eReaders
Hey guys!
I'm a bit iffy on the placement here, but this is really a question for people who enjoy reading so I'm bringing the discussion here rather than the general nerdiness forum.
Do you use eReaders or do you need a physical book?
I was very stubborn when eReaders came out. Hated them. But I tried one on my iPhone and fell in love, so I finally caved in and bought the Kobo eReader.
I still really do love the handheld eInk but the technology is so slow and glitchy, I'm not too pleased with the Kobo itself. I was wondering what eReaders those of you who do own them use and your personal review?
I'm a bit iffy on the placement here, but this is really a question for people who enjoy reading so I'm bringing the discussion here rather than the general nerdiness forum.
Do you use eReaders or do you need a physical book?
I was very stubborn when eReaders came out. Hated them. But I tried one on my iPhone and fell in love, so I finally caved in and bought the Kobo eReader.
I still really do love the handheld eInk but the technology is so slow and glitchy, I'm not too pleased with the Kobo itself. I was wondering what eReaders those of you who do own them use and your personal review?
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Kobo is pretty ass. I do like e-ink, true, but the refresh rate is painful. I've heard wonderful things about the Kindle and also the variety of Sony ereaders but haven't had the fortune to try either.
Originally I never was going to use one, but my parents got me a Kobo for christmas, and I immediately fell in love with one thing physical books do not have: convenience. If I have one chapter left to go and finish it on the bus, i'm hooped for the rest of the day with a physical book unless I want to carry around a few, and they're bulky. Ebooks, I can carry my entire library with me and the size and weight stays the same, and I can change my mind if I wanna read something else. Also, the drop in price is a nice bonus. An ebook costs half what a physical book does. I admit that being tied to battery life kinda sucks, but batteries get better and more long lasting all the time.
After reading a lot on my laptop, i've decided personally that I prefer reading on my tablet (not the art kind) than an actual e-reader. I like the larger screen and the backlighting for times when its dim or when i'm waiting for the bus at night. E-ink is really neat, but its not quite there yet.
Originally I never was going to use one, but my parents got me a Kobo for christmas, and I immediately fell in love with one thing physical books do not have: convenience. If I have one chapter left to go and finish it on the bus, i'm hooped for the rest of the day with a physical book unless I want to carry around a few, and they're bulky. Ebooks, I can carry my entire library with me and the size and weight stays the same, and I can change my mind if I wanna read something else. Also, the drop in price is a nice bonus. An ebook costs half what a physical book does. I admit that being tied to battery life kinda sucks, but batteries get better and more long lasting all the time.
After reading a lot on my laptop, i've decided personally that I prefer reading on my tablet (not the art kind) than an actual e-reader. I like the larger screen and the backlighting for times when its dim or when i'm waiting for the bus at night. E-ink is really neat, but its not quite there yet.
I, too, used to be in the "I'll never get an e-reader" boat. Then I actually tried reading a book on a friend of mine's and was instantly hooked. Ended up getting a Nook Tablet for Christmas and I absolutely love it. I live at a university right now so I don't have space for books, and it's super convenient to be able to read something that is backlit (reading a real book in bed is horrible because the lighting in my room sucks). And my ereader has an internet browser and Netflix, so there's really nothing to not love about it.
I used to be really against them myself, and I still don't own one, but more and more I see their appeal. I love reading, and books, but man... those suckers take up a lot of damn space. And they kill trees. (Not that the making of e-readers is any less bad for the environment but you know) I just wish I knew more about technology in general to be able to help 
The books above my bed will literally be the death of me, if ever my father's shelving collapsed on me. Every time he sees it open he groans about how I better hope he built it right. It really would likely be fatal if it crashed down onto my head, but even with the eReader I can't stop buying because even if I don't get novels, I still love elegant coffee table books, special editions of my favorite books and I find art teaching books would be useless digitally.
I wish they had more stats. I mostly love it for the reading stats, being able to see a clean clear list of what I've read, how long it takes me, my notes and highlights, etc. etc. They're constantly improving the social integrating but I wish it was even greater.
I wish they had more stats. I mostly love it for the reading stats, being able to see a clean clear list of what I've read, how long it takes me, my notes and highlights, etc. etc. They're constantly improving the social integrating but I wish it was even greater.
Yeah, I have quite a few coffee table books... and yet now that I think of it, they never sit on the table and are shelved with the rest. I'm just not a fan of clutter so their purpose is at odds with my taste XD Shelfari is kind of like a digital library of your own that you can list what you're reading and what you've read etc but I don't know if they have actual stats.
They're fucking sweet. (I have a Kindle Keyboard.)
However, I think high fantasy is better in physical copies because I generally skip chunks on the reread, and that's harder to do on an e-reader.
However, I think high fantasy is better in physical copies because I generally skip chunks on the reread, and that's harder to do on an e-reader.
I have no plans to ever touch these pathetic things. Sure, there's a benefit to reading a huge book without it straining the hands (some I've read have been physically exhausting!), but there are a few problems:
1) When the power died after the hurricane, the ereader would have needed power eventually, and I had no way to do that. My print books didn't need charging all ten days I was removed from the world.
2) You heard about Moby Dick? A lot of customers suddenly found their purchase of that novel deleted because of a dispute among corporations. It's not teh last time that happened.
3) Even worse, Amazon has, on quite a few occasions, closed accounts, saying customers had violated their "terms of service" -- but they refused to offer an explanation, or restore service. Poof went the money, and the ereaders became very expensive paperweights.
4) Sure, the books tend to be cheaper, but the readers cost so damn much that you have to buy a ton of books to make up for the initial expense.
1) When the power died after the hurricane, the ereader would have needed power eventually, and I had no way to do that. My print books didn't need charging all ten days I was removed from the world.
2) You heard about Moby Dick? A lot of customers suddenly found their purchase of that novel deleted because of a dispute among corporations. It's not teh last time that happened.
3) Even worse, Amazon has, on quite a few occasions, closed accounts, saying customers had violated their "terms of service" -- but they refused to offer an explanation, or restore service. Poof went the money, and the ereaders became very expensive paperweights.
4) Sure, the books tend to be cheaper, but the readers cost so damn much that you have to buy a ton of books to make up for the initial expense.
1. My kindle only needs to be charged once a month. And I have a battery operated emergency charger, which would give me enough juice for several months.
2. Never had anything deleted from my account. And even if it did, I keep a storage of my books off my cloud and on my hard drive. Which they couldn't remove.
3. Again, even if my account were closed, my books are all on my hard drive. I don't need my account to be linked to use my e-reader. In fact the vast majority of my books are from free websites and even a few converted other file types.
4. I have around 2,000 books on my e-reader so...
2. Never had anything deleted from my account. And even if it did, I keep a storage of my books off my cloud and on my hard drive. Which they couldn't remove.
3. Again, even if my account were closed, my books are all on my hard drive. I don't need my account to be linked to use my e-reader. In fact the vast majority of my books are from free websites and even a few converted other file types.
4. I have around 2,000 books on my e-reader so...
You got lucky then. Not everyone has done that, but more than a mere handful have threatened a lawsuit over Amazon's bizarre behavior.
Don't some of the companies prevent downloads from the device? Then again, you did say you get them from free sites. That's appealing. Does Amazon allow that, or is that what makes them lock your device? The victims found a yellow bar across the reader so NO files could be read.
Don't some of the companies prevent downloads from the device? Then again, you did say you get them from free sites. That's appealing. Does Amazon allow that, or is that what makes them lock your device? The victims found a yellow bar across the reader so NO files could be read.
They should. Backing up your files and not trusting cloud storage is like e-commerce 101.
The free files I got were from legit sources, like The World Library. A lot of free books come off amazon itself, too. And yeah, if you don't mind pirating, then you can get even more free books that way. If you're paranoid about amazon flagging your account, then don't turn on your wi-fi or 3G and only order or download files to your PC, then move them manually onto the device.
I've never heard of Amazon being able to lock the e-reader down though (though maybe that's a new feature. Kindle DX is a couple generations old now.) And any DRM on files can be broken by converting it to a different file type and then back. (Same with Kobo files.)
The free files I got were from legit sources, like The World Library. A lot of free books come off amazon itself, too. And yeah, if you don't mind pirating, then you can get even more free books that way. If you're paranoid about amazon flagging your account, then don't turn on your wi-fi or 3G and only order or download files to your PC, then move them manually onto the device.
I've never heard of Amazon being able to lock the e-reader down though (though maybe that's a new feature. Kindle DX is a couple generations old now.) And any DRM on files can be broken by converting it to a different file type and then back. (Same with Kobo files.)
I have no idea if that's a new feature or not, but I have no need to find out. No, I don't like pirating. Legal issues aside, I consider every purchase a vote with my wallet. Every time I buy something, the companies will take notice of what they're selling and how much. They will always try to make more of whatever they think sells. That reflects a certain lack of imagination, certainly, but it's the best I can do to influence them a little.
Anyway, yes: a newspaper in the region ran a series of stories about Amazon's behavior in the lockdown incidents. Once they shut down the readers, they would then say they couldn't communicate with the victims on the grounds that they weren't Amazon customers! Oh, yeah, if you want to give the Nook a leg up, this is the kind of behavior that will do it.
Oh -- and I know of several sources that let me download legal books for free with my PC. No need to buy even ten cents of equipment to get them. I still see no incentive, therefore.
Anyway, yes: a newspaper in the region ran a series of stories about Amazon's behavior in the lockdown incidents. Once they shut down the readers, they would then say they couldn't communicate with the victims on the grounds that they weren't Amazon customers! Oh, yeah, if you want to give the Nook a leg up, this is the kind of behavior that will do it.
Oh -- and I know of several sources that let me download legal books for free with my PC. No need to buy even ten cents of equipment to get them. I still see no incentive, therefore.
I don't do pirating either, but I was pointing out that it's a way to get thousands more books than the thousands I already have.
I doubt the lockdown incidents were as frequent as all that, and again, there's easy ways to avoid having to worry about it.
I can read all my books on my PC too. But why the hell would I want to? Not only is it not as portable, but its backlit LCD unlike my kindle, so I can avoid the eyestrain.
I doubt the lockdown incidents were as frequent as all that, and again, there's easy ways to avoid having to worry about it.
I can read all my books on my PC too. But why the hell would I want to? Not only is it not as portable, but its backlit LCD unlike my kindle, so I can avoid the eyestrain.
True, PCs aren't portable. And my laptop is a sluggish old model that would probably not handle it well. Then again, the lines between PCs, laptops, powerbooks, workbooks, and tablets are blurring badly. So why buy a specialized device when you can buy a smartphone or tablet or such that will eventually do that and more? I don't believe in buying specialized objects because the companies inevitably get nervous and manufacture something that isn't compatible with the older systems. The, they force you to buy it.
To each their own, but I have saved a lot of money by not buying in so quickly and getting dragged into yet another machine or another OS or....
To each their own, but I have saved a lot of money by not buying in so quickly and getting dragged into yet another machine or another OS or....
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I have a Kindle Paperwhite. Before that, I had a Palm, which wasn't an eReader, as such.. but it did the job well. I mostly liked it because it was small, and it was backlit. The Kindle is double the size, but it's backlit so I'm not too bothered by that.
I don't mind reading books.. but then my course is full of that, so I find it easier with an eReader to put my own personal likes on, rather than Uni stuff. >.>
I don't mind reading books.. but then my course is full of that, so I find it easier with an eReader to put my own personal likes on, rather than Uni stuff. >.>
I used to be in the "I'll only read physical books" party, but for the Christmas before last my boyfriend got me a Kindle Fire. I love the crap out of it.
Mine is one of the first gen, so they have improved them since, but I've never had any problems with mine. Page-turning is smooth and quick, I like the backlighting because it means I can read at night without bothering anyone (and I've never had an issue with it hurting my eyes like some people have), I can change the text size, the font, the page color, place bookmarks.... And that's not even mentioning the online capabilities and games/apps you can get for it. I watch Netflix on it about as often as I read sometimes.
The only complaint I've ever had is the fact the the first generation Fires don't have external volume controls, which is something they've corrected in newer models.
Some things you buy because you see it and think "oh, cool, I'll use this all the freaking time!" and then you use it once or twice a month (*cough* my boyfriend's 3DS *cough*). I use mine every day, and I take it with me everywhere. Best present ever.
Mine is one of the first gen, so they have improved them since, but I've never had any problems with mine. Page-turning is smooth and quick, I like the backlighting because it means I can read at night without bothering anyone (and I've never had an issue with it hurting my eyes like some people have), I can change the text size, the font, the page color, place bookmarks.... And that's not even mentioning the online capabilities and games/apps you can get for it. I watch Netflix on it about as often as I read sometimes.
The only complaint I've ever had is the fact the the first generation Fires don't have external volume controls, which is something they've corrected in newer models.
Some things you buy because you see it and think "oh, cool, I'll use this all the freaking time!" and then you use it once or twice a month (*cough* my boyfriend's 3DS *cough*). I use mine every day, and I take it with me everywhere. Best present ever.
My parents got me a kindle for christmas one year since they know how much I liked to read. I only use it at least once a month, becuase I still like phyciscal books much more. It's great for road trips and when I want a book and can't get certain books in phyciscal form. The downside is that i can't take it to school and so I go to the library and get a new book about every week to read.
How long ago did you buy the Kobo?
Only last year. I forget the model details, but it's the one with "Offers" and not backlit. And not the Kobo Vox, it uses eInk.
I don't know much about Kobos.I've had a Kindle 4 since November 2011 and it works like brand new.
I use it at least twice a week, too!My teacher has had a Kindle since 2007 and his is slow now but it didn't start doing that until about the time I got mine.
I prefer a book, but lot of people told me that Kindle it is really useful and also the Ipad...I tryed on my computer but it was horrible....
I use a Kindle DX. My husband and I make regular trips out of state to visit my in-laws. They're relax at home kinda folk, which is fine with us. But we used to have to bring a backpack full of books to keep up with our reading speed. Now we just bring a kindle with a linked account. Which is also nice because when we buy a book, we only buy once and can read it at the same time.
Like someone said, it's a bit slow when you are searching, but overall I've really enjoyed it.
Like someone said, it's a bit slow when you are searching, but overall I've really enjoyed it.
That's awesome. I find with my Kobo everything is slow, I will click something and have to wait several seconds to see if it loads, drops down or whatever - and often it doesn't and I have to try and click it again. But I don't know if it's just that that's what eInk technology is currently like, or that Kobo sucks.
I switched to ereaders. It's convenient, easy to carry and I had no space for physical books. I used to dislike ebooks but now that I'm used to it, reading a physical book feels weird.
I have a kindle 3. Never experienced any glitches and it is a little slow when using the search feature.
I have a kindle 3. Never experienced any glitches and it is a little slow when using the search feature.
See, I'm not sure if I'm experiencing glitchy tablets or if this is just the level that eInk is at right now - long loading times even between pages, a lot of flashing and just a generally unappealing appearance, although it does the job fine. I also find using the touch screen on my Kobo difficult, I have to tap a lot and wait a few seconds for a menu to drop. But the concept itself, I love. I need to try Kindle.