Comments on: Sony eBook reader

By: Kristy

Kristy — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 02:02:45 +0000

I have it. I bought it. The view is rotatable. You can read like a book or turn the device and read lengthwise. You can upload any PDF and you can upload any text after changing a WORD file into RTF format. (Rich Text Format). I have read several books on this device in the last month and love it. It’s far better on the eyes as you can change the font sizes. The grayscale screen is easy on my eyes too.

I don’ t think this device is for anyone but an avid reader. It does have a MP3 player and you can store photo’s. Both features…add in’s to attract more people, but both features are features I overall have ignored.

I can carry my college e-books (which printed out weigh about 15 lbs) and a novel and website content and blog content, etc. in my purse. The device weighs less than a makeup compact and you mentioend the add on accessories. Both are unnecessary as the device comes with a hardsided leather case and an AC plug. I don’t need a fancy plastic holder to hold the device upright. Useless. Also unnecessary to buy a cover when it comes with a much nicer one at no extra cost.

The nice aside..I can buy ebooks for far cheaper on Connect than I can anywhere else. I can also buy books sooner on Connect than I can on amazon. It’s instant book shopping.

I love the device and recommend it to anyone who is an avid reader and NO I do not work for Sony…..I just love to read and love having new choices for how I do so. Also love having more room on my nightstand these days. No pile of crap falling over when I hit the snooze button in the morning either.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:21:11 +0000

I definitely agree – appealing to the modders/hackers out there gets you press, free development, good ideas.

In the end, I want to see “A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” (ala Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson) – learning, modifiable text devices

Simple things I would change:
* Add a jog dial, they are great for selection, page turning, etc.
* Better button layout/design. Why a round button with just 2 positions, NorthEast & SouthWest?
* Zoom ‘out’ one more level (higher resolution) to fit more text

By: Will

Will — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:57:28 +0000

Sony? Gouging? Unmount that MemoryStick and say it ain’t so!

Sony? Knows better than you? Take that anti-ATRAC attitude out of here!

I think your SDK desire is what it will take for an ebook reader to truly reach market acceptance. Its the hobbyist/engineer/tinkerer market that will be required to work out the bugs and idiosyncrasies of the product and make it ready for prime time. As a gadget, you might get some early adopter traffic, but as a product to be enthusiastic about, you need some early adApter traffic.

I’m thinking here of TiVo vs. ReplayTV. Both new, paradigm changing products, but IIRC, TiVo was more tolerant of the hackers.

Ebook readers have lots of potential, but I think it behooves the creators to put the products out there and see how people use, alter, and improve them.

Back in the day, most would have thought of this as basic customer research.

So, what would you change/add/delete?