E-readers. Use 'em? Love 'em?

[ashdigger]

I use the Kindle app on my Galaxy Note 10.1. The only way to go. I rarely haul my laptop. Things have changed.

 

[winton]

For my 15th anniversary at work, I selected the Paperwhite Kindle as my reward. I really enjoy it. Reading Haunted Bookshop now.
Project Gutenberg is a great site. It has 100's of books that have expired copy writes. You can download them for free. Sorry, you will need to wait another 50-70 years before they have the latest Harry Potter book.

 

[wlrountree]

I haven't really been reading for pleasure very long but i do enjoy it. My wife bought me an Amazon fire for Father's Day last year and while I do like all the advantages of it, I prefer a physical book

 

[Perique]

I never thought I would use an ebook. Love the feel of a good hardcover and have an extensive library. Then little by little over the past few years I started reading Kindle on my iPad, mostly on business travel to cut down on bulk. Now I've switched almost entirely to Kindle and am perfectly content. Not to mention a lot of money saved. I'll still get books as presents, but haven't bought a physical book for myself in several years.

 

[brian64]

I prefer real books and always will. But I can certainly see the convenience inherent in "e-readers". This of course is a double-edged sword, as most conveniences are. It's an Orwellian wet dream for the ease of censorship and alteration of texts that digitalizing everything makes possible.

 

[gmjabsky]

I have kindle apps on my phone and iPad. The convenience is great. I still use paper if I expect to do lots of annotation and highlights for work or study. In these cases, I kind of need the tactile movement, I've learned, to get ideas stuck in my head. Otherwise, whenever I'm stuck with a few minutes free, I've got my library in my hand!

 

[jefff]

I love books and I am an avid reader. But now all of my fiction is read on a Kindle and almost all of my non fiction is in book form.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Reawakening an already woken dead thread...
Being an voracious reader (mostly history and other non fiction) my 'library' was starting to make my shelves sag (actually had one collapse on me...quite literally and it broke a finger!) so I considered getting a Kindle. I was initially put off simply because I love the tactility of a physical book in my hand but eventually relented and bought the 7 inch Kindle keyboard reader.
It was great, nice and slim and very light even with the added protective case I bought. I started looking at Kindle book prices and that's when the penny dropped!
I looked at the prices of several e-books books I already owned in physical format to make comparisons, starting with most of Richard Dawkins' output and was shocked at the prices being charged. In some instances the e-book was actually more expensive than the physical book!
Of course one of the other benefits of physical books is that you can loan them out to friends as and when you please, you can also sell them on if you so choose. The point I am making here is that e-books need to drastically come down in price if they really want to compete.
I have now moved on to a Kindle Fire 10 inch (am typing on it now) which I mainly use for web browsing from my comfy sofa as opposed to sitting at my desk using my (slowly becoming redundant) PC.
As for books, I have only bought books that have cost me no more than a couple of quid but have downloaded many free books which are usually available once the copyright has expired and there are literally thousands of those!
"It has 100's of books that have expired copy writes"
Winton, the word is copyright as per above :roll:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[aquadoc]

I was given a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas and it is convenient but I carry it around for backup when I finish whatever paper book I am carrying. I do like having references available at all times. And lugging books when you move is a major pain but still, I prefer paper over electric dots.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Jay, here in the US the pricing for eBooks is all over the map. Amazon frequently has what I consider quality non fiction on special at prices ranging from $0.99 to $2.99. The majority of non fiction that I do buy is less than the hard copy.
As I mentioned in another thread, my local library buys eBooks and loans them out using an app called Overdrive. I just finished the latest Inspector Rebus volume last week.

 

[aquadoc]

Jay has a point. I do not understand why an e-copy is more expensive as it often is.. I thought ebooks were going to be cheaper, well , because there are no real production costs or distribution costs compared to the weight and printing of paper books. It is counterintuitive.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Oldgeezer, I saw that very thread. I do believe my local library also runs a similar scheme but unfortunately for me it is more likely the popular fiction books that they have on loan and not the more esoteric kind of books that tickle my fancy.
As for the pricing of e-books and physical books one has to take into consideration the costs involved. Trees have to be bought, cut down, transported and pulped. Paper has to be made, more transport costs. Printing, distribution and warehousing also costs money but an e-book? Once correctly formatted (and a lot are not) then a zillion copies can be made at the push of a button.
For some strange reason, here in the UK 'books' are free of VAT but e-books are not :crazy:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[warren]

Authors have to eat and publishers want profits. Also, e-readers sell like hotcakes so the price is determined by the demand. Then there are the costs of developing and constantly improving the reader to stay competitive, the batteries are expensive, coders, scanners, marketing, warehousing, shipping, shareholder considerations, slaaries, taxes, insurance, infinitum. Or, perhaps ad nauseam.
Your VAT situation is interesting. I'd like to see justification for that. Well, any reasoning other than "because we can and we want the revenue." Governments have a voracious appetite for the people's moneys.

 

[warren]

I should add, I love them and the ability to carry a large library when traveling. Wouldn't be without it!
The e-reader has not completely displaced "dead tree" books in my life though. Love the smell, the ability to quickly leaf back when necessary*. And simply, the feel and heft of a book in my hand is comforting for some odd reason. Akin to my relaxing bowls in the evening. It's there, not really noticeable but, comforting. A good book (e-book included), two or three fingers of port and a pipe make for a nice evening and a great night's sleep.
* the more complicated the book + my age = more leafing to refresh my memory

 

[toobfreak]

E-Reader? Don't use them. I want real books. I already spend too much time in front of my computer monitor and they are hard on your eyes / bad for your vision as it is.

 

[warren]

My e-reader is not a constantly refreshing computer screen. Very, very easy on the eyes. Certainly easier on the eyes than a physical book in less than adequate light. The ability to adjust font size as required is a boon. I also like the ability to read on a plane without a bright light, in camp without a lantern, a dark restaurant. E-readers have their place in my lifestyle. If I'm not working, I'm reading no matter where I am. Well, I do sometimes spend way too much time here to the detriment of my reading, sometimes even my work may even suffer a bit.

 

[ravenwolf]

I have to give the edge to electronic books. It gets more people reading more books, expanding their horizons, enjoying their minds and imaginations. It's amazing to carry around hundreds of books in one hand. Using a solar charger to power it via the sun feels almost like some kind of Greek deity level stuff.
There are some books, I think, that deserve to be available in paper form. Luxurious copies of TRR Tolkien works, for one - a leather tome, thick parchment like paper, gilt edges - just fits the book. I'll probably read my electronic version more often, but it's like a hallowed thing to have a couple really quality books around to sit and smoke a pipe with.
I also want to point out that I think the internet is amazing for new authors. These days, you can write whatever the hell you want, and self publish on Amazon digitally. People from all around the world can download it, read it, enjoy it - I mean, the opportunity to do that for anyone who wants to try is pretty incredible, right?

 

[ssjones]

Most folks who don't want an e-reader haven't tried one.
The new PaperWhite has laser quality text, much finer than print. Backlit, it's easy on the eyes in any reading condition, no strain, period.
If you just want to read books, the Paperwhite is your huckleberry and least expensive. I've tried tablet versions (Fire, etc.) and I just have no use for perusing the internet on such a small screen.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

@warren, +1 on easy on the eyes. I have the Kindle app on my tablet but have not used it in over a year The dedicated eink devices like my old faithful Kindle touch cause no eye issues at all.
The pricing on eBooks was headed in the direction Jay's impeccable logic indicated, but publishers thought Amazon was gaining too much market power, so they formed a cartel, then they got sued and lost. Now each publisher cuts their own deal with Amazon, and there is a good bit of variance in pricing. I am sure that is a very gross simplification of a complex situation, but I have given up trying to seek a better understanding b
Jay, you might be surprised at the non-fiction collection that would would​ be available. My library has more than you might think.

 

[toobfreak]

I hear you Warren on the advantages, but I am just trying to avoid adding another piece of electronic technology in my life that requires a power-source to operate and can break when I drop or sit on it.