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More On enTourage's Dual-screen E-Book Reader
Barence writes with some more information on a device mentioned in passing earlier today: "The enTourage eDGe eBook reader was the highlight of the CES Unveiled event, which gives journalists a sneak preview of what’s set to appear this year’s show. It has a 9.7in e-paper display on one side and a 10.1in LCD screen on the other, both of which are touchscreens, allowing you to annotate eBooks with handwritten notes or scan through web pages with the flick of a finger on the LCD screen. In a brief hands-on demonstration, the eDGe showed several clever touches, such as allowing you to perform a Google search on the term using the built-in web browser, and then link the search results to the eBook page, which is a great research tool for students reading academic texts. It's an Android device, too."
Meh.
Who defines what the highlight is? I've never been to anything CES and don't know a ton about it (aside from reading about it every year), so I don't know if maybe they actually do pick one item as a highlight... or this it the highlight according to the submitter :)
I am seriously dating myself here. I've always wanted the computer book used by Penny from the Inspector Gadget cartoon. I always thought that was the ideal form factor for a PDA/computer. The closest thing I ever found was the HP-28 calculator, but that's been out of production for over a decade. Now finally! we are getting it.
...it is a very ugly piece of hardware. The silver plastic looks cheap, and the wide frame surrounding the screens is a major step backwards in display design. I would be shocked if this ugly mid-90's looking DS tablet sells well at all.
Design is important in hardware sales because it creates the emotional response in the potential customer. Even if logic dictates that this is a "good" piece of hardware, emotion will over rule it by saying, "yeah, but it's kind of ugly, so it can't be that good...". And emotion is always what wins over the masses.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
Might sell; will probably be too pricey to be successful. I have one question: with a touchscreen on each side, how does it keep from scratching one screen up while you are using the other? Also, although I'm sure an eInk display is a big win in terms of power consumption, I'm still not convinced it is that much more readable than a color LCD. Resolution is good, contrast not so much... maybe I'm just bothered by the slow page update time.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Fuck but I'm glad I don't sit next to you...
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
The TFA didn't point to the full-spec page:
enTourage eDGe
Battery should last 16 hours using E-reader alone. Not exactly a record breaker, but usable. The right side is a complete netbook attached to the E-reader. Not a bad combination for travelers. I kind of like the idea, whether this particular implementation is perfect or not. For what it offers, the price is not bad, either.
Just fixed the f****** capitalization of it, fer crying out loud. Is the intended market teenage mallrats?
End anonymous moderation and posting on
I'm sure this device has a lot going for it, but for my reading enjoyment, I'm still waiting for devices with better screens from qualcomm/mirasol or pixel qi. In nicer packages, I hope. I don't need two flawed screens hinged together, I need a single screen that's more functional than e-ink.
As much as I like the innovation to that goes into such ideas, I can't help but think of this as a hack to try and get the best of both worlds. I think it's poor design. Not to mention the problems with dual screen interfaces.
I love my Kindle, and often find that critics of the device who claim that it has no benefit beyond a laptop or a paperback are simply not familiar enough with the device. Having said that, I'm not sure what the benefits of this thing (excuse me: tHIs THinG) are, over and above a separate netbook and e-reader. I can see some minor synergies, such as TFA's reference to sending search results to the e-ink half of the device, but is that really worth the extra weight and complexity? Of course, I don't think I can explain why the Courier needs two screens, either, but hot damn I want one anyway.
tHIs THinG may be perfect for a niche of readers, but I don't see this device going anywhere. That's too bad, because I want a much more diverse field of e-readers out there, in order to encourage publishers to settle on a uniform format. (Or, failing that, just to encourage Amazon to make the Kindle software platform hardware-independent.)
What's the point in investing in an ebook reader if your locked in?
I want a central copy registry where I have legal registration for copies I own and am guaranteed indefinite ownership and am guaranteed the right to transfer my ownership for individual items.. And I want to be able to lend items to people. Same as a physical book.
I want it an outside legal trust independent of any publisher with both the monetary backing to last over a hundred years and an endorsement by the US Senate and the EU and audited every 2 to 5 years. It will be this agency that dictates file formats and implements standardized copy protection. They will be required to develop and deploy software for any platform that meets certain criteria; essentially any platform with a to be determined minimal user base as well as being paid by a company or a platforms supporters to implement it. Sort of a combination of an international copyright office and a library of congress. They will also have the right override a publishers price according to laws in various countries with a mind toward maximizing revenue.
I further want a guarantee from all countries that they will not try to "legally confiscate" my licenses for material if I was not physically in that country when I purchased it. So if I step off the plane in Saudi Arabia they will not confiscate my digital playboy collection... Of course I would make the distinction between owning something and being able to use view it... so theoretically if some small country legalized child porn for sale one could own the material but not be entitled to view it. The latter is a separate issue. For this discourse I only care about ownership rights.
In the current market, hardware-only e-book makers like this have no chance at all. Amazon has their e-book library, B&N has one, Sony has one... the proliferation of e-libraries isn't a problem in itself, except each is tied to the same brand of hardware, and nothing else. With iTunes and iPhone apps, Apple has pushed media lock-in further than I ever thought would be successful. I congratulate their shareholders, but I still think it's a terrible idea. It's like we're reverting from the era of the Internet back to proprietary BBS's like GENie Online and (old) AOL, where everything was bundled together and walled up.
You know, I looked at the article and looked at the device and thought it looked very nice, not ugly, not cheap or any of the things you described. I think the iTouch is fine to look at and functions well, the Kindle looks a bit less 'cool' but darn that thing works like a charm. If it functions as described it seems pretty darn great to me and the looks are good as well. I'm reminded of the US Air Force A-10 plane, called the 'Warthog' by some, Tank Killer by others. Definitely not sleek, definitely not a corvette of a Jet but to my eyes it looked beautiful - why? Because it was good at what it does, this ereader two screen thing isn't a tank killer but it looks just fine and if it works as advertised then I'd be happy getting one - regardless of what random dude who hates everything says about how 'ugly' it is. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all.
Enjoy your Karma, after all you earned it. Feel your Karma Joe, feel it burn.
The problem with linking a google search to a page of an academic text is that the web is dynamic. Today's search hits won't be around tomorrow, or might be edited, have a changed layout etc, whereas an academic text is timeless. As a student, you're much better off going to the library to look up the references directly rather than relying on web clippings as if they were real notes.
I don't particularly read books. But, my girlfriend reads often. She goes to the library, checks the book out, reads it, and takes it back. She never buys a book especially fiction. I see a lot of companies developing e-readers like this one. With all these e-reader coming out, I thinking this must be the future; but, what happens to the library? How does my girlfriend check out an e-book?
You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one
9.7in e-paper display on one side and a 10.1in LCD screen on the other...
That strange rumble you just heard was the sound of a million obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive, symmetry-loving neatniks simultaneously cursing upon reading those specs.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Behold! My 3 screens ebook!!! lolbbq, before you know it, you'd be holding a 143 screen ebook containing all 143 pages of Technology for Dummies.
If nothing else, maybe these new devices will put some pressure on Amazon to do one or more of:
1.) Add PDF annotation and/or zoom support. These are important for those with lots of PDF documents/articles to read.
2.) Add a touch screen (helps with selecting text and general navigation)
3.) Lower the $489 price (looks rather silly if this device can offer a second LCD screen and both be touch screens at the same price point, though the Kindle has cell access)
"The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
I saw this video on TED a couple of weeks ago (I don't visit TED regularly). My guess is that it would have been presented in TED India conference, which was months ago. Is slashdot getting sluggish?
One of the nuisances of reading a paper book is holding the thing open, now we get that inconvenience in an ebook too!
I'll stick with one page thanks.
swEeT jEsuS mAKe thE namIng iNsanIty sToP!