Comments on: ‘Let e-readers be e-reader’: Why ex-HarperCollins exec wants E Ink gizmos to focus on App One

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:05:23 +0000

I agree emphatically with Karel regarding the comfort and battery life of the eReaders. However, if Apple ever puts forth the rumored iPad (netbook with touch interface), I will be one of the first to want one. But not to read on.

By: Karel Byloos

Karel Byloos — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:59:20 +0000

An ‘all purpose’ device like a netbook will never give you the comfortable reading experience that a dedicated eReader will – it’s not easy to just grab it with one hand, or lay on your back while reading, for example. The LCD screens are not built for book or document consumption either. Another challenge is battery life – eReaders offer days, even weeks of battery life, not hours.

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:26:08 +0000

Very, very rarely do I use my Kindle to go on the web. As far as I am concerned, it is a reading device of books, blogs, newspapers and magazines and I am quite content with it. I do not need for it to do everything. My iPhone can do everything, even be a reader, but the small screen and subsequent eye strain makes me confine its use to the occasional 5 minutes standing in line here and there. I read way too much for it to be satisfactory for hours and hours of reading, which my Kindle is.

By: Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:19:09 +0000

I don’t see what’s wrong with everyone being able to choose how they enjoy their reading. Multiple devices with multiple functions and choices (from one to a hundred) benefits everyone. Let Kindle do what they want… if I don’t like it, I’ll buy another device, or continue to read on my PDA. But I maintain that ALL e-books should be readable on ALL reading devices, or we are ALL being done a disservice.

By: Jack Tingle

Jack Tingle — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:53:07 +0000

Currently, I read ebooks on a “Swiss Army knife”, a PDA. There are certain things a dedicated reader would have to do as well or better before I’ll switch.

File organization is one of them, to take an example. It always amuses me to see discussions about which external file organizer is better. My opinion is that you shouldn’t have to need an external file organizer. My PDA has a traditional file structure, and I organize my ebooks quite nicely, thank you.

Would the larger screen make up for some shortfalls in a reader? Yes, but it needs to be a well designed, well thought-out reader. Ebook readers and file structures need to have tolerable multiformat capability, good organization tools, working tables of contents, actual indices, etc. to justify a dedicated device. Sort of like the books and libraries we have now, huh?

Barring that, I’ll stick to my PDA, where I can read most books most of the time, and I’m not tied to one limited, imperfect approach.

Regards,
Jack Tingle