Hearst announces plans for e-ink reader for newspapers (Kindle-esque)

1243 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by r0b0d0c, Feb 28, 2009

stomsf

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2009

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/27/technology/copeland_hearst.fortune/index.htm

"hopes can do for periodicals what Amazon's Kindle is doing for books..."

I might be interested -- would be nice to wake up in the morning with a large screen format to spread out in front of my breakfast.

Still haven't gotten used to reading newspapers on the Kindle v1 (local SF paper didn't seem too impressive) but as the K2 screen resolution is much better I'd expect the Hearst version as well to also be better for pictures.

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artsandhistoryfan

· #2 · Feb 27, 2009

stomsf said:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/27/technology/copeland_hearst.fortune/index.htm

"hopes can do for periodicals what Amazon's Kindle is doing for books..."

I might be interested -- would be nice to wake up in the morning with a large screen format to spread out in front of my breakfast.

Still haven't gotten used to reading newspapers on the Kindle v1 (local SF paper didn't seem too impressive) but as the K2 screen resolution is much better I'd expect the Hearst version as well to also be better for pictures.

The San Francisco Chronicle said today that it may go under in a couple of months, according to what I heard on the TV. Hard to believe. And just incredible. A big city like this without a newspaper. Seems the world is collapsing around us.

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Raffeer

· #3 · Feb 27, 2009

I cannot imagine what a "large screen" view of the paper would add to my life but I know what it would take away. The ability to read my paper wherever I can carry my K.

I've been getting my morning Times on K1 since January of '08. It's been
a delight to get it without leaving the house, having said that it was not an ideal presentation.
Pictures were pretty indecipherable, skipping a section was convoluted etc etc. I was a litle nervous at moving the subscription to K2 relying on a "the devil you know is better than......

The K2 does a superb job at bringing the paper to me. Moving from article to article or section to section is a breeze. Pictures are clear and when zoomed are full screen. If for no other reason than paper perusal the move to a K2 was well worth it to me.

What was it one of our great minds said about 'cold dead hands" and the removal of an object? Describes my feeling re: my K2 exactly.
Raffeer

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FSkornia

· #4 · Feb 27, 2009

artsandhistoryfan said:
The San Francisco Chronicle said today that it may go under in a couple of months, according to what I heard on the TV. Hard to believe. And just incredible. A big city like this without a newspaper. Seems the world is collapsing around us.

To think that this is from the company that is actually talking about selling off one of their newspapers http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/24/BUannounce.DTL

We now know where Hearst's money has been going

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Glynnis

· #5 · Feb 28, 2009

I saw this article on Google News today - Hearst trying to jump on the Kindle bandwagon in an effort to save its publications ...
http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/handheld/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=215600085&subSection=News

"Hearst Corp.'s plans to launch a wireless electronic reader for viewing the publisher's newspapers and magazines reflects the kind of experimentation deemed pivotal to finding a business model that can compete in an era of the content-free Internet."

"Hearst, which has seen its own revenue plummet as advertisers shift an increasing amount of their spending to the Web, is planning to launch an e-reader with a large-format screen this year, Fortune magazine reported Friday. The device would be big enough for the layout and advertising requirements of newspapers and magazines."

The author says, "Hearst has its best chance of striking a chord with the majority of consumers if it includes its e-reader at no additional cost with a multiyear subscription to the publisher's magazines and newspapers, McGuire said. To make the device even more attractive, it should have a Web browser to access other content and include additional capabilities, such as the ability to share content with others over the Web."

I subscribe to NY Times on Kindle ... one of the things I like best is that I don't have to wade through all of the ads. A much larger screen (device), to accomodate ads, wouldn't be an attraction to me. Maybe there's a niche with people who only want to read papers and magazines ... just don't see it as something for those of us who want to read e-books. I expect we'll see lots more of these announcements in the coming months ... and maybe a few devices will even make it to market. Now if we could just get folders ...

Glynnis

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r0b0d0c

· #6 · Feb 28, 2009

Just read this on Amazon Daily tonight - sheesh, with as much trouble as eReaders manufacturers have had with making these profitable, it's hard to believe that Hearst would go head-to-head against Amazon and Sony, with an eReader that's JUST for reading newspapers! Except that THEIR product would have the newspaper ADS for enhanced revenue. That alone, would keep me away from it - with the smallness of the screen, even an 8 1/2 x 11, screen real estate is too precious for me to waste on annoying ads!

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r0b0d0c

· #7 · Feb 28, 2009

Maybe this is just Hearst's "shot over the bow" at Amazon, to encourage them to give some type of sweetheart deal for their papers Kindle subscriptions?

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