You say that ebook readers should do things that "couldn't be done before," but nothing you describe is really new. Multimedia, hyperlinks, "news feeds"; all of these things have been around for some time, even on handheld devices. The point isn't to blur the line between ebook readers and desktop computers; we're already inundated by multimedia. I agree that ebook readers can do more, but as some of the comments have pointed out, there is something intrinsically enjoyable about reading a novel without hyperlinks, music and other distractions. Do things that haven't been done before, but remember, it's a book we're dealing with here. All media experiences are not to be lumped into one.
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You say that ebook readers should do things that "couldn't be done before," but nothing you describe is really new. Multimedia, hyperlinks, "news feeds"; all of these things have been around for some time, even on handheld devices. The point isn't to blur the line between ebook readers and desktop computers; we're already inundated by multimedia. I agree that ebook readers can do more, but as some of the comments have pointed out, there is something intrinsically enjoyable about reading a novel without hyperlinks, music and other distractions. Do things that haven't been done before, but remember, it's a book we're dealing with here. All media experiences are not to be lumped into one.