Kno Prices HUGE Textbook Ereader at $899

[halls]

I probably still wouldn't buy it.
Textbooks cost hundreds of dollars and publishers LOVE the money they make from them, so I seriously doubt they will release much cheaper e-reader editions (I mean, enough to justify spending $800 for a reading device). If it only halves the price of my textbooks? That's definitely not enough.

Only way I can see this being feasible is if I might be able to "rent" textbooks for a semester on the e-reader for around $20 a piece, and buy the ones that I really want to keep.

 

[zak_mckraken]

So the single screen device is two hundred bucks cheaper,

899$ - 599$= 300$
Also, there's a "be" missing in the first sentence (the Kno is supposed to befor viewing)

Ah... to be a student again. If it could mean saving on books for students, that would be a steal. But when you buy a huge kick-ass book on maths, chemistry or whatever, you're not paying for the book itself, you're paying for the content. Still, editors could save money while digitally distributing their books and pass part of the savings to students. It would be a win-win situation. And they wouldn't have to carry their books in a wheelbarrow!

 

[Guest]

They have a list of books already available on their site. Of the 4 books I need for next semester, 3 are available at between 1/2 to 2/3 of the price. It is a webkit browser and they are looking for developers for new apps... this thing has a chance to be more than what it is now. And one of the guys is the same one who started Chegg textbook rentals... he already knows the market for the school textbooks.

 

[quantum mask]

[citation][nom]thechief73[/nom]Seriously? For $599(you have to be complete bonkers to buy the $899 model) for something that is basically a digital book? Am I missing something here, or do you have to be unbelievably dumb to not just buy a laptop?(which a large majority of college students already have BTW) If you can make books digital way not forgo the expensive, unwieldy, and limited power of this hardware and just use the same digital books on a laptop.[/citation]
E-readers use a different screen technology that's easier on the eyes. Have you ever tried reading on a laptop for 3 or 4 hours?

 

[quantum mask]

[citation][nom]halls[/nom]I probably still wouldn't buy it.Textbooks cost hundreds of dollars and publishers LOVE the money they make from them, so I seriously doubt they will release much cheaper e-reader editions (I mean, enough to justify spending $800 for a reading device).[/citation]
You have to remember that producing books in e-reader format means that they don't have the cost of producing real books, a significant savings for them. They'll still make their money.

 

[gm0n3y]

This isn't an ereader as it doesn't use any form of e-ink. Its just an LCD screen. Without e-ink, this is just a large dual-screen tablet.

 

[sliem]

Kno. I will knot be paying for this overpriced Knobject.

 

[DaddyW123]

If I was still in school, I would seriously think about this. I think it's fantastic (in theory at least - I'd have to see it first). Bringing 5 text books to the library to cram for finals was a pain in the ass.

 

[tical2399]

People are going on about this will save money when it wont save much. I think people are under the impression that this gives you free books. At my school a 150 book is about 110-120 in ebook form.

Nice discount but when you spend 600 or 900 on the machine in the first place its not worth it. Better too get some little netbook for like 300-350 and buy the same ebooks.

 

[Guest]

I'm looking for a e-textbook reader that I can bring abroad into the bush/rural areas with actual readable medical material...was excited at first to find a textbook-aimed e-reader with a large enough screen for them, but 8 hrs of battery life is useless without easy electricity access. ...And I agree with the comments above that the lack of electronic format available textbooks is a big problem. Not worth $599 from me yet.