Deal Breakers for a New User - Page 3

Liviu_5 · 07-02-2007, 01:44 PM

"Word search" is a very useful feature of a book reader, the closest analogue to flipping pages in a print book.

I am not of the opinion that e-books have to lavishly follow print (after all I do 70% of my e-reading on a gold letters/black background setup), so arguments like "when can you do with print books that?" are irrelevant to me.

E-books have their strengths and weaknesses, and playing upon the former is a very important factor to speed up their way into mainstream use.

JSWolf · 07-02-2007, 02:23 PM

But what good is lighter with a dead battery?

nekokami · 07-02-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEMelby

The page flip speed only becomes an issue when I am scanning a reference document for a particular piece of information. The liniar nature of books which tell a story translate well to these devices. The random access nature of reference materiel make page flip speed a bigger issue.

You are absolutely right, and this also becomes an issue when trying to find something in your own notes on the iLiad. We recognize what's on a page much faster than we can actually read it.

In the iLiad user's community, we're looking at thumbnail views to help with identifying and quickly navigating to a particular page, but that will only work if you've got some way to recognize the page, e.g. it's a chapter head, has a diagram, or you've seen it before and sort of recognize the shape of this text (which is quite common). It still won't provide the sort of page-flip interface I think most of us use when trying to quickly find information in a reference text. Even LCD screens can have trouble with that sort of refresh rate (well, maybe it's the screen drawing speed, not the LCD refresh rate, but you know what I mean).

JSWolf · 07-03-2007, 12:18 AM

The problem s that most E-Ink based readers don't have any way to input words to search for. So the software doesn't have that built into it. The Sony reader has no keyboard and the Cybook doesn't look to have one either (as examples)

liem · 07-05-2007, 08:17 AM

Sony Reader got ten buttons right? That's enought for a cellphone styled text input. Combine with T9 dictionary and some clever word indexing of the loaded book and you got a rather effective and familiar mean of inputting text.

And my personal favorite, if you got too few buttons you could always use morse code. I sure hope the Cybook is open enough for me to implement this.

Jack B Nimble · 07-05-2007, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The problem s that most E-Ink based readers don't have any way to input words to search for. So the software doesn't have that built into it. The Sony reader has no keyboard and the Cybook doesn't look to have one either (as examples)

All too true, and one of the reasons I held off on buying one of the new readers, but it does not have to eliminate searches entirely. As I really wanted a built-in light, I purchased the eBookwise, and one of the surprise features is the ability to tap a word, and get search options for that word, including Next, Previous and a dictionary search (if you have installed the free dictionary).

Of course, without a touch screen, and with the slow refresh, even highlighting a word on the Sony could be a painful process, but it should be quite easy on the Irex.

Jack

wallcraft · 07-05-2007, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liem

Sony Reader got ten buttons right? That's enought for a cellphone styled text input. Combine with T9 dictionary and some clever word indexing of the loaded book and you got a rather effective and familiar mean of inputting text.

Some Cable TV systems do search using just the arrow keys and enter. I think part of the problem is the e-Ink refresh rate. This isn't usually a big deal for full page reading, but it could be for interactive text entry. It can probably be worked around, but the technology is new enough that we don't have a very large baseline of "expected" capabilities (LCD-based devices are expected to come with text entry, for example, and it would create negative comment if this were missing).

NatCh · 07-05-2007, 03:45 PM

Vizplex is supposed to respond faster, it might be that we'll see them get more ... adventurous once they have the faster refresh rate.

ColdSun · 07-06-2007, 01:21 AM

I've had quite a few LCD-type reading devices now, and I have had no issue with my battery running out. Sure, it takes a little more management to charge it up more often, but its no big chore. They charge up so quickly that its never really been an issue. To me, I absolutely need a backlight for my reading - as you have seen from my other posts. I've seen the e-ink technology and it is very nice but its just not for me.

The best reading device as far as LCDs go that I've owned so far (for battery life) was my ebookwise-1150. That thing lasts for so long without a recharge, its really quite amazing. The Nokia 770 has a better looking screen but is much harder to read in broad daylight for some reason. The screen is also smaller. The 770 seems to need a charge far more often. My newest addition to my collection is a Web DT 375 Tablet PC. It has an 8.4" screen and I just love the thing. The screen is very nice, not too bright, and still readable in daylight. The battery life, suprisingly, is better than my Nokia 770 (maybe I got a lemon?). I do have the external battery for it. Plus, since it has Windows for an OS, I can transfer my files back and forth from my desktop using wireless without even connecting a cord. So for almost the same price as an ebookwise-1150, I really have tons of functionality on this thing.

athlonkmf · 07-06-2007, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColdSun

I've had quite a few LCD-type reading devices now, and I have had no issue with my battery running out. Sure, it takes a little more management to charge it up more often, but its no big chore. They charge up so quickly that its never really been an issue. To me, I absolutely need a backlight for my reading - as you have seen from my other posts. I've seen the e-ink technology and it is very nice but its just not for me.

The best reading device as far as LCDs go that I've owned so far (for battery life) was my ebookwise-1150. That thing lasts for so long without a recharge, its really quite amazing. The Nokia 770 has a better looking screen but is much harder to read in broad daylight for some reason. The screen is also smaller. The 770 seems to need a charge far more often. My newest addition to my collection is a Web DT 375 Tablet PC. It has an 8.4" screen and I just love the thing. The screen is very nice, not too bright, and still readable in daylight. The battery life, suprisingly, is better than my Nokia 770 (maybe I got a lemon?). I do have the external battery for it. Plus, since it has Windows for an OS, I can transfer my files back and forth from my desktop using wireless without even connecting a cord. So for almost the same price as an ebookwise-1150, I really have tons of functionality on this thing.

well, everyone has their own reasons and needs. If a backlit tablet pc works better for you, no one would talk you out of it.

NatCh · 07-06-2007, 08:35 AM

Well said, athlonkmf -- if you've got something that works for you, excellent, stay with it until it stops working, or something that genuinely works better comes along.

Zach · 07-08-2007, 01:27 AM

Search is a critical feature. Even in fiction it would come in handy. When I read a 19th century novel, there are details about characters that become relevant a couple of hundred pages later. Being able to instantly find all the places where that character is mentioned would let me get more out of the book faster. I really like the idea of being able to save 20 or so searches per book. This would be a big benefit to college students and would help them write papers.

For nonfiction books, especially in the humanities and social sciences it would be of even greater utility.

HarryT · 07-08-2007, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach

Search is a critical feature. Even in fiction it would come in handy. When I read a 19th century novel, there are details about characters that become relevant a couple of hundred pages later. Being able to instantly find all the places where that character is mentioned would let me get more out of the book faster. I really like the idea of being able to save 20 or so searches per book.

The issue is data input. How would you input a text string on the Sony Reader?

Quote:

This would be a big benefit to college students and would help them write papers.

Do college students write papers these days? I thought they just downloaded them from the internet.

rlauzon · 07-08-2007, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach

Search is a critical feature.

I have to disagree. Search is not "critical". I would place it in the "nice, but not necessary" category.

HarryT alluded to the issue: how do you enter the search criteria? To add such a feature to eBook readers make them more expensive, and provide a feature that is not in pBooks today.

NatCh · 07-08-2007, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach

Search is a critical feature. Even in fiction it would come in handy.

For nonfiction books, especially in the humanities and social sciences it would be of even greater utility.

You could head back to your PC to do your searches -- that's probably where you're writing the paper anyway ....

07-06-2007, 01:21 AM	#39
ColdSun Developer/Device Reviews Posts: 588 Karma: 22183 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: Sony Xperia Tablet Z, Kindle Paperwhite 2, Lenovo Yoga 8, IPad 3	Battery I've had quite a few LCD-type reading devices now, and I have had no issue with my battery running out. Sure, it takes a little more management to charge it up more often, but its no big chore. They charge up so quickly that its never really been an issue. To me, I absolutely need a backlight for my reading - as you have seen from my other posts. I've seen the e-ink technology and it is very nice but its just not for me. The best reading device as far as LCDs go that I've owned so far (for battery life) was my ebookwise-1150. That thing lasts for so long without a recharge, its really quite amazing. The Nokia 770 has a better looking screen but is much harder to read in broad daylight for some reason. The screen is also smaller. The 770 seems to need a charge far more often. My newest addition to my collection is a Web DT 375 Tablet PC. It has an 8.4" screen and I just love the thing. The screen is very nice, not too bright, and still readable in daylight. The battery life, suprisingly, is better than my Nokia 770 (maybe I got a lemon?). I do have the external battery for it. Plus, since it has Windows for an OS, I can transfer my files back and forth from my desktop using wireless without even connecting a cord. So for almost the same price as an ebookwise-1150, I really have tons of functionality on this thing. Last edited by ColdSun; 07-06-2007 at 01:22 AM. Reason: Typos

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Fictionwise - not a real deal, but possibly a good deal?	orwell2k	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	4	02-10-2010 08:43 AM
Other Fiction Barbour, A. Maynard: Breakers Ahead v.1 July 10, 2009	Sonist	Kindle Books	0	07-10-2009 04:47 AM
Short Fiction Grant, Robert: The Law-Breakers and Other Stories. V1. 31 Jan 2009	crutledge	Kindle Books	0	01-31-2009 07:26 AM
Short Fiction Grant, Robert: The Law-Breakers and Other Stories. V1. 31 Jan 2009	crutledge	IMP Books	0	01-31-2009 07:23 AM
Short Fiction Grant, Robert: The Law-Breakers and Other Stories. V1. 31 Jan 2009	crutledge	ePub Books	0	01-31-2009 07:13 AM

07-02-2007, 01:44 PM	#31
Liviu_5 Books and more books Posts: 917 Karma: 69499 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: White Plains, NY, USA Device: Nook Color, Itouch, Nokia770, Sony 650, Sony 700(dead), Ebk(given)	"Word search" is a very useful feature of a book reader, the closest analogue to flipping pages in a print book. I am not of the opinion that e-books have to lavishly follow print (after all I do 70% of my e-reading on a gold letters/black background setup), so arguments like "when can you do with print books that?" are irrelevant to me. E-books have their strengths and weaknesses, and playing upon the former is a very important factor to speed up their way into mainstream use.

07-02-2007, 02:23 PM	#32
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 76,044 Karma: 134368292 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	But what good is lighter with a dead battery?

07-03-2007, 12:18 AM	#34
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 76,044 Karma: 134368292 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem s that most E-Ink based readers don't have any way to input words to search for. So the software doesn't have that built into it. The Sony reader has no keyboard and the Cybook doesn't look to have one either (as examples)

07-05-2007, 08:17 AM	#35
liem Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: N/A	Sony Reader got ten buttons right? That's enought for a cellphone styled text input. Combine with T9 dictionary and some clever word indexing of the loaded book and you got a rather effective and familiar mean of inputting text. And my personal favorite, if you got too few buttons you could always use morse code. I sure hope the Cybook is open enough for me to implement this.

07-05-2007, 03:45 PM	#38
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Vizplex is supposed to respond faster, it might be that we'll see them get more ... adventurous once they have the faster refresh rate.

07-06-2007, 08:35 AM	#41
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Well said, athlonkmf -- if you've got something that works for you, excellent, stay with it until it stops working, or something that genuinely works better comes along.

07-08-2007, 01:27 AM	#42
Zach Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 51 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: Sony	Search is a critical feature. Even in fiction it would come in handy. When I read a 19th century novel, there are details about characters that become relevant a couple of hundred pages later. Being able to instantly find all the places where that character is mentioned would let me get more out of the book faster. I really like the idea of being able to save 20 or so searches per book. This would be a big benefit to college students and would help them write papers. For nonfiction books, especially in the humanities and social sciences it would be of even greater utility.

Advert

Advert