Topic: Anyone have an eReader?

[ScaryTooth]

Like Kindle, or Nook? I'm trying to think of things to get the ol' girlfriend, but I'm struggling a bit this year. She likes to read, but only reads about 8 books a year. Mostly because of time, with school and all. She has expressed some interest in one of them here and there.

Anyone use one? Like it?

[scottws]

I got Jennie a Kindle last year.  She really likes it.  She loves how she can finish a book and buy a new one and start reading it within minutes of finishing the previous one, almost no matter where she is.

The only downer is it is an "electronic device", so you of course have to turn it off on airplanes at the beginning and end.

[Quemaqua]

I hate the things, but I'm an old-school lover of books.  I own way too many.  So it's kind of trolling, but I'm going to say instead, you should just buy her a really awesome book.  Get her a nice signed first edition of an author she loves or something cool.

[K-man]

Got a Kindle last year for Christmas.  Love it.  I love owning books and shit, but the ability to carry around a ton with me has been great.

Love love love love love it.  If you get the Kindle don't skimp.  Get the one with wireless.

Sorry Que, normally I'd agree with you on the whole owning physical media but the Kindle is just entirely too convenient.

[Quemaqua]

I don't really understand why having access to a billion books at once is convenient.  This isn't trolling, I just don't get it.  You can only read one book at once, and when you're done, pick up another one.  I mean, if you're reading several things at intervals I suppose that's cool, but that would seem most useful to me in terms of school books and such, not fiction.

[iPPi]

I've been using my Android phone as an ebook reader (and comic book reader as well) and it is convenient just to have literally everything on one device.

[Cobra951]

That's a great intro to my issue with them.  Why get a dedicated device to read ebooks when more flexible portable devices can give you the same thing?

[scottws]

The Kindle is easier on the eyes than a mobile phone or tablet.  The e-ink display is much nicer for long term reading of text.

Also, there are Kindle apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, MAC, and PC so its not like you are locked to any one device.

[K-man]

I don't really understand why having access to a billion books at once is convenient.  This isn't trolling, I just don't get it.  You can only read one book at once, and when you're done, pick up another one.  I mean, if you're reading several things at intervals I suppose that's cool, but that would seem most useful to me in terms of school books and such, not fiction.

I've always got 4-5 books going at one time.

[ren]

I don't really understand why having access to a billion books at once is convenient.  This isn't trolling, I just don't get it.  You can only read one book at once, and when you're done, pick up another one.  I mean, if you're reading several things at intervals I suppose that's cool, but that would seem most useful to me in terms of school books and such, not fiction.

Even with one book it's convenient. If I have a long day at school I have to bring about 20lbs of textbooks, a computer and some meals in my backpack. There literally isn't any space left for a thick novel.

[Quemaqua]

I've always got 4-5 books going at one time.

For me, that begs the question why?  I'm usually reading morethan one thing at once on some level, sure, but not to the point where I feel the need to take all the stuff with me everywhere I
might conceivably read.

And I don't get Ren's reasoning, either.  I used to carry I don't even know how much crap with me every day.  My last day at work, they bought me a new backpack because mine was so deadfrom years of abuse.  Never once did I feel constrained at all or as though I couldn't fit something or that it was too heavy to carry.

Meh, whatever, I'll duck out now.  I'm not trying to troll, I just periodically attempt to understand this because I'm a big reader, but every time I revisit the subject it never makes any more sense to me.  Hundreds of dollars for a device you still have to buy stuff to fill only you don't get a physical copy and can't ever loan a book you loved to anyone unless they have a reader you can beam it to (can you do that?  I'm just guessing), plus though I read more than most people, I've never once felt like my entire library should travel with me everywhere.  I dunno.  To each his own, I guess.

[ScaryTooth]

I agree to a point. I personally like a physical books as well. I like to be able to reference something really quick if I feel the need to. If I want to show someone something, I can find the book on the shelf quickly, and then I can think, "well, it's about 70 pages in..." and I can flip through real fast. I don't think you can really do that with and eReader. Plus, they just look cool on the shelf. I love the artistry that goes into the book, as far as cover art and things. And, for the most part, they are very portable.

I don't think she wants it to replace all of her books, it's just for convenience, she devours things pretty quick, and if she can get something else in like 2 minutes for cheap, it might be nice. At least thats how I feel about it. I don't like the idea of ever replacing actual books.

[ren]

Meh, whatever, I'll duck out now.  I'm not trying to troll, I just periodically attempt to understand this because I'm a big reader, but every time I revisit the subject it never makes any more sense to me.  Hundreds of dollars for a device you still have to buy stuff to fill only you don't get a physical copy and can't ever loan a book you loved to anyone unless they have a reader you can beam it to (can you do that?  I'm just guessing), plus though I read more than most people, I've never once felt like my entire library should travel with me everywhere.  I dunno.  To each his own, I guess.

I don't see it as much different than an mp3 player. For me, the convenience and size is more important than the benefits of physical media, even if during any given week my cd rotation is usually limited to 4 or 5 albums. And when you only live in one place for a few months at a time and only have one room to store all your stuff, books and cds add up fast.

[Pugnate]

I read a lot of books, and while I wouldn't mind an eReader on the side, it wouldn't substitute for the actual thing.

And I find it different than an mp3 player in the sense that consumption of music you bought digitally and music you ripped from a purchased CD is somewhat the same.

However, the physical nature of reading a book is very different from the process of reading a book on an electronic device.

The other thing is that I am a big reader, but I never saw the appeal of having a hundred books at my fingertips. I can understand the need to have your mp3 library at your fingertips while in the car, bus, subway, or anywhere away from home, but not a book.

When I am reading, I am typically in a comfortable place at home. If I find that I can't tear myself away from what I am currently reading, I carry my book with me where I go. Heck, it can be a nice conversation piece. I had the pleasure of meeting this hot chick back at Niagara college, who for some reason was also reading the same Raymond Fiest book as I was.

As I said, I can understand the appeal of wanting all your music available to you at all times. I can understand getting the craving for a certain song, while waiting for the movie to start at the theater or whatever... but I never found myself away from home and thinking... "Oh my god, I simply *must* at this very moment, read that part again where Snape raped Dumbledore, "

[angrykeebler]

My gf has an eReader and while she prefers actual books, she lives in the smallest apartment I have ever seen and has absolutely no room for anything else so forget a small library. We've had some cold nights here and I recently bought her a little ceramic heater and she freaked out because she had no room to store it. She used to have around a hundred books or so but she had to pawn them off because she couldnt fit them anywhere. So the eReader was kind of a godsend for her.

[ren]

However, the physical nature of reading a book is very different from the process of reading a book on an electronic device.

Generational gap? I've grown up reading from a screen. I just want to read a story in the most convenient form possible and right now that's an e-reader because I like to travel as light as possible. Also, little touches like being able to instantly look up the definition of a word as you read is priceless.

Actually, I don't even have an e-reader right now because I don't have enough money to buy one so the most convenient way to read is to go to the library.

[Quemaqua]

The reading from a screen thing doesn't bother me at all.  I've grown up with that too, really, and I do lots of writing-related stuff using screens, including tiny ones like on my iPod Touch, which I often use to write now.  It's what Pug said, really, about the differences between an mp3 player and an ereader. The mp3 player I get because music is music: you listen whenever, and you don't have to hold it or pay attention to it, it's audio.  Plus having a huge library of stuff is convenient because you can consume lots of music in a small time frame and it's nice to have a variety of things available.  But with books that just seems unnecessary.  I sort of get the library thing, but then again I've been out of the small-apartment lifestyle for some time now... and now that it looks like I'm getting back to it, I've got tons of shit I need to keep in storage anyway.

[ren]

As long as people are reading, it's all good.

[K-man]

Scary,  I will say that if she only reads like 8 books a year it's probably not worth the investment.

[Pugnate]

Yea Ren, maybe it is a generation thing.

Are ebooks cheaper than regular ones?

[ren]

Only slightly. The main money-saving element is that you can get tons of free books from sites like Project Gutenburg and not have to read them on a computer screen.

[ScaryTooth]

Usually ebooks are like $6-$12, most of them there in the middle at around $8 or $9.

Yeah, now that I'm thinking about it, K, I'm not sure she reads enough justify getting her one. She's about to finish her masters here in 5 months, Then I'm sure she'll start going through books like crazy. Maybe I'll just stick with the manicure and stuff like that...

[Ghandi]

For Que

Edit: Also relevant

[Cobra951]

For Que

Haha!  Perfect.  Nothing else need be said, at least not by me.

[Quemaqua]

I remember that one, haha.  Good stuff.