I need to think about it a bit (a lot) longer.
.-= Karen Lee Field´s last blog ..Kindle, Sony and the iPhone =-.

The book club ladies were excited by the prospect of not having to load up their suitcases with books every time they went on vacation. The lady I was referring to reads as much as four books in 2-3 days. Perhaps if I had elaborated on this point, it would have made for a more interesting hook in this post.

Regarding Dan Brown: I based my prediction on the history of the gadget market, notably the cell phone and VCR niches. When they first hit the market, they were quite expensive. I forget how much the cell phones cost, but I remember that few people could afford to buy them until their manufacturers lowered the price. I was thrilled to see VCRs come down to the $100 price for basic models.

I’ve been online for over a decade and find myself surprised when I meet people who barely know how to use email, much less shop online. The lady I was talking about mentioned that you can go to your local Barnes&Noble to try out the Kindle. I had no idea because I do 99% of my shopping online. Once this segment of the population becomes more exposed to the Kindle and other eReaders, I think the industry will take off like the cell phone industry. This post should have stayed in draft mode for another day so that I could have checked it for clarity.

That said, I agree with you that every eReader should use the PDF format because it’s become so universal. I hate it when these companies use proprietary software and then charge up the wazoo for whatever reason they deem fit. You’re right; that’s corporately selfish.

I’d pay $99-$150 for the 8″x11″ version, with the features you listed. The reason is that I like to read how-to manuals that have a lot of graphics in them and sometimes grayscale doesn’t cut it. The ability to highlight information would also be a nice feature to have.

I would pay $99 for an eReader. Actually, that’s the price I’m looking for. So here is my prediction for the eReader market once it matures. $99-$150 will be the settling out point for a quality eReader. $50-$75 will be the no-frills models, and eventually, we will see these devices sold on late night TV for $19-$29, cheap Chinese ones.

I am interested in eReaders because I have been collecting PDF’s for years being an engineer. I have many that I haven’t read & I am looking forward to read these in bed at night before I sleep.

However there are a few qualities which I consider a ‘must-have’ or I will not buy one. The eReader MUST accept PDF’s via cut-paste/drag-drop. I am not interested in another format war, it’s boring, corporately selfish, & I don’t have the patience for it. I am not interested in another extension for text/images on my PC. Let me yell this one, PDF’s SHOULD BE THE CROSS-MANUFACTURER & PLATFORM FOR EREADERS. I’ve seen many others online who share my opinion. Any company that tries to make a propriatary eReader format I will not support. The PC MUST recognize an eReader the same as a USB flash drive or external hard drive. I MUST be able to comment and highlight the content of the PDF. Reading a 1000 page manual and not being able to highlight is a waste of my time. If I go back to the same PDF in a month, I have to start over, I don’t remember anything. If I can reference my highlights, I am back up to speed on the equipment in minutes referencing my past notes/highlights. Other characteristics I am waiting for: $99-$150 price, 8″x”11 (or A4) screen size, long battery life, lightweight & thin, durable, slip-in case included, color screen.

Anyway, there’s two cents.

Cheers,
mrpotts