Kindle and Other Ebook Readers

[Haggis@wk]

How many of you have Kindles or other ebook readers? Do you like them?

The MRHYN (a confirmed Luddite) surprised me by buying me one for my birthday in July. I just counted and I see I have 14 books I've downloaded so I guess I like it. Like my 3G phone I'm learning that a device that's smarter than me can be humbling, but other than that I love the Kindle's portability. I do have problems reading it in low light situation but I've now learned there are lighted cases that actually use the power if the Kindle to provide light. What affect does that have on battery life?

Anyway, I love mine and wanted to get some others opinions.

p.s. Oh! My library is planning to go to a elibrary format where you can "check" out a book on you ereader and after two weeks it goes away.

[Shapley]

I bought a Nook a while back. Haven't used it much, and it quit working about a month after I bought it (It locked up periodically and had to be rebooted from day one). I have a return authorization, but haven't sent it in yet. I still like the feel of a real book, although it is lighter and more convenient.

I'd like to have it repaired/replaced before the next time I take a trip, to see if I prefer it on the trips. I did find the glare on the screen distracting, as I had to hold it at odd angles sometimes to keep it readable, but didn't use it enough to know if that was a consistent problem.

My brother has a Kindle, and liked it the last time I spoke to him about it. He's more of a technophile than I am, though.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I had to check Heron's count: he has 371 active books loaded and 58 archived from when I killed Hypatia's display by dropping her on the corner of the nightstand. They're partly Amazon purchases, partly Smashwords purchases, partly Baen downloads (which are some purchases and some of which were free) and some are digital content best characterized as, well, "other". I can e-mail it my shopping list, directions to the quilt guild meeting, or anything else too long to fit on my cell phone (and you can't possibly understand how weird that sounds to me, either. I can send myself mail from my computer to my phone or to my book? WTF?) A Kindle can handle any .txt or .rtf or .prc or .mobi file and they seem to cope with most .pdf files reasonably well though I recommend against the .pdf unless you can't get any other format. The .pdf file is less display-flexible than the .txt or .rtf or .mobi or .prc types.

The Kindle does as good a job replacing a half-dozen bookcases as the computer does replacing a typewriter, dictionary, thesaurus, and half-dozen filing cabinets. Never going back, not me. I'm sticking to dead-tree format for things like children's books and cookbooks. I have an uneasy suspicion that cookbooks on the kindle would run an unacceptable risk of being dropped into the soup. Too much chance of Murphy getting hold of my precious Kindle. (I'm the woman that copies the page of the cookbook with the recipe I'm using, then I tape the copy onto a convenient cabinet door and leave the book in the other room.)

My sister has a Nook, and is as fond of it as I am of my Kindle. Much of her reading is magazines with color content (she's the biology teacher, she knits a lot, there's lots of photos in the stuff she subscribes to) and I agree with her that the Nook is much superior when there is color content to be considered. Tablet computers - the iPad and suchlike are also really good at color presentation. I'd keep them in mind for textbook and children's books and magazines where the Nook is a bit too small. Tablets run a bit more expensive than either the Nook or Kindle. For simple text reading, I think the Kindle e-ink display and the no-glare screen is the best of the lot.

[jamiebk]

For simple text reading, I think the Kindle e-ink display and the no-glare screen is the best of the lot.

Ditto...Kindle has limited function but the screen is the selling point for me. It is so soft and easy on the eyes. Characters are sharp without excessive artificial contrast.

[Shapley]

I was on a flight recently, and the girl sitting across the aisle from me had one of these pads that rolls up for convenient storage and security. I was impressed. The image was very bright, unlike my Nook, and the thing was wafer thin.

[dai bread]

I thought roll-up screens like that were still in the laboratory. Does anyone know where to get one?

[Shapley]

I thought roll-up screens like that were still in the laboratory. Does anyone know where to get one?

The girl was Asian, so I'm gathering they may have been released overseas, perhaps, and are not available here. I looked for them but could not find them. I did see on Google that their release has been delayed, I gather that means stateside.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

I have bought myself a present: Amazon announced a color tablet Kindle available for pre-order, and I promptly pre-ordered. I'll be able to access all my Amazon stuff, Baen/Smashwords/personal content, and it is alleged to do all the other tablet stuff. Heron will have a color buddy: I will have to find him a name. Peacock? There are also new touchscreen and button kindles even cheaper than the ones available last week. Seriously. Go look.

[dai bread]

I thought roll-up screens like that were still in the laboratory. Does anyone know where to get one?

The girl was Asian, so I'm gathering they may have been released overseas, perhaps, and are not available here. I looked for them but could not find them. I did see on Google that their release has been delayed, I gather that means stateside.

A bit of googling revealed that roll-up electronic screens are close to market release in Taiwan. I guess the girl was Taiwanese and had an advance copy.

[Shapley]

I thought roll-up screens like that were still in the laboratory. Does anyone know where to get one?

The girl was Asian, so I'm gathering they may have been released overseas, perhaps, and are not available here. I looked for them but could not find them. I did see on Google that their release has been delayed, I gather that means stateside.

A bit of googling revealed that roll-up electronic screens are close to market release in Taiwan. I guess the girl was Taiwanese and had an advance copy.

Could be. It was an impressive gadget, and the screen was readable, even at my angle from across the aisle (not so good for security, I suppose).