eBooks & Readers

tmso said:
... my Nook just died. The touchscreen doesn't respond to my touching. I'll have to take it in tomorrow. :(
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There is more to this point than meets the eye. Those of us who have eReaders ought to be damned well certain we have back-up copies of our eBooks. The eReader is not immortal.

BTW-- Does anyone know whether or not back-up copies can be loaded onto another machine at a future date? And what if that machine is not from the same vendor? As a writer of eBooks, I ought to know this, but I do not.

-- WB
 
Window Bar said:
There is more to this point than meets the eye. Those of us who have eReaders ought to be damned well certain we have back-up copies of our eBooks. The eReader is not immortal.

BTW-- Does anyone know whether or not back-up copies can be loaded onto another machine at a future date? And what if that machine is not from the same vendor? As a writer of eBooks, I ought to know this, but I do not.

-- WB
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First of all, if you stick with the same vendor--e.g. an Amazon Kindle--all of your library is backed up to the cloud and can be retrieved at will even if you get another and different Kindle model.

But suppose you switch from Kindle to Nook. You do create some problems as the latter doesn't suport the Mobi format used by Amazon. But there is a way out of all this. If you download Calibre {it's free} to your computer a backup copy of your entire library can be transferred to it. Any book that is DRM free--and there are many--can be converted to another format and then be put on your new reader. If the book has DRM protection, then it can be read by the Calibre ereader but can't be converted into another format unless the individual happens to have access to DRM removal software. Calibre does not include any such software as, of course, there are legal issues.

Personally, I think that one should stick with the model that works best for oneself and not attempt DRM removal. Remember that many independent ebook sources do give you a choice of formats and allow you to download the various different types. {at no extra charge} For instance, Baen has a fabulous free scifi library. One can download epub, mobi, etc from it. The same applies to their books for purchase. Another similar source is Feedbooks which gives a variety of formats for their books whether free or for sale and allows the individual to choose any or all formats. This allows one to put their book on different ereaders {such as the Kindle and iPad--a very common combination.}

Finally, I have heard rumors that Amazon is going to issue their books in multiformat--specifically mobi and epub. That would give them an enormously expanded sale base. But I don't know how much truth there is in that.
 
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I think E-books are not more expensive as compared to there benefit for the readers.They are more quick and easy way to find the concern information and relative topic.
 
I gave my B&W Kindle to my oldest son and started using my Droid Phone believe it or not. My phone has good viewing space and I can bring it out and start reading anywhere. At first, I just used the Droid when I didn't have my Kindle on hand but as time went on, it just replaced the Kindle. Now I use it to read all of my books. I live in a rural area and the cost/convenience of ebooks is just hard to beat. Love my Droid for that one purpose.
 
Minion_ax said:
I gave my B&W Kindle to my oldest son and started using my Droid Phone believe it or not. My phone has good viewing space and I can bring it out and start reading anywhere. At first, I just used the Droid when I didn't have my Kindle on hand but as time went on, it just replaced the Kindle. Now I use it to read all of my books. I live in a rural area and the cost/convenience of ebooks is just hard to beat. Love my Droid for that one purpose.
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Yeah, it is weird. I like reading on my iPhone too. I love my Nook, but since I have my phone with me where ever I go, it is just what I end up reading on. And the Kindle and B&N apps are awfully nifty. Plus, with either the Nook or Kindle, you are kind of tied to using EITHER Amazon or Barns and Noble. But with a phone, you can download any number of reading apps and read from a variety of distributors. My husband just got the ASUS tablet and I'm thinking of using that (if I could get it out of his hands for a moment).
 
Don't you have issues with battery life? One of the great things about the Kindle is how infrequently I have to charge it.
 
Eventine said:
Don't you have issues with battery life?
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Sorry, I missed this back in August. Were you asking me? If so...

No. If I'm reading on my phone, I'm usually somewhere I can plug it in.

With that said, I've been mostly reading on my Nook since my last post in this thread. And, I have to say I'm liking it more and more.

And so is my mom.

She wants one. Specifically, she said that I should give her mine and get a new one. o_O

I think she said that knowing that most of us young (*cough* I'm in my 40s, mom) kids like to get new toys. And I do. I instantly thought it was an excellent idea. I'd give her my Nook (with all the current books on it, she'd be set for reading material for at least a few months) and I'd get a snazzy new one. What a great idea!

But after 10 minutes of shopping, I am stumped.

Both Barnes and Noble and Amazon are offering eReaders and tablets in my price range (as little as possible). Here are the choices I'm looking at:

Nook GlowLight - $119 (easy on the eyes, 6.5")
Kindle Paperwhite - $119 (better prices on ebooks, 6")
Nook HD 7" Tablet - $129 (pro: internet access, con: internet access)
Kindle Fire 7" Tablet - $139 (same pro/con)

Which should I choose?

On the one hand, I'd like to stick with the e-ink of the Nook. It is way easy on the eyes. But, I've had to cancel several magazine subscriptions because they just look terrible on the Nook. I suspect that it would be similar on the Paperwhite. So, since the price jump to the tablets is not the huge, why not go for the tablet? I'm afraid of the eye-strain.

My husband has a tablet that I've used to watch TV shows and movies on, and I have noticed a bit of eye-strain. Does anyone know if the newer models (or the ones listed above) are better in that department?
 
i bought a kindle a few years ago and haven't regretted it. we've got an ipad at home, laptops and pcs. but for me, the kindle's for books and the ipad's for other things.

the eink is, of course, the main reason the kindle's awesome. because it's a device built for reading, rather than a device which has an app for reading. it makes it easy on the eye etc. also, my wife's first language isn't english, so the built-in dictionary is awesome and easy to use without having to back out and in. just highlight the word and there's your definition.

having said that, i can see why it wouldn't work so well for magazines, but i'm a ravenous book reader, so kindle was awesome.

this gibberish post was brought to you by "no sleep". no sleep. it makes your posts almost unintellectible. unintellig-something. ible. whatever.
 
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