http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/ Engadget Comments for Entelligence: Of ebooks and suburban moms http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Until then, read the article before commenting based on the cover image.
=]]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Now, one thing I know for sure is that my Cuisinart toaster is the best! Take that KitchenAid fanboys! ]]>Nov 2nd 2009 11:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Amazon Crannie]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
For me, it's the screen. E-Ink just makes sense with books... battery life in page turns. When I read a book, it's often sporadic, so I don't want to have to charge a reader the next time I want to read it. I want it to be there, on the same page I left it on.

E-Ink is also a lot easier on the eyes than an LCD screen.]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
I think with this future of all of our digital needs being merged into a single device, will eventually need to be reversed, for many reasons, one product can't cover an entire market, the entire gadget industry would crumble. Software can't do everything, we will continue on this trend of merging all our devices into our cell phones and continuously smaller tablets for a few more years, but for reasons of market diversity, the market will need to shift away from these Jack of all trades master of none devices, and focus on products that excel beyond what these single devices can do. When you merge a phone and a camera, you make sacrifices on quality, and often a very low quality flash if a flash at all. Cell Phones and computers haven't replaced cameras for good reasons, and the same is with these ereader devices the eink is the key to their success, because it is what makes it better than multifunction devices. I also believe these are the only way to save the print industry, again as I stated earlier, my computer and iPhone are too distracting, I can do so much more stimulating things on them, just because watching movies, surfing the web, and playing games are more fun/stimulating, does not make them a substitute for reading. I plan to subscribe to NYTimes when I get my nook, and thats just because the way its delivered, and the content that it has, it makes print media more stimulating just because its an electronic device, and I know I am not the only one who is shallow like that, where I need it to be electronic to give me motivation. I look forward to a future where my backpack for school is a nook and a computer.

Gah I got too into this discussion, sorry for the wall of text.]]>Nov 1st 2009 7:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 8:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
If we're going to live with their stupid DRM schemes they need to work across devices. I'm sure there are lots of Kindle owners right now rethinking all those books they bought as they look at the Nook and realize they're locked in and didn't realize it until now. Book stores need to sell books. There need to be eBooks available that support various stores. Until that happens the market will remain nichey.

Of course they also need to figure lots of other stuff out--how to render PDFs that were designed for bigger pages, how to handle page numbers for students when there aren't any pages, how to allow note-taking in the margins, how to loan books, how to resell them, and on and on. All of this stuff will work itself out over time.

Single function device? Sure, right now. But over time this stuff will merge. Maybe some sort of combo LCD/transflective screen will be the solution. Color and video when you want it but better battery life than current LCD tech. Or something else. The single function eBook thing will only last for a time. Then there will just be form-factors, e.g. fits in your pocket, or in your purse.]]>Nov 2nd 2009 11:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Back on the subject of eReaders: Yes, I think there is a market for them. My father, who is for all intents and purposes technophobic actually wants one, which is saying something. I think the portability, and ease of acquisition of hundreds of books will draw people to them, although not necessarily en masse. Print books aren't going anywhere for a while.]]>Nov 2nd 2009 7:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Can you imagine if Engadget writers had reviewed the first refrigerator, or the first television? These were products that cost a fortune in the beginning and all had serious flaws. But hey, that must mean there's no market for them.

I'm not saying don't mention a product's shortcomings in a review, but Michael is using these very normal growing pains as a reason to suggest that there's no market for this product at all, which is crap. It's like he doesn't understand technology at all.]]>Nov 2nd 2009 10:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 3rd 2009 5:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Err, Sony stated months ago that their in the process of ditching their own proprietary format and switching to ePub.]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
My favourite idea from the Kindle is being able to access Wikipedia. Meanwhile, I would love to see Interactive Fiction on this medium. It makes a lot of sense on e-ink. Done right, it really is a powerful art form.

The long battery life and the ability for stuff to stay on the screen for a long time makes a lot of sense for a scheduler, too.

I think the world is big enough for two different categories of multi-purpose portable gadgets with screens.]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
I'm a student. My physics textbook weighs something like six pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but combine that with my calculus text, which is almost as big, plus my laptop and the weight of my bag itself... hell, most days I only have one book and the computer, and the walking and stair-climbing is killing my knees and shoulders. If I had an e-reader device with all my books in electronic format, that weighed 2-3 pounds? Hell yes. If it had a pen input and I could carry around a bluetooth keyboard to go with it, I might not even need the laptop every day.]]>Nov 1st 2009 8:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/I'm sure I saw it here on Engadget.
]]>Nov 1st 2009 9:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/1) They are a bit on the expensive side. The kindle does save on actual books, and pays for itself, eventually, given ebook pricing, and the large number of completely free classics, which you'd have to buy to read on paper.
2) Booklights work as well on a kindle as they do on a book. They cost about 5 dollars for the bedroom. Also, I'm not sure if you've been on an airplane since about 1950, but they have pretty good lights for reading magazines, books, and yes, ebooks. Non issue.
3) Refresh rate is a red herring. It takes less time to display a new page on my kindle dx then it does to turn a page on a normal hardcover book. Sitting with a laptop in bed is incredibly awkward, it gets hot, and, while it refreshes fast, grabbing for the trackpad to turn pages is not exactly comfortable while horizontal. Reading an entire novel on an iphone... c'mon, really? That's beyond silly for at least 3 reasons too obvious to insult people with by typing.

Cost is the main issue here. It isn't "moms" (people other than moms do read, you realize), back lighting, and refresh rates. ]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
"However, mobile reader apps like those from Amazon and Barnes & Noble can easily tap into more casual markets, allowing users to leverage the investment in screens they already own instead of buying a dedicated device."

Come now. I stopped reading at this point - do we really need to tell the *engadget editors* that e-ink displays are *different* to the LCD displays people already own? Seriously. Different.]]>Nov 1st 2009 7:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
The stereotypical suburban mom just wants a device that looks decent, is easy to carry around, is priced for the masses (rather than for the enthusiasts/geeks), and "just works" with minimal fuss. That's one large reason why the iPhone is so popular, and why eBook readers still have a ways to go.

Until they do, they'll have a limited market. As intrigued as I am by the Nook, I know I'm not an indicator of mass adoption. Once my mom asks me about a device, then I know it'll have mass appeal.]]>Nov 1st 2009 7:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
In 2003, I began reading on my palm m500 (a monochrome LCD screen with very comfortable backlighting), using eReader software (the company B&N bought a few months back before giving ebooks another go). Once book selection improved, I abandoned paper entirely. My e-library, not including free public domain books, is now as large as my actual library. I haven't owned or used another booklight since, and my reading experience (and my eyes, for the record) is (are) better for it.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/07/pixel-qis-3qi-lcd-screen-sized-up-with-kindle-cto-sheds-light/
Ideally, what I'd like to see in a dedicated eReader on this issue is Pixel qi screen tech. It's an LCD with a twist -- when put into epaper mode, the backlight goes completely off and various layers and reflective techs make it look a lot like eink -- and is perfectly visible in direct sunlight. It definitely would have less battery life as an LCD, but for me, that would be less of an issue than having to lug around and maintain a booklight, much less paying a premium for eink.

Slightly less ideally would be an eink reader that has a well-concealed well-designed booklight built in and tied to the ereader's battery. Instead of having multiple things to carry and multiple batteries to care for, it would all be part of the reader itself. Props to Sony for trying a sidelit reader, but their design undermined readability in all circumstances too much.]]>Nov 1st 2009 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 2nd 2009 3:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 2nd 2009 8:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
I do have a question concerning the consumption of e-books: is there a Zune Pass-esque way to purchase books from any e-book retailer? I feel that books ESPECIALLY apply to the 'consume once' aspect of media, and I don't think I'd like to buy each book at full-price for one-time use. That, more than anything, would convince me to get an e-reader.]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Get with the times people. ]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Give me a 7 inch colour screen, a built in system for recommending books I might like, a web browser and a sub-£150 price point and I'll bite. But I get the feeling that that might be too much to ask for a few years yet.

I don't want to read on a backlit screen, or anything LCD as it is not comfortable for long periods. Screen refresh is not a concern, as stated by another commenter I have to wait to turn a page at the moment and I'm not going to be watching video on it. ]]>Nov 1st 2009 6:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 6:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 8:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Apparently all those who complain about an LCD must not work with a computer because I look at my computer monitor for hours and I personally woudln't have a problem at looking at one to read for a few hours especially if I can control the brightness, etc...]]>Nov 1st 2009 7:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Nov 1st 2009 7:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
My eyes definitely start to strain after awhile in front of the computer. Especially with the glossy LCD on my laptop (my matte desktop LCD is a bit more tolerable).]]>Nov 1st 2009 8:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
1. PRICE: The Nook & Kindle are each about the cost of 12 hardcover books. For a tech guy like you, that may seem like a lot; for someone who buys a lot of books (like my wife), not so much.

2. BACKLIGHTING: e-ink is easier on the eyes than backlit screens, causing less eyestrain headaches for people (like my wife) who don't use computers regularly throughout a typical day.

3. HIGHER-REFRESH RATES: Page turns are about as fast as turning the page of a physical book, and will likely be even faster in the next generation. While that may seem annoyingly slow to you as a tech person, it's not as egregious to paper book readers, especially since it's easy enough for readers (did I mention like my wife?) to predict when to instinctively "pre-click"...that is, click the next page button about half-a-second before finishing reading the current page.

All of your arguments about why the Kindle & Nook won't be successful are coming from someone more tech-savvy than the target audience. You apparently already have an iPhone that can download ebooks wherever you go, and you don't mind reading those ebooks on its tiny screen. For the non-tech market who reads a lot (and yes, people who read printed books still exist in surprisingly large numbers), these readers are much more comfortable. And integrated cell-based online shopping makes it a convenient, affordable, portable nirvana.
]]>Nov 1st 2009 7:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/Maybe it's not important to regular readers like you, but at least it's an surplus for many geeks like me, who during the working day hours DON'T have much time for casual reading---yes that's the only thing ereaders are good at as of now. I will need to keep the entire room light up for some pre-bedtime reading---how lame is that? Hate booklights coz they bring intolerable flare and drains the battery super fast. ]]>Nov 2nd 2009 3:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/01/entelligence-of-ebooks-and-suburban-moms/
Old style incandescent booklights had sucky battery life. The same cannot be said for LED based ones. And flaring can be minimized through proper positioning.]]>Nov 2nd 2009 5:48AM