It doesn’t look as though it’ll revolutionize anything, but Sony is at least giving at a go (link).
The last thing I want is a crappy screen with crappy font that’s hard to read. If you go to the “Easy Reading†section, then hover over “Revolutionary Display,†you find that the text looks pretty nice.
If you just look at the images that Sony has on every other part of the site, then the text looks crappy. I don’t know about you, but to me, crisp, easy-to-read text is extremely important. Those marketing bozos need to change their site to make it clear that the text is clear.
You can rotate the text to have it go horizontal, which I think may feel more natural, and I’m sure there’s other stuff you can do as well. I bet that eventually, this kind of thing will take off. I can even see using it myself.
But it’s not an iPod for books, as some people are claiming.
You don’t enjoy music through holding the physical CD case. I like having the case, reading the notes, and looking at the pictures. But most of the time, I just want to listen.
When you’re enjoying a book, you’re always looking at it and feeling it, as well as reading it. For book-lovers of a particular bent, this bit of plastic and glass just doesn’t compare to to thick paper and solid (and handsome) binding.
Also, of course, I’m usually in the middle of one or two books at a time (maybe three, but never dozens), so I don’t often wish I had all my books with me on the train to work. An iPod fills a musical need that I just don’t have with my books.
Still, when I want a cheap book to read and throw away, e-books will save me money, while not being less attractive than most paperback covers. And when I want a whole bunch of choice for a long trip somewhere, this kind of thing would be great. So I like it so far.
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