How I Learned to Love Reading Online Thursday, February 21, 2008 Beatley Library Simmons College

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog , Caspar David Friedrich, 1818, PD

Newsweek cover from Nov. 27, 2007

From lawgeek’s flickr account ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdawg/1300241735/ ), last accessed 2/18/08

Kindle details $399 for device 10.3 ounces 6 inch display Holds “hundreds” of books Wireless connection using 3G network Supports MOBI, Microsoft Word, HTML, TXT, PRC and image files Newspapers, magazines, blogs, & books Doesn’t require a computer Keyboard Not backlit OED loaded Wikipedia $.10 for wireless conversion PDF??

$399 for device

10.3 ounces

6 inch display

Holds “hundreds” of books

Wireless connection using 3G network

Supports MOBI, Microsoft Word, HTML, TXT, PRC and image files

Newspapers, magazines, blogs, & books

Doesn’t require a computer

Keyboard

Not backlit

OED loaded

Wikipedia

$.10 for wireless conversion

PDF??

Amazon.com’s Kindle storefront ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/133141011 ), last accessed 2/17/08

Sony Stats PRS-500 series $299 for device 9 ounces 6 inch display Internal memory holds up to 80 books Connects to computer via UPB BBeB Book , TXT, RTF, PDF*, Microsoft Word Not backlit No keyboard Bookmarks Switch Screen orientation *PDF can be created using Acrobat Standard or need to be unencrypted

PRS-500 series

$299 for device

9 ounces

6 inch display

Internal memory holds up to 80 books

Connects to computer via UPB

BBeB Book , TXT, RTF, PDF*, Microsoft Word

Not backlit

No keyboard

Bookmarks

Switch Screen orientation

Ebookstore.sony.com, last accessed 2/17/08

Fictionwise & eBookwise eBookwise-1150 $110 plus shipping 18 ounces Screen the size of a paperback Backlit screen Memory: 8MB internal flash (10 books) Can add up to 128MB card (200 books) Rechargeable battery Rocketbook , TXT, RTF, HTML, & Microsoft Word Does not support PDF Image from http:www.ebookwise.com, last accessed 2/17/08

eBookwise-1150

$110 plus shipping

18 ounces

Screen the size of a paperback

Backlit screen

Memory: 8MB internal flash (10 books)

Can add up to 128MB card (200 books)

Rechargeable battery

Rocketbook , TXT, RTF, HTML, & Microsoft Word

Does not support PDF

Other readers available UBIT’s walkbook Supports: PDF, TXT, DOC, HTML, MP3, WOL and image files $310 Istanbul, Turkey Bookeen’s Cybook Supports: PDF, TXT, HTML, PDB, Mobi, MP3 and image files $350 iRex Iliad Supports: PDF / HTML / TXT / JPG / BMP/ PNG $699 8.1” screen

UBIT’s walkbook

Supports: PDF, TXT, DOC, HTML, MP3, WOL and image files

$310

Istanbul, Turkey

Bookeen’s Cybook

Supports: PDF, TXT, HTML, PDB, Mobi, MP3 and image files

$350

iRex Iliad

Supports: PDF / HTML / TXT / JPG / BMP/ PNG

$699

8.1” screen

Other “readers”? Image from Kimbooktu ( http://kimbooktu.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/bookish-wallpaper-ii/ ), last accessed 2/17/08

iphone 3.5 inch screen 5 hour battery life? Not technically an ebook devices, but . . . Textonphone.com Image from http://www.apple.com , last accessed 2/17/08

Gphone Big question mark No delivery date Software only Ebook capabilities? Image from Feb 18, 2008 entry at http://www.google-phone.com/ , last accessed 2/17/08

Big question mark

No delivery date

Software only

Ebook capabilities?

OLPC From OLPC’s site (http://laptop.org)

Other Mini PCs Kojinsha E8 subnotebook Windows XP AMD Goede LX800 processor 512MB of memory Touch screen (1024x600 resolution) Memory card slot USB port 3.5 hours of continuous use time Between $529 and $635 EEE PC from Asus Linux operating system 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU 4 GB of solid state memory. 7-inch wide color LCD with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution Memory card slot 3 USB 2.0 ports 3.5 hours of continuous use time $400 at Amazon.com Selection of colors: White, Black, Pink, Blue, & Green http://www.arbus.com . Last accessed 2/19/08 http://aving.net/usa/news/default.asp , last accessed 2/19/08

Kojinsha E8 subnotebook

Windows XP

AMD Goede LX800 processor

512MB of memory

Touch screen (1024x600 resolution)

Memory card slot

USB port

3.5 hours of continuous use time

Between $529 and $635

EEE PC from Asus

Linux operating system

900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU

4 GB of solid state memory.

7-inch wide color LCD with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution

Memory card slot

3 USB 2.0 ports

3.5 hours of continuous use time

$400 at Amazon.com

Selection of colors: White, Black, Pink, Blue, & Green

Polymer Vision’s Readius Image from 1/22/09 Wired blogs( http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/readius-ebook-p.html_ , last accessed 2/17/08

Polymer Vision’s Readius Good News Cell phone & ebook reader 5” Flexible screen Download content wihtout USB Bad News Tri-band phone For European market only Release?

Good News

Cell phone & ebook reader

5” Flexible screen

Download content wihtout USB

Bad News

Tri-band phone

For European market only

Release?

Where’s the content? Image from http://www.lightupyourworld.nl/en/index_en.html , last accessed 2/17/08

http://books.google.com , last accessed 2/17/08

http://search.live.com , last accessed 2/17/08

http://www.archive.org/details/texts , last accessed 2/17/08

http://www.gutenberg.org/ , last accessed 2/17/08

http://www.dailylit.com/ , last accessed 2/17/08

http://www.the-future-of-ideas.com http://www2.oprah.com http://craphound.com/down/