Ebook Hardware

rahlquist · 09-21-2005, 01:46 PM

Where are we today with Ebook hardware? Whats everyone reading on? I did comb through the forums a bit but havent found anything entire conclusive as to whats preferred. I currently use a Jornada 540 (yes its a dinosaur but I dont require much and my old Palm was the type that used AAA batteries). My wife also has a REB1100 but I find it too heavy when my carpel tunnel is bothering me.

If I could have the ideal reader, compared to my Jornada it would be;
The same weight
Rubberized or textured surface, the Jornada is slick
Same battery life or better (I can typically read for 18+ hours without charge)
Screen; dimmer light for indoors at night, brighter one for outdoors during daylight, finer resoloution wouldnt hurt but not a big deal, larger screen would be awesome.
MP3 playback would be a plus
User serviceable batter a plus
Easy navigation a plus
Able to use .txt content or for end user to create content
Dock for synch would be a pluse
Ability to use external media in lieu of dock

Any thoughts or suggestions?

WarStrider · 12-21-2005, 01:43 PM

All those things would make a wonderful ebook reader. Sadly it does not exist yet. ebooks are just not popular enough for large amounts of money to be spent on R&D to make a great device. We are a niche market and thats the reality for us. The ebookwise device is the best we have right now, unless you have enough money to spend on a PPC. But even those have tiny screens despite their good resolution, so you need good eyes to make out the clear but tiny text.

bingle · 12-21-2005, 02:11 PM

If you can wait you might want to check out some of the E Ink devices that people have been talking about lately... There's the Hanlin V2 and the IRex Iliad. Both promise to be fairly large, light, have good battery life, and allow user-created content. The downside is that they will both be fairly expensive, probably ($300+).

09-21-2005, 01:46 PM	#1
rahlquist Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 60 Join Date: Sep 2005 Device: Nook Color (ICS)	Ebook Hardware Where are we today with Ebook hardware? Whats everyone reading on? I did comb through the forums a bit but havent found anything entire conclusive as to whats preferred. I currently use a Jornada 540 (yes its a dinosaur but I dont require much and my old Palm was the type that used AAA batteries). My wife also has a REB1100 but I find it too heavy when my carpel tunnel is bothering me. If I could have the ideal reader, compared to my Jornada it would be; The same weight Rubberized or textured surface, the Jornada is slick Same battery life or better (I can typically read for 18+ hours without charge) Screen; dimmer light for indoors at night, brighter one for outdoors during daylight, finer resoloution wouldnt hurt but not a big deal, larger screen would be awesome. MP3 playback would be a plus User serviceable batter a plus Easy navigation a plus Able to use .txt content or for end user to create content Dock for synch would be a pluse Ability to use external media in lieu of dock Any thoughts or suggestions?

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12-21-2005, 01:43 PM	#2
WarStrider Member Posts: 15 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2004 Device: Rocket Reader Pro	All those things would make a wonderful ebook reader. Sadly it does not exist yet. ebooks are just not popular enough for large amounts of money to be spent on R&D to make a great device. We are a niche market and thats the reality for us. The ebookwise device is the best we have right now, unless you have enough money to spend on a PPC. But even those have tiny screens despite their good resolution, so you need good eyes to make out the clear but tiny text.

12-21-2005, 02:11 PM	#3
bingle Addict Posts: 273 Karma: 499 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco Device: Sony Reader	If you can wait you might want to check out some of the E Ink devices that people have been talking about lately... There's the Hanlin V2 and the IRex Iliad. Both promise to be fairly large, light, have good battery life, and allow user-created content. The downside is that they will both be fairly expensive, probably ($300+).