Why would you spend $400 on a fire that only lasts for a min and smells really bad.
Seriously. I have an iPod Touch. Its great. I haven't even unlocked it yet but what I can say is that some books that I have wanted to read have been available in HTML format for some time. I have set up a locked page on my website and hey presto I can read them when ever I want. Even in the toilet. No one looks funny at me taking an iPod Touch into the toilet when its in my pocket but imagine trying to put that thing in your pocket. Or even worse Just having it in your hand when you get out of the toilet as someone else is walking in. "Its for reading books. Really!"
My god that's bad writing. Like remedial eighth grade bad. Just sayin'.
You saved your first post for a rip on our contributor's taste in nerdy, poor-written literature?
You'll fit in well here.
Just wait until you find all the over-dramatization and typos... we now know where the crappy writing comes from.
We love ya, Kapser. Oh, and I'm serious about the editorial offer. I'll be an extra pair of eyes so your site has the professionalism that more suits its reader-base... Really.
After all these years, that's the best they can do with electronic ink? Books are safe with me until the get eInk that goes from black to white.
I guess that I find speech synthesis, speech recognition and handwriting recognition similarly disappointing technologies.
I hear you regarding speech recognition for sure. Like, I understand the difficulties with accents and whatnot - no one has perfect dialect - but today's speech recognition is embarrassingly bad. It's barely better than it was 10 years ago.
Handwriting, I can understand. Half the crap my co-workers give me, I can't even decypher myself. How is a computer supposed to figure out a word unless it can judge it based on context? Context is one thing that computers have never been good at.
At the pace we're going, I doubt I'll have a humanoid android caretaker by the time I'm retired...
And bringing up the "iPod of reading" is not enough. It's not the iPod of reading, not yet at least.
Because one way or another, this is a space that some version of the phone/touch/tablet will be playing in at some point. Know thine enemy.
I'm surprised to see that its as, shall we say 'plain', as advance pictures indicated. I heard interviews with Bezos where he said the pictures were of an early protype.
What's with the slanted buttons?
Really looking forward to seeing the actual review.
Wow. That thing's as fugly as a boot. And, being white, it'll get grubby real fast. Gotta admit, I'm intregued by the concept though, and the screen would be great if they'd just remove all the stuff surrounding it. Reminds me a little of those hand held video games of the early 80's. The novel should have been TOS-related... would have fit better. Sorta looks like a prop from that show anyway.
Really, I don't see what's so unattractive about the design. I suppose ditching the buttons and going with a touch screen might be nice, but I'm not sure how grubby fingerprints would go with trying to read.
Nor does the suggested alternative of staring at the back-lit glare of an iPhone sound very appealing either. Especially scrolling about just trying to read one page.
No, I won't be running out to buy one either though. For $400, I'd rather just spend that on a pile of books. Maybe if they could get the price down, maybe offer it free with some sort of commitment I'd bite.
And bringing up the "iPod of reading" is not enough. It's not the iPod of reading, not yet at least.
It has MP3 player technology and a DRM free store to back it. So it does relate to Apple much like the Zune relates to Apple. Competition.
While it is a bit on the edge of being related, it definitely fits within the halo of being reported on this site. There are a lot of people who read books and listen to music. Why have both if you read more than listen?
I have a Kindle and at first it looks ugly, and it is not very attractive, but for a heavy reader, it beats a book any day of the week. Don't dismiss it so soon. I think it is going to change the book world like the iPod changed the music world. I was hesitant to buy one, but I read so many books I decided to make the plunge to save myself the S&H and drive to the local stores. Plus, my wife was not happy about my growing number of Star Trek books on the shelf. ;-) I just wish there were more Battle Star Galactica books!!
I'm still trying to understand the point of StarTrek Christmas tree ornaments.
You can talk to most of the authors on at www.trekbbs.com too. Crazy I know. If Apple would get some of their designers here at AI, you would be just as bad.
ST probably has more market share in books than Apple does in the computer industry.
I like this device, but I really like the direction it is going in. The big thing I think is the wireless feature. Even if none of these sell, it will still cause a revolution for the industry. Think about this: free fetching of content (as in no contract), anywhere. like buying songs with a touch anywhere, only paying for the song. I also really like the screen. Keep in mind that these screens are still first gen, so they can only get better from here.
I was going to say the same thing. Why is this on AppleInsider? If you don't have crappy rumors to post, ok, but please, stay with Apple.
I disagree. I want to see the things that Apple is killing before they are born as well as born and to die soon . lol , Kasper provides great entertainment this way ,, . much less,, the comments are funny and informative.
Really, I don't see what's so unattractive about the design. I suppose ditching the buttons and going with a touch screen might be nice, but I'm not sure how grubby fingerprints would go with trying to read.
Nor does the suggested alternative of staring at the back-lit glare of an iPhone sound very appealing either. Especially scrolling about just trying to read one page.
No, I won't be running out to buy one either though. For $400, I'd rather just spend that on a pile of books. Maybe if they could get the price down, maybe offer it free with some sort of commitment I'd bite.
I agree. Most people here are spoiled by Apple's keen eye for design. But the kindle could be successful if the media is priced fairly and the next version is a little more appealing visually. The concept is good IMO.
Comments
Seriously. I have an iPod Touch. Its great. I haven't even unlocked it yet but what I can say is that some books that I have wanted to read have been available in HTML format for some time. I have set up a locked page on my website and hey presto I can read them when ever I want. Even in the toilet. No one looks funny at me taking an iPod Touch into the toilet when its in my pocket but imagine trying to put that thing in your pocket. Or even worse Just having it in your hand when you get out of the toilet as someone else is walking in. "Its for reading books. Really!"
My god that's bad writing. Like remedial eighth grade bad. Just sayin'.
You saved your first post for a rip on our contributor's taste in nerdy, poor-written literature?
You'll fit in well here.
Just wait until you find all the over-dramatization and typos... we now know where the crappy writing comes from.
We love ya, Kapser.
-Clive
After all these years, that's the best they can do with electronic ink? Books are safe with me until the get eInk that goes from black to white.
I guess that I find speech synthesis, speech recognition and handwriting recognition similarly disappointing technologies.
And people buy and read StarTrek books?
Geez, I gotta get out more. Or maybe they do.
I'm still trying to understand the point of StarTrek Christmas tree ornaments.
After all these years, that's the best they can do with electronic ink? Books are safe with me until the get eInk that goes from black to white.
I guess that I find speech synthesis, speech recognition and handwriting recognition similarly disappointing technologies.
I hear you regarding speech recognition for sure. Like, I understand the difficulties with accents and whatnot - no one has perfect dialect - but today's speech recognition is embarrassingly bad. It's barely better than it was 10 years ago.
Handwriting, I can understand. Half the crap my co-workers give me, I can't even decypher myself. How is a computer supposed to figure out a word unless it can judge it based on context? Context is one thing that computers have never been good at.
At the pace we're going, I doubt I'll have a humanoid android caretaker by the time I'm retired...
-Clive
I fail to see how this relates to Apple though.
And bringing up the "iPod of reading" is not enough. It's not the iPod of reading, not yet at least.
Because one way or another, this is a space that some version of the phone/touch/tablet will be playing in at some point. Know thine enemy.
I'm surprised to see that its as, shall we say 'plain', as advance pictures indicated. I heard interviews with Bezos where he said the pictures were of an early protype.
What's with the slanted buttons?
Really looking forward to seeing the actual review.
heh, kinda funny.
++
I was going to say the same thing. Why is this on AppleInsider? If you don't have crappy rumors to post, ok, but please, stay with Apple.
kindle + electronic ink input (handwriting) = easy-on-the-eyes endless notepad.
People write StarTrek books?
And people buy and read StarTrek books?
Geez, I gotta get out more. Or maybe they do.
I think I'd compare it to people reading rumor sites about a computer maker's products.
I'm still trying to understand the point of StarTrek Christmas tree ornaments.
Some of them are pretty nice.
Fugly.
Sort of like the 1st-4th gen iPods...
Really, I don't see what's so unattractive about the design. I suppose ditching the buttons and going with a touch screen might be nice, but I'm not sure how grubby fingerprints would go with trying to read.
Nor does the suggested alternative of staring at the back-lit glare of an iPhone sound very appealing either. Especially scrolling about just trying to read one page.
No, I won't be running out to buy one either though. For $400, I'd rather just spend that on a pile of books. Maybe if they could get the price down, maybe offer it free with some sort of commitment I'd bite.
Wow! A keyboard really looks stupid on an eBook reader.
Just another example of how Amazon's need to pay Sprint for service on this device makes it far more cumbersome than if they'd designed it properly.
Let me know when the WiFi version comes out.
I fail to see how this relates to Apple though.
And bringing up the "iPod of reading" is not enough. It's not the iPod of reading, not yet at least.
It has MP3 player technology and a DRM free store to back it. So it does relate to Apple much like the Zune relates to Apple. Competition.
While it is a bit on the edge of being related, it definitely fits within the halo of being reported on this site. There are a lot of people who read books and listen to music. Why have both if you read more than listen?
I have a Kindle and at first it looks ugly, and it is not very attractive, but for a heavy reader, it beats a book any day of the week. Don't dismiss it so soon. I think it is going to change the book world like the iPod changed the music world. I was hesitant to buy one, but I read so many books I decided to make the plunge to save myself the S&H and drive to the local stores. Plus, my wife was not happy about my growing number of Star Trek books on the shelf. ;-) I just wish there were more Battle Star Galactica books!!
People write StarTrek books?
And people buy and read StarTrek books?
Geez, I gotta get out more. Or maybe they do.
I'm still trying to understand the point of StarTrek Christmas tree ornaments.
You can talk to most of the authors on at www.trekbbs.com too. Crazy I know. If Apple would get some of their designers here at AI, you would be just as bad.
ST probably has more market share in books than Apple does in the computer industry.
I just made that last bit up for effect.
++
I was going to say the same thing. Why is this on AppleInsider? If you don't have crappy rumors to post, ok, but please, stay with Apple.
I disagree. I want to see the things that Apple is killing before they are born as well as born and to die soon . lol , Kasper provides great entertainment this way ,, . much less,, the comments are funny and informative.
Sort of like the 1st-4th gen iPods...
Really, I don't see what's so unattractive about the design. I suppose ditching the buttons and going with a touch screen might be nice, but I'm not sure how grubby fingerprints would go with trying to read.
Nor does the suggested alternative of staring at the back-lit glare of an iPhone sound very appealing either. Especially scrolling about just trying to read one page.
No, I won't be running out to buy one either though. For $400, I'd rather just spend that on a pile of books. Maybe if they could get the price down, maybe offer it free with some sort of commitment I'd bite.
I agree. Most people here are spoiled by Apple's keen eye for design. But the kindle could be successful if the media is priced fairly and the next version is a little more appealing visually. The concept is good IMO.