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Is $699 Too Much For a 13.3-inch Android E-ink Reader?
Robotech_Master writes: GoodEReader editor Michael Kozlowski is running an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to sell a $699 13.3" Android e-ink tablet. The campaign seeks $42,000--enough to fund the 60-device minimum order set by the OEM. But is it really a good deal for that much money? As an early-adopter or business-class device, it very well might be.
I could build a decent PC for that and it will last me years, the Android reader will probably stop getting updates after a year or two and then become a paperweight
For that price I can pick up 12 Fire tablets and just rotate between them when the batteries go.
13 inches is nice for reading PDFs and technical documentation, but for a lot of those documents you need full color. So I'd rather get a regular tablet.
It could be argued that $700 might be too little for a small production run unless they've found a way to really, really cut corners. I suspect they'll have to take an existing 13.3" tablet design (with all the case tooling, logic boards, etc already available) and just change out the display with no other hardware modifications and more or less no requirement for software QA. If that's the strategy, then the fact that it ships with Android 4.0.4 would imply it's several generations old hardware... In which case, $700 actually might be ridiculously overpriced on the buyer side of the equation.
Log in or piss off.
How fast do you need the ink on your documents to move?
I'd love to see some large, low cost eink displays come on the market. Imagine a 20" eink calendar on your wall? Awesome!
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When Chinese companies are making e-ink Android tablets for a fifth of that, yes. It's ridiculous. People need to stop pretending e-ink is a premium product - it doesn't cost that much to manufacture, and it's inferior in every way except battery life and contrast. Eventually these companies are going to conclude nobody wants e-ink instead of concluding there's a market at smaller margins, and that'll be the end of e-ink.
It's a shame e-reader development suffered death by tablet. Paperback sized ones are extremely cheap but seldom work as readers for anything else. I got myself a a Samsung Galaxy Pro 8 inch in order to read technical and medical books, but I know an e-ink version would be lighter, with more battery time and easier on the eyes.
That Sony model was mentioned in the second link. It can only display PDF, nothing else.
The 12" iPad Pro starts at $799ish, so the question basically boils down to "Do you want an iPad Pro sized e-Ink display for $100 less than the iPad Pro?"
As the other people pointed out, ongoing support will likely be a problem, both in terms of warranty replacement (with only about 60 in existence) and software updates.
Personally, I *DO* want a reader this size and I'm considering getting this one. For $699 I'd kind of like a color display, but it looks like all of the eink triton displays on the market have an extremely gray base so I think color eink just doesn't work yet.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Exactly. What get me is why isn't there more e ink being used?
I have been waiting for an link GPS device for years. GPS mapping and guidance can deal with the lags of updating GPS positions, e ink has high contrast works great outdoors, and vastly increases battery life which is essential in a mobile electronic map.
a 5-6 " eink android tablet with built in GPS and go for broke and put a solar panel on the back. You could hike for days without needing replacement batteries or a dedicated charging system.
instead we have massive color displays that suck down batteries like there is no tomorrow.on tiny screens that can't give you a good overview of the area.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
That means that the lister will get the money even if it doesn't hit its funding goals. Shouldn't that be incompatible with the video's statement that they need to hit a certain minimum order quanity?
I would love to own a 13" eink reader, but this has scam written all over it.
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What is the difference between reflected light?
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That's a lot of work to replace a paper map and compass.
-- I have a private email server in my basement.
For text only books, I find a regular 5/6" Kindle works fine and is comfortable to use for hours. I can set the font size to whatever I find easy to read.
For books with graphics or color, I use a 10" Android tablet. The battery life is good enough for a couple of days use.
I don't see how this product could fill more than a small niche. There are other tablets that you can draw on. How many people need a device that has such a large screen but only renders in gray scale with no color?
They certainly do if you're properly equipped and know what you're doing with them. Yes, yes you can put me into an unknown area with just a map and a compass and I will shortly tell you where I am. I can then give you an estimate as to how long it will take me to reach the destination, plot a route, follow that route, and check to make sure that I am on that route. I can probably even accomplish this after dark but that will slow me down a bit.
A map does, when it's a decent map, tell you many things - including where you are. It's not always instant. You may have to move to find a place where you can say you know for certain where you are - in other words, if you magically appear somewhere and didn't look at the map to get there then you may need to move, find something you can pinpoint, and then you'll know where you are as well as where you were when you didn't know where you are. Fortunately, the world is not magical and it's unlikely that you'll just magically appear somewhere.
Given the content of your comment... It's obvious that you haven't a clue how to use a map and a compass. A good compass is important. A good compass will enable you to quickly shoot a rather precise azimuth and, from there, you can figure out a lot of things - you may need to get to a point of elevation. Once I can see, or even feel - in the case of elevation differences, I can figure out where I am and the route I need to take to reach my destination.
Don't let it smash your ego - most people don't have a clue. They probably won't ever need to. They don't know how to properly read a map. They don't know how to navigate with a map - except, maybe, a route map. So long as they stay in their safe spaces and everything works out then they'll never need to know. Chances are really good that they'll never need to know.
And no, don't argue... Really, don't... Unless you've got some contrived situation then maps and a compass are all the navigational tools one needs assuming you're not retarded in the first place. Yes, that includes a featureless desert. It even includes the North Pole or Magnetic North where the compass is of less value. A good map, some knowledge, a little effort, and you'll know exactly where you are soon enough. Don't panic and turn the map right-side up.
Hmm... I'm not entirely sure how to type out how to properly use a compass. I'm not that articulate. So, go take a course with the Cub Scouts or something. They could use an adult's help and attention. In return, they'll teach you how to use a map. No, I'm not kidding. Give it a shot, you'll like it. It's obvious you've no idea what you're talking about. You can make-do without a compass, usually. That's not recommended. If you know where you are, you needn't a map nor a compass - depending on your goal. But, a map be used to figure out where you are - often within a few feet if you've got adequate maps.
You know... What do you think we did before GPS? Have you ever heard of "orienteering?" Good maps AND knowing how to use them are great. A real compass, one with which you can shoot azimuths, is a great tool in the right hands. I've mentioned this before, I'll mention it again... The first half of my first four years enlisted were in infantry. Yup... I was nothing more than a straight-up rifleman. Things like navigation are essential tools and reliance on technology without the basics was not considered good form. Then again, we didn't actually have GPS. It was there, we didn't have it. I'm not actually sure how much of it was in place at the time. It didn't matter, we didn't have it. I do still have my compass. It's somewhere packed away unless one of my kids absconded with it.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
Before GPS I remember a long discussion with six other very experienced hikers as to where exactly we were, and seven different opinions as to what the location was :)