Comments on: EnTourage eDGe ereader/netbook announced

By: 7Keypad for E-Reader

7Keypad for E-Reader — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:13 +0000

videos :
1) Ebook : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kny34GJx8mg

2) Iphone : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awGR7YDe45Q

By: KenJr

KenJr — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:53:09 +0000

You say: “It looks a bit like a solution in search of a problem”. Well, the problem is the need to carry too much ‘stuff’. Personally, I carry both an e-book (Kindle 1) and an internet capable phone (Omnia). I love the e-reader .. nuff said. To have an e-ink e-reader AND LCD web browser, each with a ~10″ screen seems like a real problem solver to me. As for the price, this size screen on a Kindle – the DX (with no LCD web browser) goes for the same dollar amount. If the eDGe e-reader gets linked with a good book source and allows for instant book downloads, I’ll cough up $490 in a minute.

P.S. If ATT had decent cell phone coverage in my part of town I’d own an iPhone and probably wouldn’t be writing this. Then again, screen size is definitely a consideration.

One last point .. If size becomes an issue, Spring Design’s ALEX looks like a pretty good compromise solution (6″ e-ink screen, 3 1/2″ LCD browser with the capability of transferring browsed topics to the larger e-ink screen).

By: dowee

dowee — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:37:58 +0000

I’m still wondering how come libraries have spent millions over the last decade or so to build digital collections and failed at empowering the user to socialize the contents of such collections. It’s been quite a matter of building awesome collections, improving visibility and access, and overlooking interaction with text and other users. Much like a monumental site rather than an environment to live in.

By: Felix Torres

Felix Torres — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:22:09 +0000

What’s interesting to me is that these double screen designs we’re seeing of late (Asus, eDGe, MS Courier) show a very clear focus on the educational market. Which is an emerging sign of maturity in the nascent ebook industry as it signals a shift from generic technology “you can read an ebook!” to application/customer-focused designs “one screen for reading and one for anotations!”. Just displaying ebooks is not enough for a proper educational device; annotation and notetaking, data-management and formatting also need to be factored-in. Basically, where recreational readers are a pure content *consumption* device, educational readers need to add content *creation* features.

I may be a recreational reader myself but I’m not blind to the reality that the textbook market is going to be way bigger and way more profitable to all players than recreational reading.

The only question I have is why has it taken this long to get started.

To me, the logical starting point for educational ebook readers is *not* eink slates, but rather netbooks and UMPCs. The Asus dual pane reader may very well represent the direction the industry moves in, maybe with generic LCD screens (they *are* cheap), maybe with color eink, maybe with PixelQi screens, maybe something else. Ultimately, though, the true victor in this coming war will be the one with the best *software* not the best screen.
Going to take a while…

By: Danny Bloom

Danny Bloom — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:53:55 +0000

related news item: Taiwan’s Asus to make double-screen e-reader to challenge the Kindle

Eric Engleman reports:

http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/09/netbook_maker_asus_to_launch_electronic_reader.html?ana=from_rss

The list of competitors lining up to challenge Amazon’s Kindle is growing almost daily. The latest is Taiwan-based netbook maker Asus, which plans to launch an electronic reader by year’s end.

The new device will have two screens and a hinged spine — giving it a book-like appearance and in theory letting people read from one page to the next. WOW! That is a revolutionary design! Cool!

PHOTO OF DOUBLE SCREEN ASUS DEVICE HERE:
http://zippy1300.blogspot.com/search?q=double-screen

By: Binko Barnes

Binko Barnes — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:34:44 +0000

Looks heavy, awkward and prone to expensive breakage.

For me, half the joy of an ereader is that you can hold it in one hand and read anywhere since it is smaller and lighter than a pocketbook.

By: Danny Bloom

Danny Bloom — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:48:26 +0000

Wowsers on that photo! I like this and yet worry about even more mtasking, aka multitasking!!! But cool and very interesting. Reminds me too of the new dual screen computer being made by an Alaskan firm. Have you seen those photos yet. It’s a normal keyboard but the computer has two screens, i have no idea why. But looks cool.

By: dowee

dowee — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:57:19 +0000

Let’s hope this double-screen device rush hastens the arrival of Pixel-Qi truly hybrid-screen, multipurpose devices, or others like Qualcomm Mirasol screen devices …