HUGE Ereader Packs Two 14.1-inch LCDs
Microsoft's dual screen tablet, the Courier, attracted a lot of attention. Sleek and innovative, it was touted as an ereader, tablet and netbook all in one and it was unlike anything we'd seen before.
Unfortunately, the device was axed and it looks like it may never see the light of day. However, that doesn't mean we won't see other products that mimic the design. Though it's not quite as slick as the Courier, Kno debuted its digital textbook at D8 yesterday and we're kind of impressed in an, "Oh my God, it's MASSIVE!" kind of way.
With two 14.1-inch displays, this is a big and cumbersome device. However, if you can see past the fact that it would be pretty difficult to use without a stand, it's kind of neat and the specs aren't that bad either. It packs Nvidia's Tegra 2 chipset, 16GB of storage and a battery that lasts between six and eight hours. Unfortunately, the price is where this falls down. Kno is asking for "under $1000," and right now, we just can't see people spending that much money on a 'digital textbook.' Sure, textbooks are crazy expensive and they weigh a lot more than 5.5 pounds but there are other, cheaper solutions already on the market. And imagine having to replace it if it broke? Yikes.
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- Kno-Ereader ,
- Courier ,
- Kindle ,
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It's a bit too big. 2x10" might be a bit better.
2x the screens, 1/2 the convenience!
yeah it is kind of inconvenience
Looks easy to break.
So now e-readers are the size of laptops?
Hopefully it will run Flash and hold up to video streaming online.
I don't think we need 2X14.1", but ~10" screens would be nice.
Am the only one who's surprised at two 14.1" screens yet supposedly 6 to 8 hours of battery life? Regardless of everything else, that's pretty nice.
HEY U TABLET COMPANY PEOPLE! HOW ABOUT HITTING THE MARKET?!?
well a 14" screen and a 14" touch screen keyboard when required would be good, I hate small keyboard touch screens (see iPod Touch). I think it would be nice to have screen real estate that has two 1080P screens, but I'm just a dreamer.
Is the last picture someone who did not pay their rent so her and her roomate are stuck outside the apartment building?
for a "single" touch screen tablet/pad, 14" is pretty good, but when combining TWO screens of 14", I would say that's too big (even at home).
11"~12" screens would be the maximum confortable size to handle and to carry around, if talking about a X2 setup.
It's pretty stupid to call this an e-reader when it's obviously not.
hmm. concept looks nice. I'd only go for it if they have a full OS and can be used in a "laptop" mode where you'll have your main screen and the bottom screen becomes a virtual keyboard and trackpad.
Check out the Entourage eDGe: 10.1" LCD (running Android) plus a 9.7" eInk. I just got one last week as a graduation/birthday gift from my wife and it's awesome. The UI takes a little getting used to, but it's got the functionality as an iPad and a Kindle.
So many haters! I WANT ONE!
So lets see under 1000 dollars so it costs 999 dollars, 14inch screen is cool and all but with that big of screen the battery life is going to suffer.
A smaller screen size will not only lower cost(by a lot i would imagine) but will improve battery life.
almost 1000 dollars for a reader that only lasts 2 hours isn't a very good buy.
Opps forgot my last sentence.
No wonder it was axed.
The Microsoft Courier was axed. The Kno was just announced yesterday.
The note taking on the video seemed convenient and intuitive. I hope they offer a slightly smaller one but even at this size it beats all the textbooks I'm lugging around now.
Well, I'll reply to walt526... the eDGe UI does take some getting used to (I'm a long time Mac user), but this device has way more functionality than anything like it on the market right now (we're talking the mobility market). It IS outstanding. It IS worth the learning curve. It does WAY more than iPad and Kindle, to date. You might want to look into it. If you are into 'function' (not media and social stuff, so much... it does do that, too... and will do increasingly more, I'm sure, in the near future), but in terms of functionality and 'work', this IS the leader, right now. It is definitely worth a look. While this product is being directed to students, it is becoming apparent that it is hitting with people in, not only, the education area, but also, with people in sciences, r&d, and many other work related areas, etc. For instance, MD's, research scientists, research 'anyone' (*), and personal users who have a bent for study and research. It is the awesome tool because you can read on one side and do your research and/or take your notes on the the other. There is a lot of flexibility here.
TAKE NOTE.
Maybe if companies didn't want double cost as msrp ideas would take off a bit better. I mean really, wtf's the problem if they sell it for 800 instead of 1000, oh dear god they wont make profit as fast, wait, yes they will, since more people would buy it....
Who the fuck wants to look at 2 screens at the same time? Especially in a portable situation? Your eyes can only view one screen at a time, this seems like such a waste. Damn sheep. lol
Two 14" screens is just too big for portability and usability.
Give it one screen and one writing surface for note taking, then they would have a product for textbook replacement.
I like the big screens. Besides reading this would be great for playing virtual board games.
Strikes me that there's a very good reason for the size and for why it's a format which will sell (eventually). A 14.1" diagonal will display both A4 and Letter page sizes with virtually no scaling at all. Existing documents created for those page sizes will be visible at original size. A smaller screen would require either resizing, which could be a problem for small text, or reflowing, which even when it works perfectly results in layout changes which may be suboptimal. Small text is a potential problem for the target market - this looks to be aimed at business rather than students, in which case small text will be a turn-off for many older buyers. This looks like the right solution to displaying the vast majority of material that would otherwise be printed, eg print-ready PDFs. Two screens means, if the software is up to it, that you can "hold" one page on one side and directly compare it with another from an alternative document. A single screen just doesn't cut it for that. And in terms of portability, unless they whack on enormous bezels round the screens, this is the size of an A4 textbook, it'll even fit the bag you're currently using for transporting materials to and from office (or school) and home.
Now all they need to do is start using lightweight flexible screens, slot a couple more in so you can flip back and forward between several different pages rather than just see two, and they've got a winner. If it's cheaper. Till then it's likely a slow burn.
If they incorporate blackberry storm type touchscreen to simulate physical keyboard, with a properly tailored interface that allows interaction of the two screens and with notebook hardware, the large form might as well be an advantage.
Oh wait that wouldn't be an e-reader.It'd make a make a new niche of devices though.
it's pretty cool I haven't tried one but I guess its good in team mobility work.
I like it. Spkeaing as one who's owned a Sony reader since they came out, one place where they fall short is reading more complex books, like pdf files with embedded illustrations. This would be great.
Otoh, 5.5 pounds makes it not so great for extended fiction reading.
Crysis 2 on one screen, the NY Times on the other... perfect
The design is great. However, it will take some time before technology can deliver a viable product based on this design. For now, 2 LCD cost too much and the hardware is too heavy and generate too much heat.