back to article What kind of LOSER sits in front of a PC...

I have just wasted half a day at the London Book Fair, hoping to discover some new e-book readers with a view to reviewing them for El Reg. Expecting to wade waist-high through stacks of competitive continental European brands, I was disappointed to find that the exhibition's Digital Zone was dominated by companies offering to …

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  1. Tom 15

    Personally

    Personally I find my Kindle to be a bit big and happy... I like reading off of my Nexus S the most. You get about 10 lines to a page.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Personally

      Eventhough I have a kindle..... I have to say it is dinky and I like it.

      But I have a lot, a huge number of books, books that when it is my turn to go up to that big library in the sky

      I can leave them to friends and family, and what they don't want they can pass to a charity or sell.

      And here is the flaw of the ebook, when you die your account dies with you, so instead of something tangible, the hundreds of pounds you have spent is worth zero in every respect. Zero books, zero money, zero enjoyment for someone else. Only the publisher and writer gain from this. Same thing can happen to your mp3 collection.

      So in view of this I will stick with a paper version.

      1. Euripides Pants

        Re: when you die

        My ebook and music collectionss are DRM-free and not stored in the cloud. Problem solved.

  2. lansalot
    Paris Hilton

    ok..

    You had me at "suck my cock"....

    Serves me right for early-adopting with a Kindle... damnit, there's always something just that bit better around the corner. Or on its knees.... in this case.

  3. Whitter
    Facepalm

    I read A Princess of Mars on an iPod touch and found it entirely fun. Book and reading experience. At night with wife asleep beside me - no pesky sidelight on (or rubbish clip-on mini-lights). Most devices have their plus side. Even this article had the odd amusing sentence. Not many but a few.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      At least an optician will benefit.

  4. Matthew 25

    Good Article

    Good Article - Thanks.

    I like the idea of an e-book reader for portability, but the 'What if your company goes tits up' problem along with not being able to lend books keeps me firmly in the 16th century.

    1. DrXym

      Re: Good Article

      Just as pertinent is to ask why on earth should I use your proprietary DRM to tie myself to particular devices when a DRM free copy is readily available? A follow up question would be to ask if it's ethical to buy the DRM'd copy but read the non-DRM'd copy to hedge against the almost certainty that some day no devices will exist which will read the DRM'd copy.

    2. Darryl

      Re: Good Article

      Possibly not allowed by copyright laws in different countries, but (at least in the US) Kindle users can lend books to other Kindle users, depending on whether the publisher has enabled the feature. Basically it copies the book and transfers the 'license' to read it to the recipient's Kindle for a couple weeks. The loaner's Kindle will refuse to open the book while it's on loan.

      I know, the caveat about whether or not the publisher allows the feature is a little ridiculous, but at least the feature exists...

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Good article?

      "What I was looking for at the London Book Fair was a competitor to Amazon Kindles."

      There are plenty of good competitors to the Kindle. The Kobo, the Sony for example when you talk hardware, Kobo and Google Books when you want to talk content. EPUB format is WAY bigger than the locked in AMZ/Mobi format.

      I love how this article talks about tablets being crap ereaders (which they are), but then goes straight on to praise the Kindle Fire.

      Sounds like this was the usual drivel written by a Kindle owner that can't open his eyes to anything but Kindle.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm reading

    books on my 4.3" Android phone. It's perfect for the job and with me wherever I go. Something like that 5" Samsung you folks reviewed a few weeks ago would is a more versatile option than a dedicated eBook reader.

    1. deshepherd

      Re: I'm reading

      I'm reading books mainly on a Kindle now (and confirming reports, I'm reading more books than before) but also really like the ability to pickup from the same point on the Kindle app on my phone. Best of both worlds!

      1. PatrickEB

        Re: I'm reading

        I agree that the function is great - I have a Kindle app on my ASUS Transfomer and Galaxy S2, as well as a Kindle. I like being able to pick up where I left off regardless of the device I'm using. Also have a generic e-book reader (Kogan Touch) and would like the same function on that...

        While I appreciate the function, I'm not happy with the DRM'd approach and I buy only V. cheap books <$2 or get ones that are free or reduced to free.

        I'd buy more e-books if the whole DRM rubbish was scrapped. I'd even consider paying more if i could on-sell, loan properly or give away my e-books. Until then, I'm selective in a way that reduces my assistance to an industry which wants to rort me while trying to gain some benefit for myself.

        I am quite happy to pay people like Cory Doctorow (and Louis CK for his videos) as I know I'm not subsidising people who are trying to restrict my use of the things I buy from them. No DRM, no rip-off. Robert Llwellyn is someone else who when he has control over the product appears to want to make it more freely available (great show on youtube called carpooling).

  6. Pete ThSplendiferous

    Yes but....

    I installed the kindle app on my HTC desire and have more than doubled the number of novels I get through.

    Very readable even on the squintiest settings.

  7. mark 63 Silver badge
    Happy

    I do my ebook reading in bed on a tower pc conected to a projector showing a screen 7 feet across :)

    nerdy enough?

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Thumb Up

      That's beyond conventional nerdyiness and qualifies you as a Geek God IMHO.

      <tips hat in awe>

      1. Smartypantz
        Go

        from Geek God community correctional department

        He only qualifies if the hardware in question is:

        a. Watercooled

        b Overclocked

        Best regards

        GeekGod-God

        1. Colin Millar
          Thumb Up

          Re: from Geek God community correctional department

          he doesn't qualify - "tower" implies that he keeps his components inside an actual case

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Top nerdery sir!

      How did you get your bed onto a tower PC? I didn't think even servers were that big nowadays. Or is your 'Personal Prose Projection Pooter' in fact an old Cray II...

      This gives me an idea for watching telly in bed, with it projected onto the ceiling, for the ultimate comfy TV position. The only downside being you choke on your popcorn, and drown when you try to drink... Perhaps a straw, and Wallis & Gromit style robot-feeding-arm is in order?

      1. JEDIDIAH
        Linux

        Re: Top nerdery sir!

        Back when my bedroom was also my computer room, I hacked my Atari ST to have a separate keyboard with an extra long cable and used to compute from the comfort of the bed.

        No projector though. Just a 19" TV.

        These days any PC and standard wireless keyboard will do. No challenge in that at all.

    3. I think so I am?
      Thumb Up

      Like minds

      Haha, I do the exact same thing only in the living room on my recliner + a media remote for page turns.

  8. Shane8
    Go

    Reading

    The only reading i do, is reading my quest to find out what im doing....who needs a book for a storyline! (WoW 4 Lyfe)

    1. Martin
      FAIL

      Re: Reading

      Which is fine if all you like is sword and sorcery...

      1. Fibbles
        FAIL

        Re: Reading

        And pandas...

  9. Gordon 10
    FAIL

    Tablets dont count

    Followed by the next sentence referencing the Kindle Fire - a tablet.

    Well Done! /SlowHandClap

    What was the point of this article apart from the fact that you believe the only valid consumption device is dedicated ebook reader, and that you deliberately ignored the other Ebook sellers outthere?

    Are you the mutant offspring of Matt Assay and Lewis Page? More mono-focused than Lewis and even less relevant than Matt?

    1. Ian K
      Devil

      Mutant offspring of Matt Assay and Lewis Page?

      I wouldn't say that's a completely accurate description. The guy's also got some of the gratuitous offensiveness of Orlowski.

      Perhaps the product of some unholy ménage à trois after a 90s Xmas party?

      1. Fibbles

        Re: Mutant offspring of Matt Assay and Lewis Page?

        How can he be spawn of Orlowski? The comments section is still enabled...

    2. Christopher Rogers
      Pint

      Re: Tablets dont count

      Sarcasm bypass combined with a tad of mucho wankery.

      You missed the point. Americans get the Fire. We get the Kindle.

  10. JetSetJim
    FAIL

    Perfectly happy with iPad & Nexus readers - don't need another device

    My personal preference, I know, but then I don't forget charging cables & adapters when going on holiday as dipping into free wifi services to find stuff out is a rather useful function.

    I'm not dissing the dedicated eBook reader - it just doesn't suit me to have that many devices, so the article is a bit too frothing at the mouth for my taste. I've stuck an e-reader on my phone that has adjustable font size, so I do get more than one line of text on the screen (and it's still readable without a magnifying glass) - you might want to look into your software settings if that's all you're getting...

  11. Jason Hindle

    Fine article

    Having been reading ebooks since I had a Handspring Visor, reading books on my iPhone is no problem though I would like a proper ebook reader. Speaking of which, Amazon's failure to launch the Kindle in the UK is most annoying. Why the hell would they think I'd buy one of their existing models when they've made something a bit more useful?

    1. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Fine article

      the newest Kindles are on sale, they are the first thing I see when I open amazon.co.uk.

      The Fire isn't an e-book reader.

  12. shane fitzgerald
    Thumb Up

    The missing ebook add-on

    I'm currently reading out in the sun on an ipad1 no problem. The problem is not so much the glare on screen as the choice of bright white t-shirt you see in the reflection. Wear darker colors and its grand - unless you got your pasty white moobs out. Then you just gotta fry them critters till you get nice black crusty freckles. Sorted

    1. PatrickEB

      Re: The missing ebook add-on

      Urm, Shane, reading outside in the dark doesn't count :)

      Or, as Australian's would say "There's not sunshine in Britain anyway" - not that I believe the buggers.

      If you have to worry about what you wear when you're reading I'd say THAT'S a problem.

      Compared to e-ink readers there really is no comparison. I used to think differently until I started using an e-ink reader regularly. I don't have to worry about the angle I hold it at...nor what colour my clothes are :))

  13. Edwin
    WTF?

    There is a bigger issue.

    You whine and moan about there not being any competition but whinge about Digital Editions. I quite like Adobe Digital Editions (if I *must* have DRM). It works across my PC, phone, Sony Reader and the cheap-o Bebook Neo I picked up at AMS for €50.

    True, there is a serious lack of choice, but it's mostly about the dearth of cross-border selling online bookstores. If you live in country 'A' but want a book in language 'B', you're buggered. Even most of larger english-language bookshops won't sell across borders.

    I'm happy with the hardware I can get. I'm just waiting for the publishers to get their thumbs out and give me access to the content.

  14. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Where e-books go to die

    > I can understand why people never like it when I ask what will happen if they go out of business, but it annoys me that they haven't considered the possibility.

    We all already know the answer to this: they'll just disappear, along with the company (and your only recourse for complaint). it's not that they haven't considered the possibility, it's just that they have nothing to gain from telling you that all your investment in virtual goods and chattels are just that: virtual. They don't really exist, except in the benevolence of the supplier. And when that goes away, so does all the stuff you've paid them for.

    1. Martin
      Happy

      Re: Where e-books go to die

      Actually, not quite...

      In the case of ePub, even if Sony, Kobo AND Adobe all go bust (which is roughly what would need to happen for Digital Editions to stop working) the books will continue to work on your licenced readers and PC.s.

      Kindle - not so sure...

      But this is why people strip the DRM off their books - so that they DO keep them if the worst comes to the worst.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Where e-books go to die

      The company I contract for supplies ebooks to the NHS and other such places. The company works with the LOCKSS project to deal with what happens if they go tits up (www.lockss.org)

  15. Atonnis
    Flame

    Wha...?

    'What kind of loser sits in front of a computer to read a book, for fuck's sake? The same Johnny-no-mates that boots up in order to play Solitaire?'

    Hey, screw you! My 70 year old mother likes to sometimes quietly boot up her laptop and play a few rounds of spider solitaire during a quiet evening.

    I know you seem to write to get a rise out of people, but you also tend to show an extremely narrow vision of the world and the myriad people out there. Perhaps you should run for parliament.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wha...?

      Your mother's a loser.

      1. Atonnis

        Re: Wha...?

        Cock

    2. Fibbles

      Re: Wha...?

      I read books on my desktop computer sometimes, generally a chapter as a break from whatever work I was doing at the time. I have a big comfy office chair, a high quality monitor and the font size is adjustable.

      I really can't see what's so bad about it but then again I think going on holiday and doing nothing but reading a book that you could have read at home is a complete waste. Maybe I'm just strange?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Reading on a desktop: what else do you do at work...

      ...when there's not much else to do? For the last 4 weeks I've been reading Anna Karenina on Bartleby.com in the quiet times between panics. The book's short chapters, and the monochome Bartleby reading window make for a very good slacking experience.

  16. nozzo
    Thumb Up

    Excellent pithy article that tells it straight.

    I have a Sony ebook reader from several years ago which is all an ebook should be.

    Vast battery life. Black and white 'epaper' passive screen about the size of a paperback. SDCard storage for hundreds of books.

    It doesn't have Wifi, colour, stereo sound, a keyboard and so on. It doesn't need them - it's a book facsimile and that's all it needs to be.

  17. DrXym

    Elonex ereader

    Easons in Ireland sell them for €99. They even have a display set up where you can mess around with an Elonex, iRiver and Sony device. The Elonex I saw had exactly the same display as any other e-ink device but the UI didn't look up to much and the device had weird kind of page control which is best described as a microswitch d-pad sitting under a circular bubble of plastic.

  18. colinwheeler

    I would guess the kind that thinks that only a WANKER would title an article about flexible formats to be derogatory about being flexible. I like the idea that I can sit back in a comfortable place and read my book on my Kindle, then flip to my phone on public transport or just standing around and continue exactly where I left off, or flip to Kindle software on my Windows 8 tablet or Desktop to continue during a break or find a quote that I marked previously. I guess that sort of LOSER.

    1. ElReg!comments!Pierre
      Joke

      Well,

      Well, you _do_ have a Win8 tablet and a Win8 desktop, so...

  19. Tom 38
    Thumb Up

    More from this author please

    Me likey.

  20. Elron
    Thumb Up

    Galaxy Note

    Since buying a Galaxy Note a couple of months ago, I haven't read a single 'traditional' book. I've read about 8 books on it so far, and love the portability of it. I can read it at night without having to turn the light on (changing the reader to white text on black background is perfect for this, and saves battery life as well!), I can read it whilst I'm eating my lunch at work, and if I'm picking someone up, or waiting for someone, I can just pick up my phone and carry on where I left off.

    The only downside is I can only read books that have been released for Kindle...

    1. David Evans

      Re: Galaxy Note

      "The only downside is I can only read books that have been released for Kindle..."

      No so. I have a 7" Galaxy Tab (perfect size for an ebook) and I have Kindle on it but I also have the Kobo app and the default Samsung one (epub as well). All work fine, so I'd be extremely surprised if you can't get an epub app on your Note.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Galaxy Note

      I have a Note too but haven't read much on it due to having a Sony Prs and only having time to read at night. But strip the drm using something like the Calibre plug-in (on your desktop), convert to epub and use FbReader, Moon+ reader or something else, there's plenty of good apps. You might not even have to convert to epub with some of these apps, can't remember.

  21. Dick Emery
    Thumb Up

    Opinions

    Opinions are like arseholes. Everyone has one and they all STINK!

    But I LOVE opinionated articles. So much more fun to read than stale 'reportage'.

    More please!

  22. Arrrggghh-otron
    Pint

    Half cut?

    I would hazard a guess that you wrote that article after wasting half a day at the book fair, then wasting* the other half in the pub, getting half cut and pouring your frustrations onto the page.

    Well, despite the few inconsistencies pointed out above, Cheers!

    *One could argue that spending half the day in the pub is a waste of time, but they are wrong.

    1. Arrrggghh-otron

      Re: Half cut?

      On another note, I tried reading data sheets on the Kobo. It is painful. I need an A4 e-ink reader.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a load of shit. I've been reading ebooks for nearly a decade now on smartphone sized screens, starting with the handspring visor PDA, then Dell Axim PDA, and latterly an iPhone. They do a perfectly good job. I wouldn't touch one of those godawful eink devices with a stick, you can die of old age waiting for a page refresh.

    1. John Robson Silver badge

      The page refresh is alot quicker on an eink device than a tablet after 10 hours of reading...

      I barely notice it any more - I'd just like to see an A5 screen so that at least A4 PDFs can be displayed in two halves at a legible size.

      Other than that they're brilliant devices (even if they are single purpose)

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    DRM..

    .. of course the solution is to buy your ebooks from the appropriate retailer and then use one of the many fine tools to remove the DRM and store the books using Calibe.

    Allegedly.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: DRM..

      Or even better, and easier: Use the wonderful unofficial Plugin for Calibre that automatically removes the DRM when you add the book to the library, making it instantly accessible. Seek thou Apprentice Alf's blog.

      1. PatrickEB

        Re: DRM..

        Am going to read right now. Thanks.

      2. Arctic fox
        Thumb Up

        Re: DRM.. Ta muchly - duly bookmarked.

        See title.

    2. phuzz Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: DRM..

      Calibre: It's pretty much VLC for eBooks.

  25. Sheriff
    WTF?

    Arse gravy of the worse kind

    Rubbish, assumptions that the world must adopt the market leaders? its those market leaders that have pushed out competitions.

    Reading is a personal experience, so what if they want a Maplin product over a Kindle

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Facts needed for anyone who doesn't know

    Was this written by a man who needs a better smartphone or new glasses?

    "Scratch smartphones too. I love them for a lot of things, but they make shitty e-book readers. Trying to read a book half a sentence at a time drives me mental."

    My smartphone has an 800x480 screen resolution, same as most of the e-ink readers and the majority of 7" tablets.

    The phone is damn near perfect for reading novels, and is with me all the time so I do not have carry the printed book.

    First because it is the same size as a newspaper column. There are very good reasons for that size and format, that make reading easier. Needs reflow format (e.g. epub) rather than PDF.

    If you have ebook lending library access, Overdrive can be installed on the phone and you can borrow books, but you cannot on most e-ink readers that have been sold (ie Kindle).

    The phone reader programs allow touch-screen brightness adjustment, to match ambient lighting conditions.

    The phone can easily be held outside at an appropriate viewing angle without direct sunlight affecting the screen, a problem sometimes with larger devices.

    Apart from being completely without charging facilities, who reads for a straight 8 hours or more, except at home with a PSU, to exhaust the phone battery ?

    Horses for courses of course . Textbooks as ebooks are usually better than the printed copy when used with multi-screen output. Annotating the book text on a netbbook/laptop with any diagrams/pictures separately and simultaneously displayed on a 1080p monitor is never going to be a dedicated ereader capability.

    One final thought, about ebook readers for kids. The under £100 7" Android 4.0.3 ICS tablets with a 1.2GHz ARM-8 GPU and dual-core Mali GPUs run appropriately coded games as well as any consoles. They are excellent used for BBC iPlayer. And as well as being able to be used for reading books in any format, they are needed for books with interactive video features, that do appeal to younger kids and encourage reading.

    Mine's the Sumvision Cyclone Astro (from Ebuyer), but it's sold under various names. ICS features that early smartphone owners may not know, but will appreciate if they've rooted their phones, are that ICS invokes its own USB drivers when plugged into Windows (XP/Vista/Win7) - as it does for USB keyboards and mice.

  27. Daniel Bower

    +1 to Calibre

    I too have it on good but alleged authority that it is is possible to download all you Amazon books to your PC, run them through Calibre and have them converted to DRM free epubs at the press of a couple of buttons.

    Apparently it works a treat...

  28. xperroni
    Gimp

    The best e-reader...

    Last year I read 7 books on my 3.2 in smartphone, all part of the Dune saga. Other than having to "flip" pages more frequently than I'd do on a physical book, I didn't have any problem with it.

    In the end, the best e-reader, like the best camera, is the one you have on you when the opportunity arises.

  29. Baudwalk

    What kind of LOSER reads books whilst on holiday?

    OK, OK. I did that too last year.

    Something to do while the toddler had his nap.

    But I personally prefer to bring a few cheap paperbacks to a mediterranean beach resort rather than an easily nicked $100 e-reader.

    Closer to home, though, I prefer e-readers in one form or another.

    But I've never invested in a dedicated reader.

    While I'd no doubt find a small e-ink reader the superior experience, it'd be yet another device to bring with me, as well as an additional $100 for a single-purpose device.

    Back in the day, I found the Palm III xe perfectly adequate, and now I use my 10" tablet which, IMHO, is not at all too heavy for this. YMMV.

  30. rbryanh

    "Oh, touched a nerve, have I?"

    Only your own.

    In fact, when compared to the engagement and intercourse of actual journalism, it becomes clear that touching yourself is just what this sort of rant is all about. What sort of loser does _that_ in front of a computer?

    Like the little girl said, "Because I am not one of your fans."

  31. ElReg!comments!Pierre

    Catchily-named...

    Wouldn't that be the other company (OYO)?

  32. pawz

    Bravo

    Finally, my use of profanity in my own articles has been justified as this brave Reg journo has said both "for fuck's sake" and "suck my cock" in the same article. Bravo !

  33. FormerKowloonTonger
    Stop

    I stopped reading at this phrasing,"will download my books, organise my photos, extend my life expectancy and suck my cock."

  34. Graysonn

    I tried reading on my phone. It too small. It's ok for smaller news articles, but I certainly couldn't read a book. And my eyesight is perfect so it has nothing to do with that. I find most tablets are too heavy and the battery is drained too much to use as an e-reader.

    Kindles are ok, but there isn't much else out there. So I'm just going to stick to books for now.

  35. Andus McCoatover
    Windows

    What's wrong with the 'dead-tree' version?

    OK, I guess you can fondle your kindle on a train (try that when it rattles through Clapham Junction!), but the kudos I got from having Spycatcher (bought in US, before legal here) and Satanic Verses on my coffee table was more than geekworthy...

    Nah, can't beat a REAL book. Shows educashion.

  36. quartzie

    screen backlight and distractions

    I've read many a book on my veritable Palm 3e's good old grayscale LCD, alternatively backlit with Indiglo. While it now rests in electronic heaven, I routinely got up to two weeks of joy from a pair of AAA cells.

    Although I couldn't care less for the author's attitude, I'm also a somewhat satisfied Kindle customer. Extolling the virtues of a passive reading screen to an opinionated crowd would be a completely moot point, so I'll mention another, often sidelined 'feature' of dedicated ereaders - their intentional lack of any other functionality.

    While many smartphone users will argue that they can just as well use their 'precious' to read, I find having so many features at hand a huge distraction. It may be just my personal opinion, but know at least two other Kindle owners who think alike.

    That said, the entire publishing and media industry should pull their collective heads out of *where the sun don't shine* and bring a reasonable offer on the table. Just how long will they continue to ignore that end users no longer perceive geographical location as the critical factor, especially when purchasing bundles of 1s and 0s.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Unconvinced

    Apart from geek-cool, what's the driver for an ebook?

    The publishers claim that it costs the same to do a real book and an ebook, so its no real help to them.

    If the retail price is similar, why would you want a fragile, expensive frame around your book content?

    Once you've done reading your book, you can't hand it off to the local charity shop to help the aged.

    Electronic devices could hold thousands of books... but is that what the consumer wants. To look at his entire library through a tiny window of a screen?

    You shouldn't swat a fly with your kindle.

    It seems the only useful content is magazine content which has a limited lifespan. Apart from that, ebooks really only exist to kill the second-hand market and reduce delivery charges for amazon.

    Ok, I think there is a case for having an ebook reader on your tablet because it is an additional useful function. You can also read tablets at night in bed, resting them on the duvet so the weight is less of an issue. They also work as a light to find your way around the end of the bed in the dark.

    However, I'm not particularly inclined to shell out cash for a reader for entertainment when I have a tablet anyway. It may not be as good, but I'm not packing my tablet and a reader when I go on holiday*. Tablets may not be the best readers, but I suspect they are good enough readers and better general purpose devices.

    +1 for calibre

    -1 for profanity

    *my laptop (for me), a tablet (for my wife), two smartphones, the kids' dvd player (two screens), bluetooth adapters (car phone and generic audio for headphones/holiday-home stereo) and assorted mains and car-battery chargers.

    1. J 3
      Happy

      Re: Unconvinced

      "The publishers claim that it costs the same to do a real book and an ebook"

      They might very well be lying.

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Needless to say, I haven't read the article

    But if it isn't validating my choice to buy every single shiny thing Apple produces, then it's wasting space on the Internet. That's it.

  39. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Meh

    Tried it

    Didn't like it

    Went back to dead tree version (DRM free)

  40. Duncan Idaho
    Facepalm

    No Nook there? bummer

    Being over here on the left side of the pond I treated myself to a Nook Simple Touch back in January and love it. I found it less "gadgety" than the Kindle Touch and more like something that was just meant to be read on.

    I plug it in to my computer, load it with oodles of epubs and off I go.

    And of course now they just announced one with a built in LED lighting system, curses!

  41. kadybee

    Firm not Hard!

    There I was, sitting on the loo/bog/dunny/head, reading your article on my Kindle Touch, thinking you got it pretty much right yet I wouldn't be out looking for new e-book readers, I'd be looking for development and enhancement of the top ones out there.

    I should declare that the only thing I do with my mobile phone is make and receive phone calls! Strange, but true! I take that philosophy to the e-book device. All I want to do is read and, from my look-around, believe the e-paper experience is the best way to do that. So what Firmware can they provide that makes that experience better?

    The recent upgrade to Kindle Touch added online translations and some formatting improvements - Nice! That works for me.

    I've heard of too many that have purchased extremely ordinary, el-cheapo, devices only to be turned off of the e-book concept. Support the big players and ask (or tell) them how they can improve their offerings, remembering, at the end of the day, all you want to do is read a good book - AND - perhaps being able to easily comment on articles like this from them.

    I also don't have issue with the .mobi format. PC software, like the brilliant Calibre, ensures that it matters little what format you start or end with.

  42. MikeHuk
    Thumb Down

    Who needs dedicated Ebook readers?

    Although I have been reading books electronically for many years I don't think I will ever buy a dedicated ebook reader . I have used Palms for years and now have an HTC Desire. Even though I am now 69 I find a smart phone is perfectly suited to reading books. Most books I read are royalty free which I mostly get from Memoware website or the Guttenberg Project.. I use a great little app called Ireader.on my Desire.

    So you can keep your Kindles

  43. Piloti
    Thumb Down

    Germany ahead of the world...... ?

    You're 'avain' a laff.!!

    I've spent a lot of time in Germany and Switzerland and have 'played' with some of the stuff you have mentioned, particularly the OYO. A useless piece of junk. Slow software, with massively delayed turn page, clumsy and slow hardware with sticky and poorly tacky buttons. If this is the example of the German 'advancement' then I'll stick with a Kobo or Kindle.

    P.

  44. Matthew
    Unhappy

    It's not mine anymore!

    I don't have a dedicated eBook reader as I don't need another piece of kit. I love the (almost) immediate gratification of being able to buy a book and start reading it a few minutes later.

    In terms of functionality, my iPad meets all my needs with one exception. As the Peppa Pig episodes for my two year old are stored on my iPad, I'm increasingly finding that it's not my iPad, it's my son's and he'll let me use it only when he's asleep!

  45. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    No batteries needed,can be passed to friends and family or donated to charity,cost effective,flexible,I could go on but I will just say that a Bio Optical organised knowledge device,commonly known as book, wins every time for me.Free from most libraries too.

  46. Andus McCoatover
    Joke

    What kind of LOSER sits in front of a PC...

    Er, Journalist??

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    some people

    this is why we have so many crappy products. Idiots boasting about how they used a 4 inch mobile phone or 120inch projector to read a book ffs.

    The idea is to duplicate the physical book experience as close as possible. so no reflective screen or 300watt power draw. but with light weight and long battery life.

    some people will boast they can take a bath in boiling water ,so why have a cold tap?

    Stop it please.

  48. Ronny Cook

    iPod/iPhone as eReader

    I don't have an iPhone but I have an iPod which has basically the same form factor. It fits around 150 words on a screen of text and is readable indoors or out. Battery life is somewhat lacking but portable chargers are not hard to find. Only real problem is display of pictures, but I mostly read novels anyway.

    Key think is that it fits in my breast pocket and is light enough that I really don't notice that it's there. (Also plays games, movies and music if I don't feel like reading.)

    Over the years I've worked my way through several Palm PDAs and a couple of generations of iPods reading books. If you find it hard to read text on such devices , the lack is not in the device.

    Baen books has a very large collection of DRM-free ebooks purchasable at quite decent prices on their web site.

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