I’ve been working through David McFarland’s book on JavaScript and jQuery the last week or so and while the book itself is great (e.g., clear explanations, good tutorials), I’ve got a usability quibble with it.

I bought the digital version from Amazon. However, with no Kindle Reader, that meant the experience would be delivered through Amazon’s Kindle-for-Mac tool. But when I got to the sample code snippets, the font size was so small that it rendered it practically invisible.

From a learning standpoint, the code samples seem just about as important as the explanations that surround them. I guess in this sense, maybe it’s more than just a (usability) quibble.

Perhaps this is just a Kindle-for-Mac issue, but it would be nice to at least have a toolbar option for modifying point-size.

• Instant on (great for those times when you just want to quickly check a document for one small detail)
• Readable in bright daylight
• Plastic rather than glass screen so it’s very durable
• Touch-screen for entering annotations, notes or comments
• Battery life that’s measued in days not hours

Although Plastic Logic is aiming this at a business audience, I certainly see possibilities with education (e.g., students using it to read and mark-up course materials outside on a bright, sunny day). Perhaps textbook publishers are already looking at this. I’m sure there will be lots of coverage by the tech and biz press when this device is officially released next year; it will be interesting to see what the reviewers have to say. Perhaps someone from Educause will get one and write a review through an educator’s prism.