Sony Portable Reader delayed (again)

[London Geezer]

Sony Portable Reader delayed (again) due to "overwhelming demand"

Not sure i'm the only one, but i am really looking forward to this gadget, it will make my reading SO much easier, and space-wise it's perfect. No more books all over the place with nowhere to put them!!

 

[archie4oz]

My GF wanted to get one to stuff all of her Manga scans on before our vacation. Alas they pretty much sold out on day one. From what I'm hearing now, they're currently back-ordered 'till november.

 

[Arwin]

If they have the software and such for showing pdf and word files, and so on, why not create an application that can do this for the PSP?

Well, hopefully they will be able to do something like that once the E-Distribution service is up and running.

Before you say the PSP's screen is too small, it's not. Okay? Sure the Ebook thing's screen is nicer, but I've already read a whole novel on the PSP using the homebrew PDF reader (which does text very well) and that worked great.

 

[London Geezer]

If they have the software and such for showing pdf and word files, and so on, why not create an application that can do this for the PSP?

Well, hopefully they will be able to do something like that once the E-Distribution service is up and running.

Before you say the PSP's screen is too small, it's not. Okay? Sure the Ebook thing's screen is nicer, but I've already read a whole novel on the PSP using the homebrew PDF reader (which does text very well) and that worked great.

I think it's obvious that Sony want to open up a completely new market for people who like to read but want to do so without having to carry around (or store) real books. So much so they tried to make the Ebook screen as close to real paper as possible (i'm not too sure how it looks like in reality, i thought it was just a normal LCD screen but i suppose it's not?).

A PSP reader feature would be just that: a program for PSP to read stuff, like you can read stuff on a myriad of other hardware.

This Ebook thing is an Ebook. The thing that will allow people to be free from paper books! Or whatever they want to promote it as...

It's all about perception you see. Sony want to make the Ipod of books - just look at the name! Whether they will succeed or not is all to be seen, but it seems people are VERY interested in this.

The only problem that i thought of is that when i read books, i can read them even when it's rainy. As long as it's not pouring, a few drops here and there are fine. Even at the beach, where i read a lot, sand affects in no way a real book... I don't think i'll be able to be as care-free with the Ebook.

 

[Skrying]

What's the draw with this device? Is it just me, or it this really stupid? All it is, is a PDA that is completely featureless besides the ability to read common ebook formats. It may have a larger than normal screen but if the demand for these was honestly there I do not see any PDA company having an issue with releasing a large screen PDA. Special LCD screen? Give me a break, it probably just a terrible paper like background and with certain settings adjusted.

 

[London Geezer]

What's the draw with this device? Is it just me, or it this really stupid? All it is, is a PDA that is completely featureless besides the ability to read common ebook formats. It may have a larger than normal screen but if the demand for these was honestly there I do not see any PDA company having an issue with releasing a large screen PDA. Special LCD screen? Give me a break, it probably just a terrible paper like background and with certain settings adjusted.

Well the difference i guess is in the fact that this is aimed at people who don't own or want PDAs, which, needless to say, is a lot.

Even I, a self-professed geek, have no interest in a PDA, but would love to own one of these.

 

[Skrying]

Well the difference i guess is in the fact that this is aimed at people who don't own or want PDAs, which, needless to say, is a lot.

Even I, a self-professed geek, have no interest in a PDA, but would love to own one of these.

How much is this device suppose to cost? Even if you do not want a PDA and all its features, couldnt you just have the program and only launch it? Sorry, but the idea of this device is so silly that I'm having a very hard time wrapping my mind around why anyone would want it. Frankly, I doubt it'll be much cheaper than a low end PDA, the PDA could easily handle the task that is wanted, and more if you desired. If you only want it to do the ebook thing then only run the ebook program.

Your first sentence doesnt make sense much either. If the PDA can do this task just as well, then why should these people have a problem then getting one? They dont own this device either you know.

 

[archie4oz]

If they have the software and such for showing pdf and word files, and so on, why not create an application that can do this for the PSP?

There is... It just don't know if it'll be released in it's current state.

Well, hopefully they will be able to do something like that once the E-Distribution service is up and running.

Well the services has been up and running for a couple of weeks now...

Skrying What's the draw with this device? Is it just me, or it this really stupid? All it is, is a PDA that is completely featureless besides the ability to read common ebook formats.

PDAs use transmissive displays, not reflective. Ergo the display quality is sub-par in bright light conditions. PDAs consume significantly far more power. The eReader's screen only uses power to flip the pages, you can stare at the screen for months, and it's not going to draw power (case in point, we had a prototype that was loaded with a buggy firmware that caused it to cycle between a couple of screens on boot before locking up. We left it sitting there for weeks on the final screen, and yet we were still able to powercycle it and watch still cycle through the screens still on the charge from a few weeks before.). Also some people (actually quite a few) just don't like the notion of reading from a typical screen (even if it is a good LCD), or get eye discomfort from them. The eReader's e-ink display is meant to exhibit similar behaviors as paper that people would be more comfortable with.

 

[Skrying]

The display sounds interesting, if I were stranded on an island with no battery charger around. I guess the fact that it doesnt put as much strain on the eyes is nice also, I'm still not that impressed by this device though, it just seems like a big waste of money. For some reason I see it having a large niche fan base and the rest of us being like

 

[London Geezer]

The display sounds interesting, if I were stranded on an island with no battery charger around. I guess the fact that it doesnt put as much strain on the eyes is nice also, I'm still not that impressed by this device though, it just seems like a big waste of money. For some reason I see it having a large niche fan base and the rest of us being like

Isn't the PDA market the niche fanbase here?

Honestly, i don't even get close to a PDA simply because i can't be bothered with yet another PC-like thing in my hands, when i really don't need it. And i'm a geek!!

People will like the fact that this is practically a book, only without pages.

Of course, i never implied that this will be a huge success - we don't know that - but i personally can see the attraction of this over a PDA, from the bigger screen, to the much more user-friendly interface, to the battery life.

You seem to be stuck in your PDA mind, much like lots of PC aficionados always go "but why would you buy [insert name of hardware/software here] when you can just do it on your PC?!". The list is endless.

About price, the thing ain't cheap let me tell you! It's Sony we're talking about afterall

 

[Himself]

For me they would need a bigger screen, having a book open with two pages of text involves less fiddling then scrolling through one page, then the next, etc. Unless you read books like Mr. Muggs goes to school or the cat in the hat, it would be too annoying for me.

I like the display idea, although I'll wait for 2.0 without the residual effect of the previous page.