Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Design failure: the e-reader











This utterly unnecessary fix has an impressive list of features.
  • ‘Paper-like’ magnetized ink display: almost like paper!
  • Digital Rights Curtailment. You buy it; we keep it.
  • Limited range of titles. Available material subject to the manufacturer’s commercial interests and marketplace demand.
  • Poor user interface lacking basic file organisation tools.
  • Small display of invariant proportions.
  • Unable to display colour images.
  • Half or less than half the dot resolution of commercially printed paper.
  • Displays 16 levels of grey, the square-root of the greys available on this video display screen.
  • Allows days of continuous reading time. After device is recharged for 4 hours, you’re back in business for days more reading.
  • Relies on state-of-the-art wireless communications network to function.
  • Unavailable where electricity supply unavailable.
  • Available intermittently where electricity supply intermittent.
  • Lifetime expires as soon as 3G wireless connectivity protocols and hardware become obsolete.
  • CAUTION: Fragile. Do not drop, flex, expose to moisture, extreme heat or cold, or place under heavy items. No user serviceable parts inside. Battery non-disposable and costs the same as a soft-cover novel.
  • Cost: only ten times the price of a large hardback novel.
  • Contents not included in purchase price.

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