Update 2019: We are glad to announce that we launch booxmalaysia.com! It contains two ebook readers that are larger than 6 inch kindle: 7.8 inch Boox Nova, and 10.3 inch Boox Note+. Do check them out!
By now, ebook readers come in only one size: 6 inch. But before this, not many people know that Kindle used to have a big screen 9.7 inch size ebook reader, called Kindle DX ( released in 2009).
Sadly, this line of product has been discontinued for sometime.
Given that Amazon is no longer interested to offer a device of this size, there is an opening for other ebook reader providers to fill the void. As a consumer and as a long time ebook reader user, what would I like to see in a big screen ebook reader?
- Better support for PDF format. Big screen ebook reader is a lot more bulker, so one would have a hard time carrying it in one hand while reading. Currently PDF files are hard to read on small screen kindles and you have to scroll left and right to read. Can we have an auto resize function for big screen ebook reader? This would make reading the experience of PDF files more pleasant.
- More competitive pricing. Kindle DX used to sell at USD 379.99 at Amazon, about 3 times more expensive than the most popular Kindle Paperwhite. I know that making a big screen costs more, but it couldn’t cost 3 times as much? For this kind of device to sell, the price must be substantially less than the hefty USD 379.99 price tag. I do think one of the reasons why Kindle DX unable to take off is because of the price. In my opinion a big screen ebook reader should sell at USD 200 or less.
- Support backlight. Kindle DX came out before Kindle Paperwhite, and with no backlight support, one can’t read in the dark. New version of big screen ebook reader should have this built-in ( and maintain competitive pricing, see the above)
- Do you actually need bluetooth and audio speakers for ebook readers? I honestly think no need, therefore they can be removed in order to reduce costs
- Come with a pen. I want to highlight my notes in a good, old fashion way, with a pen. So please, give me one!
- A big screen ebook reader is ideal for reading scientific journals and technical articles. Therefore color e-ink support is very useful. As a doctor, seeing black and white pathology pictures won’t able to help you make diagnosis. Similarly for kids who just start to read, black and white children books are simply not enticing enough. They want bright color books with lots of cute animal pictures and very little words. Color e-ink big screen ebook reader can fill this void nicely
- Kids shouldn’t be able to break it. I am thinking of letting my 1.5 year old baby girl getting one if it comes with color support for children book reading purpose. A baby should be able to do anything she likes with it, and the device should still functioning
- Support of all bookstores. I don’t just want to read kindle ebooks, I also want to read books from Readmoo, Google Books, Barnes and Noble, and so on.
- Restrict web browser and other app support. In the zealousness to add in features, sometimes you can do too much with a ebook reader. This is one of the reasons why tablet is not a good reading device, too many opportunities at distractions.
- In this sense, using Android OS is not a good idea because it is too generic, and it consumes too much RAM and space. It would be better to create a separate OS, using maybe stripped down Android OS code to support only book reading functions and stores. The rest should be stripped away.
Will we be able to see such model soon? Do you have any ideas on how big screen ebook readers should look like? Let us know in the comment!
