http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/ Engadget Comments for The e-Reader story of CES 2010 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/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
2. The feeling of not knowing something, then waiting for it is highly addictive. As they said 'curiosity kills the cat".

3. The same reason why people are so exhilirated with the Apple Tablet, which begs the answer "I don't know yet"

I don't know if this could be the future for reading book as well. Seeing the Skiff details: http://bit.ly/skiff-reader-amazing-details and its specs

But something tells me that this won't ever replace the good ole book we used to know, you know the one composed of papers? lol -- Perhaps, not even in this coming decade.]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 5:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 7:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
begs the answer?

nice try]]>Jan 9th 2010 9:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
The thing is consumer tech movements like this, unfortunately, depend on the lowest common denominator. Only when grandma knows what it is, does a new category of device get this kind of corporate support and momentum. Corporations are vultures, they prey on carrion.

Personally, I started reading eBooks off my Palm Pilot Professional a long time ago and didn't buy a book till Mobipocket software went free. Three years ago I bought my mom a Cybook for Christmas after she finally started reading ebooks off of the Kaiser I bought her. I've been putting ebooks on her various "smart"phones since she was willing to make the switch from "dumb"phones. However, it took that long for my Mom's generation to be willing to make that switch from paper to digital. As soon as she was I got her a Cybook.

Now three years later, the "carrion" of reading digitally is dead enough for the vultures to swoop in. Incidentally, the vultures ate Mobipocket in the process, so now I'm going to have to move my mom to a new book platform :(. I'm thinking she is ready for Calibre.]]>Jan 10th 2010 1:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
They will be once they come down in price and more people learn about them. Blogs and online articles have largely replaced print magazines; but print "rags" are still around. Radio and TV may have challenged the newspaper, but rumors of the death of the hard newspaper were greatly exaggerated.

Such media will continue to live on, but people would have a new choice as far as how to get their media. As for me, I would rather have everything on an easy-to-read and portable device like an e-reader. Hard paper is nice, but in the long run, e-readers are nicer to use every day, I think. ]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 5:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 5:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 6:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/amazon-kindle-books-outsold-real-books-this-christmas/]]>Jan 9th 2010 7:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.juniperresearch.com/analyst-xpress-blog/2010/01/28/how-is-the-ipad-going-to-affect-the-ereader-market/]]>Feb 1st 2010 10:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/ex. Mirasol.

I'm expecting the tablet market to grow, or a booklet market a la Courier, but nothing on that yet :/]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/well that's weird, now theirs a "read more" link... hmm maybe it takes a few.]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/@#$ yes I know there's. I'll just stop talking now.]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
That's just not going to happen though. They will remain a niche. I have a Sony PRS because I read books and it's a great device for reading books - not comics, not pdf's, not even newspapers. Books. Most of these devices offer nothing but the same and there really isn't that many people left in the word who actually 1) read books and 2) know e-ink exists or 3). give up their comfy paper books. Certainly not for the amount for hardware being thrown around.

What's more important right now is a standard, working file format so people can buy content regardless of what device they buy. Like an mp3 for music instead of aac, wma, mp3, ogg, mp3, etc. We're back at the beginning with the printed form and ever vendor is hoping they will reign supreme as the sole provider. ePub is starting but not everyone is game (*cough* Amazon *cough*) so it confuses the public when they buy a book and can't read it.
]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/I disagree. They want to enter the digital delivery business to continue to sell books, not lock in customers. They need to keep the book industry alive in the age of free digital content. Once authors start publishing for free with ads attached to each page they are thru. I think they might be worried about that more and less focused on an iTunes style revenue stream, but that would also be nice for them.]]>Jan 9th 2010 7:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/ Contrary to ALL of the press, the Que is NOT an 8 1/2 by 11 inch screen sized reader! It is just a 10 inch diagonal screen in an 8 1/2 by 11 inch plastic frame. You can clearly see that in the Engadget's demos. The skill is much larger, supports PDF and ePub and will be my next purchase.]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
* Connectivity: Cellular (GSM), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), USB, Bluetooth ® 2.0
* Memory: 8 GB (Approx. 7.6 GB available for user data)
* Display (viewable area): 10.5-inch diagonal, 944 x 1264 pixels at 150ppi, 8 gray levels
* User Interface: Full Touchscreen, Virtual Keyboard
* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, charging via computer or wall charger
* Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" x .3"
* Weight: Approximately 17 ounces
From the Que website. The Que reader does NOT have a A4 sceen, just the form factor is letter sized. I wrote Thomas (the poster) about his error. The Skiff is the largest screen going towards production at the show.]]>Jan 9th 2010 4:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
"It’s large 8-1/2" x 11" shatterproof display"

But we now see that it has a 10.5 diagonal as you pointed out. NOBODY includes the bezel in the definition of display!

http://buyque.barnesandnoble.com/Home-and-Gift/e/814311010043/

Thanks John!]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
I'm happy with the coverage by En too. Great article, great links for me since I haven't dropped by in awhile.]]>Jan 9th 2010 7:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/ It's not that I have anything against the Que, but I was REALLY looking forward to a giant E-reader that could do magazines and textbooks full justice. To find out MONTHS later that all of their promo about a letter sized display was bunk shattered my faith in the company. Que has been reluctantly scratched off of my list.]]>Jan 10th 2010 2:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 4:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
I agree and disagree. Right now its all tech-hype, but if some smart company becomes smart and configures the e-readers to work in a corporate environment (e.g. with handwriting, push-down capabilities, syncing, notes, mark-up on PDFs, work with Lotus Notes / Outlook, etc), they would be a winner. There is a huge demand out there to replace your pen/paper organizer, that is of good battery life and good size. ]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 5:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 7:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 7:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 8:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 8:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
Plus I don't believe the book publishing & retailing industry have really learnt from the music industry re. DRM- if you buy a Kindle you're largely locked into their format (unless you have books on certain unprotected formats), if you buy readers from most other manufacturers you can't download books from Amazon (instead buying them at stores that do them in Adobe protected epub) It really discourages competition and assumes that the customer is dishonest and shouldn't be able to read what they want on the device they want.

All in all, Dead Tree Format isn't dead yet(and that's coming from a happy Sony Reader owner), if the industry continues in the way it is going.]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/For me the 3G is what makes the Kindle great here in Australia. WiFi would be useless for me as the only place it would ever get a signal is in my home or the local McDonalds. My sister visited from overseas and constantly complained about there was nowhere for her to get a signal for her iPod touch. So I get the impression overseas are awash with open wifi?]]>Jan 10th 2010 3:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
I've never understood, why do you need long-range wireless on e-readers at all?

Too lazy to have "the market" on your computer, and then just sync over your normal 802.11 network? Or USB? Or one of the new short-range ultra-fast wireless things?
It doesn't have to connect to a computer, it could very well just connect to your smartphone for internet access (you have one you carry everywhere, right?).. Why do you need a whole separate radio?

Nevermind that the 3G makes it ridiculously expensive in minor countries, nevermind that it's not available everywhere, nevermind that it keeps you tied to them (if they say it stops working, it stops working), it just seems so wasteful to me]]>Jan 11th 2010 5:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 5:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
1) Ability to take notes, both handwritten and typed. The e-reader should have handwriting recognition capability, and for times when you need to take faster notes, a blackberry-sized (or slightly larger) keypad/keyboard.

2) Ability to draw notes, or mark-up on existing documents, effectively replacing the "pad and paper" / portfolio.

3) Needs to be able to continue to operate for at least 5 business days without a charge.

4) Wireless syncing capabilities to the user's desktop, preferably either through wi-fi or 3G.

5) Integration with IBM Lotus Notes / Microsoft Outlook. Better yet, have a blackberry-type push-down support for messages, emails, alerts and calendar synchronization anywhere where there is a cellphone signal. RIM should look into this.

Uses:-
- Taking notes throughout the day when you are in the office or not "mobile" (e.g. on the plan, in a meeting room, etc, but not on the road or at lunch/in a restaurant).
- Replaces the agenda / organizer / paper notebook.
- Keep organized with to-dos, calendars, etc.
- Keep informed through newspapers, magazines, news-feeds, etc.
- Essentially, an extension of the deskop / laptop.

There is a demand for such a product, especially in professional environments like accounting firms / law firms. Tablet PCs are too big, heavy, have short battery life and create too much heat. Blackberries are good for ultra-mobility but its too small to be taking notes from in a serious meeting. Palm handheld devices were also no good due to limited battery life and the smallness of it. ]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
I forgot to mention that they could also consider retrofitting some solar cells on those to extend batter life (or infinite)?

But yes, essentially, whoever can get the "right mix" / balance for the corporate market first, would come out a winner (just like how RIM was successful)]]>Jan 9th 2010 5:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 7:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
as far as the argument of replacing good ol' books, I don't think that will happen, at least in the next 50 years]]>Jan 9th 2010 6:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 7:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
With all developments in technology, the determining factor is the enabling technology - not necessarily the idea - matures. With airplanes and helicopters it was an engine powerful enough. With digital cameras it was the megapixel cmos. With smartphones it was Apple's refinement of the concept.

The current problems of e-readers are monochrome displays, poor refresh rates, inability to handle multimedia convincingly and limited compatibility. Displays such as Pixel Qi's wil allow tablet pcs and readers to merge and it will be the iphone all over again.

If you are in doubt, just imagine an iphone with a 10" screen. That is something I'm looking forward to!]]>Jan 9th 2010 7:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
Also, I would like to see a hybrid device with an e-ink screen on one side and an LCD on the other. That would make the perfect tablet or netbook but the price would probably be too high.]]>Jan 9th 2010 7:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 9th 2010 10:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 10th 2010 12:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/Jan 10th 2010 1:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
I agree. Just like all those clumsy little PDAs and electronic organizers that were around before and just after the Palm Pilot was released.

E-readers are too limited and redundant. You'll still need a laptop or smartphone to communicate. You'll still need a desktop or laptop computer to do work or create anything. And you can read e-books on all of those other devices. ]]>Jan 18th 2010 9:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/
Que and Skiff are the only real leaders from CES, but both are still vaporware with projected dates. Anyone can showcase a mock up at CES. Where's the beef? Lower those priced for grayscale and give it editing capabilities and there is an intermediate winner. Until color comes out in November or apple talks us into a slate with a 4 hour non replacable battery for 1000 bucks. ]]>Jan 10th 2010 10:01AM