Ever wonder how the Kindle and iPad compare to printed books in terms of how fast you’re able to read? Well, keep wondering because this study doesn’t exactly provide the answer. However, it’s an interesting start to what is surely a promising area of inquiry for years to come: e-readers vs. print.
It had to happen sooner or later…so, what sets the new Kindle DX apart from the first edition? It’s cheaper, with a better screen, and it’s got a graphite-colored case. That’s about all I can discern from this description. Well, all that and Twitter/Facebook integration (?) plus a “Built-In PDF Reader” with zoom capability. No offense to Amazon, but how about actually visible folders in the file system? That would really help when you’re trying to view, say, 100 different…
They say pretty much the same thing everyone else has said/is saying…still, it’s interesting to hear that Barnes & Noble admits their Nook doesn’t currently fit the bill for academic use, either. Check out this quote: “‘Those things that students really are looking for in an educational experience just are not there yet in the e-reader market,’ said Jade Roth, a vice president in charge of textbook merchandising at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. ‘It’s going to shift when the…
The Darden School of Business at University of Virginia just released their thoughts and findings on their Kindle DX pilot program participation. Their verdict? Not ready for prime time, if by “prime time” you mean academic reading. Check out the press release here.
This post comes from Skip Walter, an affiliate member of HCDE and a major technology geek. Skip got his new Apple iPad on Saturday the 3rd; what follows is his original report on his experience with the iPad on the 3rd and 4th: When I originally ordered the iPad about a month ago, Apple said it would ship on April 3rd and would arrive probably on April 8th. In a wonderful example of underpromise and overdeliver, the product shipped on…
This is a lengthy but worthwhile read on what the Google Book Settlement means for authors, readers…well, everyone, I suppose. I don’t entirely agree with the article, but it’s thought-provoking in ways that may surprise you. It will be interesting to see how Google’s online bookstore competes with Apple’s iBookstore and Amazon.com. Ahh, the future!
Perhaps the iPad will find an audience with children…seems quite plausible, in fact. I wonder whether the next big thing will be a waterproof sleeve for the entire iPad…hmm. I have to agree with much of what this writer says about the potential of the iPad. We’re having our first child in June and I’m thinking that I’d rather have 1 iPad instead of a portable DVD player, row after row of bulky, expensive children’s books, and a pacifier. Well,…
The convergence of different types of functionality and platforms continues to generate interesting new devices. While the iPhone remains one of the stand-out devices that converged loads of stuff in one place, it’s still not an ideal gaming platform. Other phones that attempted to offer high-quality gaming experiences never caught on for a variety of reasons, so maybe the solution is to start with a gaming platform instead! Enter the Nintendo DSi XL. It will include e-reader capabilities, but in…
Charlotte, Matt, and Alex are at CSCW 2010 in Savannah, GA right now (early February). You can view the proceedings here, including the poster that Alex, Charlotte, and Matt produced from the group’s Google Calendar study. The proceedings include the 2-page extended abstract; at the conference, Alex presented the proper poster from the research. Fast fact: The first CSCW conference took place in 1986; Jonathan Grudin wrote an interesting piece in 1994 describing the earlier days of the conference, as…
As you probably know by now, Apple announced and demonstrated the iPad today. While it has a number of interesting and, at first glance, impressive features, I was mostly curious how it would handle books. Specifically, would the iPad do anything differently than the Kindle, or the other e-readers out there? Well, it’s still a little early to tell, but I do know this: It looks pretty cool. For example, watch the first demo video here. I dare you not…
