Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I remember there was a company that sold laptops with hybrid screens - that could do e-ink when used outside - but I think the screen manufacturer folded. Could you have been thinking of Pixel Qi and its LCD panel that could operate in transflective mode in daylight? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_Qi
That's it. I think there was also a small manufacturer that shipped laptops with e-ink (or pixel qi) screens for use outdoors, like on a sailing boat - but I forget the name. Something with "sun"?
The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
161–170 of 170 posts
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
A black and white reader isn't going to be a good newspaper or magazine reader. There are better devices for that. He also wished for an app store and that starts to sound a lot like wishing it become an iPad. That a Kindle is boring is a feature, not a problem. I don't pick up a Kindle for the Kindle-ness, it's for the books on it. With the right book, some days that boring Kindle is the device that I just can't put…
> A black and white reader isn't going to be a good newspaper or magazine reader. Considering newspapers were black and white for hundreds of years, and for a long time printed color photos as black and white, this seems an odd conclusion.
People are used to full color now. There's no going back.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
To me Amazon has managed to innovate and outcompete. When reaching a quasi monopoly it all stopped and now it feels like being stuck with the worst parts of capitalism and socialism. Innovation can only take place from within the mega structure, according to its centrally planned corporate logic. If I could, I would take my books and leave. For that to happen they need to embrace open formats.
1. I don't think so. What is innovative about the Kindle if you compare it to Onyx/Remarkable/Sony DP/Mirasol? 2. Putting all others out of competition is Amazons strategy and they do it all too well. But this is one of the main reasons innovation stops. 3. Innovation can also happen bottom up if you give people a chance. Unfortunately mega companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft etc. just buy everything that…
The Kindle system was innovative at the time with most books accessible within a minute. Yes, closed formats and systems prevent bottom up innovation which is what the Internet was originally about. I'm waiting for common sense and regulation, and if that does not happen I might buy the books again in epub format (~250)
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't eInk a bit like OLED, but way more ahead of our time? I think it's a cool technology, but probably needs more money/time to be general purpose.
With the recent customer desire of devices that are better at not sucking up our time & attention, eInk becomes an interesting technology. A few product attempts: Light Phone: "dumb" phone ( https://www.thelightphone.com ) Freewrite: word processors ( https://getfreewrite.com ) reMarkable: notepad ( https://remarkable.com )
That writing tool is going to spawn a whole generation of neck injuries.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#165I've been struggling with this in a weird way. I have an iPhone 8, and kindle keyboard, a paperwhite, and physical books. Each has it's plusses and minuses... The KKB's screen looks better to me than the paperwhite's (the text seems to be more on the surface rather than below it) and it's got buttons -- but no back light. The paperwhite's backlight makes it convenient because I can read it in bed -- but no physical b…
Very much with you on this. I wish Apple would make a backlit e-ink tablet for books. It really is the best way to read things cover to cover and it eliminates the distractions that come with reading on the phone. I don’t expect they’ll ever do it, but in this world where you have to opt in to an ecosystem, that’s the one I’d prefer to opt into. Setting aside the dream of a DRM-free world, what I’d love is - aforemen…
I think you mean a front-lit screen, not a back-lit one. LCD screens are back-lit (from behind), so that the light shines directly into your eyes. Front-lit screens like on the Kindle or Kobo are lit from the sides/top/bottom, so that the light reflects off the e-ink surface and into your eyes, just like paper.
On my Kobo, I can just make out the individual front light LEDs on the bottom of the screen if I tilt it up.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's it. I think there was also a small manufacturer that shipped laptops with e-ink (or pixel qi) screens for use outdoors, like on a sailing boat - but I forget the name. Something with "sun"?
SunBook https://web.archive.org/web/20120219172031/http://www.clover...
Yep, that's the one.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you link your account with Goodreads, you can get stats that way
Is there a way to track time spent on each book?
Not time specifically, but if Goodreads is linked, it automatically records the date the book is first opened, and the date the book is finished.
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
The send-to-kindle email is a nice feature which I wish other e-readers supported. The only other one I know of which supports it is PocketBook. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=247639 I've worked on a service which converts web articles and sends them to the Kindle using Amazon's send-to-kindle feature. If anyone wants to try it: https://pushtokindle.fivefilters.org
I love push to kindle, thank you :) I've been using it for a while and it changed the way I read the web. I subscribe to RSS feeds with Feedly, then use p2k to send the ones I want to read. Then when I'm eating my lunch I can read interesting stuff without getting sucked into the temptation of aimless browsing, and on a nicer screen. An added bonus is that I don't get exposed to the cesspit of the comments section th…
Thank you! Happy to hear you find it useful! :)
Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#169Re: The Kindle is fine, but could’ve been much more
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very much with you on this. I wish Apple would make a backlit e-ink tablet for books. It really is the best way to read things cover to cover and it eliminates the distractions that come with reading on the phone. I don’t expect they’ll ever do it, but in this world where you have to opt in to an ecosystem, that’s the one I’d prefer to opt into. Setting aside the dream of a DRM-free world, what I’d love is - aforemen…
I think you mean a front-lit screen, not a back-lit one. LCD screens are back-lit (from behind), so that the light shines directly into your eyes. Front-lit screens like on the Kindle or Kobo are lit from the sides/top/bottom, so that the light reflects off the e-ink surface and into your eyes, just like paper. On my Kobo, I can just make out the individual front light LEDs on the bottom of the screen if I tilt it up…
You're right, that is what I mean, thanks!