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Post details: Of eBooks and eBook Readers

2009-05-08

10:31:53, by Eric Baber

, 448 words, 290 views

Categories: Thoughts

Of eBooks and eBook Readers

What with all of the recent hoopla regarding the recently-announced new Kindle DX I've had various conversations about eBooks and eBook readers. There are a number of things that I find so obvious I'm surprised nobody else has addressed them (though maybe they have and I haven't noticed). Here are some of them:

The concept of eBooks is great (convenience of transport, ability to annotate etc) but the implementation of dedicated eBook Reader devices just isn't there yet. Page turning is too slow, annotation clumsy because the input capabilities are limited and first-generation etc.
The dedicated eBook Reader device (of whatever manufacturer) is a very transient phenomenon, or at best a niche one in the long run. Everything is heading towards convergence: instead of having to carry around more, we all want to carry around less, but while being able to do more. At the moment we have to carry around a laptop or netbook for web browsing, e-mailing, working on files etc; a mobile phone for making phone calls and listening to music; and now we're supposed to buy an eBook Reader device as well which only lets us read text (well, some let us listen to music as well, but.) And the prices of eBook Readers given their functionality is far too high. What I foresee in the next 3 - 7 years is this: laptops and netbooks with dual screens - one backlit one like they have now for fancy graphics in full colour, and a second one with e-ink technology that is far better on the eyes, for extensive reading. A side benefit of that would be that if you use the e-ink screen battery life is significantly longer - always a good thing on a netbook or laptop. The limitation on those at the moment is that they only do black, white and shades thereof - but that's going to change in, at most, 5 - 10 years when we'll have full-colour e-ink screens. At that point we'll go back to having one screen. In any event, the sole USP of eBook Readers - screens that are better on the eyes - will be wiped out as soon as there are netbooks on the market that do everything we want to do on the move.

Refinements will be in there too - making the screen foldable and unfoldable, meaning the device will get smaller while the viewable screen size will get larger; being able to switch the device from read-only to full-input mode, for prolonged battery life; accelerometer and touchscreen capabilities; integrating mobile telephony into the devices; etc.

I guess the main thing that I'm surprised about is the amount of hype that is generated around devices that I consider limiting, transient, and vastly over-priced.

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Comment from: Nick [Visitor]

I think you're spot on with some of these predictions, Eric. The main one being the technology isn't there yet - though Fujitsu already produce a colour screen device (that'll be $1000 a pop!).

However, there are a few points that niggle me re: ebook technology. Despite ever-decreasing sizes of netbooks and the like, I still can't see people whipping out these machines to read a book - think of what percentage of reading is done in public places etc. People will want a small device (but still bigger than a typical mobile) to read on - point in case being the shock at the size of the new Kindle.

The convergence of devices is a good point. But I still envisage those embracing the technology to be prepared to carry two devices (ie mobile phone + ereader/mp3/video player), especially in the target age group of the user. The young may love their all-in-ones. The older user is more organised, focused and does not have the need to slip whatever they're carrying into the pocket of their jeans.

I think a more interesting argument is not whether ereaders will be successful. They will, at some point, become quite commonplace. (Don't AMazon claim to have shifted 500K units of the Kindle already?) Anyway, the price will come down significantly; the technology will be fast, colour screens, and, as you say, you will be able to get limitless refinements on them (though will they just be a refinement to something else?).

So ... to me the question to address would be: how will they exist alongside the printed book. Can you really imagine them as 'niche' only? I can't.

And what I'd really like to know is how publishers are going to deal with their 'napster moment'. Already, SCRIBD and the like are hosting copies of copyrighted books (scanned) and publishers seem to be struggling to keep a lid on that. And they're a legit company. What about Rapidshare and friends who host countless pirated books, free for download? Textbook torrents etc? Impossible to control - and in terms of date, short downloads.

Permalink 2009-05-08 @ 11:38

Comment from: Vicki Hollett [Visitor]

· http://www.vickihollett.com

Oh Eric - I strongly identify with this:
"instead of having to carry around more, we all want to carry around less, but while being able to do more."
And that makes me nervous. A confession - I can't text - well of course I sorta can, but I am very slow and my kids laugh at the garble in my messages. I was hoping the world might converge on something more keypad like (or even voice recognition) before I had to apply myself, but perhaps I'd better bite the bullet and get used to typing with tiny devices? What do you think?

Permalink 2009-06-14 @ 08:03

Comment from: Eric Baber [Member]

· http://www.ericbaber.com

Hi Vicki,

With regards to texting, you may just not have found the right phone for yourself yet. Over the past 5 years or so I've worked with 10+ phones and have only been really comfortable with two of them for texting purposes. It's dead simple things like size of keys for your particular finger-size, how well the predictive texting works (or how easy it is to turn off if you don't want to use it) etc. I guess it's like finding the right shoes - just because you haven't found the right shoes for your feet & your taste doesn't mean that all shoes are awful :-)

As to voice recognition - various mobile networks now allow you to send voice messages, which I guess approximates what you'd like to be able to do. It means the recipient has to *listen* to your message rather than read it in text format, but at least you don't have to input your message on a keyboard. I can see that that feature will come soon though - talk into your phone and it turns it into a text message. Can't be far off.

Eric

Permalink 2009-06-15 @ 09:17

Comment from: max everingham [Visitor]

· http://www.gamestate.com.au

There was a mildly interesting address at GDC recently, saying that 'technology is not convergent, it's divergent', with the exception of 'pocket' devices. I agree. I have a netbook, am typing on it now, in fact, and it's great for proper typing (near full size keyboard), on Facebook, email and other websites. I have an iPhone too, which I love. But I hate using Facebook on it, because the keyboard, for a touch typist, is rubbish. Web surfing is terrible, too. I use my phone to call people, to send SMS, to check Google Maps occasionally, and that's it. And I have a Kindle, probably the best gadget I've ever owned, and love it for the one, single, thing it does superlatively well. Technology has never been convergent: I don't want everything to converge, any more than I want my car to turn into a boat or a plane, or my shoes to turn into rollerblades or skiis - because every convergent device is a disappointing compromise. It always will be, in my opinion. Technology is divergent, and that's the way I like it. :-)

Permalink 2010-02-23 @ 09:36

Comment from: Eric Baber [Member]

· http://www.ericbaber.com

And voila, here's the first dual-screen device - colour/backlit screen plus second e-ink screen in one: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/entourage-edge-shipping/

Permalink 2010-03-01 @ 13:57

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Post details: Of eBooks and eBook Readers

2009-05-08

Of eBooks and eBook Readers

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