Why do I want an e-book reader at all?

[catsittingstill]

I've been thinking and reading quite a bit about e-books in general and e-books and the Kindle in particular.

One reaction I've been seeing on the net is "why would you want an e-book reader in the first place?  Books are cheap—why spend 300-400$ on a machine to read them?

I like to play D&D.  One of the challenges that you face sometimes is your character's ability to carry all the stuff that might be useful in an adventure.  This was a particular problem for my Bard character, who had a lot of books.  She had reference works on various situations she might come across while adventuring—books on wildlife in various areas, books on stonework, on architecture and engineering, on the exotic customs of faraway lands.  But she only had so much room in her backpack, and she wasn't particularly strong.

The magic item she dreamed of was not a sword, or a musical instrument, but a magic book that would display the pages of any book she owned, on command.  The regular books (pounds and pounds of them) could be left safely at home, and the magic book used to refer to them at any time.

She never got that magic book.  But I could.

I don't travel a lot, but twice in the last two years I have been stuck away from home for 24 hours with nothing to do and nothing to read, except what I brought with me, because my flight was canceled.  A magic book that could become any book I owned (or even just any e-book I owned) would be a wonderful thing to have in that situation.  And a magic book that was also a shining gate into a bookstore where I could buy new books would be even better.  

The magic book isn't for everyone.  It doesn't show color, it doesn't play movies, it doesn't send e-mail, it doesn't wash the windows, make dinner, or brush the cat.  But my Bard never wanted those things from a book, even a magic book.  And I think I can live without them too.

Comments

[mdlbear]

We already have the storage and delivery mechanism: it's called "The Web". As for paying for readers, the first pocket calculators cost $400, too. So did the first MP3 players. Depending on the learning curve, we could be seeing $100 readers in 3-5 years, and $10 in a decade.

The other problem is licensing the content, which is part of the whole copyright mess.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of a cheap reader. I remember the 400$ calculator (barely) and this was back when 400$ was a lot more loaves of bread than it is now. But I find it really hard to stretch my brain around a 10$ device with free wireless broadband. Just...won't...go--ow!

But it will be great if it happens. Maybe I'll be less boggled, since it will creep up on me gradually.

[mdlbear]

The service is the expensive part; I'll settle for WiFi, Bluetooth, or ultrawideband (coming soon) plus whatever free hotspots I can connect to. The onboard memory card will hold all the books I need for a couple of weeks, so a full-time connection isn't a problem. (And bluetooth can connect through any nearby cell phone.)

Bluetooth headsets are already down in the $20 range; a factor of 10 in five years isn't a stretch at all. Look at FM radios.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

WiFi wouldn't work well for me because there are only 2 places I can get it; one funnels through a dialup modem and the other is a 4 mile trip and isn't very reliable. And I only have access to the second place as a faculty spouse--there are a lot of readers out there who wouldn't have that option. Are there free hotspots? How does one find them?

I guess I'm a bit of a throwback in not having a cell phone, so maybe Bluetooth with a cell phone would work for most people. On the other hand, I remember what a struggle it was to get my PDA to talk to my laptop using Bluetooth--I'm guessing if it's that much hassle with a cell phone and an ebook reader, an awful lot of readers aren't going to want to bother.

I'm not sure what ultrawideband is. Is it very expensive?

[mdlbear]

Free Wi-Fi is fairly common in an urban setting; you sometimes find it at hotels and airports. In your case, this year, you're probably better off with the Kindle's free service if it's available in your area.

Ultrawideband is cheap, fast, low power, and highly experimental. Won't be available for a couple of years.

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I understand better.

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

Moderate-bandwidth wireless data service is not very expensive to provide; that's why cheap motels and cafes can afford to offer it. It could easily be provided as a public service, and would be much cheaper that a road network. (Long distance telephone service is also much cheaper than local. "Prices have nothing to do with costs", say the marketing gurus.) There are lists of WiFi hotspots on the web; there are a fair number in Knoxville, though I wouldn't bet on New Market.

We reach for a new world...but maybe it won't arrive in the USA. I'm actually betting on Latin America at this point.