[SEMI-OFFTOPIC] eBook reader recommendations, anyone?

[geoffrey mendelson]

On Dec 16, 2009, at 9:40 PM, Omer Zak wrote:

> What does the collective wisdom of the Israeli Linux users know  
> about the current crop of eBook readers?
> Any recommendations?
>
> Do the following requirements make sense?
> 1. Ability to display PDF files.
> 2. Full-fledged browser for displaying locally-cached HTML files.
> 3. Ability to display text files from the Gutenberg project.
> 4. Full Unicode (including BiDi handling) support.
> 5. Optional lighting, battery powered, for at least 12 hours (for  
> reading at night when there is power outage).
> 6. Display dimensions: about 36 by 23 cm (14-15 by 9-10 inches), for  
> convenient display of two book pages side by side.
> 7. Ability to display two windows, side by side, each one displaying  
> different content.
> 8. Capacity: at least 10GB (enough to store the entire Hebrew  
> Wikipedia).
> 9. WiFi connection (to download reading materials from a host PC).
> 10. Note: no requirement to read DRM-protected eBooks.
> Does there exist an eBook reader, which meets the above requirements?


Closest thing is the Barnes and Noble Nook, which is sold only in the  
US at the moment and out of stock until after the first of the year.  
Check out the specs, compared to the others it's worth waiting for if  
it fits your needs. I think though it only fits, 1,3,8 (with an  
external card),9 and not 10. The only other thing close would be a  
netbook, and with the size screen you want it would be a "tablet pc"  
or full fledged laptop.

IMHO it's the Sony reader (which B&N sold before) modified to be what  
a Kindle should have been.

Geoff.

-- 
geoffrey mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Jerusalem Israel geoffreymendelson at gmail.com
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge  
or understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the  
situation. i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found  
in the Wikipedia.