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Why the Kindle 2 is the real Goldilocks of e-book devices
- stcredzero 17y agoWhy is everyone fixated on screen size? Interactivity is key to electronic media. For example: an electronic version of a reference book has to be interactive. You need very rapid search and cross-reference. (Haven't tried the latest generation of e-ink screens, so I don't know how long the delay is now. I assume it is even shorter. But as in a web app, little delays add up.) In terms of interactivity, the iPhone has a big advantage. For uses where interactivity is key, this more than makes up for the screen size. Battery life? For use as a reference tool, there is no problem with a device that needs to be charged everyday. Many workplaces have these things called electrical outlets. So long as there's enough battery life to cover the part of the day when people are walking about, there's no problem. (This varies with the nature of the job, of course.) Of course, the ideal would be a much more interactive device with the form factor of the Kindle DX. EDIT: A real-world example -- the ePocrates pharma reference app. This was a must-have for med students in the Palm Pilot era! By today's standards it had poor resolution, poor contrast, and a piddly little screen. But it was instantly interactive and searchable, and so it was highly successful.
- cdimino 17y agoAnother point I think many reviewers are losing is that the screen is NOT a standard screen. It's meant to not strain your eyes, and that (to me) contains value in itself. To say "you could buy a notebook for that price" is not quite a valid argument.