I have been reading today the news about the new Amazon eBook Reader. And when I saw this picture "photoshoped" by my friend Steve from UMPCPortal I was not surprised at all because I though the same thing. I agree that a single use device does what ever it was designed to do a lot better but if you have another device that can substitute that device and at least 3 or 4 more paying almost the same price you paid for the first one, I will go for that device. And that device is called UMPC. The only device where you can have a eBook Reader, a GPS Device, a DVD Player, a MP3 Player and a PC all in one small device. And all that with the flexibility of selecting the best software in each of this functions something that you won't be able to do if you buy any of those devices that we are replacing. I guarantee you that you won't find a eBook reader capable of reading all the different eBooks formats currently available but we can read any of those eBooks in our UMPCs.
I know that current UMPCs do not have a long battery life and that the screen is not that good for reading eBooks, but come on, it's a new technology! Little by little we are getting there.
So, after all this analysis I ask myself, is a single use device a good option?
I can accept that a single use device is preferable to some, but it certainly is not acceptable to me. If I'm going to carry something, keep up with something, make sure something's battery is always charged, and try not to break something, it's going to be the one thing that can do a lot of things. I'll let someone with more space, time and organization skills keep up with the DAP, phone, eBook reader, PDA, laptop and DVD player. Converge me!
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