5 ms·

A $50 color e-ink display (letter size) could replace newspapers and magazines. (The same goes for a flexible display.) Make it dust and water, and people will

by frik 11y ago

A $50 color e-ink display (letter size) could replace newspapers and magazines. (The same goes for a flexible display.) Make it dust and water, and people will use it everywhere (bath, beach, restroom, etc.). I wonder why Amazon hasn't updated their bigger Kindle DX for 6 years? Color e-ink displays that can play small videos at a good enough framerate exist for 3+ years, though no reader devices I know of make use of them.

dogma1138 11y ago
>I wonder why Amazon hasn't updated their bigger Kindle DX for 6 years? It didn't sell people didn't want it, it was way to big for most users, and way way too expensive (~400$ for the 3G version). People aren't going to pay iPad prices for an ereader of the same size, weight and these days almost the same battery life.... I love my kindle voyage but given the choice between a Kindle DX and an iPad air which costs almost the same most people would get an iPad and so would I.
- codecamper 11y ago
  I'd like a larger e-ink so that I could work outside. Doesn't need to be color, though that would be nice.
  - berntb 11y ago
    Also, fast update rates are critical to browse a document. Browsing is needed for manuals and similar, those are also where you need a larger screen for PDF files. (Literature is totally ok on a small screen with slower refresh.)
- therockhead 11y ago
  I would have guessed that the prices would have come down by this point. I could imagine it retailing for around 200 and doing quite well.
- frik 11y ago
  > same battery life The Kindle battery last for 1-2 months (book reading, it only consumes energy if you turn the page -> e-ink display!). The iPad battery last for 1-7 days, depening what you do with it and how bright you set the IPS display. Many own both an iPad as well as a Kindle - both have their advantages. (edit: I meant WiFi-only Kindle)
  - jerrysievert 11y ago
    not the 3g voyage, unfortunately. with mostly default settings (including auto-brightness on the screen), mine barely lasts a plane-ride across the country. my partner's dx, on the other hand, had no problems whatsoever.
    - mikeash 11y ago
      eInk achieves excellent battery life by being completely unpowered when the screen isn't changing. When you press the "next page" button, you're basically booting the whole device, having it render the next page, then shutting it off again. If you're using any sort of backlight (as "auto-brightness" suggests) then you won't get that benefit and I'm not surprised your battery life is more like that of a traditional tablet. The DX doesn't have a backlight so wouldn't have that problem. If you turn your backlight off then you should see similar results.
      - jerrysievert 11y ago
        turn off backlight, turn off 3g, turn off touch, and turn off force feedback (i am not sure if turning off touch will actually render it to act like a dx).
  - dogma1138 11y ago
    The Kindle DX battery life was atrociously low people were reporting sub 50 hours/2000 page turns....
amelius 11y ago
Meanwhile, the Oculus Rift replaces any size of newspaper.
- sp332 11y ago
  ... with a really blurry newspaper.
  - ethbro 11y ago
    Also, if you thought reading a newspaper on the train was risky, wait until muggers see the person with a pair of goggles strapped to their face.
    - Mithaldu 11y ago
      Where the hell do you ride trains that muggers are a concern?
      - dawnbreez 11y ago
        Anywhere within a city? Larger populations have been proven to have more instances of crime for various reasons. Further, if you're wearing a massive, expensive pair of goggles that simultaneously broadcast your wealth and block your vision, you're gonna get mugged. It's just a matter of time.
        Mithaldu 11y ago
        Ah, difference in communication. When i read train i thought https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=deutsche+bahn+z%C3%BCge https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=deutsche+bahn+z%C3%B... which are very safe, not https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=strassen-bahn https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=strassen-bahn which are virtually unattended.
      - brerlapn 11y ago
        Pickpockets have been a perennial concern on the DC Metro system. One of my coworkers had his iPod pulled out of his hand, resting on his stomach, while he was sitting with his eyes closed. Transit isn't somewhere I'd want to be blind to what was going on around me.
prostoalex 11y ago
This article http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/the-once-bright-future-of-color-e-paper/ http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/the-once-bright-future-of... suggests that the price of color e-ink displays is higher than equivalent LCD panels. As someone whose eyes get tired quickly from LCD I'd be in the market for a color e-reader as well, but it looks like this is the only commercially available option for now http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/ereaders/ectaco-jetbook-color http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/ereaders/ectaco-jetbook-col...

by frik 11y ago

dogma1138 11y ago

>I wonder why Amazon hasn't updated their bigger Kindle DX for 6 years? It didn't sell people didn't want it, it was way to big for most users, and way way too expensive (~400$ for the 3G version). People aren't going to pay iPad prices for an ereader of the same size, weight and these days almost the same battery life.... I love my kindle voyage but given the choice between a Kindle DX and an iPad air which costs almost the same most people would get an iPad and so would I.

codecamper 11y ago
I'd like a larger e-ink so that I could work outside. Doesn't need to be color, though that would be nice.
- berntb 11y ago
  Also, fast update rates are critical to browse a document. Browsing is needed for manuals and similar, those are also where you need a larger screen for PDF files. (Literature is totally ok on a small screen with slower refresh.)
therockhead 11y ago
I would have guessed that the prices would have come down by this point. I could imagine it retailing for around 200 and doing quite well.
frik 11y ago
> same battery life The Kindle battery last for 1-2 months (book reading, it only consumes energy if you turn the page -> e-ink display!). The iPad battery last for 1-7 days, depening what you do with it and how bright you set the IPS display. Many own both an iPad as well as a Kindle - both have their advantages. (edit: I meant WiFi-only Kindle)
- jerrysievert 11y ago
  not the 3g voyage, unfortunately. with mostly default settings (including auto-brightness on the screen), mine barely lasts a plane-ride across the country. my partner's dx, on the other hand, had no problems whatsoever.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    eInk achieves excellent battery life by being completely unpowered when the screen isn't changing. When you press the "next page" button, you're basically booting the whole device, having it render the next page, then shutting it off again. If you're using any sort of backlight (as "auto-brightness" suggests) then you won't get that benefit and I'm not surprised your battery life is more like that of a traditional tablet. The DX doesn't have a backlight so wouldn't have that problem. If you turn your backlight off then you should see similar results.
    - jerrysievert 11y ago
      turn off backlight, turn off 3g, turn off touch, and turn off force feedback (i am not sure if turning off touch will actually render it to act like a dx).
- dogma1138 11y ago
  The Kindle DX battery life was atrociously low people were reporting sub 50 hours/2000 page turns....

amelius 11y ago

Meanwhile, the Oculus Rift replaces any size of newspaper.

sp332 11y ago
... with a really blurry newspaper.
- ethbro 11y ago
  Also, if you thought reading a newspaper on the train was risky, wait until muggers see the person with a pair of goggles strapped to their face.
  - Mithaldu 11y ago
    Where the hell do you ride trains that muggers are a concern?
    - dawnbreez 11y ago
      Anywhere within a city? Larger populations have been proven to have more instances of crime for various reasons. Further, if you're wearing a massive, expensive pair of goggles that simultaneously broadcast your wealth and block your vision, you're gonna get mugged. It's just a matter of time.
      - Mithaldu 11y ago
        Ah, difference in communication. When i read train i thought https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=deutsche+bahn+z%C3%BCge https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=deutsche+bahn+z%C3%B... which are very safe, not https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=strassen-bahn https://www.google.de/search?tbm=isch&q=strassen-bahn which are virtually unattended.
    - brerlapn 11y ago
      Pickpockets have been a perennial concern on the DC Metro system. One of my coworkers had his iPod pulled out of his hand, resting on his stomach, while he was sitting with his eyes closed. Transit isn't somewhere I'd want to be blind to what was going on around me.

prostoalex 11y ago

This article http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/the-once-bright-future-of-color-e-paper/ http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/the-once-bright-future-of... suggests that the price of color e-ink displays is higher than equivalent LCD panels. As someone whose eyes get tired quickly from LCD I'd be in the market for a color e-reader as well, but it looks like this is the only commercially available option for now http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/ereaders/ectaco-jetbook-color http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/ereaders/ectaco-jetbook-col...