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HP DreamScreen tablets are no iPods for e-books, but if you buy one, here’s how you can probably read ‘em
September 17, 2009 | 10:46 am
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By David Rothman
The new HP DreamScreen tablets might be just the ticket for Facebook and YouTube or casual Web-surfing.
Still, they are no iPods for e-books.
Basic specs—for both the $249 10-inch models and the $299 13-inch—don’t even mention e-book-reading capability.
Of course, if you really want to read e-books off the tablets, you probably can. I suspect you can convert texts of nonDRMed books to images that the tablets will treat like photos. I’d welcome further suggestions for prospective owners from TeleRead community members. How about JPEGbook? It works with the modest little Juicebox.
I’m also intrigued by the claimed ability to “easily access content on your PCs and the Web via a simple menu.” So could you run ePub-reading software on your desktop and see the same image on your DreamScreen? I doubt it, but who knows about future models?
Perhaps screen resolution will improve as well. Current res for the 10- and 13-inch models is a mere 800-by-400, alas, though the DreamScreens do offer WiFi. Full specs for the 10-incher are online in PDF; for the 13-incher, go here. Meanwhile I’ll share an except from VentureBeat:
“The DreamScreen screens look beautiful, and the user interface is far easier than a typical computer. It’s almost like using an iPhone, except on a much bigger display and with side controls instead of a multitouch screen. The $249 DreamScreen 100 has a 10.2-inch display and is targeted for a bedroom nightstand or dresser. The $299 DreamScreen 130 has a 13.3-inch screen and is targeted for use on a kitchen counter or coffee tables.”
No, I haven’t seen one in person, and am still wondering if the res is really high enough for optimal enjoyment of e-books, despite VentureBeat’s enthusiasm for the screen, obviously with other uses in mind.
Also bear in mind that a zillion apps exist for the iPod from the Apple store, including e-book-related ones; so, if you’re still panging for an iPod tablet with a six-inch screen or larger—well, I don’t blame you.
Updated at 1:09 p.m.: To mention JPEGbook.
Related: CNET, Techmeme and Google roundups and Twitter search.
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Comments:
This device gives me the impression of one that HP would necessarily keep simple and limited. I wouldn’t expect extensive apps added to it. Heck, it doesn’t even have a web browser! And if it was going into the kitchen, I would have at least made sure it could read text (like menus and recipes) in some kind of way. Pass!
Hi, Steve. The text-to-image software for the Juicebox might do the trick–I’ve updated the original post. Still, it isn’t the most elegant solution. I’d definitely recommend that people NOT buy the DreamScreen with text in mind as the main app.
Thanks,
David
Yeah… the text-to-image thing is, IMO, like using your screwdriver handle as a hammer… it is a bass-ackwards solution to a problem, and really shouldn’t even be encouraged.
Not to say the device isn’t fine for watching videos and checking facebook… but I wouldn’t waste time trying to set it up as a text reader.
It might be bad for books – but a relatively large screen tablet (especially one that supports portrait mode) could be very good for comics and manga.
I just saw these at a press event in New York. They only run off AC power, no batteries. They use a special HP designed OS, well the marketing guys say it isn’t even as complicated as a real OS, that is Linux based, but, they told me, not even remotely like Linux. It will be made open source so someone could do an ereader, but any reader could never be ported to another platform, or from another platform, because of the odd OS. This is not something that HP ever considered, they told me.