From what Wired has to say about the new “Que” e-reader from Plastic Logic, it has everything I want in an e-reader — ability to handle multiple document formats from .epub to .doc files; large screen capable of adequately displaying online versions of newspapers; light and slim; etc. They’re taking pre-orders now for delivery in mid-April. But I will not be ordering one, because it costs $650.
When devices like this are available for $100, I will take e-readers seriously. Not until then.
I’ll take e-readers seriously … never.
I’ve been trying out the Kindle eBook reader application for Windows PCs on my HP Tablet 2370p (running XP) and I have to say it’s not bad. There is a bunch of free books available on the Amazon Kindle website (I downloaded books by Jane Austen and Herman Hesse) and they are quite readable. You can also e-mail yourself documents to read as eBooks.
I don’t think that a single-purpose eBook reader as a product category is that viable for the long term because the functionality vs. cost is just too limited and value isn’t there for mainstream customers. I think we’ll see more and more netbook/slate PCs that provide web browsing, eBook reading, and other mobile applications, take over.