My Digital Life

The Coming E-Reader Debate; E Ink vs Backlit LCD

Over the last year, I debated which E-Reader I should purchase. It was clear that the Kindle was way ahead in the ECO system war, however when Sony announced its Daily Reader with a 7" E Ink touch screen, 3G connectivity, and EPUB book format; this was the E-Reader I wanted. Although pricey at $399, I went ahead and ordered it as a Christmas present to myself. Sony did not disappoint by delivering it on December 22^nd.

I love the Daily Reader for its size, battery life, built in protective cover and touch screen (being able to turn the pages with my thumb enhances my reading experience), Apple threw a wrench in the E-Reader world by announcing the iPad. This is a major upheaval in the E-Reader world which was originally conceived as a single purpose device with a specially design E Ink screen which provides paper like contrast and allows reading in direct sunlight. Apple is now touting its In Plane Switching LCD screen as the answer to the E Ink technology with color, high contrast and the ability to read in direct sunlight (I want to see this for myself). In addition to the E-Reader functionality of the iPad you get a Touch iPod on steroids with a 10" screen. Who would not want this type of functionality?

My first impression of the iPad was that it may fail as an E-Reader because of the backlit LCD screen and my assumption that backlit screen might cause eye strain. After doing some research, this seems to be an inaccurate assumption on my part and well described in this February New Times articles entitled "Do E-Readers Cause Eye Strain?".

My big problem with the iPad, is that at 10", I want it to do more since it could replace carrying my Sony VAIO-P and Daily Reader while traveling. The biggest issues I have are:

• No Flash support
• No multitasking
• Weak email client functionality (no flagging support, no push of sent items, no category support, etc…)

Apparently that is not what most people think; last week, RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky released survey results showing pent up demand for the iPad (via MacRumors).

This was a WOW moment for me, shows the strength of the Apple brand and what people think about their products trusting them to provide the right mix of functionality.

In the end the HP Slate with Windows 7 might be the better choice for my use, but given the lack luster performance of Netbooks, will it perform? Adobe is not waiting for the June release of the HP Slate; it has launched a salvo with this video (via engadget):

This should be interesting year for the E-Reader world...

My eReader quest: Amazon releases iPhone optimized Kindle web store

I am finding that the iPhone Kindle application display font and spacing is very easy on the eyes. The two main drawbacks are the size of the screen which requires frequent page turning and not really suitable for manual layouts. Up to now another major drawback has been selecting and purchasing Kindle books on the iPhone, the desktop version of the Kindle site was not suited for the iPhone's screen. The fix: Amazon has just released their iPhone Safari optimized web site accessible via the Kindle application "Get Books" button.

The Amazon iPhone optimized Kindle store web site.

One big advantage for Amazon is that they bypass the iTunes purchase infrastructure to sell you content. This makes logical sense since they have all of the backend applications to deliver, track, and bill purchases; and the most important feature is that it saves them from having to pay Apple a transaction fee which Mac Rumors reports to be 30%. This seems high for a content purchase but Apple Insider reported earlier that for a $.99 song, Apple collects an average of $.30 making the 30% about right.

See my other ereader posts.

My 3 takeaways on the Kindle DX

First here is a good video from the Wall Street Journal which shows the differences between the Kindle 2 and the DX.

Now for my takeaways:

1. $489 is a steep price, but the talk of subsidies could make the DX more palatable. Look at the cell phone model and specifically the iPhone. Although the problem will be how much of a subsidy is reasonable given a paper subscription averages about $15 a month vs. AT&T minimum plan of $70 a month. The $199 iPhone pricing skyrocketed sales; in order to meet that figure newspapers or magazines would need to subsidize $290 of the DX's price. Over a 2 year subscription that is $12 a month. This does not leave newspapers or magazines with a lot room to work with. Maybe a subsidy of $130 or $5.41 per month is more appropriate making the DX the price of a Kindle 2. I have a feeling this is the target they are shooting for. This will be an interesting experiment.
2. Will individuals be swayed by the screen size and readability factor or just purchase a Netbook for that price? I think the DX will be a dud unless it is subsidized; still with a subsidy I find it expensive compared to a Netbook and its functionality.
3. Do you really want to carry around another device? Over the years I have been trying to carry around fewer devices. When I travel I carry a small factor laptop (Fujitsu U810), an iPhone or Windows Mobile device, a Sony HDRCX12 camcorder and an iGo multicharger. I can fit it all it into a small over the shoulder bag. Do I want to add a Kindle 2, probably not…and certainly not another device the size of a Kindle DX.

An interesting tidbit from Jeff Bezzos was that books with a Kindle version derive 35% of their sales from Kindle users.

Choosing an E-Reader

Over the last couple of months I have been leaning towards purchasing an E-Reader to carry around the manuals which I use for my work as a consultant. Although most of the information I need is readily available on the web, it would be nice to have access to books as well. The big drawback to acquiring an E-Reader has been the price and since I am not avid novel reader, I have a hard time justifying the purchase. The possibility of sharing the device with my wife (she is an avid reader), makes the purchase more palatable although she checks books out of the library. The obvious choices are the Amazon Kindle or the Sony line of E-Readers.

Last weekend, I decided to do some research to see if it was possible to download content from my local library to an E-Reader. The public library does support the mobipocket and the NETLIBRARY ebook formats. The Kindle and the Sony do not support the mobipocket format directly (you have to convert), however the Sony does support NETLIBRARY. Mobipocket refers to 5 standalone E-readers sold by Bookeen, iRex, Jinke, and BeBook which directly support their format. These are not household names but it shows there is competition and the market has room for growth.

By coincidence today Amazon will be announcing a larger format Kindle suitable for magazines, newspapers and textbooks and there are rumors that Sony will be announcing a wireless broadband enabled E-Reader.

It looks like I better wait a little longer before making a final decision. I will keep updating this post as I move towards a purchase…