On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 05:10:22PM -0700, Leslie S Satenstein wrote:
> Saw an article in the Gazette about this model. Has anyone any experience
> with it. $129 at future shop.
>
> Would it be better to go after a color e-book reader. Or should I go for a
> Netbook?
>
> I basically want to read some books and I want to load some pdf files
> (example Postgres manual, and some other linux manuals in pdf format.
I bought the kobo reader when it first came out, and I'm satisfied with
it, but have a few caveats. I was expecting new models to arrive, and
they did.
I've found the kobo to be my preferred platform (better than paper) for
reading fiction -- stuff you read straight through from begining to end.
It's a lot lighter than a hard-cover book. When I read in bed, I don't
get a cramp in my arm from holding it up. And it's more convenient on a
bus than a paperback. If it's raining, set the font size to large and
put the thing in a ziplock bag. Yes, the raindrops will bead up and
make some letters a bit obscure, but if you try that with a paper book
it will be really hard to turn the pages.
But it's not great for math. When you read
Substituting in equation (2-8)
it's really awkward to find equation 2-8 way back in the middle of
chapter 2 and then go back to chapter 10, where you were reading.
Awkward enough that once you found equation 2-8, you've forgotten why
you wanted it.
It's also not great for artwork. The high contrast and resolution just
aren't there.
And it's perfectly readable in bright sunlight. It's light grey
background is better than the blinding white you'd get from paper.
The new model seems to have a touch screen, unlikd any of the previous
ones. That should make it possible for them to have a much better user
interface. The software seems to provide some new features that use it,
but whether it really accomplishes being significantly better I won't be
able to tell until I actually have one in my hands. And it's not clear
at all how usable the touch screen will be inside a ziplock bag. They
seem to use the tich screen to replace some of the mechanical buttons my
touch screen has.
Indigo is now accepting orders for the new model, for delivery in the
next month or so.
There are rumours of a colour version in the wings, but I can't see how
the electronic paper would produce art-grade colour. Symbolic colour,
maybe, but I imagine it would be washed out or faint in some way, and
not as good as the straight black-white stuff, It has to operate using
reflected light. I can't imagine it will be as good as a
luminous-screen device for colour, but who knows? THey may manage to
surprise me.
As to other platforms, such as ipads, and such, I'd like to hear how
they fare in bright sumlight. No luminous-screen device I've used yet
fares well in bright sunlight. And I want to read in the sun much more
often than I want to read in pitch-dark.
There's one feature they've advertised, though. You can install the
kobo software on a variety of devices, including iphones and such. And
they say you can sync your various devices with one another. Presumably
that means you can take your bright-sunlight kobo, sync it with a
luminous device, and go on reading in your coal mine.
I'd wait and see.
-- hendrik
>
>
>
> ------------------
>
> Regards
> Leslie
> Mr. Leslie Satenstein
> 40 years in IT and going strong.
> Yesterday was a good day, today is a better day,
> and tomorrow will be even better.
>
> mailto:[email protected]
> alternative: [email protected]
> www.itbms.biz
>
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