Barnes & Noble promises B&N eReader app for iPad near launch
By Donald Melanson 
posted March 11th 2010 12:29PM
posted March 11th 2010 12:29PM
posted March 11th 2010 12:29PM
Apple iPad 3rd-gen
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Still waiting for the JooJoo tablet and/or color e-ink readers.
I'm sure someone has pointed this out already, but there already IS a Kindle App for the iPhone/iPod Touch and therefore iPad.
Unless Apple bans it, of course.
@DeekoVB5 There also is already a B&N app on the store.
it's like having a bookstore, in a bookstore!
Seems this story has gotten the Apple hategirls' panties in a bunch.
And what, pray tell, is Stanza? I realise that it was written by a company which is now owned by Amazon, but it still reads books downloaded from B&N stores - as does eReader.
@AntipodeanCharm Just a note: Barnes and Noble purchased eReader and Fictionwise some time ago.
Yes! Please let Amazon do the same thing. I like their prices & selection...
I'm not convinced that reading on an LCD is a bad experience, or that it will cause eyestrain. Glare from the screen may be an issue, but just reading from the LCD will be fine for many people if the screen is sufficiently bright.
A while ago I installed "Classics" on my iPhone, which looks incredibly similar to the iBooks interface. I ended up reading Robinson Crusoe, Huckleberry Finn, The Time Machine, and a few others using that app and never experienced any eyestrain whatsoever.
Everyone has opinions, but nobody has done any research on the matter. I personally love the highly educated opinions of the people who say that using your computer to read and write all day is different than reading a book. What scientific journal did you guys pull that out of?
If you use LCD's all day and don't experience eyestrain, then there is no reason to automatically assume that reading a book will cause it. If you're going to read for several hours straight, do your eyes a favor and take short breaks every so often and let your eyes relax and focus on more distant objects. This goes for paper books, e-readers, iPads, or whatever.
If you're going to criticize the iPad as a reader, why not address the legitimate concerns? It's ill suited for reading outdoors due to the the LCD and the highly reflective screen. It's expensive. It's battery won't last long enough if you plan on being somewhere without electricity and plan on doing 15-20 hours of heavy reading.
However, for someone who wants to read for 45 minutes before they go to bed, it's probably a pretty fantastic solution considering its many other useful features.
@ebgolfin Thought I'd chime in on your post since I have a very similiar opinion. Reading and writing on an LCD is a different than paper because you are looking at a source emitting light, not reflecting light. It does not adjust its intensity to the surroundings, and this can be irritating. Even with autodim, it is not perfect. Also, it is different to USE a computer all day than READ on an LCD all day. If you are interacting with the screen, looking around, looking on your desk, changing images/sites your eye is working too. When you read a book on an LCD screen you stare at the screen, with repetetive eye motions. For hours. (At least I do). While many people may be able to handle an LCD for reading (I spend hours reading on my LCD), I far prefer paper to screen, and eink to screen as well. Its feels more natural to the eye and I don't feel physically tired or out of it after long periods of reading.
The point being, it is different for different people. I am not arguing with you. I firmly believe a high quality LCD screen in the right environment is comfortable to read. This is supported by a light study (no pun intended) on radiologists (PACS is a digital imaging program) I found (honestly, didn't look too hard).
http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/184/2/681
But radiologists use high quality, calibrated screens in dark rooms. So I would say, it applies to reading an LCD in bed. But it does not apply to reading an LCD book: on the train, the beach, coffee shop etc. IMO An e-ink screen is more comfortable to use in all sorts of environments. An LCD screen is more useful for light reading, perhaps on the plane or in bed. Which takes us back to square one, the eink is for dedicated readers.
@redkamel
Often times, the perceived eyestrain from looking at computer monitors is due to a decrease in the rate of blinking. When you couple this with the constant short range focus that comes from reading anything, paper or electronic, you have a recipe for sore eyes. It's important to do a little research on these things before saying something like "ZOMG the iPad sucks for reading and you'll go blind!!!". I'm not referring to redkamel here, but some of the other misinformed people in this thread.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
Common causes of eyestrain include:
* Extended use of a computer or video monitor
* Reading for extended periods
* Exposure to bright light or glare
* Straining to see in very dim light
With regard to prevention, the Mayo Clinic advises (among other things):
Blink often to refresh your eyes. Because many people blink less than normal when working at a computer, dry eyes can result from prolonged computer use. Blinking produces tears that can help moisten and lubricate your eyes. Make a conscious effort to blink more often.
An un-sourced Wikipedia article states that a person's blink rate is typically 16-20 blinks/minute, but can decrease to as low as 6-8 blinks/minute when staring at a computer screen. I think it's a safe assumption that many of the people that complain about LCD eyestrain are literally staring at their screens for too long and not even realizing it.
I have also read in the past that fluorescent lighting (such as traditional LCD backlighting) can cause eye fatigue. I have yet to see any comparisons or comments on whether LED backlighting alleviates this problem.
Ehh...
you buy a book on one of these(e-reader) devices and you are held to ransom.
they can just strip it from you whenever they like.
why are we moving backwards!
So are the tutleneck-mafia goint to banhammer this ebbok app because it could potentially lead me to find this in B&N's ebbok store... http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?SRT=R&WRD=kama+sutra&SZE=10&DREF=2207
I will believe it when I see it. There's many a slip twixt cup and lip as they say.
I can't read Apples mind to determine if/why they would allow other readers to complete with the iBookstore, but I do know that allowing this will seriously ruin the one reason that I long for an iPad in the first place - simplicity.
I don't want to shop at every bookshop in town to find the one book I'm looking for or that next title to steal my attention. I just want to go to one place, knowing that if it ain't there, it ain't anywhere (in iPad world). I don't need custom wdigets and proprietary flashing vector lines to enhance my reading experience, I just want the book.
If publishers want to complete with iBookstore by selling their own "flashier" wares with super-interactive detritus, let them; but for the love iPad, please let that same title have a vanilla version in the iBookstore.
I am waiting for the other tablets to come out to hold my judgement. One thing I do not see is a Kindle app for Windows 7 (B&N has one). So if your going to use the HP Tablet what will you read it on with...
Wonder how many e-readers will follow suit