A little closer to a true eBook/ eNewspaper
We are a little closer to a true eBook and eNewspaper. Gizmodo looked at a new one at he Consumer Electronics Show that they liked.
The minimum features needed are (my wishlist):
1. eInk screen
2. Thin & portable
3. Long battery life
4. Instant on
5. Read all major document formats
6. RSS reader/ aggregator
7. Web and graphics
8. Wireless 802.11b
With these features you have a book reader and you have an electonic “morning paper” customizable to the news you want, as well.
Gizmodo reviewed a Sony device that they liked a lot.
“Sony’s new “Reader” is fantastic and we want one immediately. The price point is going to be painfully high, with guesstimates in between $300 and $400, but it’s everything the Librie-Sony’s first-generation, Japan-only ePaper-based eBook reader (whew) should have been.
…
But here’s the hottest part: RSS support with images. The digital morning paper is finally about to happen.”
The eInk display appears to be very good, overcomming the challenges of past readers whose displays were based on LCD technology, The new eInk technology makes the words and graphics appear like they are on paper.
“According to people who have tried it, Sony has largely succeed in creating an electronic book that can present pages with a display that has the characteristics of paper. Usability experts have long decried reading on a screen; due to low contrast, strong backlighting, screen flicker and low resolution, most people would prefer to avoid long reading sessions on computers. The e Ink technology provides relatively high contrast, no backlight, no screen flicker and good resolution. “
