[Shiara]

Ebook readers: separating the hype from reality An academic paper that might be interesting for those still umming and ahhing about buying a reader.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

tl;dr?

I'm not on the fence, I just can't bring myself to give up hardcopies.

[Shiara]

Just thought it might be interesting

The conclusion pretty much states that the eBook readers currently available aren't suitable for Library use. Maybe in the near future they'll be up to scratch

[Astra]

Shiara, on 14 April 2011 - 06:57 AM, said:

Just thought it might be interesting

The conclusion pretty much states that the eBook readers currently available aren't suitable for Library use. Maybe in the near future they'll be up to scratch

Funny one.
Sony Readers that allegedly have been unavailable are the best ones for libraries.

[QuickTidal]

So I thought I'd chime in a few months after owning my Kindle.

The basic bottom line? I love it. Reading on it is a dream, and I am told I read faster on it than I would a normal book. I have only had trouble (in Canada with cross border politics) getting one or two titles (of all the ones I've looked up and the ones I've obviously bought)...but if I really want them I can buy them and convert them to Kindle format (or buy the actual book) so it's no biggie. One thing I always have happen when I am reading a big thick ass physical book was that I'd be halfway through and think...gods, I'm only halfway through, and my instinct would be to skim a little to get through it. With the Kindle this strange reading aspect of mine entirely disappears as you can't see the rest of the book (just a percentage counter at the bottom that I never look at anyways). I can hold it with one hand, or if I am resting it on my chest and laying down...with one finger on a corner. It's light as all hell and slick looking. The eInk screen is (for lack of a better word) gorgeous. The type is crisp and sharp, and my girlfriend even commented when I first got it that the screen looks like a matte sticker and not an electronic screen at all. It really does look exactly like a book page. The buttons click super silently and are well laid out for both leftys and right-handed folk, fwd and bck page turn buttons on both sides.

Now to my ONLY issue. It's actually not with the Kindle at all, and is instead with the case I bought. I decided against the Kindle Gen 3 Lighted Leather case simply because I didn't need the light and I wondered about overall protection. So I instead bought a quilted, Timbuk2 slip case. While it is very thick and protects the Kindle very well (with a faux soft as anything fur interior with a thick flap that velcros closed), I find that it is impractical to say the least. If I want to read I have to pull the slip-cased Kindle out of my bag, open it, slide the Kindle out, put the case down or back in my bag, and then read the Kindle naked. I find the process of pulling it out and reading the kindle naked and then getting the case out again to slide it back away every time to be MORE than a hassle, and beyond that I always am handling my naked Kindle very gingerly as a result as I don't want to damage it. So the case serves less than no purpose aside from keeping it safe while it is in my bag and not while I am reading it. So after a few months I decided that type of case was not for me at all. I have now ordered a new flip-open case (not the official amazon one either) that holds it VERY securely, the cover of which flips over and has a wide slip band to slide you hand into to hold it one handed with ease and safety of not dropping it. It looks to be very durable and does just as good a job at holding and keeping my Kindle safe as the Timbuk2 did anyways.

So, with a new case you can consider me happy across the board with my eReader.

[fausti]

I own a pink (yes, PINK) Cybook Opus. No touch screen, very simple software, small and handy, fits into my purse and I read everyday on my way to work. I've bought it 6 months ago and I don't regret it. I've bought it mainly for reading books in english, because ordering them is often expensive and takes so much time. Big advantage is that you can find a lot of great books (mainly classic ones) on the sites like Project Gutenberg and download them for free

[cerveza_fiesta]

I am SO FUCKING BUYING ONE OF THESE.

I Downloaded the free kindle PC application about a week ago and have already bought 4 books plus downloaded a bunch of free ones. If you look at a particular topic like "woodworking" and sort lowest to highest price, there are absolute reams of cheapo books on there, like $5 and under.

I am absolutely in love with the PC app, and even though it doesn't have colour I'm sure I would get heavy use out of an actual kindle.

I probably will get the cheapest one with wifi and the smaller screen. Been dropping heavy hints about it with my birthday coming up. (C'mon wife....pull through for me here).

[Obdigore]

cerveza_fiesta, on 27 April 2011 - 02:30 PM, said:

I am SO FUCKING BUYING ONE OF THESE.

I Downloaded the free kindle PC application about a week ago and have already bought 4 books plus downloaded a bunch of free ones. If you look at a particular topic like "woodworking" and sort lowest to highest price, there are absolute reams of cheapo books on there, like $5 and under.

I am absolutely in love with the PC app, and even though it doesn't have colour I'm sure I would get heavy use out of an actual kindle.

I probably will get the cheapest one with wifi and the smaller screen. Been dropping heavy hints about it with my birthday coming up. (C'mon wife....pull through for me here).

Get a smartphone. Kindle is free on any OS at the moment.

[QuickTidal]

Obdigore, on 27 April 2011 - 09:21 PM, said:

cerveza_fiesta, on 27 April 2011 - 02:30 PM, said:

I am SO FUCKING BUYING ONE OF THESE.

I Downloaded the free kindle PC application about a week ago and have already bought 4 books plus downloaded a bunch of free ones. If you look at a particular topic like "woodworking" and sort lowest to highest price, there are absolute reams of cheapo books on there, like $5 and under.

I am absolutely in love with the PC app, and even though it doesn't have colour I'm sure I would get heavy use out of an actual kindle.

I probably will get the cheapest one with wifi and the smaller screen. Been dropping heavy hints about it with my birthday coming up. (C'mon wife....pull through for me here).

Get a smartphone. Kindle is free on any OS at the moment.

Yeah but why read on a teeny smartphone screen when you can read on a glorious 6" eInk screen! Huzzah!

[alt146]

QuickTidal, on 27 April 2011 - 10:34 PM, said:

Obdigore, on 27 April 2011 - 09:21 PM, said:

cerveza_fiesta, on 27 April 2011 - 02:30 PM, said:

I am SO FUCKING BUYING ONE OF THESE.

I Downloaded the free kindle PC application about a week ago and have already bought 4 books plus downloaded a bunch of free ones. If you look at a particular topic like "woodworking" and sort lowest to highest price, there are absolute reams of cheapo books on there, like $5 and under.

I am absolutely in love with the PC app, and even though it doesn't have colour I'm sure I would get heavy use out of an actual kindle.

I probably will get the cheapest one with wifi and the smaller screen. Been dropping heavy hints about it with my birthday coming up. (C'mon wife....pull through for me here).

Get a smartphone. Kindle is free on any OS at the moment.

Yeah but why read on a teeny smartphone screen when you can read on a glorious 6" eInk screen! Huzzah!

Because you have the smartphone already I've gotten tons of mileage out of Kindle for Android (All the Dresden files and a couple of others so far), but I'm still hoping to get a kindle for my birthday next month simply because it sucks to have to plug the phone in every couple of hours while reading.

[Aptorian]

QuickTidal, on 27 April 2011 - 01:21 PM, said:

.but if I really want them I can buy them and convert them to Kindle format (or buy the actual book) so it's no biggie.

Are you saying you can buy/download other eBooks than the ones on the Amazon store and use trickery to make the Kindle think it is from Amazon?

Because I've been wanting to buy a Kindle I just didn't want to have to only rely on Amazon when there's other places to find e-books. Like project Guttenberg.

Just look at this list. LOOK AT IT!

http://www.gutenberg...owse/scores/top

This post has been edited by Battle Plaptypus: 28 April 2011 - 09:45 AM

[cerveza_fiesta]

alt146, on 28 April 2011 - 09:27 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 27 April 2011 - 10:34 PM, said:

Obdigore, on 27 April 2011 - 09:21 PM, said:

cerveza_fiesta, on 27 April 2011 - 02:30 PM, said:

I am SO FUCKING BUYING ONE OF THESE.

I Downloaded the free kindle PC application about a week ago and have already bought 4 books plus downloaded a bunch of free ones. If you look at a particular topic like "woodworking" and sort lowest to highest price, there are absolute reams of cheapo books on there, like $5 and under.

I am absolutely in love with the PC app, and even though it doesn't have colour I'm sure I would get heavy use out of an actual kindle.

I probably will get the cheapest one with wifi and the smaller screen. Been dropping heavy hints about it with my birthday coming up. (C'mon wife....pull through for me here).

Get a smartphone. Kindle is free on any OS at the moment.

Yeah but why read on a teeny smartphone screen when you can read on a glorious 6" eInk screen! Huzzah!

Because you have the smartphone already I've gotten tons of mileage out of Kindle for Android (All the Dresden files and a couple of others so far), but I'm still hoping to get a kindle for my birthday next month simply because it sucks to have to plug the phone in every couple of hours while reading.

I has no smartphone, but that is a good idea if you've already got one. I don't really want a smartphone and dislike staring at backlit stuff for reading since so much of my job involves staring at a backlit screen.

Just picked up a new book on cordwood building methods and a couple others on woodworking by hand.

Weeeee!

[Captain Beardface]

cerveza_fiesta, on 28 April 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

I has no smartphone, but that is a good idea if you've already got one. I don't really want a smartphone and dislike staring at backlit stuff for reading since so much of my job involves staring at a backlit screen.

Just picked up a new book on cordwood building methods and a couple others on woodworking by hand.

Weeeee!

I totally agree with you on not wanting to stare at a backlit screen to read after spending the entire workday staring at a backlit screen. After 5 years of 10+ hour days of 3D CAD work I started suffering massive headaches, at first I chalked it up to the bitch of a project I was working. Not so, the constant strain deteriorated my sight such that I have to wear glasses when I'm reading or looking at a screen for any length of time. Which is pretty much all the freaking time. I went with the Nook, as I didn't want to be tied to one source for books. But I highly recommend the eInk screen and the battery life is better than any smartphone.

[Rooster]

Battle Plaptypus, on 28 April 2011 - 09:42 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 27 April 2011 - 01:21 PM, said:

.but if I really want them I can buy them and convert them to Kindle format (or buy the actual book) so it's no biggie.

Are you saying you can buy/download other eBooks than the ones on the Amazon store and use trickery to make the Kindle think it is from Amazon?

Because I've been wanting to buy a Kindle I just didn't want to have to only rely on Amazon when there's other places to find e-books. Like project Guttenberg.

Just look at this list. LOOK AT IT!

http://www.gutenberg...owse/scores/top

Yeah you can use an ebook library program called Calibre to convert pretty much anything, however I think of the books in the list you linked to are free on the Kindle store anyway.

[QuickTidal]

Battle Plaptypus, on 28 April 2011 - 09:42 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 27 April 2011 - 01:21 PM, said:

.but if I really want them I can buy them and convert them to Kindle format (or buy the actual book) so it's no biggie.

Are you saying you can buy/download other eBooks than the ones on the Amazon store and use trickery to make the Kindle think it is from Amazon?

Because I've been wanting to buy a Kindle I just didn't want to have to only rely on Amazon when there's other places to find e-books. Like project Guttenberg.

Just look at this list. LOOK AT IT!

http://www.gutenberg...owse/scores/top

You betcha.

As long as you use software like Calibre or something else to convert eBooks to PDF...then the Kindle can read them easily. I actually have tested this theory with an eBook review copy I got from a publisher that is a PDF. My Kindle loads and reads it just fine. So yeah, you can totally do it, just requires a little extra work.

I think you can get the Guttenberg books into PDF and load them.

Also, new Kindle users shoudl know that if you go to the Amazon Kindle store and reverse the settings for price to "Lowest to Highest" there are umpteen pages of books that are free $0.00 to download (a lot of the same ones that Project Gutenberg has). I, for example, downloaded the entire Dickens, Dumas, and Shakespeare catalogs for free. Hell, the Hobbit was $0.99! LOL

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 April 2011 - 01:11 PM

[cerveza_fiesta]

Ya, I'm totally not scared of the big bad amazon being my only source for books. Their selection seems at least as good as anything else, they have the guteburg collection in large part, and anything they haven't got, you can convert. I mean really, the text / PDF files are tiny so conversion isn't cumbersome. You're converting a few hundred pages of text to PDF, which takes what....2 seconds max? It's not like you're encoding .avi from a .mpg file or something.

[QuickTidal]

cerveza_fiesta, on 28 April 2011 - 04:52 PM, said:

Ya, I'm totally not scared of the big bad amazon being my only source for books. Their selection seems at least as good as anything else, they have the guteburg collection in large part, and anything they haven't got, you can convert. I mean really, the text / PDF files are tiny so conversion isn't cumbersome. You're converting a few hundred pages of text to PDF, which takes what....2 seconds max? It's not like you're encoding .avi from a .mpg file or something.

Yeah, seriously, Amazon's selection is pretty damn good. 600,000 book for canadians.... Hell it's better than the big bookstores in Toronto who's stock can never be counted on even though there are ten of them in the city.

[Traveller]

I don't have a problem with the selection.... I am getting a bit annoyed about the frequent errors in the text throughout a number of books though. The method they use to transfer into kindle format is not very efficient imo. Words get randomly hyphonated,
full stops appear in weird places, and words with ' r n ' get turned into 'm's. It's getting quite distracting; if they were printed books I would have taken them back to the store.

[QuickTidal]

Traveller, on 28 April 2011 - 07:27 PM, said:

I don't have a problem with the selection.... I am getting a bit annoyed about the frequent errors in the text throughout a number of books though. The method they use to transfer into kindle format is not very efficient imo. Words get randomly hyphonated,
full stops appear in weird places, and words with ' r n ' get turned into 'm's. It's getting quite distracting; if they were printed books I would have taken them back to the store.

I've only noticed this in older conversions. For example Neal Ashers GRIDLINKED has a few areas where a word will look like "t his" but it's not happened enough to really get on my nerves.

This DOESN'T however appear to be an issue with books that get eBook treatment right away when they are published, like in my entire Kindle copy of THE CRIPPLED GOD there is not one mistake that I saw.

Probably this will be a thing of the past as we move forward with eBooks getting the same treatment as physical books.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 April 2011 - 07:53 PM

[Aptorian]

Right. Thanks for the info. So does anyone have any opinion of whether or not it is worth getting the DX version (The extra large model). Somehow it just sounds like it would be more practical to have a bigger screen but then on the other hand it also makes it more cumbersome.

How many lines of text is there room for on a regular Kindle? Does it fit a normal page of some 20 lines or so?

The DX seems ridiculously expensive.