e-book readers

[mgarnett]

@Zakhal and Milkweg

The standard Kindle 2 just received an OS update giving it the ability to read PDF files. Also, apparently, they are introducing further updates early 2010 allowing for the use of folders to assist in the organisation of your book collections.

Cheers

Mark

[Hanal]

And waiting in the wings for 2010 is Apple's iPad.............

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-293658.html

[milkweg]

ORIGINAL: mgarnett

@Zakhal and Milkweg

The standard Kindle 2 just received an OS update giving it the ability to read PDF files. Also, apparently, they are introducing further updates early 2010 allowing for the use of folders to assist in the organisation of your book collections.

Cheers

Mark

OK, but just received email from Sony saying as of Dec 11th they are moving to making all their books available in ePUB open format standard and can download any previous purchase that is not ePUB in ePUB format, Sony already supports use of folders too.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: mgarnett

@Zakhal and Milkweg

The standard Kindle 2 just received an OS update giving it the ability to read PDF files. Also, apparently, they are introducing further updates early 2010 allowing for the use of folders to assist in the organisation of your book collections.

Cheers

Mark

Allthough eslick has all that I might have rechecked kindle2 but since Im picking my slick in 1 hour from post office its too late now.

It doesnt matter whether you wait or buy now. Whatever you buy will get old fast. And if you wait for "better" you have to wait forever. Ill wait but while waiting Ill read eslick.

And waiting in the wings for 2010 is Apple's iPad

Anything from apple's Steve Jobs will always be interesting even though I dont buy mac-stuff really. I might buy iphone if it had 5mgpx camera and better battery.

[Zakhal]

Ok I received the reader, but I have to wait 3-4 hours for it to charge. It looks nice though and Im eager to test it. I bought a nice cover for it too made from real cow skin or somthing. Feels very nice to the touch.

I also bought 4GB SDHC Class4 memory card for it. Its the max size it can take and faster too. There was a faster version available but I read that its so fast that it doesnt last long. Also eslick doesnt work with all SDHC cards so I had to buy kingston which was recommended by the eslick developers.

Also eSlick developers recommended that in large file transfers seperate reader is much faster and stable to use. So I also bought a memory card reader that can read/write all cards know to man (20-30?) with high-speed usb 2.0 connection. It cost 15€.

Next thing Im going to do is format the two kingston 2/4GB cards to fat32 if needed. I read that they might be factory formatted to fat16 and eSlick doesnt really work well with that.

EDIT:

Windows XP32 says that SD card is "fat" and that SDHC card is "unknown". The reader came with drivers for windows98 and 2000 so I guess windowsxp sp3 allready has needed drivers. I try formatting the sdhc card but I always get the message "not readable" or somthing. I check and the card is in write mod so that should not be a problem.

Next Im going to try formatting the SDHC card in vista64 if that would work better.

EDIT2:

After several hours and one firmware update from hell (thanks to flimsy microusb cord and software designer who thinks that pressing six times four different buttons during one bios update is a great idea) Im finally reading my first book. The reader feels superb. This is one of my best purchaces to this date. Its excellent for reading pocket-books. I love it.

My only worry is whether the battery lasts. But I can find that only through longer testing. The microusb power cord is very loose and its impossible to read it while charging. It would just unplug all the time. Just hope the battery is changeable atleast. Atleast there is a backdoor with one screw.

[Marc von Martial]

All I want is an ebook reader with full color and full PDF support.

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: Zakhal
Anything from apple's Steve Jobs will always be interesting even though I dont buy mac-stuff really. I might buy iphone if it had 5mgpx camera and better battery.

Really if you want to take photos buy a camera. For visual notes the iphone camera in the 3Gs is more then enough. What the heck do you want with 5mp on such a tiny sensor? Even more pixel pap.

The battery is actually not that bad, but I agree it could use a lot more bang.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

Really if you want to take photos buy a camera. For visual notes the iphone camera in the 3Gs is more then enough. What the heck do you want with 5mp on such a tiny sensor? Even more pixel pap.

You must be kidding! I dont know about sensors but Ive taken 300 5mp photos over a period of 16 months now and many of them are great pictures. I love taking photos with it and checking them afterwards (and showing to people). Going back to potentially worse cameras is no option for me.

I have older 2mp photos from my friends phone (I used it few times) and they are simply awful compared to the ones with my current phone. I dont know if its the sensors or whatever but clear differences do exist.

As for seperate camera thats useless because I would never have it with me when I need it. As for phone thats something I carry everywhere so I can always take pictures.

Id say my needs for camera are propably different from yours. And as for iphone thers always the battery thing too. Mobile phones are suppose to be mobile not wired.

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

All I want is an ebook reader with full color and full PDF support.

You dont like reading books that consists only of black text and white pages? [:D] For large multi-column color pdfs I ordered samsung NC10 mini-notenook (1,3kg 10" 8hr battery). Should receive it next week.

[milkweg]

ORIGINAL: Zakhal


My only worry is whether the battery lasts. But I can find that only through longer testing. The microusb power cord is very loose and its impossible to read it while charging. It would just unplug all the time. Just hope the battery is changeable atleast. Atleast there is a backdoor with one screw.

Sony says their eBook is unusable to read books while it is plugged in to USB. Not the same on yours?

[milkweg]

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

All I want is an ebook reader with full color and full PDF support.

Why do you need color? For .pdf manuals? I doubt there will be eBook with color support because the screens are a special greyscale that is easy on the eyes and not LCD. I don't see a need for color considering what they are designed for.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: milkweg

ORIGINAL: Zakhal


My only worry is whether the battery lasts. But I can find that only through longer testing. The microusb power cord is very loose and its impossible to read it while charging. It would just unplug all the time. Just hope the battery is changeable atleast. Atleast there is a backdoor with one screw.

Sony says their eBook is unusable to read books while it is plugged in to USB. Not the same on yours?

Its not. My mistake. But the cord isnt actually loose. I just had to learn how to plug it in. You have to really stick it in all the way.

I took som pictures from current book Im reading. It has maps and text from the first pages. If anyone is interested I can try posting them here.

Hers one google pic:


The text on the screen is large btw. I usually use text font thats two levels smaller.

This is a good picture: http://www.tudra.net/wp/wp-content/gall ... eslick.jpg

[milkweg]

I already added a 4GB SD card to my Sony PRS-600 and have over 300 free epub books downloaded to it. I don't think I will need to buy any books for a loooong time now.

[JamesM]

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

All I want is an ebook reader with full color and full PDF support.

May not be colour but they have are good with pdf documents.

http://www.irextechnologies.com/products

[milkweg]

That pro Irex on the right in your link has 3 green led lights on the bottom. That was a bad idea because you don't want anything that can distract your eyes while reading. That's why6 I made sure to buy a black frame Sony reader. The sales guy at the Sony store said the metallic red is the most popular color but I think that is the worst choice people could make because again the color is distracting to your eyes. They have a silver model too which is better but black is optimal due to it acting as a frame that makes the black text stand out just like with B&W photographs. That flat grey of the Foxit reader above is a good choice too but LED lights and bright colored frames are bad decisions IMO.

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: milkweg

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

All I want is an ebook reader with full color and full PDF support.

Why do you need color? For .pdf manuals? I doubt there will be eBook with color support because the screens are a special greyscale that is easy on the eyes and not LCD. I don't see a need for color considering what they are designed for.

Take the "eBook" term I used not too seriously. I wait for something the size of the Kindle for reading full color PDF. I have a few art and design PDF magazines as subscriptions and it would be just great to be able to take them with as easily as you can do it with eBooks and the Kindle.

But with regards to eBook readers. The Fujitsu reader is already full color [;)]

[Hanal]

"But with regards to eBook readers. The Fujitsu reader is already full color "


Have the prices come down on them? No way was I going to spend over a $!000 for an e-reader unless it also made my toast in the morning.....

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: J P Falcon

"But with regards to eBook readers. The Fujitsu reader is already full color "


Have the prices come down on them? No way was I going to spend over a $!000 for an e-reader unless it also made my toast in the morning.....

Nope I think not. I guess it will be another 6 month before affordable ones will pop up.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

ORIGINAL: J P Falcon

"But with regards to eBook readers. The Fujitsu reader is already full color "


Have the prices come down on them? No way was I going to spend over a $!000 for an e-reader unless it also made my toast in the morning.....

Nope I think not. I guess it will be another 6 month before affordable ones will pop up.

For whatever reason (no price cuts or lack of availability? Somtimes the japanese just like to keep the rest of the world waiting. ) fujitsu plans to sell only 50,000 towards the end of 2010:

Fujitsu’s Flepia comes in at such a high price point ($1,000 approximately) that its instantly out of the reckoning as a Kindle Killer.

There are however some interesting things about it, and there’s a chance that as Fujitsu scale-up they can cut down the price enough to be a threat. Given that eInk screens might not get color until 2011, the Flepia does hold promise.

2. A price of 99,750 Yen that at March 27th’s exchange rate is $1,013.771. So almost exactly triple the price of Kindle 2.
3. Color e-Paper 8-inch display screen capable of showing up to 260,000 colors in high-definition.
4. 768 dots x 1,014 dots (XGA) screen resolution. And it does look impressive –
5. The Flepia’s proprietary epaper technology is developed jointly by Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Frontech.
6. Up to 40 hours of continuous battery operation when fully charged, and like eInk only requires power to re-draw the screen.
8. Weighs just 385 grams and only 12.5mm thick.
14. They also state that their sales target is to sell 50,000 of these by the end of 2010. Talk about a lack of ambition.

http://ireaderreview.com/2009/03/26/fuj ... ok-reader/

Its twice heavier than my 6" pocket-book reader but its specs are nice. Not sure if 8" is enough to read multicolumn magz though. I might buy bigger reader one day for those.

Perhaps 2011 will be the year of color-readers and 2012 one or two will be available in Finland too. However Im not waiting anymore. Im allready on page 500 on Red Storm Rising. [;)]

[milkweg]

OK, didn't know they have color already but it is not anything I would buy anyway because all I want mine for is text and nothing else.

[Hanal]

Well I'm still awaiting my NOOK as it is back ordered and so I should get it mid January....So far I have read mostly positive reviews as they seemed to have taken advantage of any criticisms of KINDLE and corrected them in their unit....If anyone here manages to get one, before I do, I'll be interested to read what you think....