Hey -- this one makes sense, so we shouldn't be too surprised, but it turns out that Time, Inc. is seriously looking into getting into the
e-reader business, according to a leaked presentation from June of this year. The slides, which are entitled "New Platforms & Business Models for Publishers," also contained notes which had been updated as late as this past August, indicating that Time has plans to launch a product as soon as the end of this year. Though Time had said back in March that it had "no interest" in getting into the e-reader biz, it's not terribly shocking to hear that they were either fibbing or changed their minds, considering how the market's been heating up lately, combined with the deaths of many, many print mags. NBC contacted Dawn Bridges -- a spokesperson for Time -- about the story, who said the company is "speaking with a number of hardware and software companies as well as other content companies about various projects." Vague enough for you?
[Via
Gizmodo]
posted Sep 11th 2009 10:37AM
What is the point of these e-book readers? For the cost of one of these things you could buy a more capable netbook and read e-books on that, not to mention do a heck of a lot more. Or better yet (arguably) buy a real book. How many books can one really go through on the average trip to make buying an e-book reader necessary.
A lot of it is about convenience and a better reading experience.
A ebook reader has an E-ink screen that is much easier on your eyes and uses very little power. Its really hard to understand how E-ink is different from LCD until you try one out. The devices are smaller, lighter, and the batteries last an order of magnitude longer than netbooks. Netbooks are also the wrong format and interface. An ebook reader is much more like a book. A netbook is just a bad compromise. I have an HP netbook, and a Kindle. Each one has its proper function but there is little overlap.
Why does every time an e-book article is posted somebody asks this question?
Do you have a netbook? Try reading a page of black text on a white or light gray background in direct sunlight. Then try reading it in a lower light environment without dimming the backlight.
The whole point of e-ink based e-book readers is that they duplicate the experience of reading a printed page. No washed out screens, no staring at a bright light source (the backlight of an LCD panel), plus much longer battery life.
Honestly if you have a Iphone, Blackberry or Android phone there's a free e-reader app for your cellphone. There's no point of buying one of these unless you want to waste money or your a die-hard reader that isn't too tech savvy...
Yes, and why buy that Canon camera to take on your vacation? Your cell phone has a camera built in. Just use that.
Phones: (- small screen, LCD glare, short battery life, monthly service charge) (+ always in your pocket)
Ebook readers: (+ screen much easier on your eyes, battery lasts for days/weeks, bigger screen, dedicated interface, no monthly fees) (- doesn't fit in most pockets)
I take it you have not tried reading a full book on an LCD. It's impossible on my 1080P notebook display. I'm blinded by the light after about 25 pages.
Well, first off, netbooks are not eReaders. I can use my Kindle pretty much anywhere and, importantly, hold it like a book. It's battery lasts for days. the 3G service allows me to buy content anywhere I can get a signal...I can also use the basic browser to look up things and check news, email, etc pretty much anywhere I have service. The content is free or very cheap. I can add my own content. In fact, about the only thing your netbook does that I cannot do on the Kindle is watch video. I'll use my pmp for that, thanks.
@ Platinum_Skeet - Really? You can't understand why someone would not want to read an entire book on their cellphone?
When you read these posts on ebook articles, you know ONE thing... That person has NEVER used an ebook reader. I kinda of thought the same thing before I bought one - then my entire view changed.
Do Netbooks and iPhones do:
- 3week+ standby
- 7500 PAGE turns
- allow a full 180 degree view - like a REAL page?
- not give off any sort of light - after reading an LCD screen your eyes feel like shit.
PLEASE, try one before you say a netbook, iphone, or any LCD screen is a replacement for a real e-ink display. Thanks
If you are going to read on a computer, if it happens to be a mac this app makes it much more pleasant.
http://amarsagoo.info/tofu/
I have actually read a whole book switching between reading it on my monitor and iPhone, and I can tell you it's crap, but I got through it. It was out of print and not in any of my local libraries though, so it one-upped books in that the book didn't exist.
What's the point of time, if we want to darken black people's pictures we can all use photoshop.
And BS there's plenty of on the internet already.
Great, now all they need is content.
I see them calling up the AP, rupert and the other anti-google, anti-Amazon, anti-online-news moguls and getting them on board with this. They already want a "coalition" to deal with on-line news for free.
make this mobile connected, or even use the pager network if they're just dumping minimal data. Price this at $50 per month with Time/WSJ/Local (or your favorite subscriptions) included and they'd break even GIVING you a Kindle-quality device in 6 months... for no more than the dead-tree subscription prices. Executives would eat up the "always ready" aspect when they fly around.. one could even add the local paper where your at each day.
If they added some functions useful for students like automatic bibliography and search of back issues (articles sent to the unit) they might get schools and libraries on board too.
They are content. This is Time, as in Time Warner communications. As in Time-Life books.
In other words as opposed to Amazon and Barnes and Noble (booksellers), or Sony (electronics retailer), Time is an actual publisher of content.
I do have a netbook, and my matte screen does fine in sunlight, about as fine as a book. E-book readers may have an edge over netbooks for the sole purpose of readong, but a netbook with a matte screen + extended battery (my eee1000 gets around 8 hours when I Turn settings down) trumps an over priced e-book reader. That said, usually if I want to read something, I simply buy a paperback book. Their usually light weight, low cost, and have infinite battery life :)
I would tend to agree, but reading on a notebook in bright light conditions (ie: outside) sucks big time.
What kind of netbook is it that you have?
Indeed, once you have used an ereader for a bit, using a netbook or your phone for reading books is a terrible compromise. Reading off eink is completely different from reading off a backlit lcd display.
Yeah and then you get declimatised from where the real action is, engadget comment sections, you didn't think of that did you.
Dawn Bridges! That would be a perfect name for...
Pixel Qi. That is all.
Your comment is lame. No one is going to look up some product just because some guy mentions it on a blog, but didn't care enough to explain why he thought it was better.
Time would be ruined with out its amazing photography, something these e-readers can't display.
Hearing all the positive feedback regarding these readers does make me curious, I didn't think there would be so many positive comments regarding these devices. However at this time the price (only speaking for myself here) doesn't warrant the purchase. But even if the prices dramatically fell I couldn't see myself getting one. I'm attached to physical media, be it cd's, dvd's/ disc based games, and yes books.
Time would be much better served by getting their product onto every imaginable device instead of trying to compete with their own limited use machine. Last I remember, Time was a content company (primarily), not a hardware company. Let the hardware manufacturers get worry about the product, and just focus on producing content people want to buy.
free ereader with subscription to a magazine or two, sounds good to me
I have a Kindle and while books are good the magazines suck, suck, suck. I have seen the E Ink color protoype and it is not good, think of a dull sunday comics then cut your expectations in half = color E Ink.
Also I am always concerned that I am going to have an epiliptic fit from all the flashing the screen does when it turns a page.
It's just another also-ran, and will be buried in the eventual die off. Amazon and Sony are the only safe bets, and Sony still looks a little shaky.
People don't have real laptoops anymore?
Does anyone else see a perfect opportunity for Apple to come up with a periodical publishing format to use on its " large-screen, keyboardless touch-sensitive computing devices." Whole new section of the iTunes store... books and publications. Seems like there is plenty of good content out there, looking for mechanism. Just me?