Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Spartacus of Thrace on September 30, 2011 at 10:57am

I've had a Nook for about six months, and I have read more books with it - fiction and nonfiction - than I have in the previous 10 years.  

 

One great thing about an e-reader is that you can read books on it in public you might not want others to see - like the christian bible or porn - as they would if you carried around a printed book.  Another is that you can bring it, best in a cover, to an event you anticipate will be dull (like I did recently escorting a family member to a fundraising) and people won't know you've brought a book to read.

 

One reason I bought a Nook instead of a Kindle - besides the 1st generation Nook being more attractively designed - is that it accepts the epub format which libraries use (and also pdf's). But I see now our local library system is purchasing Kindle versions as well as epub versions.  So Amazon's incalcitrance has, practically, forced the hand of public libraries to pay twice as much for the same ebooks.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on September 30, 2011 at 12:11pm

I'm glad there's at least one other nook owner on here. I was beginning to feel lonely. ;)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bill Lewis on September 30, 2011 at 11:05am

I have had a Kindle for a while now and love it. The problem is I find myself reading three times the number of books, so I surf the $.99 store. The only thing that I miss is the pictures, diagrams and maps that are in the books. It would be nice so see the book cover when you open it on Kindle as well. Having said that, yes get one today, you will love it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on October 1, 2011 at 4:51pm

Are you saying you don't see covers nor pictures on the e-ink Kindles? I see the covers of books on my nook - both the color version of the book cover in the small window at the bottom, and a greyscale version in the e-ink main screen - and I see greyscale pictures as well. In fact I am currently reading a book with many black-and-white pictures in it ("Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Ross) and it looks great - it looks just as good as the printed version, which I've seen in the bookstore because I actually did want to compare the quality of the pics on my nook vs the actual printed book.

 

But overall I agree with you - I am reading a ton more books now, and I can't imagine going back to a time without my nook.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Minion on September 30, 2011 at 4:13pm

I have been using a Kindle for about year, love it. Can load with audio books also for long drives.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Damian Green on October 1, 2011 at 12:17am

Wow, lots of positive feedback!

 

You guys have all convinced me. I'm definitely going to get one now. Thank you all for your input.

 

To be honest, I'm not really interested in getting a top of the range, app heavy Kindle. All I want to do is read books. Same thing with phones, you get a million apps and all I want to do is call people!

 

Thanks again all. I'll order my Kindle this week.

 

If you guys are interested, I'll update you when I get it and let you know how it goes.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jo on October 1, 2011 at 5:28am

I love my Kindle, and can't go a day without reading a page or two (preferably more) in a book.

 

As for the feel of a book, just get a leather jacket that opens like a book. You still get the sensation of holding a book, but have the portability of the Kindle.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kekerusey on October 1, 2011 at 2:00pm

I have one and it compeletely kickstarted my reading ... I rarely read at all but since getting a kindle at Christmas I must have 30 odd books.Recently I broke my kindle, cracked screen (it was like my world had fallen apart ... not really but it was a major bummer) but I contacted Amazon and they replaced it just like that. The best thing about my kindle is I've hacked it to get my own pictures rather than the awful Amazon ones (especicially the psychotic Emily Dickinson picture).

 

The Kindle Fire is also intriguing and I can't wait to see what price it'll come out at in the UK.

 

Keke

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on October 1, 2011 at 3:19pm

Highly recommend the Kindle. I'm reading much more than I did before I got it because it's so convenient. And my library now has kindle books.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Unseen on October 1, 2011 at 8:42pm

I'm not going to read every single post to make sure, but someone should mention that with the introduction of the Fire and the new smaller Kindle with a 6" screen and general price reductions on the older units with the introduction of the new models, it's less expensive than ever to own a Kindle.

 

I can also second the idea of Mike Baker that when you get an ereader, you tend to read more than you used to.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nicole Bales on October 1, 2011 at 9:53pm

I have a Kobo, it's the Border's e-reader. You can get them for $100. Very simple, have wifi access or plug into the pc to upload books. They also come with 100 classic books loaded. They accept most formats of e-books (e-puc, etc). I love it. Was easy to get used to and it's way cheaper to buy books. I don't like Kindle because you kinda get locked into purchasing from Amazon.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nadia Corinna Ayoub on October 4, 2011 at 9:17am

I'm a hardcore reader and I own around 800 books (real books) as well as just having bought myself a Kindle. So sue me, I like to be thorough. *takes deep breath*

 

Pro-Kindle

1. Brilliant if the book you're trying to read is huge and heavy, or if you want to take multiple books with you somewhere - on holiday or such.
2. Service from Amazon is brilliant. My Kindle's screen broke and, after one phonecall, Amazon shipped me a replacement which arrived the following day with no charge and no argument.
3. The screen is as easy to read as Amazon says it is and, despite my friends' objections when I was thinking about getting one, there is no noticable delay on the page turn (and fewer pages stuck together or paper cuts to worry about).
4. They save some serious space. I'd need an extra bookcase (for which my house has no space) to hold hard copies of all the books I now have in Kindle format.

Anti-Kindle

1. Books are fantastic. Browsing Amazon cannot and never will imitate or replace the joys of browsing a library or bookstore, for me.
2. Whatever Amazon says about the Kindle being lighter and easy to hold than a paperback, it's rubbish. For someone used to holding real books all her life, it takes practice to be comfortable holding a Kindle instead.
3. As mentioned above, mine broke. After about two months. However good their replacement service, it's an established fact that Kindles are fragile, even with a hard case.
4. Kindle books cannot, as yet, be given as gifts. Personally, I find this annoying.
5. It's an aggravating process getting anything onto a Kindle that isn't in official Kindle format - ie. PDFs, .mobi files, etc. - which was actual the main purpose for which I bought a Kindle. Yeah, I'm kind of annoyed about that.

Overall verdict: If you've got the spare cash and are having serious space problems, it's probably worth getting one, but I'm unconvinced that they're as magical as Amazon would have us believe.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page