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

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Posts

  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Yes, the touch screen is just a layer over the top of the eInk display, and that's what makes it milkier and less crisp. Imagine getting a regular book and putting a fairly thick layer of touchscreen plastic over it; that's what's happening there.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm still waiting to hear more on a couple of upcoming eReaders, here (like the COOL-ER 3G and the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO). But a Sony is also very tempting.

    I'm kinda curious to see how the Libre's monochrome reflective LCD ends up working out. Does the existing Aluratek eReader use the same technology?

    Edit: Alternatively, I'm really interested in PixelQi's LCD/eInk hybrid screens, too.

    Cokebotle on
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  • WulfWulf Disciple of Tzeentch The Void... (New Jersey)Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Starfuck wrote: »
    The DX looks nice for the big screen and reading things like textbooks and journal pdf's, but I think I can manage with the K2 if read it in landscape. Portability isn't a "major" issue, but I would like to tote the sucker around in my book bag between home and work, not to mention reading on the can.

    Yeah, I suppose I'm a bit unique in that it will fit perfectly in the bag I take the back-up drives to and from work in. plus it will fit right into my backpack that I take to shows (which has a padded pouch) and in the pocket in my briefcase. Though to be sure, I'm also getting the case for it, so the e-ink paper doesn't get mucked up from stuff touching it.

    Wulf on
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  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the COOL-ER 3G is going to suck

    Senjutsu on
  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Senjutsu wrote: »
    I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the COOL-ER 3G is going to suck

    I wouldn't doubt it, honestly.

    I'd think the current big 3 (Nook, Kindle, and Sony readers) are going to be the best values for the time being overall.

    Cokebotle on
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  • CabezoneCabezone Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Cabezone on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Cabezone wrote: »
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Holy shit, that's crazy if true.

    I wonder if that's something that can be fixed with a firmware update, or if it's a problem with the screen.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Cabezone wrote: »
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Holy shit, that's crazy if true.

    I wonder if that's something that can be fixed with a firmware update, or if it's a problem with the screen.

    Isn't it the same screen as the Kindle?

    Cokebotle on
    工事中
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Cokebotle wrote: »
    Cabezone wrote: »
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Holy shit, that's crazy if true.

    I wonder if that's something that can be fixed with a firmware update, or if it's a problem with the screen.

    Isn't it the same screen as the Kindle?

    Well, they're both e-Ink, but just as all LCD's aren't equal, I'd imagine the same is true for e-Ink screens.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm reading that NYT review, and they mention atrocious battery life. 2 days, versus 7 with the Kindle. I'm assuming that's with wireless always on.

    Edit: The WSJ also has a review up. It's less scathing than the NYT, but they're still not happy with the device.

    Edit 2: NYT review
    WSJ review

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Hm... the initial review on Engadget wasn't that bad. Still sucks about the battery life if true. :(

    Cokebotle on
    工事中
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Again, it frustrates the hell outta me when they measure battery life in days rather than page turns.

    Because I sure as hell don't know how many pages they read each day on it, right?

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Well, with the wireless on, it's a bit more fair, since that will drain battery life whether you're reading or not.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Really? I've read that unless you're actively downloading/browsing/updating the battery use from the wireless is negligible. But duh, I don't own one yet. (So excited.)

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • servbotservbot Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I saw a Kindle DX in the wild today, Do Want!

    servbot on
  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Cokebotle wrote: »
    Cabezone wrote: »
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Holy shit, that's crazy if true.

    I wonder if that's something that can be fixed with a firmware update, or if it's a problem with the screen.

    Isn't it the same screen as the Kindle?
    Same screen, but could use a different controller. Kindle uses this thing

    http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Epson_controller

    edit: of course it could also just be unoptimized software taking an age to decompress the files. Or a slow CPU. Need to see the full specs to make a decent guess as to why its so slow

    Senjutsu on
  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Well, with the wireless on, it's a bit more fair, since that will drain battery life whether you're reading or not.

    Ditto the LCD on the nook.

    Senjutsu on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    The wireless definitely drains a lot of battery life. The Kindle's is halved with wireless on. But, you can easily leave it turned off when you're just reading, and only turn it on when you need the functionality it supports.

    OremLK on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    So I was misinformed!

    Oh well. If you can just leave it off then I don't see why I wouldn't do exactly that when I'm not grabbing books.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    the only benefit to leaving it on is that you can be at work and hit sample, or buy a book, and it will have downloaded itself already when you get home

    Senjutsu on
  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Senjutsu wrote: »
    Cokebotle wrote: »
    Cabezone wrote: »
    NYT review says the page turn time on the Nook is 3 seconds. Has that been verified anywhere else? That seems like it would be far too slow for most people.

    Holy shit, that's crazy if true.

    I wonder if that's something that can be fixed with a firmware update, or if it's a problem with the screen.

    Isn't it the same screen as the Kindle?
    Same screen, but could use a different controller. Kindle uses this thing

    http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Epson_controller

    edit: of course it could also just be unoptimized software taking an age to decompress the files. Or a slow CPU. Need to see the full specs to make a decent guess as to why its so slow

    Yeah, there's a lot of different reasons why the battery life is so low. Hell it's probably the color touchscreen's fault.

    I was just pointing out that it probably isn't the screen itself, as the Kindle has the same screen :)

    Cokebotle on
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  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I hate the page turn measure, because it's never accurate. You need to turn pages in a steady rhythm until it runs out. I've never had an ebook last as many pages as it's supposed to, not even close.

    PolloDiablo on
  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I meant the refresh rate, not the battery. The battery is probably the 3G and wifi radios and the lcd

    Senjutsu on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    So I was misinformed!

    Oh well. If you can just leave it off then I don't see why I wouldn't do exactly that when I'm not grabbing books.

    The wireless really only needs to be on all the time if you read a lot of daily papers, or any blogs that update frequently. Otherwise, you might as well only turn it on when you're buying something.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • CokebotleCokebotle 穴掘りの 電車内Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Ah, gotcha.

    Edit: Re: Senjutsu

    Cokebotle on
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  • StarfuckStarfuck Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Are you guys getting the 2yr extended warranties on your Kindles? Are they "delicate" enough to warrant it?

    Starfuck on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Starfuck wrote: »
    Are you guys getting the 2yr extended warranties on your Kindles? Are they "delicate" enough to warrant it?

    No, it's pretty damn solid for any kind of normal use.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Yeah, there's even a video on Amazon's site that shows them dropping a Kindle from like 5-6 feet up and it just bounces.

    edit: I am wrong, it's only being dropped from 30 inches, but I've dropped mine from about 4 feet up and it landed on concrete and is fine.

    Darmak on
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  • StarfuckStarfuck Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Ordered.

    Starfuck on
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  • UncleChetUncleChet N00b Lancaster, PARegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Starfuck wrote: »
    Are you guys getting the 2yr extended warranties on your Kindles? Are they "delicate" enough to warrant it?

    We bought the warranty for both our Kindles. Totally worth it. Hubby crushed his against the car console with his big ole leg and damaged the screen. Free next day replacement. Granted you get only one of these.

    UncleChet on
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  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Mine slipped out of my hand once and hit a non-concrete hard floor in exactly the wrong way and got a 1-inch crack on the front screen. This was with a jacket protector on it.

    I figured, what the hell, it's just aesthetics, I don't need to run and get it repaired. Wrong.

    Any cracks or flaws in the screen will cause the e-ink to freak out. You start getting problems with refresh rates, previous screens won't fully disappear so the new screen is almost unreadable because it's overlayed on the old screen, you can kinda fix this by turning the Kindle on and off, but the problem gets worse and worse until finally your Kindle is just a brick.

    And once that happens you can pay 50% of the cost of a new Kindle, ship your old one in, and they'll replace it. A tad expensive, but worth it. No I did not have a warranty.

    edit: It's slipped out of my hands maybe once or twice since then, from about the same height, and nothing has happened. I think it just hit at a bad angle.

    Spacemilk on
  • WulfWulf Disciple of Tzeentch The Void... (New Jersey)Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    servbot wrote: »
    I saw a Kindle DX in the wild today, Do Want!

    :winky: It's soooo awesome. I am actually looking forward to this 6 hour flight now!

    Wulf on
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  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Apologies if this has been covered already, but if you have a Nook or a Kindle, what happens to your library if for whatever reason the companies decide to discontinue the e-reader services?

    I mean, can you download your purchased books to your computer and transfer them to other devices/ read them on your computer? Or are they only good for use with that specific e-reader, and if the reader breaks and the service has been discontinued for whatever reason, are you just shit out of luck?

    That's one of the main reasons I'm wary about these types of services. I don't like the idea that something I have purchased can just be gone if the company shuts down

    Also, can these things withstand a trip in a backpack or purse? Or are they pretty delicate?

    Didgeridoo on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    You'll always have your reader until it breaks down, and they have programs that let you read your books on your PC/MAC. iPhone too, but that will be obsolete faster than a PC or a Kindle will be.

    I presume if either of them ever shut down, they'd either make some kind of concession that let you keep your books forever, or more likely, their reader/audience gets sold to their competitor, and folded into their group. IE, if Amazon went under, they'd probably sell the Kindle to B&N, and we'd get a software upgrade that lets us read books from that service.

    And I can only speak for the Kindle, but it's rock solid. I was actually really surprised at how hefty and solid it felt when I got it, considering how thin it is. You'll want to get a cover for it, just because it does have an unprotected screen, but if it's in it's cover, I wouldn't think twice about just tossing it into a backpack or overnight bag, and my wife carries hers in her purse all the time.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Helpless RockHelpless Rock Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I just went to my local Barns and Noble to check out the nook. God damn was that demo unit buggy and slow as all shit. I couldn't even get it to select a book unless there is some magic way of getting the touch screen to work. It took multiple attempts to get it to the cover flow of the books that they had on it and at that point I couldn't get it to load up a select book. When it finally did do something it ended up just loading a description of the book... the book next to the one I was trying to select. I wouldn't have expected a demo unit for a ebook reader to be so fucked up.

    Outside of that... the look and feel of the device was pretty slick.

    Helpless Rock on
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  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Thank you Monkey, that does make me feel better about these products. And it's nice to know that the kindle is pretty durable- if it was flimsy, I could never imagine switching to it instead of a hearty paperback book.

    And this is a somewhat nonsensical thing, but my interest in an e-reader has gone way up since I've seen the covers for them that open and close like a regular book. There's was just something about the fact that it only had one 'page' so to speak that really irked me.

    People who own an ereader, do you find yourselves reading more often than you did before, or about the same?

    Didgeridoo on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    Quite a bit more actually. And I find I actually go out of my way to find books on the Kindle now, and will try and wait on books that aren't, until a Kindle version is available. I actually just read a couple normal paper books again for the first time in months, and the whole time I couldn't wait to finish so I could get back to reading on my ereader.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I actually haven't had any problem finding books for the Kindle. Most eBook store give you Kindle-specific instructions and a format to easily get stuff on the Kindle, so if the Amazon store doesn't have the book, it's only slightly more trouble to get it elsewhere.

    One nice thing is about 90% of the books I've bought so far from Amazon have been less than $7, so cheaper than running to a bookstore. Although part of this is because I've been devouring one author's bibliography for the past month or so so it makes sense her books would be similarly priced.

    OremLK on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited December 2009
    What other bookstores do you go through Orem? I've stuck exclusively with Amazon thus far, but wouldn't mind checking out other stores if they're that easy to get working on the Kindle.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Yeah, I read so much more now that I have a Kindle. I haven't bought a paper book since I got it.

    Darmak on
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