Comments on: Upbeat PG story in Canadian newspaper—complete with clueful cellphone/e-book reference from Michael Hart http://www.teleread.com/drm/upbeat-pg-story-in-canadian-newspaper-complete-with-clueful-cellphonee-book-reference-from-michael-hart/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:23:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.com/drm/upbeat-pg-story-in-canadian-newspaper-complete-with-clueful-cellphonee-book-reference-from-michael-hart/comment-page-1/#comment-823196 David Rothman Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:07:36 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/06/09/upbeat-pg-story-in-canadian-newspaper-complete-with-clueful-cellphonee-book-reference-from-michael-hart/#comment-823196 Hi, TRB. Thanks, and, yes, I agree screen size counts, but it's an individual choice. Sometimes, even with a 7 inch screen handy on my OLPC laptop, I want to read something on a PDA. I'm just in the mood for that. Depends on people's eyes. You've already noted the popularity of cellphone reading in Japan. Certain readers actually may prefer narrow, newspaper-sized columns, while others want the relatively "wide-open spaces" of a Kindle or Sony. It's somewhat of an age issue. Older people, despite possible problems with the relatively low contrast of E Ink, may want those machines. At any rate, ultimately, in an improved form, the Radius-type approach could be common. Amazon in in the phone/e-book hardware biz, not just the e-book biz? Of course. Thanks. David Hi, TRB. Thanks, and, yes, I agree screen size counts, but it’s an individual choice. Sometimes, even with a 7 inch screen handy on my OLPC laptop, I want to read something on a PDA. I’m just in the mood for that. Depends on people’s eyes. You’ve already noted the popularity of cellphone reading in Japan.

Certain readers actually may prefer narrow, newspaper-sized columns, while others want the relatively “wide-open spaces” of a Kindle or Sony. It’s somewhat of an age issue. Older people, despite possible problems with the relatively low contrast of E Ink, may want those machines.

At any rate, ultimately, in an improved form, the Radius-type approach could be common. Amazon in in the phone/e-book hardware biz, not just the e-book biz? Of course. Thanks. David

]]> By: TheRealBillc http://www.teleread.com/drm/upbeat-pg-story-in-canadian-newspaper-complete-with-clueful-cellphonee-book-reference-from-michael-hart/comment-page-1/#comment-822991 TheRealBillc Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:18:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/06/09/upbeat-pg-story-in-canadian-newspaper-complete-with-clueful-cellphonee-book-reference-from-michael-hart/#comment-822991 The fact that this is already becoming true in Japan (according to a Sony report recently that is, that people there so prefer reading on cell phones that Sony is discontinuing its reader sales in Japan), hints at what could be the future here. But dispite those that say their phone, even the iPhone, would make a satisfactory reader, I don't think the screen size is really big enough, and many who are reading on their phones now (in the US) apparently concede that much. Battery life too would be further limited. When the technology improves, having a bigger screen expand out of the side of your phone (like the Radius)will certainly advance the concept to something more mainstream, but we have a ways to go before we get there. Until then, a smart phone and a wifi/bluetooth/touch equiped ereader could leverage the technology we have today for a pretty good interim solution. The fact that this is already becoming true in Japan (according to a Sony report recently that is, that people there so prefer reading on cell phones that Sony is discontinuing its reader sales in Japan), hints at what could be the future here. But dispite those that say their phone, even the iPhone, would make a satisfactory reader, I don’t think the screen size is really big enough, and many who are reading on their phones now (in the US) apparently concede that much. Battery life too would be further limited. When the technology improves, having a bigger screen expand out of the side of your phone (like the Radius)will certainly advance the concept to something more mainstream, but we have a ways to go before we get there. Until then, a smart phone and a wifi/bluetooth/touch equiped ereader could leverage the technology we have today for a pretty good interim solution.

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