Endi
386 posts
Nov 20, 2008
2:22 PM
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What's the best e-paper device you have seen?
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TheMudge
The Real Mudge
3071 posts
Nov 20, 2008
10:45 PM
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is an e-paper device?
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
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Endi
387 posts
Nov 21, 2008
2:09 PM
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I'm talking about this: here here here
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TheMudge
The Real Mudge
3074 posts
Nov 23, 2008
8:29 PM
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Thanks for explaining this, Endi. Unfortunately, I have no experience with these devices, for I am part of the reactionary generation that prefers to read books printed on paper.
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
Last Edited on 23-Nov-2008 8:29 PM
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Endi
388 posts
Nov 25, 2008
2:09 AM
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I also have no experience with these devices. Though not for reactionary reasons but because I am not convinced that the technology is yet ready. The whole idea behind these is that they should read like paper and not tire your eyes like a computer screen. A few obstacles remain to taking them up, however: Cost
battery life
refresh rate (how quickly pages change)
Lack of colour. I think they're not going to come into their own until about 2012 though there are one or two coming out next year which might cut the mustard enough to tempt me. The best ones are now touch screen and with excellent writing recognition (it would have to be excellent), I could imagine using them in my classes though I suspect the route might be to replace registers with them first. A pack of card sized ones could be used for communicative activities.
Last Edited on 25-Nov-2008 2:13 AM
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Ali
28 posts
Dec 02, 2008
4:53 AM
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Would Amazon's Kindle fall into this category? I haven't seen one in person, but the idea of having one device to hold many books/newspapers is intriguing to me. I could see it as a plus if textbooks were available through this system--it could eliminate backaches across campuses everywhere! It would also be great on trips where packing space is limited. Cost is definitely an issue with this little device. The device is expensive and last time I checked it was at least $10 to add a book to its database. My other issue is I love books. I don't know if I could give up smelling a new book and seeing how far along I am by the little piece of scrap paper sticking out from between the pages. So I suppose I'm with Mudge in the "reactionary generation," even though I'm in a different generation. 8)
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-Ali
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Endi
391 posts
Dec 02, 2008
2:53 PM
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Yes, the Kindle is one. Actually, I think the proper term is e-book reader. Personally, I like the Irex Iliad at the moment because it has a touch screen but it is way more expensive than I'm ready to pay at the moment. The plastic logic reader looks better but it isn't out yet and I don't know the price. I'd also like a two page display. Colour will be coming out eventually but as far as I know, nothing next year. And actual video won't be far behind. That's why I don't think there'll be a really good device until about 2012. Then, however, I reckon these things will be as revolutionary in the way we do thing as you can imagine. As a teacher, I'd love to have one with a built in loud speaker so that I could play a listening track right then and there by just touching a icon on the screen. And imagine combining it with remote control and saying, "Here's the tapescript," and it appears on every student's own device. And if it had handwriting recognition, you could get it to do statistical analysis on students' writing so you have a hugely better idea of needs. Wouldn't that be cool?
Last Edited on 2-Dec-2008 3:02 PM
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Pogo
687 posts
Dec 02, 2008
4:19 PM
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Science fiction fans have been discussing ebook readers for years; some prefer ebooks. The major problem is the cost of the books. Most publishers want nearly as much for the ebook as they do for the hardcover, not even reducing the price when the mass market paperback comes out. That is changing, though, following Jim Baen's lead. Baen Books started issuing all books electronically when they were published in paper, at a price the readers were happy with. As the authors are happy too, I think the contract must provide a higher royalty for electronic than for paper. The SF fans discuss format a lot. Many publishers provide the books in only one or two formats, and have the books guarded against copying, which makes them hard to use. Such books usually have to be repurchased if the format gets outdated or the reader gets broken. This is not a good thing; most fans want to read good books many times each. There are college text books available in electronic form. For more on sources of ebooks: ReadAssist
Last Edited on 2-Dec-2008 4:20 PM
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Endi
403 posts
Jan 03, 2009
3:44 PM
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It seems that there may be a colour e-reader on the horizon called the FLEPia [sic] made by Fujitsu, but most information on the device is muddled and inconsistent seemingly the product of rumour, speculation and mis-translation. Does anyone know anything about it?
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