Why I’m not recommending an eBook reader this Christmas

by Brad Grier on November 30, 2009

in In the life, Lifestyle Technology, Marketing, Opinion

This holiday season it seems that the eBook reader is the must-have tech gift.

I can understand why:

Portable - it's easier to carry one eReader loaded with a few hundred (or thousand!) books
Searchable - some of the eReaders can scan and search for text passages, letting you bookmark them for future reference
Annotations - in addition to bookmarking your pages, some eReaders let you make notes 'in the margin' so to speak. These can be saved out, exported to other docs for use

But even though eReaders are the rage -- you may want to wait another few months before you invest;

Technology is improving -- the nifty eInk process used to display highly readable text on an LCD-like screen is improving. The refresh rate and pixel resolution is improving, so the annoying (to me, at least) flicker when you flip pages will be reduced when eBooks adopt newer eInk tech.
More options -- Barnes & Nobel has integrated a colour touch screen in their Nook eReader -- in addition to the eInk text display.
More choice -- Apple's much predicted (yet never announced) Tablet device could arrive in the first half of next year. If so, this'll be the 'must-have' eReader. Not only an eBook reader, the device will likely have all the functions of a current generation iPod Touch. If you think of it as a portable computer then you've got it. Though, many don't like the backlit display of the iPhone and iPod touch for reading -- too bright and hard on the eyes for long-term use -- I've not noticed a problem in long session's I've had.
Current eReaders are not discounted -- In this ComputerWorld article, it seems that eBook readers have the highest markup of all technology available this holiday season:
E-book readers aren't really getting swept up in the cost cutting. While some stores are actually paying you to take free BlackBerry phones, for example, e-book readers still cost hundreds of dollars.
Proprietary eBook stores -- I'm not sure how this will shake down. Google, Sony, Amazon all have (or will soon have) online eBook shops, and there's a host of independent ones too. The selection of books available at (or limited to) certain eBook stores may decide which unit you get...but it shouldn't. I'd look for something that supports the widely accepted ePub standard.

My recommendation -- if you don't already have one, wait a bit. You'll get new features, perhaps a better price, perhaps a better unit, and more selection to choose from.

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Tagged as: Christmas, ebook, eBook Reader, eInk, eText, Lifestyle Technology, Opinion, reader

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Ellis November 30, 2009 at 10:29 am: I agree completely. My biggest show-stopper hasn’t been the technology, but as you also concluded, the lack of an open-standard. I don’t want to be stuck with DRM protected books from a single source. Oddly, I have less of a problem with this model on music (such as iTunes) because quite frankly, the only device I would ever want to play the tunes on is an iPod/iPhone. But, a book? There is no dominant device. I don’t want to be stuck with text on “yesterday’s architecture”. When a new, better device comes out I want to be able to migrate my books.

With the current limitation I will simply hold out until an open standard (ePub?) emerges, or until that dominant device becomes apparent.
2 Brad Grier November 30, 2009 at 10:53 am: Thanks Ellis,
I didn’t really think about document portability, but yeah, if you’ve invested in a novel, you shouldn’t be locked into reading it on one device type. I have this issue currently with some docs on my Palm TX. I’ve had to kludge an HTML export and manual import process to get them moved to my iPod Touch.

An open standard like ePub should eliminate this hassle if it’s adopted by all eBook makers.
3 ebookcraft (Dirk Cajada) November 30, 2009 at 11:33 am: Twitter Comment

RT @bgrier: Blog Post: Why I’m not recommending an eBook reader this Christmas — [link to post]

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4 Katharine_A (Katharine Anderson-D) November 30, 2009 at 12:42 pm: Twitter Comment

I tried to see a #nook demo this am. RT @bgrier: Blog Post: Why I’m not recommending an eBook reader this Christmas — [link to post]

— Posted using Chat Catcher
5 bgrier (Brad Grier) November 30, 2009 at 3:37 pm: Twitter Comment

Blog Post: Why I’m not recommending an eBook reader this Christmas — [link to post]

— Posted using Chat Catcher
6 merlin67 (Todd) November 30, 2009 at 4:37 pm: Twitter Comment

@bgrier cuz if you’ve got an iPhone or other smartphone w/ a large enough screen, you don’t need one (saying this before reading blog)

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7 bgrier (Brad Grier) November 30, 2009 at 5:40 pm: Twitter Comment

@merlin67 Also will be looking for a good ereader, want a larger screen format than my iPod Touch offers. it’s OK, but larger would be best

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8 bgrier (Brad Grier) November 30, 2009 at 5:41 pm: Twitter Comment

@merlin67 Heh, Actually I don’t touch on that…you could comment I do use my Touch as a reader though.

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9 merlin67 (Todd) November 30, 2009 at 6:39 pm: Twitter Comment

@bgrier is that an age thing, perhaps?

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10 bgrier (Brad Grier) November 30, 2009 at 7:36 pm: Twitter Comment

@merlin67 Heh, yeah, it could be an age thing…though I refuse to believe it (denial)

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