Slog - Comments on Another Week, Another E-Books Post http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post I think this e-book sounds kind of cool, maybe because it's like a portable newspaper and magazine reader machine. If the rumors pan out, it's a tabloid-newspaper-size sheet of plastic that has color e-ink and may be touch-sensitive.... Copyright 2008 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:33:54 -0800 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:56:11 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Will in Seattle I'll wait for the non-buggy version in a couple of years, without the sealed-in battery.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992406 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992406 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:52:50 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 i would much prefer an e-newspaper to an e-book. having a book on disk as a .pdf or .whatever drm you want, isn't the same tactile pleasure as a physical tome on shelves or in your hands

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992439 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992439 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:18:47 -0800 Comment by PopTart For some reason Neal Stephenson's primer in "The Diamond Age" springs to mind. Speaking of him, I saw on Amazon he has a new book coming out in September.

I agree with @2, I enjoy the tactile pleasure of reading a book. All my bookshelves filled with books make me happy.

From a writer's standpoint, though, it seems like e-books (and the readers to read them on) are a good thing because publishers are more willing to take risks on new or different voices that might not get published otherwise. Or, maybe that's wishful thinking...

]]> PopTart http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992466 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992466 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:54:52 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi @3,

I suspect that any straight-to-reader books would be the literary counterparts of straight-to-DVD movies.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992493 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992493 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:26:02 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 @3 well people wouldn't even need publishers if they could just produce content themselves.

It could lead to greater artistic freedom
but it would probably turn out as chaotic as the the rest of the internet is right now.

my bet is the majority of independent content for e-book readers will be erotic Naruto fan fiction

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992498 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992498 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:34:50 -0800 Comment by heywhatsit So this is a portable newspaper? As opposed to what? The non-portable newspaper? What's the point? Sounds like a condom with ink on it.

]]> heywhatsit http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992520 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992520 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:01:38 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 @6 non-portable e-reader = laptop

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992552 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992552 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:08:23 -0800 Comment by Reverse Polarity You know, it's rare to see an article filled with so much speculation and so few hard facts. I'm impressed.

The concept of e-readers (either book or newspaper sized) holds great promise. But the devil is in the details. How big will it be? How much will it cost? What can you actually read with it? What do subscriptions to magazines/newspapers/books cost? What kind of software does it use? What kind of screen resolution (the Kindle, for example, is about 1/4 the resolution of text printed on a laser printer)? Will it be upgradeable? When will it actually be available to the public? Maybe it'll have color. Maybe it'll have a touch-sensitive screen. Or maybe not.

The article answers none of these questions. So nobody knows whether this new reader will be the coolest thing since sliced bread, or a gigantic technological turd. The article is an exercise in technological navel gazing.

Post again when there is some real information.

]]> Reverse Polarity http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992603 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992603 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:27:46 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle The concept of e-readers has held great promise since the 63 Worlds Fair ...

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992605 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992605 Books Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:49:36 -0800 Comment by Mark at YVR Wow! I've wanted one of those since I saw a guy reading a USA Today on one in Minority Report.

]]> Mark at YVR http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992625 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/04/another_week_another_ebooks_post#c992625 Books Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:56:11 -0800