eBooks & Readers

[Window Bar]

What a quandary-- Yup, Amazon has great service, and their tech is good. When I bought my Nook a couple of years ago, Kindle didn't function for our library because it wouldn't take ePub files, so the Nook was the obvious choice. The choice ain't so obvious anymore -- it's just that I've always been reluctant to feed any monopoly or near-monopoly.

 

[Erfael]

As I mentioned previously, I'm perfectly happy with my Nook. The only appreciable difference I see at this point is that Amazon will still occasionally undercut B&N on the price of some eBooks...which to me feels like the big guy throwing his weight around in order to get more weight. So I'm happy enough to pay a little extra for the same reasons I mentioned above...I'm still in some way supporting a company that has a storefront somewhere.

 

[Eventine]

Well, in the end I surprised myself and got a Kindle. I was confident enough in using Calibre to overcome my DRM concerns, and the library seemed to be the most extensive. I'll give the device itself a workout as I'm travelling/holidaying over the next few weeks.
The main issue I have so far is a purely mental one - I balk at paying "full" price for eBooks. I've happily purchased a few cheap/discounted books, but as soon as the price is over $10 I can't make myself buy yet. There's some mental adjustment required here if I'm going to move away from dead tree books!

 

[greymouse]

In my opinion, there's no good reason why electronic books should cost as much as print books. Electronic production and distribution costs are certainly far lower; with electronic books, the financial risk of bringing out new titles by new authors is far less. My own take on this is that the corporate publishing industry is deliberately handicapping the competition between the two media. The rise of the electronic book threatens their dominance in the marketplace.

 

[greymouse]

BTW, could anyone tell me where those living in Australia normally buy Kindle books? If there's a specific Amazon outlet, I haven't been able to find it. I'm curious if there are additional fees involved.

 

[Eventine]

My account is through amazon.co.uk, but my purchases seem to coming through amazom.com.
No additional fees (apart from currency conversion) and fortunately the Aussie dollar is still very strong.

 

[inschskye]

I got bought a Kindle just over a year ago and though I thought I'd never take to it, I haven't looked back. I love it, my house was getting crowded out a bit in storage of all the paper copies. The only pain was replacing all my favourites.

 

[Rexington]

my gf bought me a kindle fire hd for the holidays. it came with a pdf reader on it and i have already made a $5 donation to an unnamed author whose book i am reading. that is more money an author can make from any individual purchase of his/her work through conventional means.

 

[Loerwyn]

my gf bought me a kindle fire hd for the holidays. it came with a pdf reader on it and i have already made a $5 donation to an unnamed author whose book i am reading. that is more money an author can make from any individual purchase of his/her work through conventional means.

Maybe from that purchase, but if their sales figures stay low a publisher may decide to pass on further books/reprints, which can and will happen. So it's important to buy books through conventional means.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I ordered a Nexus 7 shortly after it was announced. I have installed the Kindle software and downloaded a few books though I don't use it all that much. It works fine as a reader though I don't like e-readers simulating book pages to be turned. I think they should have a variable automatic scroll speed and bring up the lines automatically.

There is actually quite a bit of free stuff that is good on the net.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/402371/chapters/663226

That is a decent story. Not quite as witty as Bujold but I have bought and read plenty not as good.

I have not tried e-ink. I would not buy a tablet unless it was multifunctional. I use my computer to do text to speech and then listen to MP3s on the Nexus.

Smart AudioBook Player works really well. The computer voice was somewhat annoying when I first started but now I just hear the story and ignore the computer voice. My current complaint is that the Nexus 7 does not have a microSD slot. If I start hear good things about some no-name brand with a microSD slot I will buy it.

psik

 

[phil_geo]

I have a Kindle-Keyboard, a Kindle Fire, a Kindle Paperwhite and an iPad with the Kindle App. I love the Kindle-Keyboard because it is not lit in anyway and looks fantastic when there is enough light to read by. The Kindle Paperwhite always has a light on - you can't turn it off, only down. Even in sunlight, the text is somewhat backlit and doesn't look quite as booklike as the Kindle-Keyboard. Once you get over that, the Kindle Paperwhite is great - touchscreen, the light is actually very good and you can read anywhere from direct sunlight to the dark, and it's a little smaller since it doesn't need a keyboard. The Kindle Fire is much more versatile, but _heavy_. I don't love holding it to read and always go get a lighter e-reader. And the screen is to small to really do Internet tasks on - I always go get the iPad for that.

IMHO, if you want a multi-purpose device with a reader, get something as big as the iPad, and if you want an Ereader, the Paperwhite is the best Kindle unless you plan to read using a lamp all the time, in which case I would get the old school Kindle ink, with or without the keyboard.

 

[greymouse]

I've been very happy with my 4th Generation Kindle's b&w e-paper display. The text is exceptionally clear and pleasing; the non-luminous screen is easy on the eyes. With the WiFi turned off, the display only draws on the battery when you page forward or back. That gives you many hours of reading between charges. An inexpensive padded leather Acase cover has turned out to be a good accessory. It protects the reading device and also makes it easier to hold or to prop up.

I still buy a lot of paper books, but the Kindle has definitely expanded my range of possibilities. It allows me to get books that I want very quickly. That includes books that have gone out of print, which could otherwise be difficult or expensive to acquire.

 

[Eventine]

I've just spent a few weeks heavily using my Kindle touch. The good:

• Display - very clear, even in direct sunlight
• Battery - didn't need to charge it the whole time I was travelling
• Weight - it sure beats carrying that many books around

The bad:

• Pricing - I was continually frustrated to see I could still get many hardcopy books shipped from the UK cheaper than I could purchase an electronic copy, sometimes considerably so
• It's electronic - Which means they ask you to turn it off during take off and landing
• Lending - I lend quite a few of my books, and this breaks that model

Pricing is the main sticking point. I still balk at paying more than $10 for en eBook, particularly when a physical copy is cheaper. I can't see myself moving to 100% electronic unless there is considerable change here.

 

[Loerwyn]

[*]It's electronic - Which means they ask you to turn it off during take off and landing

Does the airplane mode not mean you can use it during those situations? I must confess to not entirely understanding what that mode is for.

 

[Chuffalump]

I'd have thought so too. As long as there is no 'broadcast' of wi-fi or 3G from the kindle I don't see what the problem is. After all, no one asks me to turn off my digital watch.

Could just be one of these blanket bans because it takes too long to explain exactly what the problems and causes could be.

 

[Eventine]

Same as phones. They make you turn them off for take off and landing, but during the flight it's OK. Which for anything under an hour can be most of the flight. I travel a lot. It's a pain. Trust me.

 

[Westy]

After using the eReader quite a bit and recently reading a few physical books, another big pro for me about the eReader is the built in dictionary. I find it very handy when I want to look up a word - it just needs a few button presses to get the cursor next to the word and there's your definition.

Reading a physical book recently and a few times I found myself wandering about a word and missing being able to look it up so quickly. Admittedly this happens much more for some authors!

Same as phones. They make you turn them off for take off and landing, but during the flight it's OK.

That is a bit annoying, even more so that like a few posters earlier said, turning the 3G/Wifi to airplane mode renders it safe for the whole flight. They make you turn all electronic devices to ensure they're covered, plus people say they've got airplane mode on but they might not (and it's a hassle for the attendants to look at every eReader screen).

 

[ralfy]

Asus has just released the Memo Pad.

 

[symbolhunter]

I had a Kindle 3 which I loved but now I have the Paperwhite and it provides a wonderful reading experience. I use it more frequently than my iPad because it much easier on the eyes than the back-lit Tablet. It is very competitively priced and Kindle Books are often cheaper than their print counterparts. For certain specialised types of literature which involve colour illustrations or are in Manga format, the iPad is superior since the screen is larger and colour is reproduced quite effectively. And finally the printed book also can have certain advantages for specific texts such as those produced for academic use where considerable linking back and forth to cross references is required.

So I think that the ebook will never replace the hard copy but it may well become the dominant form for general reading.

 

[N. E. White]

So I think that the ebook will never replace the hard copy but it may well become the dominant form for general reading.

In wealthy nations, I agree that this may become the case.

But - my Nook just died. The touchscreen doesn't respond to my touching. I'll have to take it in tomorrow.