eReader/eInk - Bold New Approach

So over the years I've seen a lot of people on this forum requesting some app that will work with devices like the Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Voyage--a dedicated eReader with eInk display.

These requests will probably never be granted because eReaders don't seem to have the hardware or software necessary to run a program as complex as Logos. Furthermore, these devices probably will never be capable of running such apps since their focus is intentionally kept simple: read a book. The developers and most of their consumer base don't want the device to be able to play music, read-aloud, or play a game. That would go against the very philosophy behind the eReader. They are marketed as distraction-free readers. But if the hardware/software is kept so simply that it can't play a game then it would also be incapable of running a program like Logos.

So it's highly unlikely that we'll ever see a Logos app for eInk displays (I'm aware that some have tried to get around this with some 3rd party eInk devices).

So here is a new and probably outlandish idea:

Why doesn't Faithlife design it's own eReader? You don't have to make the eReader capable of performing all the functions of the desktop app because, again, that's not what eReaders are for. All it has to do is be able to sync with your library and maybe integrate a dictionary or commentary of your choice. For instance on the Logos app or on the Logos website you can set a dictionary or commentary as your preferred source and then when you highlight a word or phrase the eReader searches the commentary or dictionary you've selected (in the same way that Kindle links to a dictionary). When you highlight in the eReader it is synced with your other Logos programs.

Now I know that the biggest hinderance to this might be the finances. I'm sure Amazon spent a pretty penny on their Kindle Voyage. However other companies have been able to produce eReaders that are a lot cheaper. The Noet/Logos eReader doesn't have to start out great with all the bells and whistles of something like Voyage, it just has to be functional.

What do other people think? Am I dreaming too big?

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Comments

Francis

I suggested that before but the idea was not met with much of a response, and what little there was, was mostly negative.

Darcy S. Van Horn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735252#Comment_735252

I read Kindle books purchased from Amazon, Crossway, Matthias Media, and Westminster Seminary Bookstore, along with my Logos books (using the send to Kindle feature) on my Kindle and find it a great way to read (when reading is what I'm focusing on, as opposed to sermon or Bible study prep, etc.). So I'd have to say that I have no need for a dedicated e-reader device produced by Logos. I suspect that the majority of Logos users who own a Kindle probably find it quite satisfactory for reading, so it would probably not be a financially viable project for Logos.

In Him,

Darcy

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735253#Comment_735253

I should mention that I purchased a Thinkpad E-540 laptop (I found a great deal) and found that its screen is impressively easy on the eyes. It does have a kindle like feel...

J. Remington Bowling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735253#Comment_735253

I also have a Kindle (Voyage) and I have tried the "send-to-kindle" function but I find it unsatisfactory for two reasons:

1. If I see a passage that I want to highlight I have to also go back to my laptop or desktop and find the passage in the Logos program. Now that isn't very difficult to do but it breaks your reading experience. For someone that heavily highlights and annotates his work, this means I am constantly stopping and starting and switching back and forth between my e-reader and my computer. In fact going through this process is what made me say "I give up..." and just go back to reading on my laptop and then have the idea for this (which Francis is trying to steal credit for!). I can't imagine someone who *just* wants so to read a book without also highlighting and annotating important passages, but maybe some are out there.

2. The ability to reference more specific or technical material isn't possible in Kindle. For instance I may want a theological dictionary or commentary to be my primary reference when I highlight a word (as one does in Kindle) and pull up a dictionary.

J. Remington Bowling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735262#Comment_735262

I should mention that I purchased a Thinkpad E-540 laptop (I found a great deal) and found that its screen is impressively easy on the eyes. It does have a kindle like feel...

Is there anything about the E-540 that would make it better than, say, a tablet? I just took a peak at it online and it appears to have a regular laptop screen.

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735267#Comment_735267

The screen is matte (as opposed to glossy) but this is also a very well finished product. I have a mini that has a matte screen as well, but the Thinkpad's is different (in a good way). You can't see that on a product page. It's really nice. Perhaps the graphics are better, I don't know. I just know what I see and what I see is much more pleasant to look at and to read from.

SineNomine

Setting up f.lux can improve the reading experience on any laptop.

Reuben Helmuth

So here is a new and probably outlandish idea:

Sorry to reaffirm that this is NOT a "new" idea.😜 Francis isn't the only other person either, there have been others over the years...

Like was mentioned, the current market would likely make it highly unfeasible to do...However, I have a dream! I'm not prepared to lay out all the details, but for a couple years I've been hatching a plan (which involves an in-house e-reader) that would tap into a HUGE untouched market, making the option eminently more feasible. In the next month or so, I hope to put (almost) all of the elements of my "dream" together into a coherent whole, and email Bob about it. Just be warned, however, what I'm envisioning is IMO 5-15 years in the making, so don't hold your breath! 🙊😝

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735294#Comment_735294

Setting up f.lux can improve the reading experience on any laptop.

It can help, but for my part I did not like how it turned my screen pinkish or blueish.

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735328#Comment_735328

Setting up f.lux can improve the reading experience on any laptop.

It can help, but for my part I did not like how it turned my screen pinkish or blueish.

The orange/pink level is highly adjustable. The blue that you're seeing is how blue your monitor already was before f.lux. Your eyes will adjust pretty quickly to new, more orange settings, and it will prove much easier on your eyes. It will also make it easier for you to fall asleep if you habitually use your computer in the evening/at night. I have my monitor set to 2700K during the day and I don't even notice how orange it is compared to what it would be if I disabled f.lux (which I can do temporarily). When I do disable it, my eyes are shocked by how blue the monitor becomes...which is the exact amount of blue that was there before I got f.lux.

Jim

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735253#Comment_735253

I read Kindle books .... on my Kindle and find it a great way to read

Me too. The send-to-kindle feature Logos added makes this a great feature.

I spent over 30 years designing electronic products first hardware, then hardware/software, then software only. Even received a patent for a circuit I designed that have never been done that way before, a patent that is useless today because the technology industry assimilated it and moved on like a flash to newer ways. I have seen a lot of products come and go. When you design a product, even a copy-cat product, you enter a competition with the result that you either drop out or forever keep up with new technology. If you drop out, you annoy your customer base and investors, at least for a while. So you have to be careful what you put your limited resources into.

Who knows what physical platforms we will be using ten years from now? Let other people develop that. I think it's hard enough to keep any software application up with the latest hardware without entering that foray.

- just sayin'[8-|]

J. Remington Bowling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735476#Comment_735476

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. I still don't like the send-to-kindle function because the text is too small on my Voyage or Paperwhite and cannot be adjusted. It's actually better to just send the document to Word, save, and then send it to Kindle as a Word doc. The fact that you can't sync highlights or annotations is really a deal breaker for that method. That's an essential part of the reading/studying experience.

Anyway after thinking about it some more and reading some on my old iPod with the Logos app I've come to the conclusion that using the Logos app via a Kindle, tablet, phone, or iPod is really the best solution. In fact the ability to make the background black with white text is an advantage over the Kindle Voyage/Paperwhite. Highlights and notes are synced within just a few seconds. With screen quality on these devices improving so much I don't think eye stress is as big a factor.

And thanks to Francis for suggesting f.lux. I installed it on my laptop and it works great. Last night I actually decided to read to my nephew using the Kindle app on my laptop, because the blue screen of the Voyage was bothering me after becoming accustomed to the warmer night-time tone via f.lux.

Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/736047#Comment_736047

thanks to Francis for suggesting f.lux

It was actually SineNomine's suggestion, not mine! But glad you found something that helps.

Gavin Murphy

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/735423#Comment_735423

Flux is awesome!

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/875900#Comment_875900

Flux is awesome!

+1 [Y] Logos wiki => Night Mode includes F.lux is available for Windows, OS X, iOS, Linux, and Android. Also has Negative Screen.

Keep Smiling [:)]