I'll admit it, I'd really like a Kindle 2, I'd even consider buying a US one and using the clever usb network trick to get content onto it. However I'll wait until a UK launch for a variety of reasons.
A few months back I was very tempted by a netbook, running Ubuntu as a hackintosh, but the combination of my MacBook Pro, my iPhone and an ebook reader feels like it would be enough. I don't want to have to deal with syncing my working environments. I have a MacBook Pro which I use for everything, it is my work machine and my personal machine. This means I have no context switching to deal with and something is never on the other machine.
The weight aspect of the netbooks does appeal, the 2-3Kgs of a 15" laptop becomes wearing after a while. However I realised that I can cope with a 5-6kg bag, it is the paper books that drive the weight to over 10kgs. So being able to carry more than one book around would be a real boon. Stanza on my iPhone is good for fiction, but not so good for technical books.
I'm going to try out a Sony PRS 505 for a few days to see if I like the idea. The lack of touchscreen is already annoying me. I'm trying calibre and Docudesk PRS as library management apps.
Interestingly the ebook readers are about the same price as a netbook, at around 250-300 pounds. The netbook offers a lot more for the money, but small and light costs more I guess. Computer, book and phone appeals more than computer, netbook and phone.
UPDATE: 6th May 2009. I want a Kindle DX
, native PDF support and text book sized, but only available in the USA at the minute.
Building Social Web Applications by Gavin Bell.
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