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One point of clarification on the current generation of netbooks:
Several are rated for a 9-hour battery life.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Dana Worley
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 10:46 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Ebook readers, anyone?
Not all ebook readers support PDF. I have a Kindle, which I love, but if
you want to read a PDF on it you have to send the file to Amazon for
converting it to their proprietary format (I've never done it, but I
think it is quick and cheap -- seems like its 25 cents or something...).
I suspect there would be formatting issues, unless the content was
developed specifically for ebooks. I also suspect that each type of
ebook might format content differently; thus, material prepared for the
Kindle might not render optimally on the Cybook.
Another issue would be ruggedness. A field tech probably isn't going to
be too easy on an ebook reader. The same could be argued for laptops,
but it's a little easier to toss an ebook in the back of the truck than
a laptop :)
Netbooks are comparable in price these days to ebook readers (if you
factor in "bang for the buck"). True, you don't get the battery life,
but in return you get a lot more functionality. And at the end of the
day just plug it in and you're ready to go the next morning. One
downside with many of the netbooks is that the beautiful glossy display
isn't readable in sunlight. On the flip side, many ebook readers are not
backlit and thus aren't readable in low light conditions :)
So I would agree that a lightweight reader could be useful, but I don't
think I would specifically develop content toward a reader.
I do, however, love my Kindle (did I say that already? ;). It's like
Books On Demand, and some of them are even free! If I am going on a trip
I can take multiple books with me and not need a second duffle to cart
them around. Of course, I read an article a while back on the typical
profile of a Kindle owner. I was disappointed that the article described
me pretty well ;)
Dana W.
On Saturday, September 11, 2010, David Neeley wrote:
> I have been enjoying a new (to me) ebook reader--in my case the Cybook
> Opus.
>
> Since they support .pdf files, I was wondering if anyone has seen them
> used by customers as a highly portable documentation platform. I would
> think that repair people in the field, for example, could make good
> use of them when repairing complex machinery without having to have a
> computer nearby.
***************************
Dana Worley
Software Product Manager/Manager, Software Support Group Campbell
Scientific, Inc.
Microsoft MVP, Windows Help
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