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e-readers vs hard books
What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the e-readers vs hard books?
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Kindle
I have a kindle. It was a gift and not sure if I would have bought it myself. I like the fact that it holds lots of books, different types, etc. I go onto Amazon everyday and look at the forums and download free books that one or two people post about. I have so many now that I couldn't read them all. At some time, I need to remove those that don't interest me.
Knowing what I know now (after 6 months) I probably would buy one.
Nancy -
Give me a hardcover book any day... There is just something about it that I can't replace with an e-reader.. The feel of it in my hands, the texture of the pages, the smell of the ink.. I love finding dog-eared pages and trying to think about why a prior reader marked it... Were they just saving their page or was there something special on that page that caught their eye?
Maybe I'm just set in my ways, but the experience between the two isn't even comparable to me.....my travel website: Vacation-Times.org.
"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking."
~Earl WilsonComment
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I am an avid reader. Simply put, I MUST read to keep me balanced and happy. Go figure.
My family wanted to buy me an e-reader for Christmas. I said no for now as I wanted to think about it. I am very interested in replies to this thread to help me decide to give it a try or not.
If an e-reader is light, then that's a real plus. I take a book whenever I leave the house and not having to lug my latest novel would be wonderful.
I read when I travel and not lugging several books would be wonderful.
I am thinking - this is a question really - that at the beach, an e-reader would be better as I can dry my hands but not worry about it touching my damp/wet body...?
Are some e-readers better than others for reading in vastly different light situations?
I love book-books. I don't know if I could give up the library either, but then again I don't have to do just one or the other. Hmmm...
Well, let's see what poeple here think and please say whether you like your specific e-reader alot or not.Comment
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I have had a kindle for almost two years---I got it the day the K2 released in Feb '09. I loved it. I switched to an iPad this summer, and have given my kindle to one of my kids. I actually like the kindle slightly better for just-text-reading, but the iPad does so much more than that, and it is adequate for reading, so I never found the need to carry an extra device. The iPad, on the other hand, is superior for material where layout is important---magazines, technical material, etc. It is also possible to read on a smartphone, but I find that interface to be too small.
I have essentially stopped buying dead-tree books. The convenience of being able to have my library with me in one small package wherever I go is great. I also use the annotation features quite often---especially when reading technical PDF documents on the iPad, but I also would often highlight/annotate text in the kindle.
The downsides: I'm spending *a lot* more money on books. It is dangerously convenient to grab a book when you hear some book mentioned in a talk, on NPR, or read the NYTimes review, etc. E-book versions are usually comparable in cost to the paperback version---often *slightly* lower, but not always. If they are not available in paperback, the ebook versions are usually somewhat less expensive than hardcover versions, but not as inexpensive as the (eventual) paperback version will be. When the paperback is released, usually the ebook price drops. However, I would personally pay a small premium for the e-book version, just for the convenience of it all. It is sometimes possible to share ebooks, but it is awkward, and not at all like a "real" book. On the other hand, usually you can register each family member's device to the same account, and you can download a single purchase to 5-6 different devices within that same account, so sharing within your immediate family is pretty easy. Even when libraries support one or more e-reader formats, the selection is limited (and not all formats are widely supported.)
The model, then, is someone who usually buys books (rather than borrowing them), tends not to share them outside the immediate family, is relatively mobile, and reads a lot. It probably will not save you money, but you will find yourself reading more---a lot more. You also are probably something of an early adopter, though that is less true today than it was when I bought my first one two years ago.Comment
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We both read a lot, and we now own two Kindles--one small, one large, both with wireless capability (the wireless is what enables you to download a book anywhere). The large one was a birthday present, and it was followed by the purchase of the small one. We still read books, too.
I'd been looking at them for a couple of years and had decided I didn't want one because I like the feel of books--but I got one for a birthday present and felt obliged to use it enough to find out if I liked it. Lo and behold, I did like it--but not enough to give up books, and as you point out, one can do both.
1. We like never being more than 60 seconds from a new book, no matter where we are--Mexico, in the car, etc.
2. We like being able to alter the size of the print to whatever we're in the mood for.
3. We like being able to take a lot of books on trips without having to physically take them--the small Kindle was purchased for our last cruise so we would both have one and could be reading the same book.
4. Our little Kindle has a light in its case (didn't know about lights when we got the case for the big one), and I love it. I use it reading in bed if my husband is sleeping, and I use it reading in the car after dark. It's plenty to see by and it isn't enough to disturb the driver or the sleeper.
5. If you are deciding on little vs. big, that becomes a tough call. The little one is definitely more hand friendly; it's the size of a pocket book, and it has page-turner buttons on each side so it works left-handed or right-handed. (The cases from Amazon fold back, making each "device" less like a notebook to hold and more like a tablet.) With the little one, you have to turn the pages more often--don't know if that would annoy you or not. The large one has a screen about the size of a standard hard-cover, but it is, of course, lighter than a hard cover.
Best Buy has Kindles in the store and some other varieties also, but it's nice to handle one and see how it feels to you before making a committment to one size or the other.
All the new Kindles have screens that are absolutely wonderful in bright sunlight--and of course, in less intense light also. The difference in price occurs because of the choice to get wireless or do without wireless capability.
Cost of books: most of the time, they are a dollar or two more for the Kindle version than you could buy a new paperback book at Costco or Sams. They are usually less than the hard-back books. However, sometimes they are more: Fall of Giants was $20.00 on the Kindle, but about $16.00 in hardback at Sams. On the other hand, sometimes a Kindle version is available free. After books have been out a while, the price for the Kindle version tends to drop. For example, I think Pillars of the Earth is now about $5.00. Using your computer, you can brouse the Kindle store on Amazon and check prices and availability.
We like our Kindles very much, but we're both still reading "real" books also."You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity." Adrian RogersComment
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I have a Nook by Barnes and Noble and I love it. When my wife got it for me I was hesitant to use it but after trying it I do not see myself without one again. I read 4 or 5 books a week and find the convenience of having my next book ready to read in a matter of seconds fantastic. Also if you get an ereader go to smashwords.com for free and low priced ebooks. That website will download to almost all ereaders.Comment
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My wife reads books all the time and usually picks them up at garage sales and flee markets. Everytime we go on vacation she'll stick 4 - 5 books in the case so she had commented often about E readers being more practical. I also checked our local library to see if we could download from them which we could.
So for Christmas I got my wife the E reader she'd been asking for. We then find out that both our library memberships had expired so we would have to get new cards before we could download books to the reader.
Well we go into the library to renew the memberships and then talk to the assistants about downloading. After that the wife wants to look around the library, well you probably guessed it, one hour later she's walking out the library with 7 books in her hands. So now it's pointless downloading any books, for now, because she has to get these books read and back within 2 weeks.
The moral is "old habits die hard"Comment
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I was the same until using the ereader. Carrying several hundred books in the palm of my hand was better for my back. Also these aging eyes like the ability to adjust the font size.Comment
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I got a Kindle 3 with G4 for Christmas. As others have mentioned I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I do very much.
It's true nothing can compare with the feel of reading an actual book. But I am really enjoying the kindle.
Not necessarily in order:
1) the ease of getting books. I like being able to get a sample of a book and then buy the book instantly from the sample. I have been able to find books that would be hard to find in a library or bookstore. Many classics are free.
2) I really, really like being able to set the font size. That is one of the biggest drawbacks these days for me and reading, I have trouble with regular size print but don't like the bulkiness and limited variety of large print. Before the kindle I was mostly doing audiobooks.
3) I like being able to automatically start in the same place I left off in a book.
4) I like the lightness and I know I will enjoy it while traveling, not having to carry multiple books.
One thing I DO NOT like about the Kindle is it cannot read the ebooks that are available for free from my public library. I suspect this was done deliberately by Amazon to increase profits from the sale of books. Some other ereaders (the Nook I know for sure) can read those ebooks.
Already I am reading alot more with the kindle. I think that is great!
Susan
Puppymom in MOComment
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The E reader has to have the EPub feature to be able to download from my library. The E reader I got was a Sony, which has that feature, I also believe the Kobo has EPub as wellOriginally posted by puppymommoComment
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I forgot to mention that if you have more than one Kindall in the family, register them all to the same Amazon account so that all have access to the same books.
Another feature that makes wireless nice is that you can turn the wireless on for a minute or two before you finish reading. Then if you switch to the other Kindall, you can synk the other one to the place you were on the first one by simply turning on the wireless and telling it that's what you want to do. Since we alternate back and forth between large and small, that's an important feature for us.
Computer savy people can download more free books to the Kindall format,...but we haven't figured out how to do that. Lots of books are free on Amazon (many, many others are $.99), but other sites have still more free books, and because we aren't computer savy, we can't access those, including the library ones."You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity." Adrian RogersComment
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Wow. I am more than half way there to getting an e-reader now!
I was wondering about the font size thing. I have recently moved to wearing glasses to read regular sized print. It's pain to have to wear those and sunglasses too (I did find magnifier sunglasses but they aren't as comfortable for me and I still have to switch them out for non- reading siutations)... so being able to wear sunglasses alone and not reading glasses and adjust the print size is teriffic!
I'll work in taking a trip to the local stores to try holding/using a few e-readers to see what fits me best.
What general price should I be expecting to pay?? I am not a big techie and just want to pick up whatever I buy and use it for enjoyment reading. I don't want/need alot of 'extra' features - I am still happy with my basic cell phone
and only got the camera feature cause it's impossible to find one without it.
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Kindle 3 is $139 - I think it's about the most inexpensive.
I must say, I love the Kindle for the lightness factor, especially since I'm reading a novel that I think is about 600 pages right now. Hubby loves it for the ability to read without reading glasses.
But I do miss the texture of an actual book and if I want to skip back two or three chapters, I find that more difficult than just turning back and forwards.
But it will be very nice not lugging half a suitcase of books on our upcoming holiday.Comment
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For what it is worth, "Consumer Reports" rated the Kindle the best of all the e-readers.JohnComment
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