RE: e-book readers (Full Version)

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Zap -> RE: e-book readers (12/27/2009 1:18:36 AM)

disregard



Adam Parker -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 2:59:56 AM)

I thought this whole discussion was moot until I visited Amazon just now.

But Kindle is finally coming to Australia. At $489, no thanks!

Yes Aussies, in 10 days we will soon be able to live in the Amazon download book economy but until the Aussie government loosens up copyright restrictions, we only get access to a paultry sum of books - and at around $12 each from what I could see in my browsing.

And...

It only charges by USB (owing to the not included US power source - great if you're travelling to the US). To upload your own documents such as PDF's, it then costs 99c per meg!

I don't think they've thought this one out too well yet [:D] Nuh, we're just about to build the largest Ikea in the Southern Hemisphere and I can't imagine its build-it-yourself bookshelves going empty anytime soon.



[image]local://upfiles/6105/CF344225F5E342B8B119F8766D357D2D.jpg[/image]



JudgeDredd -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 7:58:26 AM)

I don't understand them.

They are expensive and restrictive. My local library probably has a greater collection and variation of sources and that's free.

Reminds me of Game vouchers (Game is a PC (not so much now) and console gaming store)...people can get you vouchers from there...but they are time limited to use...so the logic seems to be

"Here's what I'll do Mr Game...I'll buy £20 of your Game vouchers for my friend...then he can have the priviledge of being tied solely and exclusively to your store...but wait...I want you to do more for me...I want you to MAKE him spend them within the year...is that ok? I mean...why would I want to give him £20 cash and be free to spend it wherever and whenever he likes on what he likes?"

Seems a little odd. There should be a benefit to someone buying vouchers and locking you to a store...like £20 will get you a £25 voucher???



Lützow -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 9:42:23 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Adam Parker

But Kindle is finally coming to Australia. At $489, no thanks!

Yes Aussies, in 10 days we will soon be able to live in the Amazon download book economy but until the Aussie government loosens up copyright restrictions, we only get access to a paultry sum of books - and at around $12 each from what I could see in my browsing.


Yeah, Amazon is under pressure now. With the imminent release off iSlates and tablet-pc's they won't sell much Kindle's in the future anymore. Who would pay almost $ 500,- for a pure reader, when he can have a full-fledged computer with equal dimensions for a similiar price? And yes I know, e-ink devices have a long battery duration, but that does not make up for their lack of funktionality.

I foresee, till christmas ebook-devices will be given away for free with annual newspaper subscriptions.



Zakhal -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 12:36:20 PM)

Tablet pcs last only hours on battery while e-rink readers last for weeks. You would have to read books from them while they are wired. Also tablet pcs are backlighted so your eyes get tired. And they are much more heavier so its not all that comfy to read from them.

I read my eink reader everywhere even more so than real books. Its simply more easy and comfy to read. Hell I even take it to the bathroom..

E-ink readers are pricy still true so they are not for everyone yet. The digital books cost almost as much as physical books which is stupid imho but its just a matter of time these things will get cheaper.



nelmsm1 -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 2:07:40 PM)

I got the Kindle for Christmas and I really like it.  It was much easier to hold that Kindle and click through the pages when reading King's Under the Dome then trying to hold and flip through the pages of the wife's hardback copy.  Not just tied to Amazon as you can get books from Project Gutenberg, Baen, and Smashworlds.  I'm sure there are others I haven't discovered yet.  You can also now transfer pdf files from you computer to the Kindle 2 without going through Amazon though I haven't tried it yet.  Did do the email version with an HPS user manual and it cost me a grand total of $0.30 to do it.  I just like the idea of having a lightweight, easy to ready, library to take with me wherever I go.  All the books I've purchased have either been free or cheaper then the hardback version.  I'm sure that other folks will like the e-readers that are coming out better but for now I'm enjoying the heck out of my Kindle.




Hanal -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 5:26:04 PM)

I received my NOOK the other day and I am so far happy with the purchase. I was not interested in buying something with greater functionality as I simply wanted to read ebooks and this product does a fine job with that. I like the ability to make a short swipe on the touch screen to turn pages and a firmware update now makes pages turn faster which was one of the early criticisms. I had thought that I needed to either be at a B&N strore or use a pc to make ebook purchases but I found that, like other models, there is a WI-FI set up so you can purchase books anywhere directly from the NOOK. The NOOK offers a large catalog on the unit, though the search/browse feature could be more refined, as it currently leaves you with too many pages to scroll through for each subject. My first purchase was Harry Turtledove's Hitler's War, which I did directly from the NOOK, while in my bunker-like office. The WI-FI connection was made and the download was quick. The adjustable font sizes and types are good enough for me, and reading the screen has been very easy on my eyes.
One downside so far is that I do not like how small the maps are represented. It would be nice if they could be larger with the ability to scroll.
You can charge the battery either via USB or outlet and so far the battery is still holding the initial charge. The instructions actually encourage you to leave it on and let it go into sleep mode rather than turning the unit off. The lower portion of the screen is in color but it turns off after a few seconds of non-use so the drain is limited. Swiping the screen to turn pages does not reactivate the color screen which is good. The keypads are large enough to accomodate my clumsy fingers so I do not need to use a plastic stylus which I thought I might need.



Lützow -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 8:42:22 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zakhal

Tablet pcs last only hours on battery while e-rink readers last for weeks.


That is true, but then again a windows tablet pc will - aside of reading - allow you to watch movies, listen music, surf the web, and even play Matrix games. Try that with a Kindle.

quote:

Also tablet pcs are backlighted so your eyes get tired.


Well, for me a backlighted device is more convenient. Works even with ebooks on my iPhone in a penumbrous room, where I otherwise would need glasses in order to read a real book. No argument here from my side, but I wonder why people claim that non-backlighted devices are eye-friendly, when they're used to spend most of their time on a pc anyway. I can work and play whole day without fatigue.



Motomouse -> RE: e-book readers (1/9/2010 9:53:36 PM)

My Sony 505 is a contender for my needs.

Many folks use the iphone for ebook reading.

Compare the new google phone screen resolution. A reader in disguise!

Regards
Motomouse



RedArgo -> RE: e-book readers (1/18/2010 1:12:31 PM)

Well, I got a Sony PRS-600 for Christmas. I really the device so far, although the Sony software that comes with it apparently has some problems syncing some of my PDFs. To get around that I switched to using an Adobe program that manages the library and handles all my PDFs.

It works great for ePub documents and works fine for PDFs if you view them in "small", but that is a little too small for me so I switch the size up to medium, and while it throws off the page wrapping, it makes them very readable.

I do have a question though, I've noticed if I have two PDFs with different file names, but the same document title the reader sees them as the same document and won't let me have them both on the reader at the same time. For instance, the COG:EE manual and appendix have different names like COG.pdf and COG_Appendix.pdf (or something like that), but the reader says both are titled COG, so I can't have both at the same time. Is there a way, without buying Adobe Acrobat, to edit the title?

Thanks,
Bill



mgarnett -> RE: e-book readers (1/18/2010 11:28:37 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lützow

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zakhal

Tablet pcs last only hours on battery while e-rink readers last for weeks.


That is true, but then again a windows tablet pc will - aside of reading - allow you to watch movies, listen music, surf the web, and even play Matrix games. Try that with a Kindle.

quote:

Also tablet pcs are backlighted so your eyes get tired.


Well, for me a backlighted device is more convenient. Works even with ebooks on my iPhone in a penumbrous room, where I otherwise would need glasses in order to read a real book. No argument here from my side, but I wonder why people claim that non-backlighted devices are eye-friendly, when they're used to spend most of their time on a pc anyway. I can work and play whole day without fatigue.



Other than watch movies and play games, you can surf the web and listen to music with a Kindle.

Most people who purchase a Kindle already have a computer or laptop or DVD player, so they can already watch movies and play Matrix games on other devices. I have never and most likely will never read a book on a traditional computer/laptop/netbook. The backlighting just kills me. But I haven't put the Kindle down since I got it, I am reading more now than I ever did.

An ebook reader is a purpose built device to read books and it does that very well, comparing it to a computer is like comparing a netbook to a desktop. Why buy a netbook, I can't play my flightsims on it when I can on my desktop. A netbook is designed to be highly portable and would not be expected to to the same things as a desktop, which is the same for ebook readers.

I just don't understand why people expect ebook readers to do the same as computer systems. They are designed to do different things.

I can understand the issue with price, but like all new technologies, prices will continue to decrease. The $489 price is for the DX, the "standard" Kindle (which is also useable in Australia) is a little over $200 now I think.



hgilmer3 -> RE: e-book readers (1/18/2010 11:35:20 PM)

I got a Kindle.  I guess at some point I might get to the feeling I paid too much.  I got the smaller cheaper version.  It had a choice of books I found kind of hard to find in physical form like the Conan Omnibus, and other works by Robert E. Howard.  I so like the convenience.  I like to read at lunch, and as long as I remember to get it every morning and bring it with me, I'll never be out of books to read which entails going to a store or worse, going all the way to a library.

I guess this makes me somewhat lazy, but the amount of books I read makes it very convenient.  You should see all the paperbacks I have lying all over the place.



Zakhal -> RE: e-book readers (1/28/2010 10:57:27 PM)

If youre planning on buying kindle2 check this out incase you missed my post earlier:

Despite its smoother design, the Kindle 2 is, some say, harder to read than the Kindle 1. “I immediately noticed that the contrast was worse on the K2 than on my K1,” a reviewer named T. Ford wrote. One Kindler, Elizabeth Glass, began an online petition, asking Amazon to fix the contrast. “Like reading a wet newspaper,” according to petition-signer Louise Potter.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker?currentPage=all#ixzz0dwzMA1Fk


Im currently on my second book. 1100 page red storm rising is finished and it was quite fun to read.



Hertston -> RE: e-book readers (1/29/2010 12:12:36 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: RedArgo

I do have a question though, I've noticed if I have two PDFs with different file names, but the same document title the reader sees them as the same document and won't let me have them both on the reader at the same time. For instance, the COG:EE manual and appendix have different names like COG.pdf and COG_Appendix.pdf (or something like that), but the reader says both are titled COG, so I can't have both at the same time. Is there a way, without buying Adobe Acrobat, to edit the title?


Try PDF Info

It does the trick when the .pdf info is unpassworded.



ilovestrategy -> RE: e-book readers (1/29/2010 7:27:27 AM)

Any Ebook that I buy will have to have all of David Eddings books(I am a HUGE Belgariad freak) and the Lord of the Rings, the Simmirilion, and the Hobbit. And Toland's Fall of the Japanese Empire.

And why are my letters slanted all of a sudden?????? [&:]




RedArgo -> RE: e-book readers (1/29/2010 1:05:25 PM)

Thanks Herston, I'll take a look at that.


The first book I bought for my e-reader was LOR. Eventually I'll get the Hobbit and I am also a Belgariad fan, so those will come eventually too. I have tried, but just can't get in to the Simmirilion.



Hertston -> RE: e-book readers (1/29/2010 4:10:42 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: RedArgo
I have tried, but just can't get in to the Simmirilion.


Hehe.. I remember being terribly disappointed when I first read (or attempted to read) The Silmarillion, when it was first published. I was twelve or so at the time, had just read and was totally amazed and obsessed by LotR and, like many others, was desperately hoping for and expecting something similar. And it isn't of course, although I have at least completed it a couple of times since. It does get better from about halfway through!



Lützow -> RE: e-book readers (1/29/2010 10:12:46 PM)

Might consider Tad Williams then. He wrote a quartered Saga which is almost as good as Lord of the Rings. German title was Drachenbeinthron Saga, no clue how it's named in English.



Clarisse -> RE: e-book readers (10/3/2011 10:31:04 AM)

An e-book reader, also called an e-book device or e-reader, is a portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals.An e-book reader is similar in form to a tablet computer. A tablet computer typically has a faster screen capable of higher refresh rates which makes them more suitable for interaction. The main advantages of e-book readers are better readability of their screens especially in bright sunlight and longer battery life. This is achieved by using electronic paper technology to display content to readers.iPhone



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