Thoughts on the eBook reader

[GA Russell]

I'm still debating this, but am in no hurry.

ejp, if you have the patience, it will certainly be rewarded. The current devices have glass screens which crack easily. It is expected that plastic eInk screens will be released in 2010. They will be much more durable. We will know a lot more about what is in the pipeline in two weeks when the Consumer Electronics Show is in Las Vegas.

I throughly researched this (with special thanks going to clave for steering me to mobileread.com) over more than five months. I ran out of patience. My jetBook Lite wasn't released until perhaps three months after my research began.

But you can be sure that no matter how long you wait, there will be something better and cheaper expected another six months after that.

[GA Russell]

In the meantime I am reading a couple of books which came included - HD Thoreau's Waldon Pond and Lao Tzu's The Art of War.

Of course I meant Sun Tzu. I think that Lao was the fellow who said, "The long journey begins with but a single step."

And it's Walden! I must have been tired when I made that post!

Edited January 2, 2010 by GA Russell

[GA Russell]

March 7-13 is Read an E-Book Week. Lots of promotions and free books.

http://www.ebookweek.com/

[GA Russell]

Holy Toledo!

Amazon has announced that over the past three months, for every 100 hardback books it sells (including books not available as eBooks), it has sold 143 eBooks (not including the free eBooks they offer).

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1449176&highlight=

[GA Russell]

Amazon announced today that its new Kindle will cost only $139.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703940904575395433036454208.html

[GA Russell]

As the prices are falling, I think a new record has been set. Newegg now has the white and burgundy jetBook Lites on sale for $69.99 plus $1.99 shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=jetBook+Lite&x=17&y=29

[GA Russell]

LOL! Both of the jetBook Lites are now sold out!

[GA Russell]

Barnes & Noble announced today the new Nook Color, which will have a backlit LCD color screen. It looks to me like it will be like a small iPad without the apps.

[GA Russell]

So, did anyone get an eBook reader for Christmas?

[paul secor]

No, but I did get an art book and a book of photographs. I doubt that looking at either on an E-Book screen would be a rewarding experience.

[jeffcrom]

So, did anyone get an eBook reader for Christmas?

I got a Kindle - unexpected and unasked-for. I've been enjoying it, for what it is. I've downloaded a bunch of free stuff, and have read Wodehouse, Kipling, and Samuel Johnson on it so far. I've uploaded several PDF books and documents to it, including Allen Lowe's e-booklet from the Really the Blues? set. It's nice not to be tied to the computer screen to read that. My one attempt at downloading and reading poetry on the Kindle was a disappointment - I downloaded Housman's A Shropshire Lad, but the layout and line breaks don't match what Housman wrote.

I can see this as my literary version of my iPod. It won't be my primary method of reading, just as my iPod is not my primary method of listening to music. But it's pretty cool to be able to put so much stuff into one device that fits into my coat pocket. It's got its place.

[GA Russell]

MobileRead is mentioned today at usatoday.com!

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-03-20-digital-libraries_N.htm#uslPageReturn

[Dave James]

Kindle - What's not to like? If you travel at all, it's a godsend. Last summer when I went to Hawaii for several weeks, I took enough paperbacks to put my luggage over the weight limit, so I had to transfer some of them to my carry-on to avoid a $75.00 fee. If I'd had my Kindle then, it wouldn't have been an issue. To me, the travel element makes the whole thing a no-brainer. Also, if you have lots of books like I do, space and storage become a consideration. Not so with a Kindle. My only complaint at this point is that Amazon takes advantage of you when it comes to newer releases. When they start charging you within a buck or two of the actual hard cover price, it strikes me as usurious.

[medjuck]

Kindle - What's not to like? If you travel at all, it's a godsend. Last summer when I went to Hawaii for several weeks, I took enough paperbacks to put my luggage over the weight limit, so I had to transfer some of them to my carry-on to avoid a $75.00 fee. If I'd had my Kindle then, it wouldn't have been an issue. To me, the travel element makes the whole thing a no-brainer. Also, if you have lots of books like I do, space and storage become a consideration. Not so with a Kindle. My only complaint at this point is that Amazon takes advantage of you when it comes to newer releases. When they start charging you within a buck or two of the actual hard cover price, it strikes me as usurious.

That's not Amazon it's the idiot publishers. Amazon wanted to make all new hard covers $9.99.

[Matthew]

Kindle - What's not to like? If you travel at all, it's a godsend. Last summer when I went to Hawaii for several weeks, I took enough paperbacks to put my luggage over the weight limit, so I had to transfer some of them to my carry-on to avoid a $75.00 fee. If I'd had my Kindle then, it wouldn't have been an issue. To me, the travel element makes the whole thing a no-brainer. Also, if you have lots of books like I do, space and storage become a consideration. Not so with a Kindle. My only complaint at this point is that Amazon takes advantage of you when it comes to newer releases. When they start charging you within a buck or two of the actual hard cover price, it strikes me as usurious.

Agree on all counts, I use to agonize over what books to bring on a trip, now, no agony. I read tons of pre-1900 stuff so I've been able to get a lot of writers for free, or $0.99 and $1.99, some of the buys are just plan fantastic. I'm a big booster of Kindle now. Why publishers are keeping the price of newer books high, I don't know, it seems self defeating, I would buy a lot of newer book at $9.00.

[medjuck]

[

Why publishers are keeping the price of newer books high, I don't know, it seems self defeating, I would buy a lot of newer book at $9.00.

For the same reason that record companies priced cds out of the reach of many consumers and sent them to pirates: they couldn't think of any other way to raise income other than to raise prices. Publishers are even more egregiously dumb since there are no manufacturing costs involved with e-books. Costs the same to sell a million as it does to sell one. (Someone once did a test halving the price of downloading songs and discovered they sold 4 times as many (IIRC). Nevertheless the record companies pressured iTunes to raise prices. )

[GA Russell]

Big news. Amazon announced today that they now sell more eBooks than print books.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1565581&highlight=

[Dave James]

Makes me wonder if books will become the printing equivalent of the vinyl record, all but disappearing within the next ten years and then making an unanticipated comeback.

[GA Russell]

Big news from Amazon today.

They announced a new tablet called the Fire, which was expected, and three new Kindles, which was a surprise.

The Kindles start at $79.00.

[Pete C]

If you need extra storage for a device that doesn't have SD expansion (Kindle Fire, iPhone, iPad), there's the WiDrive from Kingston. You access the drive's contents via the WiFi on your device. As far as ebooks are concerned, all Kindles have more than enough storage for anybody, but I store films on the WiDrive. You load the WiDrive app on your device and that's your interface.

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Wi-Drive-External-WID-16GBZ/dp/B00576APBQ/ref=sr_1_2

Edited June 25, 2012 by Pete C

[GA Russell]

Pete, I was expecting something expensive, but your recommendation is only $39.99!

[mjzee]

If you need extra storage for a device that doesn't have SD expansion (Kindle Fire, iPhone, iPad), there's the WiDrive from Kingston. You access the drive's contents via the WiFi on your device. As far as ebooks are concerned, all Kindles have more than enough storage for anybody, but I store films on the WiDrive. You load the WiDrive app on your device and that's your interface.

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Wi-Drive-External-WID-16GBZ/dp/B00576APBQ/ref=sr_1_2

I know this is off-topic, but is there a similar device to watch DVDs on an iPad?

[Pete C]

I know this is off-topic, but is there a similar device to watch DVDs on an iPad?

http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html

Pete, I was expecting something expensive, but your recommendation is only $39.99!

Yeah, I bought it when the price came down considerably.

[mjzee]

I know this is off-topic, but is there a similar device to watch DVDs on an iPad?

http://www.macworld.com/article/1162103/samsung_announces_new_optical_drive_with_wi_fi_connectivity.html

Pete, I was expecting something expensive, but your recommendation is only $39.99!

Yeah, I bought it when the price came down considerably.

Thanks! I see it's available through Amazon, though the user reviews are underwhelming. But this is the right idea.