Re: [SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
Tom, Do you have anything to say about the other requirements listed by me? The display size which I specified corresponds to an open book, in which one can see two pages facing each other. I envisioned the use case of having to read a book while referring to something else (such as a dictionary or the Wikipedia) at the same time. However, I can see your point - the above can be accomplished by flipping windows. The eBook reader would be required to be able to open more than one book simultaneously and have a GUI to switch from an open book to another open book. --- Omer On Thu, 2009-12-17 at 09:30 +0200, Tom Goren wrote: what is this fantastic device you have invented? 14-15 by 9-10 inches display? most ebook readers are much much smaller. perhaps you should take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers - there is a big matrix there comparing all features of most devices on the market. also, i think there is some mistake in your basic notion about ebook readers given your feature wishlist - since all devices today are designed as book replacements, not laptop replacements (two windows displaying different content side by side does not sound like something an ebook must do in my opinion) - and thus their size and features are appropriately set. [... snipped ...] 2009/12/16 geoffrey mendelson geoffreymendel...@gmail.com On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote: What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
Re: [SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
like i said, the requirements sound reasonable, and would probably make up a very interesting gadget, i just am not familiar with such a device avaiable, and i tried to supply the rationale behind why not. also still i have some qualms with the notion of simultaneous wikipedia and dictionary referencing while reading a book - sounds very A.D.D. to me, and tab based navigation might better service a person actually trying to read... tom. 2009/12/17 Omer Zak w...@zak.co.il Tom, Do you have anything to say about the other requirements listed by me? The display size which I specified corresponds to an open book, in which one can see two pages facing each other. I envisioned the use case of having to read a book while referring to something else (such as a dictionary or the Wikipedia) at the same time. However, I can see your point - the above can be accomplished by flipping windows. The eBook reader would be required to be able to open more than one book simultaneously and have a GUI to switch from an open book to another open book. --- Omer On Thu, 2009-12-17 at 09:30 +0200, Tom Goren wrote: what is this fantastic device you have invented? 14-15 by 9-10 inches display? most ebook readers are much much smaller. perhaps you should take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers - there is a big matrix there comparing all features of most devices on the market. also, i think there is some mistake in your basic notion about ebook readers given your feature wishlist - since all devices today are designed as book replacements, not laptop replacements (two windows displaying different content side by side does not sound like something an ebook must do in my opinion) - and thus their size and features are appropriately set. [... snipped ...] 2009/12/16 geoffrey mendelson geoffreymendel...@gmail.com On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote: What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
[SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? --- Omer P.S.: the semi on-topic nature of this E-mail message is due to the high likelihood of the ideal eBook being Linux-based. -- One does not make peace with enemies. One makes peace with former enemies. My own blog is at http://www.zak.co.il/tddpirate/ My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone. They do not represent the official policy of any organization with which I may be affiliated in any way. WARNING TO SPAMMERS: at http://www.zak.co.il/spamwarning.html ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
Re: [SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote: What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? Closest thing is the Barnes and Noble Nook, which is sold only in the US at the moment and out of stock until after the first of the year. Check out the specs, compared to the others it's worth waiting for if it fits your needs. I think though it only fits, 1,3,8 (with an external card),9 and not 10. The only other thing close would be a netbook, and with the size screen you want it would be a tablet pc or full fledged laptop. IMHO it's the Sony reader (which BN sold before) modified to be what a Kindle should have been. Geoff. -- geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendel...@gmail.com New word I coined 12/13/09, Sub-Wikipedia adj, describing knowledge or understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation. i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia. ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
Re: [SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
what is this fantastic device you have invented? 14-15 by 9-10 inches display? most ebook readers are much much smaller. perhaps you should take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers - there is a big matrix there comparing all features of most devices on the market. also, i think there is some mistake in your basic notion about ebook readers given your feature wishlist - since all devices today are designed as book replacements, not laptop replacements (two windows displaying different content side by side does not sound like something an ebook must do in my opinion) - and thus their size and features are appropriately set. this is also how the kindle got so popular - it set out to do a task and does it well (never mind the yucky proprietary formats business right now). also a netbook is an interesting idea, however then you miss out on the whole e-ink thing which is basically the biggest selling point of en ebook reader in the first place. i don't really understand the need of displaying two pages side by side, unless you are reading a comic book, and you have reached some two page spread. or otherwise some technical diagram that would require a humongous amount of space to view (in which case they invented the zoom and dragging options). it kind of smells of sticking to old design paradigms and not realizing that we just read one page at a time anyway. just my way of looking at it - i think a device like you are specifying is very nice, it just seems a bit like you want the best of both world (eating the cake and leaving it whole). perhaps future devices such as the crunchtablet, that looks like it is stuck and won't be manufactured, or some other similar device on the way, would suit you best. tom. 2009/12/16 geoffrey mendelson geoffreymendel...@gmail.com On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote: What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? Closest thing is the Barnes and Noble Nook, which is sold only in the US at the moment and out of stock until after the first of the year. Check out the specs, compared to the others it's worth waiting for if it fits your needs. I think though it only fits, 1,3,8 (with an external card),9 and not 10. The only other thing close would be a netbook, and with the size screen you want it would be a tablet pc or full fledged laptop. IMHO it's the Sony reader (which BN sold before) modified to be what a Kindle should have been. Geoff. -- geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendel...@gmail.com New word I coined 12/13/09, Sub-Wikipedia adj, describing knowledge or understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation. i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia. ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
Re: [SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?
maybe you will like this abomination: http://www.geeks.co.uk/11414-the-entourage-edge-in-action-dual-scree-ebook-reader ;-) 2009/12/17 Tom Goren motne...@gmail.com what is this fantastic device you have invented? 14-15 by 9-10 inches display? most ebook readers are much much smaller. perhaps you should take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers - there is a big matrix there comparing all features of most devices on the market. also, i think there is some mistake in your basic notion about ebook readers given your feature wishlist - since all devices today are designed as book replacements, not laptop replacements (two windows displaying different content side by side does not sound like something an ebook must do in my opinion) - and thus their size and features are appropriately set. this is also how the kindle got so popular - it set out to do a task and does it well (never mind the yucky proprietary formats business right now). also a netbook is an interesting idea, however then you miss out on the whole e-ink thing which is basically the biggest selling point of en ebook reader in the first place. i don't really understand the need of displaying two pages side by side, unless you are reading a comic book, and you have reached some two page spread. or otherwise some technical diagram that would require a humongous amount of space to view (in which case they invented the zoom and dragging options). it kind of smells of sticking to old design paradigms and not realizing that we just read one page at a time anyway. just my way of looking at it - i think a device like you are specifying is very nice, it just seems a bit like you want the best of both world (eating the cake and leaving it whole). perhaps future devices such as the crunchtablet, that looks like it is stuck and won't be manufactured, or some other similar device on the way, would suit you best. tom. 2009/12/16 geoffrey mendelson geoffreymendel...@gmail.com On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote: What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know about the current crop of eBook readers? Any recommendations? Do the following requirements make sense? 1. Ability to display PDF files. 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files. 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project. 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support. 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for reading at night when there is power outage). 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for convenient display of two book pages side by side. 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying different content. 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew Wikipedia). 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC). 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks. Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements? Closest thing is the Barnes and Noble Nook, which is sold only in the US at the moment and out of stock until after the first of the year. Check out the specs, compared to the others it's worth waiting for if it fits your needs. I think though it only fits, 1,3,8 (with an external card),9 and not 10. The only other thing close would be a netbook, and with the size screen you want it would be a tablet pc or full fledged laptop. IMHO it's the Sony reader (which BN sold before) modified to be what a Kindle should have been. Geoff. -- geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendel...@gmail.com New word I coined 12/13/09, Sub-Wikipedia adj, describing knowledge or understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation. i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia. ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il ___ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
