[Yoc]

Long before I found GAC and became a mod here I'd lamented the lack of a Convenient way to read these wonderful scans.
I'm not thrilled with being stuck on a PC to see them.  I'd love to have a portable, large screen device that shows the pages in Colour and doesn't weigh a 10+ lbs!   

People pointed at the Sony Reader and Kindle, etc but none of them were right.

A notebook or netbook - well maybe but they're sorta overkill for the job and either too heavy or the screen was too small...   

Today I read about something new - Fujitsu's E-Reader.   

Check out the link and marvel at the size of the screen and the light weight... then fall over in shock at the price!

http://tinyurl.com/djjm56

Finding the maker's site (in Japanese) it seems there are 8 and 12" touch-sensitive screens. Each just over a cm thick!
768

[John C]

For the price and my use, I'm still rather fond of OLPC's XO laptop.  Yes, it's heavier than a dedicated e-book reader (three pounds).  Yes, the keyboard is made for smaller fingers.  Yes, it's tricky to buy, with their holiday-time donor programs and mandatory donation.  Yes, it looks silly.

But, it does a really nice job for reading just about anything.  It has a 7.5" screen isn't standard technology, so there isn't a specific resolution, but it acts between VGAish up to what I'd call "absurdly clear," depending on lighting conditions; for example, under sunlight, you get crystal-clear display with the color washed out (it looks like an enormous pocket calculator display).  That might not sound great, but I've never thought it was a sacrifice, and I even love the black-and-white mode.  Oh, and since you can install whatever (Linux) software you want, you can always zoom in on the images where you feel cramped, and it renders pages at a pretty good clip.

The battery might not compare well with the dedicated devices, at about four hours.  However, they've been steadily improving the power saver software, and it recharges in about forty minutes, which is nice.  Add in the long-range WiFi (with Mesh), camera, microphone, and speakers, SD and USB ports, and to me, it blows away any of the other devices out there.  The exception would be the Kindle's non-subscription cellular Internet access, which I'm tempted to buy in hopes of connecting to other devices...

The machine is also rugged.  I've dropped it on a tile floor more than once, and it didn't miss a beat.

About the only thing I don't like is that there's a (good) feature where you can fold the machine like a tablet PC, but it's not a touch-screen.  That means it breaks the flow when it's time to move to the next book, since you have to get at the mousepad and keyboard UNDER the screen.  Oops.

Mind you, if they can drive the Fujitsu box's price down substantially, that might be a contender, but certainly not at that price point.

[Yoc]

Hi JC,
While price is important I feel the screen size and overall weight are most important.
The screen resolution/colour depth is also vital and are almost as disappointing in this unit as the price.
But the signs are encouraging.  Progress is being made.

One day... 

[John C]

Sure, I get that.  I was just floating an alternative that seems a little more feasible than the Fujitsu machine.

Admittedly, I haven't sat down with a Kindle, so I can't compare the different systems, but I can tell you that I spent more than one sunny spring afternoon down at the local beach reading old comics.  No eye strain and only a little wrist fatigue after a few hours.

Don't get me wrong:  I like the trend away from general-purpose computers that allow (read as "require") configuration on every last detail.  But this thing really does hit most of the criteria one would be looking for.  If you find someone with one of the laptops, I'd definitely recommend giving it a look.

Even if the laptop itself isn't your thing, keep an eye on the folks at Pixel Qi, who developed the screen and are looking at volume shipping later this year.  "Digital paper" is going to have some stiff competition, if these guys can get on the ball.

[Snard]

I was reading about this "netbook" the other day, which is essentially a tablet PC with a detachable screen, that will have a list price of $299!

http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/gallery.htm

The screen resolution is supposed to be 1024x600, which should do a good job on most scans.

[Yoc]

The large screen of the Fujitsu's E-Reader and light weight was what attracted me at first.
A 10-12" screen is still a must in my book.  I want to see a complete page and not have to scroll around.
But that's just me.
Colour e-ink is the dream.  The low power needs or e-ink are amazing.

-Yoc