E-Readers (Kindle, Nook, using iPad for reading) yay or nay

also most apps are shit and youre all welp there goes another dollar, and tbqh im just habituated to never paying for anything that goes on a computer

I know this has been said before, but my only problem with e-readers is if they replace the book, they will replace the bookshelf. Already we're seeing CD and DVD racks banished from living rooms, and soon there'll be no way of expressing individualism through taste. I guess you can learn a lot about a person through what they read, watch and listen to - the bookshelf can become a talking point or the root of a common interest - especially for fellow literature/music geeks. I guess some people will be like "Hey, who cares? I'm not fussed about displaying my tastes, and I'm not interested in others", but I think it's a shame that all this extra-personal information could one day disappear from homes to be replaced with a list of favourites on Facebook or whatever. Taken to its logical conclusion, the advent of the e-reader and the death of the book means there'll never be an "Oh man, you like [insert author/musician/director] too?" moment.

bookshelves are visually v nice too, give off great vibes

on the other hand books r heavy when u move

fb etc. is prob already the primary way people do that

it's easier than ever to 'display your personal brand'

lol the whole displaying your taste aspect of physical book ownership is the worst part! it stresses me out.

totally^^^

but I love looking at people's bookshelves! :/

Just ask me what I like.

yes, then i can lie and pretend to have higherbrow reading habits than i actually do

But I want to see stuff you might not have liked a lot or stuff you havent read yet!

i mean, i don't have an ereader and i adore physical books; i'm just saying

maybe it's from going to a library science grad program but i think people who fetishize books as objects are weird. i love reading, don't care that much about books.

yeah, i love having a nose about people's bookshelves (and formerly cd racks). It definitely tells you a lot about a person than someone simply listing "Donnie Darko, A Secret History, dubstep" as their "Favourites" online. And book spines look lovely.

http://david-smith.org/blog/2011/12/17/estimating-kindle-sales

there was a guy on telly last night talking about "The Death Of The Book" and how he thought it definitely won't ever happen, but he wasn't very convincing.

was he strictly defining "book" as the physical object?

yeah

i love reading, don't care that much about books.

I love reading, but don't see the big deal people are making about e-readers. Yeah they are convenient and all, I can see them being cool on vacation. . . but a physical book works fine, I don't see that changing any time soon. E-readers seem too weird (for me) to read on, there's just something about the one page at a time, waiting to flip back and forth that seems alien to me. I don't make a fetish out of my book love, but I do enjoy the feel and ease of reading one.

I also think it's good to have options for reading, and if people want to use ereaders, fine by me, and I think it's cool if people are super into them or whatever.

I don't think physical books are going anywhere anytime soon.

i have you used one tho

not sure where that 'i' came from ~ihave~

Yup!

he was being asked why he believed the book wouldn't be replaced by an e-reader and his response was "I've been to lots of lectures talking about 'The Death Of The Book' and the more I attend, the less I'm convinced it will happen" and then he immediately said "What we're seeing is that most people are using both books and e-readers; so what this means is we're at a transitional stage where people like one and the other".

ok fine i swear every time i hear someone bitching abt how ereaders are an inferior experience to books theyve never actually like read a book on one xp

I feel like my "bitching" on this thread is coming off too harsh then. Sorry!

I don't own an e-reader, but I'd like to try one out before laying money down really. I get the whole "ease" thing. I find myself distracted incredibly easily while reading, so if I find the e-reader off-putting, that could ruin things for me. There's definitely a parallel with the ease that comes from choosing a record and physically putting a needle on it as it spins vs selecting from an mp3 playlist and choosing a book from the shelf and flicking to the right page vs selecting from a list of e-books and reading them off your reader.

Plus sides:
- no noisy turning of pages in bed
- less heavy to hold and carry (especially if it's a big book you'd like to read in bed)

Down sides:
- you can't physically see how far into the book you are
- flicking back and forth for things isn't quite a simple
- pictures? y/n?

I feel like my "bitching" on this thread is coming off too harsh then. Sorry!

― flexidisc, Wednesday, December 21, 2011 11:56 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

lol not its not at all, i was just speaking generally

you can't physically see how far into the book you are

can be argued to be a good thing, adds another dimension to books when you don't know when they'll end

- you can't physically see how far into the book you are

The Nook has a counter that says you are on page X of Y.

- pictures? y/n?

depends entirely on the book; the Nook can support them

kindle tells you how far you are through the book proportionally. graphic representations (maps, photos, etc.) are a weakness of the kindle, they're going to be black and white and pretty small.

never heard of the nook. is that US only? Anyone who knows about these things have a preference of make/model of e-reader?

it would be great to see one that can handle graphic novels in the future

the problem w/images is it seems like b&w eink is really the best for reading text where a conventional led display is best for images

Nook is the Barnes & Noble e-reader:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook/379003208/

I have a Nook Color; the tablet is brand new afaik

it would be great to see one that can handle graphic novels in the future

funny you should say this, they just added Marvel comics/graphic novels to the Nook

Anyone who knows about these things have a preference of make/model of e-reader?

I have a sony, will have a go with my dad's kindle over the weekend, i figure they're all much of a muchness though.

E-book readers have one critical advantage for me: easy, free access to classic or public domain literature. There are around 150 titles on my Kindle, only 10 of which under modern copyright. The would have cost a minimum of $1000 if purchased used, with another $150 for shelving, a move to larger quarters to find another free wall to store them all.

Still prefer traditional books for 90% of my reading, as used book shopping has never been easier, or cheaper (in time & fuel).

iPad is grrrrrrrrrrreat for graphic novels. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend it over a dedicated e-reader, though. Like I may have said, I often waffle about wanting an e-reader and then thinking it's just a waste.

i love reading, don't care that much about books.

OTM.

Also: if you have an Amazon Prime membership and a Kindle, you can "check out" unlimited books from Amazon's own "library." I don't know how good the selection is as I do not have a Kindle. If it's decent, I think that would be worthwhile.

hysterical OMG BOOKS ARE DYING ppl annoy the shit out of me - books will never die bc, unlike vinyl/CDs/DVDs/video-tape, the relationship between the form and the content is often so important, which is also why the fetishization of books as objects is so common. i think airport-type pulp fiction paperbacks will die eventually, but imo e-readers should be motivating small presses (and big publishing houses) to think a little more carefully about production, instead of just slamming out piles of ugly junk.

god, i wish i'd had an e-reader in college, probably would have saved a lot of back/neck/shoulder pain.

E-book readers have one critical advantage for me: easy, free access to classic or public domain literature. There are around 150 titles on my Kindle, only 10 of which under modern copyright. The would have cost a minimum of $1000 if purchased used, with another $150 for shelving, a move to larger quarters to find another free wall to store them all.

yes yes yes yes yes

i slightly prefer the kobo over the kindle, although there is a definite lag when when flipping frwd to the next page. The cheapest kobo comes with 100 classics pre-loaded.

god, i wish i'd had an e-reader in college, probably would have saved a lot of back/neck/shoulder pain.

OMG so OTM, especially for law school. I would have saved myself the humiliation of dragging around a rolling backpack, too.

but you can buy/borrow classic books for next to nothing. I am thinking of buying my girlfriend a kindle for christmas, but mostly so she can read her uni textbooks on it, and I'm not sure those will be available. It's just they're awfully big. I take it she'll have to buy them again in digital if she's already got them physically?

also can save thousands of dollars on textbooks

xp

Apple is known to be targeting schools for replacing textbooks with iPads. Besides not having to lug around a heavy backpack, the contents can easily be kept up to date, and unlike textbooks can offer links, sound, video, etc.

>- no noisy turning of pages in bed
- less heavy to hold and carry (especially if it's a big book you'd like to read in bed)

I've already heard some lolworthy "i take my iPad to bed" stories from friends, and given how many times I've awakened with my laptop on the floor, I fear that if I'm reading an iPad/e-reader i'll fall asleep, roll over it, and crush the screen. Still, reading in bed is why I prefer the backlit, color iPad-type screen to the "e-ink" Kindle screens that are great in sunlight, but not in dark rooms.

Which is less bothersome: your bedmate reading a book using one of those little book lights and flipping pages, or taking an iPad to bed and reading on it?

iPad is grrrrrrrrrrreat for graphic novels. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend it over a dedicated e-reader, though. Like I may have said, I often waffle about wanting an e-reader and then thinking it's just a waste

if you already have an iPad, I don't see any compelling argument to get an e-reader aside from wanting something smaller

That's my only compelling argument.

I prefer Jeff to read quietly using the iPad than rustle pages with a book light. iPad Kindle app has a white-on-black function that makes it easier to read in the dark and less bright to sleep next to.

(note: hate the white on black thing because I can't see it as well.)

I find reading real books harder. I get distracted by the shadows cast in the page, the edges of the page.

i find e-readers less distracting too because the one-page-at-a-time thing keeps my eyes from drifting over the next page

i love reading, don't care that much about books.

I have had an increasingly hard time reading books for a few years, so sincerely, no challops intended, I'm finding myself loving books more than reading.