Sony Reader: Is the Dead Tree Edition Dead Meat?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.13.06
We use a lot of alternative delivery systems for books- we bought the Walmart Effect, The Way We Eat and other books from Audible and have bought quite a few from E-Reader to view on our Treo. All are fraught with compromises- it is hard to go back and forth with audiobooks and reading on a treo is a poor substitute for the real thing. The Sony Reader is interesting- it uses no power to hold its image so only changing pages consumes any juice; it is apparently very clear and easy to read, and you can adjust the font size to suit your aging eyes. David Pogue of the New York Times says :"The Sony Reader is an impressive achievement, and an important step toward a convenient alternative to bound books. It will make certain niche groups very happy: gadget freaks, lawyers with massive document stashes, doctors and pilots who check hefty reference texts, high school students with 35-pound backpacks and anyone who likes to read by the pool for 20 weeks at a time." But he also says others "may continue to prefer the more established portable-document format. Those older reading machines never run out of power, cost about 2 percent as much and don’t break when dropped". We used to love the concept of the printed book, when there were proofreaders instead of spell-check, when typesetting was a respected craft, when they were printed with care and you could feel the imprint of the type on the page. That is all gone; a book today is little more than a bound screen-dump. Perhaps it is time for the Sony Reader. ::New York Times and ::Sony
We are reminded by local vendor Book City, of an alternate technology, described below the fold.
Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge (BOOK)
BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology; no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere, even sitting in an armchair by the fire, yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.
Here is how it works: BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of recyclable paper, each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of your finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by simply opening it.
BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting. The Browse feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an Index feature, which pinpoints the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional "BOOKMARK" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session, even if the BOOK is closed. BOOKMARKS fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKMARK can be used in BOOKS by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKMARKS can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited by the number of pages in the BOOK.
You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, named: "Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus"-or-"PENCILS."
Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the precursor of a huge entertainment wave. BOOK'S appeal seems so certain that thousands of content-creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking to the new phenomenon. Look for a flood of new titles soon.
While books are an excellent repository of knowledge - I own way too many of them to disagree - I think the most important feature of the Sony reader is the adjustable font size. I've seen books now with font sizes of 8 or 9, and my wife (who is 31, btw) can't read anything below 12 without difficulty. Unless a book sells huge numbers, publishers are usually unwilling to produce a large print version, and large print books are unfeasible for many lengthier works. I would think the reduced cost of producing a work for the Sony reader would lead (eventually) to a wider selection of books available to the many people in this country who have less than ideal vision.
Or you could use a much cheaper magnifying glass. I think it would be cool if they combined Audible books with books like this. So you could bookmark a place while listening then go back and look at it later.
I had an earlier, Japanese version of the Sony product (OK, so I used to work for them) and it was an excellent alternative to packing 4 paperbacks for a holiday. Without a Search feature and support for graphics, it won't be the answer to heavy backpacks full of textbooks, but let's hope it gets there on the next rev.
If they can figure out how to make the screen look really good, I'm all for it.
There will always be a place for dead-tree editions, however a good portion of my daily reading needs are met by online newspapers, on-demand books, technical publications, and the occasional public domain material.
It'll be nice not to have to print things to dead-tree just for offline and casual access.
Does anybody know what powers the text (besides the battery, hardy-har-har)? Is it XML? What's the code that makes it (and the books) tick? Will it read .PDF documents?
-Jason
It supports PDFs, but the native format is Sony's proprietary BBeB. It comes with (probably clunky) software to convert files into BBeB for loading onto the reader.
I just got back from .jp, and after hauling around a total of about 6000 pages of paperback (I like reading), I immediately ordered the Reader, but it's backordered til mid-November already.
MKJ, it has graphics support (jpg, gif, png, bmp) though it is of course limited by its 4 levels of grayscale. i agree about the search -- that would be great, however it would really complicate the design.
this is by far the most attractive entry in the ebook reader category for me -- about the size of a paperback with a reasonable screen. and according to the specs and linked review it can read txt, pdf, and rtf straight, without needing conversion (though pdfs might be designed too large for this size screen), and can read word format after conversion as well.
i am very tempted to buy one.
Good to see they've finally brought the LIBRIé to the states. Nice that it plays AAC files, too.
I wonder how much the extra memory is and how Mac-friendly it is as well.
Brilliant. The BOOK....ahead of its time. Very clever, LLoyd!
2 things:
1. How is it that treehugger has overlooked the iLiad from iRex? It not only reads, but also allows you save bookmarks (which Sony doesn't support), and write, make comments. Or is it somehow hiding in TH's archives?
2. Slate had a somewhat depressing review of Sony's Reader (Has the iPod for Books Arrived?). They noted that you can't save bookmarks, and that the slow refresh rate made navigating the menus slow, making it often more difficult to navigate than a book. Also, David Pogue aside, it currently doesn't allow you to search the text, which is just plain stupid. I haven't touched it yet, but it sounds clunky, especially compared to other E-ink readers, e.g the Librie, iRex, and even China's Hanlin. But it is cheapish...so I might have to buy one anyhow.
LA: I just learned about the iLiad the other day and will be looking at it in the next few days.