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.

Comments

Yes it's too much

[ickleberry]

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

Re:Yes it's too much

[Ecuador]

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

Wow, that completely misses the point of e-readers.

Anyway, me and my wife use e-ink (Kindle) readers for a few years now and love them, but she needs to read a lot of pdfs as well, so she uses a 9" tablet for those. She'd love it if she could have a big e-ink display and she'd gladly pay a premium, but $699 is a bit too much, we had actually discussed it a few months ago and she asked me if there was something up to $400. Of course she was thinking about 9-10", but still, $699 is a lot for a reader. I assume thought that this will get funded, since they are only asking for 60 people to sign up...

Re:Yes it's too much

[AmiMoJo]

A better comparison would be the large format eReaders that Brother used to make. Maybe 8 years ago when epaper was brand new, Brother produced an A4 format device for business use. Cost about $500 as I recall. Probably only ever sold in Japan.

So based on the fact that that device was cheaper 8 years ago and failed in the market place, I'd say this is overpriced. The low volume is probably the reason why.

Re:Yes it's too much

[thegarbz]

Android reader will probably stop getting updates after a year or two and then become a paperweight

That's funny because Slashdot is advocating staying with a 7 year old operating system and forgoing updates on very desktop PCs you are talking about.
So why does your Android device suddenly stop working if you don't install an update again?

Re:Yes it's too much

[arth1]

Wow, that completely misses the point of e-readers.

So does 13.3".
E-readers are replacement for paperback books. Small enough that you can keep one in your jacket pocket (or purse, if so inclined), and hold one-handed, even if not strong and healthy.

I have the first Nook-e-reader, which I didn't use as much as I could have, because it wasn't very ergonomic. My Palm (remember those?) saw a lot more book reading use. And so did books.

Re:Yes it's too much

[thegarbz]

Oh noes, someone will get at my books!

Speaking of aren't those same people not running windows 10 also not running windows update?

Quite frankly the security concerns for a device calling itself an e-reader are somewhat overblown.

Re:Yes it's too much

[chihowa]

E-readers are replacement for paperback books.

That's a little myopic. E-readers could serve many purposes and there is definitely a market for more than just replacing paperbacks.

I'd love to be able to read all of my scientific papers on an e-ink display instead of printing (and carrying) reams of paper or having the weight, low battery life, and transmissive screens inherent in tablets and laptops. Many students would love to replace all of the textbooks that they lug around with a lightweight, battery-sipping e-reader. These uses would greatly benefit from a letter/A4 sized screen as they have fixed layouts.

No color

[slashping]

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.

Too much?

[c]

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.

Re: Yes

[peragrin]

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.

It's a Flex campaign

[SkOink]

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.

Re: Yes

[Nethead]

That's a lot of work to replace a paper map and compass.