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E-Book Readers fan club!

Jamshyd

Jamshyd

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
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Not on a train, sadly.
So I received the Kindle that I ordered randomly and without forethought. Holy crap was it worth it!

I have some 20,000 PDFs on my computer, many of which are full books/scans. Almost all of these were left till "later" because I hate reading off of a screen.

I can't believe how different this thing is from a screen! The e-ink thing actually works as advertised. I can finally carry a library around without breaking my back!! (Emancipation! Never again the absolute misery dragging a suitcase full of books through the streets of Kolkata!)

One thing I LOVE about the kindle is the ability to highlight and write notes, just like you would in a book. On top of that, you can anonymously compare highlighting and notes with other kindle users if you're connected to the internet, in a sort of "tele-marginalia"... I love it!

On top of that, I can search all my books for anything I want in a simple UTFSE. Thus my project to place all relevant legal documents to aid in my security exam is working out swimmingly.

What's more (which I didn't know when I got it), you can actually set a dictionary as your standard and look up words instantly by dragging a cursor over them! I intend to start improving my French soon, and using that function on a french text with a french book sounds phenomenal!

And I love the fact that if I don't own a given book, I can actually purchase it with a click, usually for less than $10, and get it instantly.

My only complaint about it is that although it looks slick, this same slickness makes it seem so fragile. I don't know why it doesn't come standard with a protective case... I guess it explains why Amazon gets away with selling their standard case for $60 + shipping :/

Oh, another negative is the weired arrangement of arrow keys. I would have much preferred if it was simply "right +1 page, left -1". But that's no big deal.

Ok, this is one of the few times you'll ever see me go gaga over a consumer product. Cherish it, lol <3.

I don't own a blackberry, or ipod, or any of these things. But this one was a most useful purchase.

Share your stories of love with an e-book reader.
 
i would totally love one. we have similar lifestyles -- constant travel -- and i hate having a whole bag just full of notebooks, books, maps, etc. if i can shrink it down to a journal, laptop and e reader, i'd be in hog heaven <3

what made you choose a kindle? there are tons of others:

nook_front_view.jpg


this is the one i'd be most into, just because of the sleek and easy to use look of it. plus i like the thickness and weight of it.
 
I picked it mostly because of what is offered for the price - it appeared to have far more features than the similarly-priced ones do. The Canadian one - the Kobo - is actually *more expensive* yet has far less features! ugh.

The nook does have one thing going for it: support for more file-formats than all others. Sometimes, if a PDF is not well-made, it can be a nightmare to use. Converting to more reader-friendly formats seems to be the way to go.

And btw, while netbooks are light enough to be fun to travel with, they still suck for reading from IME. I know on my next trip I will likely only carry my kindle for reading and my tiny netbook for writing. How convenient :D.
 
I really like my nook. While I still prefer using my phone/netbook for papers (the nook doesn't get the figures right most of the time), I can't read from it for too long. But I can, and have, read from my nook for several hours at a stretch with absolutely no problem.

There's nothing quite like reading a lovely hardcover, but 99% of the time I'm reading on the go and it's just easier to lug my nook around.
 
i'd really like a kindle for school, but for leisure i think i'll always prefer to turn the pages of a physical book.
 
20,000 pdfs -- WOW! You have your own library. I'm impressed.

I'm on the fence on whether to get one. However, this cool dude recently gifted me with pdfs of a book by Said and another by Bernard Lewis so it is probably a matter of time before I switch from reading them on a heavy laptop.

On cases for e-readers -- have you checked Otterbox? Not the kindle-specific box, but the generic clear box which runs about $20? Will a kindle fit in it? I use one for my camera when I go backpacking -- they are water proof and the case is very sturdy. You can probably stand on it and not break it. The only drawback is that they are large.
 
I bought the Sony, fantastic device (though pricey)
It has a touch screen and it supports several different formats so your not stuck with using amazon for buying your books (ie kindle)

Best thing I ever bought :)
 

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+1 for the kindle crew.

I got one this december and, whilst I've only read one book on it yet due to a huge novel being given to me by a friend, I found it incredibly easy to use and very kind on the eyes. I'm filling it up slowely with PDFs and ebooks so that, when I start travelling in earnest this summer, I have plenty to keep me going.

PLUS: free 3G fo' life
 
I've been wanting to buy a Kindle for a while, at the moment I'm making do with iBooks but it's incredibly inferior, especially when it comes to reading book scans.
 
i totally get the point of them and believe the reviews that seem to agree that the Kindle is the best one, but the pricing of e-books is a joke. there is no paper or shipping or warehousing costs or any of the traditional bricks and mortar overheads of physical items, so why the high prices still? they need to get that sorted out ASAP.

btw the cross platform & device interactivity (i.e. syncing etc.) is very cool.
 
felix said:
i totally get the point of them and believe the reviews that seem to agree that the Kindle is the best one, but the pricing of e-books is a joke. there is no paper or shipping or warehousing costs or any of the traditional bricks and mortar overheads of physical items, so why the high prices still? they need to get that sorted out ASAP.

btw the cross platform & device interactivity (i.e. syncing etc.) is very cool.
Click to expand...
The writers want to get more money, in fact everyone does. I have the first sony ebook reader, it sucks. Okay it doesn't suck suck, its just not that good, I shouldn't have bought it since I kinda screwed myself over on it, bought it for 110 last year around November. I see these replacing books one day, they will have a gig of memory and cost maybe 30 dollars each. Save the world from deforestation! Help kids in Africa! Hooray!

On the subject of purchasing one, is there one that isn't 800x600 but isn't much more expensive? I see there is a colour one now. http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/hands-on-with-hanvons-color-ereader/
 
people want to get more money? who knew.

at the moment i'd still rather pay a couple more quid for a normal book. they need to at least half the price, quickly.
 
If it matters, you can always get books for free. I usually go on half.com to get schoolbooks for around 3-20 dollars plus shipping. And if it settles your mind, you're also creating less pollution when you use them instead of purchasing books.
 
are you saying you can get new releases on the kindle for free, somehow? presumably illegally? seriously, i have no idea. (not that i am not asking for instructions on how to do so.)

why would you pay shipping on e-books?
 
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