Today Amazon.com announced the Kindle, a ebook reader for a hefty price tag of $400. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA
for details. For $400, I can get a lot of paperback books.
This thing is essentially a wireless computer without a mouse, or hard disk, with a high tech paper like screen. Is it black and white only?
So it is a specialized scaled down computer with wireless capability. So if you think that way, $400 is not a lot.
Can I play a round of space invaders on it? probably not. can I browse the web for things other than books? probably not.
But the goal of this product is probably not web surfing, but reading books.
Is nifty ebook readers going to replace paperback books and newspapers?
I hate newspapers. They are very environmental unfriendly and messy. It is not entire new idea to read news on a handheld PDA(it probably requires sync from a computer though). Many people don't have to read newspaper everyday, only whenever big news on the headline. Even then, they can just watch news or read the newspaper's website. Is everyone willing to pay a subscription service?
Replacing multiple volumes of thousands of pages with computer is also not entirely new idea. The PDA and the tablet PC (is it popular?) already attempted it.
Sometimes books have its advantage. I can highlight, make hand drawn notes on the margins, etc. I think it is rather hard to do it with a ebook reader. Although book is low tech compared to any computer, a bookshelf can also be a proud display at home. You can proudly display your love for English literature by showing a full set of Shakespeare, or your scientific knowledge with some Hawkings, Einstein, etc.
I perfer a more versatile device, like a full scale laptop, but not all the wiring (the mouse is a wiring). But a laptop won't be as lightweight as an ebook reader. I demand color on books. I want to interact with the book by tapping with finger or stylus.
The PDA is it! It can read PDF files. Though the PDA only has a small screen, it is easy to carry and it is more versatile. I prefer PDA over ebook reader. What I want to see is hyper-PDF files: where I can interact with it like Flash or java applets.
So my prediction is that eBook reader is not going to be real successful.
2 comments:
Hawking? the same genius who says we should go to Mars?
http://www.space.com/news/060613_ap_hawking_space.html
The PDA, the smartphone can already do this. Paperless book only device is kind of pointless unless it's highly optimized so that there is very long battery life.
Another advantage of the book device is to be discreet about steamy novels with Mr. Fabio on them for the ladies.
Nothing beats a real book. Paperback books are smelly but so what, they are cheap.
On space travel, I don't believe we should send people to Mars. Not yet at least, make the moon a nice hotel first.
"A Brief History of Time" is a must read, in any form: paper, ebook, whatever. Short, enjoyable reading, big ideas, wonderfully written.
Going to moon or Mars is just too expensive and dangerous. Earthlings will probably annihilate each other before having the technology to move to another planet.
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