[Kazebari]

Okay, so I had this idea:

Make a PDA-like device that only reads eBooks. It'd be a lot cheaper than a PDA, because it wouldn't require as much hardware. You'd save eBooks on a memory cartridge and swap out cartridges for different sets of books, like a Game Boy. He thinks that it could be used for personal use, (ie, instead of carrying around torn, spine-broken books) and maybe for something like a school system, ie, instead of carrying textbooks, you carry this eBook Reader and several cartridges. For each new edition of a textbook you'd just hand in your cartridge for reformatting.

However, I'm an immigrant and have no clue as to how Western schools and economic market are fixated. I'd like intelligient, well thought out responses as to whether it's a good or bad idea and reasons why.

Thanks!

[Violent Pacifist]

As a personal and college/private school used device, I think it's a fairly good idea. However, it would never work in the public school systems. All our school money is already wasted on funding useless programs that they ditch as fast as they pump out. Occassionally we come across a good one, but those are few and sparse. Most likely, some school programs would have to be cancelled to pay for the supplies needed.

Even if the schools were somehow able to buy these devices for all the students, it would still be the student's responsibility to keep up with them and take care of them. The replacement price would probably be fairly high, and that's not something that is going to sit well with most parents if they are a required device. A lot of schools would also have problems with theft, returning broken (yet seeming operable) ones, the losing of cartridges, etc. Students would also probably find ways to install games on to them -- though this is already a problem with cell phones and calculators.
Another problem is that the teacher can't be sure if the students even have the right cartridge in. For all they know, they could be reading the latest Star Wars book or some kind of *cough* inappropriate material *cough*

The students could be required to buy them, so that the school wouldn't have as many problems to worry about. But this then causes problems with poorer families, lack of ready replacements, even more theft, etc.

As I said though, I think it would work well in colleges and private schools, or as a personal device.
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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.

[Albino Gibbon]

Thanks for the idea......................I will get to the patent office before you.

Heh
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[osiris]

it would be great to upload the daily paper and take it to the shitter...

[Hamese]

I beleive it already exsists. It's really just an mp3 player and there is a company that supplies the books on mem cart's.

I'll have to find that company for you.
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[[HALO]MasterChief]

that would be kind of neat. but i agree with VP with the public school part. people in public schools have a hard enough time taking care of text books let alone some electronic device. Plus it would just cost to much and take too much time to impliment it.

I however think it would be cool for college. would probably help to save money on books. and since you have to buy your own books in college you would have to buy this making you take better care of it.
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[Kahlan Amnell]

I know that I personally would not be able to read off of that type of screen for long periods of time..... keyes wouldn't either.... sounds neat though

[Gamepro65]

Dude that would be awesome, accept instead of cartriges, get a hard drive that the school buys the program, then uploads them to your eReader. The best thing is, i actually remembver things better if its on a computer liek screen, looking at a book is boring, but i could look at a computer screen for all my life and know everything.
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