Ebook RPG Books

[Wystan]

I think that the industry should look into Ebook formatted RPG books. I have a Sony Reader and it would be greta if there was a PHB formatted for the 6' (or 5') screen...

 

[the8bitdeity]

I'm sure you will have mixed replies, but I think it's INEVITABLE that ALL publishing moves in this direction. The problem is none of the available devices really fully meet my expectations. I say in 5 - 8 years it will be in the state the audio industry is now: largely digital distribution.

 

[Meek]

How well do these devices handle graphics and tables? I'm sure inevitably all books will be digital this way, but for now, how well they handle art is a big part of it for companies that already have PDFs a certain way.

 

[Wystan]

Well, I have a Sony PRS-505 (Last Generation) and it handles book covers and pictures quite well. It could handle the charts and such as long as they are text based or an imaged 'Sized for them'...

Basically it is the 4.75x3.55 inch screen that is causing me the most headache....

 

[Dice4Hire]

eyeache?

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

eyeache?

The old LCD e-readers were a pain in the eyes, but not with e-ink, no. Looks just like a book, only no color yet. I love the look and feel of a book, but I saw one of those demos in a Barnes and Noble and I'm a convert.

Besides... Paper is an industry that needs to die. Even the recycling of it is environmentally toxic. It wastes epic amounts of water and dumps toxins into the watershed and groundwater at a prodigious rate. Water cycle is a bit of a mess as it is, and paper is making a lot of otherwise great fresh water unusable.

Plus, it's expensive. For what any large newspaper spends on paper in a year, they could just buy each reader a Kindle.

 

[jaerdaph]

Currently, I use a second monitor rotated to "portrait" view for my desktop, and have a Lenovo ThinkPad tablet to view PDFs comfortably in "portrait" mode, just like reading a book.

What I really want is a lightweight eBook reader, not a small screen. I've been following the development of the QUE proReader from Plastic Logic:

QUE proReader

Check out the PDF in the Press Kit for more info.

 

[Festivus]

I am thinking my next laptop will actually be a tablet. I find more and more that when I want to read something on my laptop I am putting the screen portion down on my lap, and the lap portion of the laptop on my stomach.

The kindle and sharp units are too small for my liking too, books like the D&D books are much bigger than a paperback is, and I wouldn't want to scroll around.

 

[jaerdaph]

I am thinking my next laptop will actually be a tablet.

I can't recommend tablets, especially, the ThinkPad, enough. If it were only about 1/3 of the weight, it would be perfect!

 

[caudor]

...I've been following the development of the QUE proReader from Plastic Logic:

QUE proReader

Check out the PDF in the Press Kit for more info.

Yeah, this is what I'm holding out for. Provided it does not cost a fortune, I'll probably buy one.

Which makes me wonder...will WotC continue to hold off on digital versions of their books?

Reading D&D material and novels would be the main reason I'd want one of these.