eReaders

Does anyone here have an eReader.   I'm 99% sure I'm going to get one of Barnes and Noble's Nook's.
 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp

I've seen ads for Amazon's Kindle and Sony's reader (can't remember the name). Other than cutting down on paper use, what are the benefits of these readers? Do libraries use them at all?

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

Never having used one I'm not sure how well they work, but you would think for travelling they would be very handy. Beats packing a bunch of paper based books.

That being said I don't like reading books on a computer. I have to do it for work since we don't get paper manuals from the software vendors anymore but for personal reading I prefer an old-fashioned book. The ereader thingy would need to be a good compromise between the two. (Which most appear to be....)

They also seem a bit pricey at the moment......

Interesting question about the libraries. There's a DRM mess to step into.

am looking at the prs 300 from sony, the kindle looks nice but it is not compatible with pdf.
they are still quite costly though.

benifts for me
hold a 2 week charge
all your books in one place
as gusington says now paper in your in to the green thing
mp3 player on most
looks like paper not a screen
  

"The primary function of government is to pretend to fail" ~r

^Didn't even think of the DRM when I asked about libraries.

I myself do not like reading PDFs or similar manuals/text on a computer either, but my understanding is that these readers try their best to make the reader feel as if they are reading a real book. Which begs the question, why should I not stick to a real book?

Granted it uses up paper, but it requires no electricity, can't die, isn't prone to error and isn't as fragile as a reader. The user opens up a book and reads...when he's done, he closes it. End of story [teehee]

I love books, so I need to be told by Amazon or B&N or Sony why I need this reader instead of more regular books, besides the iPod idea of carrying every book you've ever read with you.

Books are different than music anyway, as far as I see it...I don't read numerous different books per day like I can go though music albums. For people who may for work, an eReader may be the perfect thing. For everyone else...I personally would choose a sturdy paperback.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

Just remember kids, when you need something wholesome and innocent like Sesame Street twisted into something sick and perverted - I'm just a phone call away.

-HR

I've looked at them briefly.  Even had one for an early generation HP Jornada.

There are a number of pros and cons.  Looking at Amazon's Kindle, it's updated via cell phone service.  You can subscribe to newspapers/periodicals that are updated daily and download books, too.

It's light.  No need to carry 40 lbs of books like I sometimes find I do.  No waste or recycling.  It's usually cheaper to have an eBook than to buy a physical copy (~$10 less for a book). 

Downside is cost.  Readers run a couple hundred dollars.  My iPhone offers one for much less than that, because I already have the hardware.  Personally, I like the feel of books.  I kinda think the model of Kirk in Wrath of Khan would still be me in a couple of centuries:  I like to have the physical copy.  However, if you travel, the eBook reader cuts down on weight and space very quickly. 

My take is that it's a lifestyle choice.  If you travel often, especially if you commute via mass transit for over, say, half an hour each way, then it's an easy, compact device to bring with you daily and will probably hit the mark.

If you're like me and in front of your laptop 90% + of the time, and have a mobile phone with a browser for most other in-between moments, then an eReader may not be the best fit.

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.     - Albert Einstein

I have the kindle and the etaco Jetbook.

I love the kindle...got it for 149.00 (refurbished). its a wonder and a marvel to me. It allows internet access, plays mp3's. I can connect it via my pc or with its built in wireless. Being stranded in Alabamastan (no offence long blade...i actually like it here and golf is great!) I read my boston globe before i get out of bed now with the kindle.

While the feel of actual paper is something ill never tire of, the utility of the Kindle, the lack of books gathering dust on a shelf, the ease of downloads and the sheer readability of the device are a joy.

Great thread; I've been meaning to start this exact same thread for a while now.

Here's why I think a Kindle would be great for me.  You guys know I'm in the Navy.  My last move, I nearly got hit with a charge for being over my household goods weight allowance.  Considering I move every 2-3 years, this is sort of a big deal.

I have a TON of books.  I've gotten pretty clever at calling most of them "professional items" which are exempt from counting against my weight, but still, I don't like treading that line.
Furthermore, I have so many books now, that it is getting really hard to find enough shelf space for them.  And, like I said, I have to pack/unpack these bad boys everytime I move, and it's a hassle to have to sweat finding a house with an office big enough to hold them all.
Finally, I heading to sea this tour.  I read pretty voraciously, so I need to have a lot of books with me if I'm going to sea for 6 months.  But, I have a tiny stateroom, so I can't have 40 books with me either...

So, in steps the Kindle.  Something like a Kindle would seem to be the answer to everything.  But, I'm hesitant.  Why?

I look to my boardgames and computer games for the answer.  I have a ton of boardgames too.  None are real, real old, but I'd say I have a handful from the 70's to 80's, and a lot from late 80's to 90's.  For example, I have a used Third Reich, WS&IM, Wellington's Victory, and so on.  I have "Year of the Rat" from 1972.  These games, if I take care of them, will last a lifetime.  They'll always work.  I can play them in 20 years and they'll still play just fine.
Then I look at my computer games.  I have a lot of those too.  They take up a lot less space than my boardgames.  But, a lot of them DON'T work anymore.  I've lost a lot of them.  I have little faith that 20 years from now many of them will still play on whatever we use for computers in 20 years.  Heck, I have no faith that my current computer will work in 20 years!  Plus, a game like Black Shark, with its 7 install DRM will likely be "used up" before 20 years get here.

Which is all a long way of saying that my beef with ereaders/Kindle is the lack of permanence I get from them.  I just feel like when I buy a hard copy book, and I mean a lot of reference/non-fiction/keeper type books, I feel like I'm making an investment in myself.  I like having a library of books.  I'm constantly pulling out some obscure book to reference something in my wargaming or professional life.  I feel like if I get Kindle books, will I still have them in 20 years?  Or will they be as dead as my copy of "fill in the blank" PC game?

Finally, I read an article not that long ago where Amazon had sold a copy or copies of some HG Wells books via Kindle.  It turned out that they didn't have the right copyright to do that, so they went into people's Kindles when they went online and deleted the ebooks from the Kindle and refunded the money.  Dude, I don't like that at all.  I definitely am against having THE MAN access my ebooks and DRM them.

So, ultimately, while a Kindle is a seemingly perfect solution to my issues, I'm very hesitant to take the plunge.  Money is not a factor.  I just like the idea of when I buy something, it's mine forever unless I kill it.

Hope that makes sense.

In this months 'Popular Science' magazine, pg 74, there is an article about making an e-reader from a Tablet PC.  If anyone is interested, I could summarize what it all says when I have more time tomorrow.

Toones,

    The issue of deleting books without telling anyone is one of the big reasons I haven't purchased a kindle.  There were also a lot of issues with newspaper and magazine content not being upgraded to the new verion of kindle along with no way for a user to replace the batter and a lot of people were having problems with screens not working.

    I agree with you about liking to have books on the shelf.  On the other hand, I like being able to read a book in bed, but not having to fight with a 400+ page book.  However, being able to search the contents of an ebook is a big plus.

Also, there was a comment by Barnes and Noble.com's president, William Lynch that they're talking to publishers about bundling.  This is, if you buy a hard copy book, you get a ebook with it. 

 I would like to see if you buy an ebook, and you like it, then you can get a discount of the purchase of a hard copy.  Thus, you only have to fill your library with books you really want.

UKyank


In this months 'Popular Science' magazine, pg 74, there is an article about making an e-reader from a Tablet PC.  If anyone is interested, I could summarize what it all says when I have more time tomorrow.

Install the B&N ereader software.  Yes, it's free and you can download to a variety of platforms.

Just as an FYI to any canuks reading this - lots of content from Amazon don't cotton over to a Canadian IP address.

Damn yanks.

Jack Nastyface

If an ecopy came with a hard copy, or vice versa, even for a nominal fee (say 10 clams or less), I wouldn't hesitate to buy an ereader.

Until that day...well, see above.

Just another FYI...

Just downloaded the B&N ebookreader to my laptop and tried to create a perment library/bookshelf entry for a .txt book I have (Rifle Dodd, or Death To the French, by C.S. Forester).

I am finding that the B&N ebook reader is NOT very intuitive and doesn't appear to "like" .txt files.  I still prefer microsoft's ebook reader or Mobireader (though the blackberry verison of both the B&N and mobireader are giving me some hardship).

regards,

Jack Nastyface

There's apparently a new option coming too:
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/20210.cfm

Jack,

  If you convert the txt to a pdf, will that work.  The Nook is supposed to support pdf.

UKYank,

    From what I've read about ebooks, the screens are developed to allow a person to read for long periods of time, that conventional monitors don't lend themselves to

This is another ebook that looks like it should come out next year.

http://www.plasticlogic.com/