Defective by Design is targeting the Kindle

[RWJ]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Returning to the topic, there does seem to be two camps when it comes to reading devices. One believes that a dedicated device works better than a multi-purpose one. The other believes the contrary.
My (purely anecdotal) impression is that younger people prefer the flexibility of multi-purpose devices, while (often) older people prefer a specialist reading device. However, I may be getting an inaccurate impression...

That makes sense. I'm looking for a book replacement, so something the size of a Reader's Digest that carries hundreds of books suits me fine. For people who don't think "how well does this replace a book?" but rather "will this also do X, Y and Z" I can see how a reasonably pricey unitasker (any Alton Brown fans?) isn't hugely appealing.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Returning to the topic, there does seem to be two camps when it comes to reading devices. One believes that a dedicated device works better than a multi-purpose one. The other believes the contrary.
My (purely anecdotal) impression is that younger people prefer the flexibility of multi-purpose devices, while (often) older people prefer a specialist reading device. However, I may be getting an inaccurate impression...

I think you nailed it. I want a dedicated e-book reader. I don't care about music, surfing, or anything else. Just let me read my books.

But then.......I'm old. (ask Ricky!)

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by RWJ

For people who don't think "how well does this replace a book?" but rather "will this also do X, Y and Z" I can see how a reasonably pricey unitasker (any Alton Brown fans?) isn't hugely appealing.

Exactly, they only appeal to avid readers who will think that.

Get one that does other stuff and you can bring in the casual readers who want a device that does X, Y and Z anyway and decide to buy some ebooks on it as well since it has that feature.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Exactly, they only appeal to avid readers who will think that.

Get one that does other stuff and you can bring in the casual readers who want a device that does X, Y and Z anyway and decide to buy some ebooks on it as well since it has that feature.

Speaking from personal experience with the iTouch, I abosultely love that I can do more than one thing. I wish I'd bought an iphone now for one more function. I was all for a dedicated reader when I first came here, but the cost-benefit of a reader isn't enough for me, not now that I've got used to reading on the touch. With my itouch I can listen to music, watch a movie, play around with networking apps, and read... plus you get a nifty coverflow of your books on the device. I understand that the e-ink is better on the eyes and all the pros of that technolgy, but nothing beats having a pocket sized reader on the bus in the morning, or when you have a spare fifteen minutes here or there. Contrary to all reports, reading on the device is not terrible, but I think it depends on the kind of reader you are. If you spend more than a couple of hours at a stretch, it may be a problem. But I'm more of a couple of chapters before bed kind of person now, so it doesn't affect me at all.

Pro or against, there's one thing it's doing that even the Kindle can't manage yet (being restricted to North America as it is) and that is popularising e-reading. It might just be the trojan horse that brings more mass-adoption to digital books.

[dmaul1114]

Yeah, I'm not big on the iPhone/iTouch. It's a cool device and several of my friends have them, but it's really only useful to someone who needs web, e-mail etc. on the go regularly (has a long commute on public transportation etc.).

Otherwise it's pretty cumbersome to use, I have difficulty typing on the touch screen, screen is too small for displaying a lot of websites decently, too small for me to read on etc.

But it is a handy device for people on the go all the time who need to be tethered to their e-mail etc.--just like Blackberries.

I personally never want that as I try not to check my e-mails very often on nights and weekends as I'm always bombarded with e-mails from students and colleagues and can't get a break otherwise.

But I'd be interested in a mid sized tablet that could do all that stuff (but not be a phone) as I wouldn't be inclined to check it all the time it would just stop juggling a reader, laptop, pda etc. around the house and on trips.

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Returning to the topic, there does seem to be two camps when it comes to reading devices. One believes that a dedicated device works better than a multi-purpose one. The other believes the contrary.
My (purely anecdotal) impression is that younger people prefer the flexibility of multi-purpose devices, while (often) older people prefer a specialist reading device. However, I may be getting an inaccurate impression...

I think the preference For a dedicated or multifunctional device is a little difficult to generalize.
As a comparative young person (25) I usually prefer multifunctional devices as that usually means having to carry less and less logistic issues ( having to travel with apowerstrip and a bag of chargers is not fun).
However when it comes to readers I've usually preferred having a dedicated device, as it means that I've not got to worry about whether my 3hr Reading session means I'm not able to take an important call or vice versa.
Having said that, there are times when I don't want to carry a dedicated device with me, and prefer the convinence offers by a multifunctional device. I'm quiet lucky that I'm able to afford to do both, have a dedicated Reader for longer Reading sessions (and holidays) while my multifunctional device can and does serve me well for those quick 10 to 15 minutes of Reading I'm able to grab throughout the day.
So what I'm saying is that it's not really an either or preposition for everyone, with a hibrid solution often suiting many peoples needs.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

I think the preference For a dedicated or multifunctional device is a little difficult to generalize.
As a comparative young person (25) I usually prefer multifunctional devices as that usually means having to carry less and less logistic issues ( having to travel with apowerstrip and a bag of chargers is not fun).
However when it comes to readers I've usually preferred having a dedicated device, as it means that I've not got to worry about whether my 3hr Reading session means I'm not able to take an important call or vice versa.
Having said that, there are times when I don't want to carry a dedicated device with me, and prefer the convinence offers by a multifunctional device. I'm quiet lucky that I'm able to afford to do both, have a dedicated Reader for longer Reading sessions (and holidays) while my multifunctional device can and does serve me well for those quick 10 to 15 minutes of Reading I'm able to grab throughout the day.
So what I'm saying is that it's not really an either or preposition for everyone, with a hibrid solution often suiting many peoples needs.

I agree this is the point we're at now, but I can't see it lasting. Years ago I had an Amstrad Word-Processer (green screen) and alll I could do was type on the thing. It had a singular purpose, and for that purpose it served me very well (exceedingly well, actually). But I would no longer buy such a machine when I can own a computer that does word-processing and a whole lot more.

As it stands the computer isn't the best solution for long form reading, but I don't think we're too far off from an evolution of the e-ink screen that serves a multi-function purpose. A tablet that will, paired with a more traditional standalone computer as a main hub, be used for all the entertainment in a household. Fully portable, this machine will serve as e-book reader, news aggregator, movie watcher, web-surfer, TV remote and scheduler, video conferencer, phone and the whole kaboodle. It might even go one step further and require only a docking keyboard of some sort to make it into a fully fledged computer. Each person in the household will have one, their lives synced to the device through internet, in a cloud-like configuration. In this future I can't see the point of a dedicated anything.

[dmaul1114]

Yeah eventually there will be multipurpose devices out that are good at everything and have super long battery life regardless of what functions your using.

Currently it's an issue/trade off, but it won't be in the future.

[slayda]

I guess by Patricia's logic I must be 66 years young sine I prefer multifunction and small. However not at the expense of eye strain, speed, & $$. Basically I want the whole world and have it fit in my shirt pocket with immediate boot, search, & every other function on a giant color screen.

Oh and with no DRM or DMCA.

[JSWolf]

As far as multi-function cell phones go, I prefer to know that my battery has enough life left in it to make a call. I don't want to listen to music or read a book and when I need to make a call, I can't.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Yeah eventually there will be multipurpose devices out that are good at everything and have super long battery life regardless of what functions your using.

Currently it's an issue/trade off, but it won't be in the future.

Yep. I would vastly prefer to have fewer devices that performed multiple functions well. Until then, I'll take dedicated devices when I feel it's necessary to get the quality I want. It's all about the right tool for the job. If there was a multifunction device that was truly as good for reading as the current e-ink devices, then it would be an interesting question how the choice broke down by generation. At this point, there are too many other factors to have it be solely about "one device or many".