Why do/dont you have a "wireless reading device"?

[Donteb84]

I really am not into the Kindle, and other wireless reading. I love the feel of having a real book in my hand, turning the page, being able to loan a book to a friend. With the Kindle, if you love a book, you can't loan it out, you just have to say, go out and buy it yourself. I heard of the argument that it saves space by not having all those books around, but I LOVE having tons of books around me. The more bookshelves, the better. Anyways, I don't just love reading, i love BOOKS!! Anyways, how do you guys feel about it?

 

[ElinIsabel]

I like the actual book too. I like feeling it, opening it, being able to underline and highlight it. And then I like finding a place for it on the shelf, "books" being the main decorating theme in my Room of My Own in our newlywed apartment.

When I lived in Pittsburgh, my best friend was a well known used-books dealer. We were always meeting old bibliophiles and going into their apartments to look at and deal in tomes, and I remember being absolutely fascinated by some of the homes we went to where the walls were totally paved in books. In every room. Usually with a couple of cats climbing over the shelves and worn out old persian rugs on the floor.

You just don't get that same effect from Kindle.

I always get excited when it is time to go buy a new bookshelf. So does my cat. Not so much my husband.

 

[tulsa]

I have a Sony prs 900. The reason I like it so much is that I live in a tiny apartment and don't have a lot of room for physical books.

While I like regular books and visit my library very often, I've grown used to reading on the device. I almost prefer it now. Something about having 300+ books on that little gadget that is cool.

 

[Blind]

I like having books on my blackberry because I always have it with me and it is amazing to have when you forget or can't carry a book around, and also you don't have to answer annoying questions about what you're reading.

 

[fast200]

I don't have one because I use the local library. I was shocked at how comprehensive a collection of adult fiction my local branches purchased using my tax dollars (happily I might add).

Occasionally I buy non-fiction books for later reference but the entry cost of buying the wireless device is just too high to justify. Perhaps if the ebooks were a little cheaper. What ultimately might get me to switch is the iPad. At least I can use it for something else besides reading.

 

[werewolfv2]

dont have one, tried my buddies for a little while and gave up on it. I like to read a book, not a screen.

 

[Winter]

I don't have one, but that is not to say that I will never get one.

I like having books around me... and they really are since I only have two undersized shelves and more books than could possibly fit on them. There's something about seeing the books and being proud my (albeit small) collection that I just can't get by looking at a small electronic device filled with books.

That being said, I would love to have one. There is all sorts of free fiction to be found online, be it short stories, free novel downloads, or public domain and I have a very hard time reading off of a computer screen. Would it ever replace physical books? Absolutely not. But because it would never replace physical books, an e-reader is simply not worth the bloated cost. The Kobo, however, is a step towards making them cheaper at $150, but even that is too much for it to be worth it.

 

[Solicitous]

Well looks like I am currently in the minority here.

I have an e-book reader (not a wireless/wifi one). I absolutely love it. We have limited space, so the initial idea was to buy one to help cut down on the number of new books we were buying, and thus the space they were taking up.

What I have experienced is;

- I have not really changed in the number of paperbacks I have bought.
- Having an e-reader has opened up a whole new world of literature. Suddenly I am able to read some really good free novels, access public domain works that I ordinarily would not have bought.

Is the e-reader my most favourite form of reading? Well I find it more comfortable, but it hasn't and I doubt ever will, replace all physical books for me.

 

[Hobbit]

My view is similar to Solicitous, in that I have a Sony Reader which has about 700 books on it. (It did have about 1000 but I then culled them.)

I use it when I travel or when my needs to travel light are important.

It doesn't replace my (thousands of) books, but it adds to them. It means that when I need to I can change to another book for a while or reread an old favourite.

The issue for me is the wireless aspect. Whilst I can download onto my Sony I have have big issues with a reader with wireless connection in that, even once bought, companies like Amazon can take it away from me.

At least on the Sony once its there, its there.

Once we get the format issue sorted things will be much better.

Mark

 

[TheImp]

i dunno, i just like the feeling of reading and owning the physical copy of a book.

people annoy me on the train wondering what i'm reading though.....and they're always weirdos.

 

[hippokrene]

I am poor. Books are free. E-book readers are not.

I'll also point out that a regular book qualifies as a 'wireless reading device.'

 

[Jeroen]

I'll also point out that a regular book qualifies as a 'wireless reading device.'

You beat me to it . I consider all my books wireless reading devices .

 

[Werthead]

I am vehemently anti-DRM following a lot of recent computer game controversies and the Amazon issue where they stripped people's books away from their Kindles without their permission. As long as DRM remains part of ebooks, I will not purchase them.

 

[Windfall]

I just bought my Kindle a couple of weeks ago and I love it! Of course, I love the feel of paper in my hands and I love turning real pages on real books. However, I'm pretty sensitive to dust so usually my books become unreadable after a year or so. With a e-book reader, they will last forever.

 

[Oubliette]

Like most of you I prefer real books. The look and feel of a book is like the "setting" of reading for me. I can't imagine curling up in a comfy chair or sitting outside reading on a Kindle.
I think it's a smart device if you travel a lot, and I wouldn't mind using it on a bus or a plane. But not for normal, everyday reading.

However, I borrowed a Kindle from someone for a few days once, and I could really have gotten used to that search function. It has obvious advantages if you're reading for study, but even when reading for fun it's nice to be able to quickly search for a phrase or character name.
Just try flipping back through "The Gormenghast Trilogy" from page 800, because you realize you can't remember what Pentecost (a really minor character) looks like!

 

[Randy M.]

I don't have an e-books reader for quite a few reasons:

1) My paper book requires minimal use of electricity to enjoy it. In that way, it's a 'green' alternative, and has the potential to go 'greener' if the paper industry ever changes from trees to, say, grasses.
2) I don't have to recharge a paper book.
3) If I drop and ruin my paperback, or even a hardcover, I can usually afford to replace it. And ruining one book will not usually risk ruining dozens of other books simultaneously.
4) If I have to change optical enhancing hardware like, say, buying new glasses, I don't have to worry that my books' software format will no longer work with my new hardware.
5) No one can erase my hardcovers, trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks from their offices in another city, state or country.
6) When I buy it, it's mine. Perhaps a faulty perception on my part, but purchasing e-books seems more like software licensing than like buying a product.
7) There's very little chance, I think, that first edition e-books will ever appreciate in value.


All that said, there is one reason I'd buy an e-book reader: If I was still a college student and found that my text books could be purchased in e-book form, I'd ignore all the above. One relatively light package containing all my text books, plus a search function. Oh, yeah!

There are certainly professions with equivalent needs for immediate access to a library of information, and for the most up-to-date information available, and for them e-book readers (and maybe especially the iPad) makes a lot of sense.


Randy M.

 

[Gustaf Hagel]

I love books. Physical books. I love having my books around and I love flipping pages.

But.

I love my iPod Touch as a reading device as well. It goes with me everywhere since I always listen to music when I go somewhere. It´s small and easily transportable and the Kindle App is great.

I can share it as well. My wife has all my Amazon-bought books in her Touch, which is perfect. No need to buy two copies when we share the Amazon account.

It´s awesome when I need to travel light and now, when I´m just three months away from a flight to the other side of the world (back to Sweden), I don´t want to build a library of books I can´t bring back home. So with the iPod, I can still buy and read books without having to worry about my 20 kg-limit (which is broken by far anyway ).

But it´s not a substitute for real books.

 

[Loerwyn]

I really am not into the Kindle, and other wireless reading. I love the feel of having a real book in my hand, turning the page, being able to loan a book to a friend. With the Kindle, if you love a book, you can't loan it out, you just have to say, go out and buy it yourself. I heard of the argument that it saves space by not having all those books around, but I LOVE having tons of books around me. The more bookshelves, the better. Anyways, I don't just love reading, i love BOOKS!! Anyways, how do you guys feel about it?

I can't afford one, to be honest. But at the same time, I also love the look of a bookshelf that's full. I've something to show for my money, and I'm quite fond of the new book smell.

For the price of a Kindle or whatever, I can buy a lot of the books that I want and even a bookshelf for them.

 

[MattNY]

I just don't have enough of a need for one to justify spending a decent chunk of cash on it. My preference lies in actual books, so I would still buy those the majority of the time. That leaves me with needing to travel lightly with several books at a time to justify one, and I just don't do that often.

If I can get one I like for around $100, that won't take away books from me randomly, and one where I can lend books, like with the Nook, then I would consider it as a novelty item.

 

[ebusinesstutor]

Most of what I read is physical books, but I do use my iPhone to read ebooks when I travel.

Really saves on space as I am a speed reader so I used to carry a LOT of books when I traveled. Now, over 100 are in the palm of my hand.