the normal DRMed Kindle format.

    Am I crazy, or did I hear wrong?
    We still have no idea. Someone somewhere speculated the rumour may have originated from a misunderstanding about the Amazon/Overdrive deal, though I can't find that article anymore.
    Jollus wrote: »
    Cyvros wrote: »
    The Kobo supports DRM in both ePubs and PDFs, as well as non-DRM ePubs and PDFs. How long is the gift card valid for? The Kobo Touch comes out in June at 129, with the Kobo 2 at 99. I have the 2, previously the 1 (the 2 was a warranty replacement).
    So if i read you correctly, a DRMed ePub book purchased from Google, or B&N, or Borders will play on the Kobo? I suppose that goes for the Nook as well? I am sure all of this info is in the thread somewhere, but I am lazy.

    pre-edit: not that Lazy. Went looking into it a bit at the Google Bookstore, and they link to the Adobe Digital Editions page about supported devices.
    Yeah, pretty much anything protected with ADEPT (Adobe's DRM system for e-books) will work on the Kobo. It's great, because it makes it easier to shop around on price.
    The other really nice thing is, if you live outside the US you can find other American based ebook stores to buy books that aren't allowed to be sold in your country. "oh sony store, you can't sell book x to my region? welp guess i'll just go buy it from some other random store"

    taliosfalcon on
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  • MadpandaMadpanda suburbs west of chicagoRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Just got a Kindle over the weekend, loving it so far, already finished the first Dresden Files book.

    Are there any deal sites I should be watching for ebooks?

    I found some ongoing thread on the official Amazon boards but that's about it so far.

    Madpanda on
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  • CyvrosCyvros Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Madpanda wrote: »
    Are there any deal sites I should be watching for ebooks?

    I found some ongoing thread on the official Amazon boards but that's about it so far.
    There's eReaderIQ, which has lists of Kindle books on sale or free, plus a more advanced search than on Amazon's site. That said, I can't get their advanced search to work for me.

    But I may be stupid.

    Cyvros on
  • Junior YankJunior Yank Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    So Barnes and Noble is selling their new e-ink Nook a week earlier than originally planned. I guess when you're producing the things, you can break your own street date.

    It's pretty nice, and quite small/light. The touch controls felt really responsive, and the UI mimics that of the NookColor in most ways, so it was super easy to get around. It doesn't have a removeable back, and there's a little hatch on the side for an optional microSD card.

    Page turns are very fast, and it only seemed to do the black-flash thing every 4-5 turns. The demo device that I tried had the top page-turn buttons set to go forward, so I was confused for a second, but there are settings that allow you to switch that back to the usual top = back, bottom = forward.

    My only complaint is that the color of the background didn't seem as white as I was expecting. You could tell that the display is improved over that of the first Nook, but I didn't have a Kindle 3 handy to compare. And I'm a little surprised that the PDF reader is basically the same as that of the first Nook: (adjustable font size and reflowing text, but no panning/zooming within images)

    I'm going to stick with my NookColor for the time being, since it's perfectly fine for subway-readin', but I might end up getting one of these when I go on vacation at the end of the year.

    Junior Yank on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    My Kindle's screen appears to be broken. The default screensaver failed to disappear when I turned it on this morning, and now a portion of Agatha Christie's face and name remain frozen on the screen. Half of the rest of the screen is now blank as well, and only the bottom quarter and upper right of the screen are responsive. I've tried resetting the device, but that has not done me any good.

    I got it for my birthday May of last year, so it's undoubtedly out of warranty (unless the warranty is longer than a year). I can't call customer service now, but I'll do it tomorrow. Can any of you tell me what options are available to me in regards to getting this thing fixed? How much will amazon charge me?

    Robos A Go Go on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited June 2011
    Honestly? There's a damn good chance they'll give you a new one for free anyway.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Just called them, and it ended up costing me $40. Not entirely unreasonable, but it's still shitty to have the thing break less than one month after ending its warranty.

    Robos A Go Go on
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