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My digital paper reader works at last (19)

A few days ago I closed my mini-series on e-books and digital paper on a disastrous note. Having received the iLiad digital newspaper and e-book reader my unwrapping party of the iLiad was spoiled. I could not get life in machine at all. Well the blog has been read and I received several tips.

First there were remarks about the marketing. A machine like this, virtually a text iPod, should not be marketed without at least a short technical guide. In my case there there was not a short guide, just a plain small paper. As I did not have a short guide I was unable to detect the off/on switch (see photograph and try to locate the on/off switch; it is the right knob; would you have dicovred that without a quick technical guide?); you can’t call it a real switch as you slide it, which is strange for an on/off switch.

There is another observation about the ergonomy of this machine. In the right hand corner there is a visual knob. First action is to push it, but this knob is to establish the communication connection. The on/off switch is a small slide bar on the right hand. With a short guide this would have been comprehensible.

So at last the digital paper is now showing.

I still think that this is louzy marketing. The small piece of paper has been replaced with a quick guide in the meantime. At least a user can find the on/off button, which is not placed very handy in terms of usability. And I do not understand why the developers did not pre-load examples of digital newspapers and e-books. Yes they preloaded the quick guide, but you need to know where the on/off switch is first!

This product needs some marketing upgrade and not the standard Philips marketing of the pre-Boonstra era. People have paid 700 euro and still can not show advantages of the product to their friends or colleagues; no NYT or Alice in Wonderland for demonstation, which can be used without paying copyrightno copyright; no, the set just has a technical quick guide. What a chance missed. I suggest, iRex Technologies seeks permission to pre-load my mini-series of the history of e-books and digital paper.

Tags: digital paper, e-books, iLiad

Blog Posting Number: 454