Interested in ereaders

[Molly Tournquist]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: D. Hugh Redelmeier
> Sent: 09/19/13 12:09 AM
> Kobo GPLed source code has been published. Of course key parts of the
> firmware are not GPLed.
> 
> People have hacked on the Kobo firmware binaries. I forget the
> details. The format is something like a tarball so it is easy.
> Busybox is in there, for example. I think that a crude game was
> released.
> 
> It may be my imagination, but I can't think of much I'd want my Kobo
> ereaders to do. The screen update is a bit painful for other
> purposes.

Seems like a chicken and an egg situation, without keyboards, it's hard for people to be messing around with an ereader enough to get a sense of how to make use of hacked ones.

Tetris was released for it, and it just looks awful, no surprise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jtbbcFhvec

A weather app has been ported to it, through pygame.

When the main memory is on an internal card, that allows an extra safeguard against bricking it.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Christopher Browne
> Sent: 09/19/13 01:16 PM
> There are enough tradeoffs to be found here as to make it pretty tempting
> to get different gadgets for different purposes.
> 
> Personally, I prefer a devoted music player, as it has a much nicer amplifier
> chipset than they'd think to put into a [tablet/phone].
> 
> I do my reading on a Kobo Touch, and I'm debating getting the new "Aura"
> model, which would add backlighting, a sizable increase in resolution,
> and, apparently, a bigger battery requiring much less frequent recharging.

Yes, there are advantages to having specialized gadgets for specific purposses. But text viewing plus audio is still a narrow range of functions. It's easy to conceive of audio quality still being paid good attention to from just a dual device, rather than a tablet or phone. Sure, creative labs had released a pair of android tablets ... with resistive screens! Just imagine how a device with as broad a range of functions as a tablet made by an audio gadgets company would turn out!

The Aura *HD* seems particularly interesting: 1440x1080. Supposedly, it's a limited edition product. Regular Aura is 10 by 10 pixels short of XGA for some reason.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Scott Elcomb
> Sent: 09/19/13 02:36 PM
> A thick-ish pocket-size notebook with a flip open cover and colour
> e-paper. Use the available depth to hold the electronics and for
> keeping bluetooth earbuds in storage - similar in concept to a book
> safe.
> 
> Use Linux & FOSS, preferably on Open Hardware. Most importantly
> though, let users customize their covers (also e-paper).

Actually, using linux is questionable. Rockbox is already optimized for portable music players. Color E-paper is an issue of how good that technology is.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Lennart Sorensen
> Sent: 09/19/13 12:19 PM
> The audio part is really really pointless. In fact sony dropped audio
> support from their newer models because an ereader makes a lousy mp3
> player and it is a waste of the ereaders battery. A dedicated mp3 player
> is way better at it, more efficient, has a better UI for audio playack,
> and is a lot smaller.
> 
> Somehow the ereader reads books got extended into it should also handle
> audiobooks, which is really just a bad leap to make, and at least Sony
> clued in and removed the pointless feature.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: D. Hugh Redelmeier
> Sent: 09/19/13 12:09 AM
> I quite enjoy my Kobo mini: easy to carry a lot of books on the
> subway. I have much better tablets, but they don't slip into a pocket
> as well and I have to keep their battery status in mind.
> ----- Original Message -----
> Sent: 09/19/13 12:35 PM
> I tried using the phone as an MP3 player but it isn't 100%
> satisfactory. Running down an MP3 player's battery isn't as
> consequential as running down a phone's battery.

There have been mp3 players with huge battery life
http://www.slipperybrick.com/2006/11/mobi-blu-b153-mp3/
A very similar one to that one (iaudio g3) just used a basic AA cell, for 50 hours playback. Doesn't seem like that unreasonable an option for a somewhat bigger device like an ereader.

Sony dropped a lot of their ereader line, now they only have the very basic model, plus last year's version of it. And anyway, that's sony we're talking about here. There have been a few other ereaders made with audio and even text to speech capability.

The convenience factor goes with the apeal of the audio double function. On the other hand, that impressive compactness gets a little absurd, they become awkward to hold and so on. So, the 5 inch screen compromise seems important to keep in mind, with which sony did not give audio a chance.
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