HP Working On Next-Gen eBook Devices

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3173835.stm' target='_blank'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3173835.stm</a><br /><br /></div>For those of you who think Pocket PC screens are too small to read ebooks, you might be interested in a device like this in the future.<br /><br />"Researchers at Hewlett Packard have developed a prototype electronic book which can hold a whole library on a device no bigger than a paperback. The brushed metal device is about one centimetre thick and looks like an oversized handheld computer."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20030828-HP-ebook.jpg" /><br /><br />I love the idea of being able to "thumb through" the pages of the book as per the illustration.

[Excalliber]

Now that is something the mainstream market could accept. They just need marketing! It seems devices like these are perfect for mainstream, but they flop because of no publicity.

[Ed Hansberry]

It'll never work until publishers make ebook offerings common and of ALL best sellers.

Oh yeah, no DRM5-like restrictions.

[grobin]

I like my PPC for reading books. I especially
like reading late in bed. This HP thing looks too
big and bulky to me. They'll have to pry my PPC
from my cold dead hands. I prefer PPC books
to paper ANY day. Easy to read (I am not blind
or afraid) and very light and convenient.
This HP device might be nice for magazines,
though.

[Paragon]

I think it's too big. The size is fine for reading, but it's sure not something you're about to carry around with you. Perhaps by the time it hits it will have a flexible screen so you can fold it to about a quarter of it's size. Othewise what is the advantage of having an electronic book if it's so big. Why not just carry a Tablet PC and have all the extra functions that come with it.

Dave

[Kris Kumar]

FYI...

Well these are the two companies working on Electronic Paper...which can really revolutionize the print media..

http://eink.com/
http://www.gyriconmedia.com/

Both of them currently I believe are black-white...but flexible like paper...and re-writable....

And the best feature...once the text/graphics is printed on the electronic paper, u dont need power to persist the text/graphics...u dont have to worry about draining battery life...only when the page is to be flipped, power is applied, new page displayed and power turned off :-)

[Sheynk]

......or you can get a book............


naaaaah

W?BIC!!!!!!!!!!!

[Janak Parekh]

It'll never work until publishers make ebook offerings common and of ALL best sellers.
Agreed -- that's why I focused only on the hardware side of things.

--janak

[ctmagnus]

I have to agree with the statement about magazines. Those things are generally 8.5x11 or larger to begin with so this would have a size advantage over them, except you can't roll this up and stick it in a pocket, bag etc. But most paperbooks are smaller than this in the first place so the only advantages this has over them are depth and capacity.

Edit: this would also be great for textbooks imo, if it allows markups.

[Jonathan1]

Hmmm interesting. Unlike most e-book apps that try and simulate only one page this thing is trying for an experience like you would have with a real paperback (e.g. 2 pages)
This has its pros and cons. The obvious being the hardware is going to end up being larger but no more so then a Tablet PC or real life paperback. But it also allows you to scan pages more quickly then on a single page device. I know there have been times I’ve lost my place in an e-book and had to “thumb” through the pages to find my place again. As well as the obvious “feel” of having a paperback in your hands which is what may make the average consumer actually consider something like this. Personally I think the best form factor would be something like the Apple Newton minus the thickness of course.
One thing to note about hardware. No matter the device’s form factor, weight, or even the software that inhabits its guts one of the most important features of any e-book reader will invariably be the battery life. It HAS to be ridiculously long or people won’t bite. Sure us tech heads charge our PDA’s every few nights or even every night but the average person is not going to want to walk around with a power adapter for his/her e-book reader and have to worry “will my e-book reader survive the flight from LA to NY? A device like this should go weeks without a recharge or months turned off. None of this dead after a week of sitting in a corner crap that occurs on PDA’s.
Its stating the obvious but devices like these will only become household items once they become as easy to use as a TV or a paperback book. I really don’t see paper ever going away in my lifetime. The ease of use is far beyond anything computer tech can accomplish right now. I pick up a book off my shelf and what do I have? First and foremost I know with 100% certainty that the battery is charged ;-) I know that I don’t have to worry about dead pixels or a cracked screen. I can abuse the crap out of it, bend it throw it down and NOTHING will happen to it. Heck it can even get it a bit damp and it'll be perfectly fine. It can be read indoors and outdoors. I don’t have to worry about someone stealing it. OK I may worry but I would be more concerned about someone nabbing an e-book reader vs a $6 novel. And the list goes on. Someday but a lot of things other then just form factor has to be worked out first.

PS - And yes also the whole DRM issue will also come into play, which is another discussion.

[dean_shan]

I would only consider it if you could use multiple ebook formats ie PalmReader. I don't want to buy my books again.

[andrewjhscott]

Have a look at Zinio - a magazine style of Adobe reader technology.

The platform that PocketPC Magazine uses.

Or are we really talking about more mobile uses? Zinio only runs on a reasonably capable desktop.....

www.zinio.com

[klinux]

Yup - OEMs and others need to learn from Apple here - it needs to be easy to use (one wheel, four buttons) and store every possible thing that one reads e.g. all magazines, newspapers, books, PDFs, manuals, etc (a 30gb should be sufficient?) and have good battery life too. Sounds wasy but difficult to achieve.

[bjornkeizers]

I want... no.. I NEED one!! If this will let me read MS reader books, text files, and HTML with graphics, then I'm first in line to buy one.

[don dre]

looks inferior to a used paperback for a $1. I use my ppc for ebooks for convenience when needed but still prefer an old fashioned book. that said, everything in my house is computerized other than that. no dummy TV even. electronic paper has me the most interested. my eyes hurt from looking at too many light bulbs.