Opportunity for e-book biz: Polled air travelers vote books as the most essential items
“In a poll hosted on the flight search engine’s site, ‘a good book’ received 24% of the vote, followed by an MP3 player with 22%, perfume or deodorant with 14% and a laptop or PDA with 10%.” – TravelDailyNews.com.
The TeleRead take: Just wait until the prices of readers come down, and ideally the costs of e-books from big publishers, too. Since many travelers must deal with less-than-ideal lighting conditions, this could be good news for makers of book lights, the side-lit Sony PRS-700, and LCD-based gizmos such as iPhones and Touches.
Speaking of prices and bargains: My $170 used Sony PRS-505 reader is working great, except, natch, on DRM-tainted books, just a fraction of my collection. The previous owner says she’s found the right person at Sony to help “deauthorize” the 505, and I’m optimistic. My test book on the Sony is The Kaiser as I Knew Him—by his dentist. Something for a traveler to download for a trip to Berlin? No prob with carry-on size or weight limits, eh?
And speaking of e-reading and travel: Anyone care to update us on the regulation-related challenges of taking e-book-related devices aloft? How’s the TSA treating your Kindle or Sony? Less of a bureaucratic hassle for you than toting a laptop?
March 31st, 2009 at 10:32 am
“And speaking of e-reading and travel: Anyone care to update us on the regulation-related challenges of taking e-book-related devices aloft?”
The Kindle 1 documentation said nothing on the subject. However, the Kindle 2 states that it must be turned off with all other electronic devices when the airlines say so.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:00 am
In Europe ebook readers seem to be trated like digitalcameras rather than laptops so they don’t need to be screened separately at the airport. It is possible that this is because the security folks haven’t seen enough to know what they are looking at.
On the planes the same applies. Personally I keep reading mine all the time but probably I should switch it off for take off and landing (not sure, phones with “flight safe” mode seem to be allowed to remain on)
March 31st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I’ve flown several times with my Cybook Gen3. I’ve never been asked to remove it from my carryon (though I always remove my laptop or, lately, my netbook). It just goes right through the x-ray. No problems.
The flight attendants and fellow passengers often ask about it. I love that I can finish a book mid-flight and then just start another with no fuss.
March 31st, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Flight attendants have never commented on my use of the PRS-505 during takeoff or landing (although I’ve been at-the-ready to explain the difficulty of “on-ness” with e-ink).
I imagine that someday soon the devices will be cheap enough and pre-loaded with enough complete books (not just sample chapters) that travelers will seriously consider airport purchases.
And I completely agree with Mags; I really appreciate the convenience of switching to a new ebook within the cramped confines of coach.