View Full Version : News Article About E-Readers Like the Kindle
*NikkiBell*
09-13-2009, 11:33 AM
This popped up on my AOL main page today. I thought it would be an interesting read for some of you out there. :)
http://www.switched.com/2009/09/12/suddenly-earth-friendly-e-readers-are-everywhere/?icid=main|main|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.switche d.com%2F2009%2F09%2F12%2Fsuddenly-earth-friendly-e-readers-are-everywhere%2F
hotcarib
09-13-2009, 11:35 AM
I'm using Kindle and Stanza on the iphone...but I still like the "feel" of a book:confused3
*NikkiBell*
09-13-2009, 12:13 PM
That's one of my major reasons for not getting on this bandwagon. I also spend way too much time at Barnes & Noble and Borders and I do not want to give that up.
I think the new Sonys are a game changer. They have adopted both the ePub and PDF open formats. This means that the entire free Google library of over a million public domain volumes is available. It also reads pdf and word documents. Many public library systems lend books readable in ePub and PDF formats. It has memory expansion via Sony memory stick and/or a standard SD card. Below is a link to the new Sony Touch. There are links to the participating library systems around the country. They also have a 3G wireless model coming in December. The second link is to a recent article in USA Today.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665921180#features
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-08-25-sony-reader-amazon-kindle_N.htm
I finally got to play with the new Sony eReaders. I figured I would post a quick follow-up comment. Suffice it to say, there are no game changers here.
I think Steve is our only hope of pushing the eBook and reader market where it needs to go.
DisneyKevin
10-03-2009, 06:53 PM
I'm using Kindle and Stanza on the iphone...but I still like the "feel" of a book:confused3
I like the feel of 100 or so books when I read.
Reading on a Sony Reader or Kindle is nothing like reading on an iPhone.
A friend recently received a Kindle for her birthday and we were laughing because she keeps trying to turn the page,
DisneyKevin
10-03-2009, 06:57 PM
That's one of my major reasons for not getting on this bandwagon. I also spend way too much time at Barnes & Noble and Borders and I do not want to give that up.
Barnes and Noble and Borders will not ban you because you own a Kindle or Sony Reader
Unless you run through the store shrieking "I own a Kindle"....they probably will not even know.
I browse at B&N and Borders frequently and then go home and buy what interested me for usally half the price.
If you own a Kindle....you can get a "sample" of almost any book that interests you for free.
The sample is usually the first 1 or 2 chapters, which allows you to make your decsion./
DisneyKevin
10-03-2009, 07:18 PM
I finally got to play with the new Sony eReaders. I figured I would post a quick follow-up comment. Suffice it to say, there are no game changers here.
I think Steve is our only hope of pushing the eBook and reader market where it needs to go.
I have owned both the Sony Reader and the Kindle and they have their pros and cons.
My Sony was well loved but had 3 font sizes to the Kindle's 6.
My Sony had less contrasrt between the background and the font color making it harder for me to read.
My Sony had to be hooked up to my laptop to download purchsed booke. The Kidle does it wirelessly
The Sony is smaller and therefore far more portable. The kindle is quite portable as well but the Sony fit in a jacket pocket.
The Kindle has an onboard dictionary which I find I use far more than I ever thought I would.
The Kindle is searchable and allows the highlighting, clipping and storing of quotes and passages.
With the Sony, you buy from the Sony E-Book Library. With the Kindle, you buy from Amazon. I liked both.
Neither ereader will allow you to buy from another source. Books bought for the Sony can not be read on the Kindle and vice versa.
The Kindle offers "text to speech". I was very excited about this when I was just out of eye surgery. The problem is that it's a very robotic voice and you still need to be able to see to launch this feature. This was a bust in my case.
Apple has talked about releasing something called a "reading tablet" or something like that. From what I read, it sounds like a more poratble laptop. I have also read that it will be back lit. This will kill it as backlighting is hard on your eyes. It's also supposed to carry a hefty $800 or $900 pri9ce tag.
I have listed many of the reasons I like my Kindle better than a regular book....but the great news is that we have a choice.
I like the feel of having 100 or so books in a six ounce device.
I like being able to shop for books at 1am and have what I want in 60 seconds.
I like being able to hold my Kindle in one hand and turn pages with my thumb.
I like the fact that when I'm out and have left my Kindle at home, I can read a chapter or two on my iPhone. I like it even more that when I get home and turn on my Kindle....it knows where I left off and asks if I would like to go to that spot in my reading.
I like the fact that I can take 100 books on vacation and not have them take up my whole suitcase.
I like the fact that I can enlarge the print on virtually any book I want to read.
I like the fact that I paid $9.99 for the brand new Dan Brown novel and that it was waiting for me on the day it was released.
All of these thing beat the "feel of a real" book in my opinion.
A regualr book offers none of the things I like about my Kindle.
UrsulasShadow
10-03-2009, 07:58 PM
One good thing about the Kindle app on the iPhone...I can read it in bed without a light. I know the backlighting is murder on the eyes, but it's very cool in some instances.
I'm reading the new Dan Brown on my iPhone. I think this is the thing I like best about my iPhone now.
M5ward
10-03-2009, 08:29 PM
I have the first generation Kindle..I love it. It is, quite possibly, the best gift I ever received. I bought a cover and a light (which fits into a holder in the cover) so that I can read in the dark..the cover gives it the "book" feel. My kids give me Amazon gift cards for Christmas and my birthday to buy my books. As much as I love "real" books, storing them became an issue because I read A LOT. Also the books for Kindle are usually less than half the price of a hardback book.
GaSleepingBeautyFan
10-03-2009, 08:42 PM
I love my Kindle. It's light and easy to carry when traveling. It's also nice to order a book when sitting around waiting for someone. LOL
When reading the article it said that most people only read around 1,500 books in their lifetime. I wonder where they came up with that number? I feel like I have definitely read more than that already in my life. LOL
I forgot to add that I'll still be buying actual books of my very favorite authors so I can keep my collections whole too.
Neither ereader will allow you to buy from another source. Books bought for the Sony can not be read on the Kindle and vice versa.
Actually the new Sony readers have adopted an open format, which is why I initially thought there was great promise in them. While it is true that they can't read Kindle drm books, you can purchase ePub and PDF formatted books from other on line retailers. You can also get books from participating library systems.
I already own a MacBook, netbook, and Ipod Touch among other electronic devices. I'm not knocking the Sony or the Kindle. I'm just not willing to add another device unless it's over the top good. IMHO all of the readers and the ebook market in general still falls a little short.
Give me a 6" Ipod Touch that I can read books on and an iBook store (where Steve can dictate terms to the publishers) to access them seamlessly and I'm in. The eBook market is there for Steve to take if he wants it. Who knows what he's got up the sleeve of his black mock turtleneck. I'm willing to sit on my wallet for the time being and wait for him to perfect whatever it is he's working on. One thing is for sure, Steve doesn't do cheap;).
BTW, for those interested Amazon has factory refurbished Kindles for $219-.
DisneyWorld Delight
10-03-2009, 10:08 PM
Kevin - do you read more than one book at a time?
DisneyKevin
10-03-2009, 10:52 PM
Actually the new Sony readers have adopted an open format, which is why I initially thought there was great promise in them. While it is true that they can't read Kindle drm books, you can purchase ePub and PDF formatted books from other on line retailers. You can also get books from participating library systems. -.
They might have an open format...but books you buy from the Sony Library cant be read elsewhere. I had a great many books on my Reader that went with the machine when I gave it away.
I'm just not willing to add another device unless it's over the top good.
Once I started having eye issues...the Kindle (with it's 6 font sizes) became over the top good for me. Most book stores and libraries have limited large print selections. The world is my oyster with my Kindle. Everything is a large print book.
Give me a 6" Ipod Touch that I can read books on and an iBook store (where Steve can dictate terms to the publishers) to access them seamlessly and I'm in.
Backlit reading devices have been notoriously unsuccessful. People thought that reading books on a computer screen was going to revolutionize the book industry. It never happened because backlighting causes sever eye strain.
Currently, the thing that works best is e-ink technology and pretty much all ereaders use it, the Kindle and Sony Reader included.
If newer technology is invented (and Apple can probably do it) then the playing field would no longer be level.
DisneyKevin
10-03-2009, 10:55 PM
Kevin - do you read more than one book at a time?
At the moment, I am reading two.
I have not been reading for a couple months, but I usually have a few books going at any given time.
I'm still having trouble with anything that doesnt allow me the option of a larger font....but hopefully that will change soon.
bookworm0312
10-03-2009, 11:54 PM
A friend recently received a Kindle for her birthday and we were laughing because she keeps trying to turn the page,[/QUOTE]
Along those same lines...I had something funny happen right after I received my Kindle. I "read myself to sleep" and have trained myself, with a real book, to grab my place with my free hand as I start to fall asleep.
I felt pretty silly when I slammed my hand into the middle of my kindle cover as I felt myself drifting off the first night!
padisneylover
10-04-2009, 06:00 AM
I have to say I love my Kindle. Had Kindle 1 and then got Kindle 2 since I had a friend who wanted a Kindle and couldn't afford it so gave her my old one and bought the new one. Now I have an I Touch and I love having the ability to add my Kindle books to it. Since the I Touch is smaller and will hold games, movies and such it makes it an easy way to travel with out having to take another device.
They might have an open format...but books you buy from the Sony Library cant be read elsewhere. I had a great many books on my Reader that went with the machine when I gave it away.
Yes, that was the case. Sony has abandoned the format and new books at the Sony store are now in the non-proprietary format. I believe they will eventually convert all of their offerings.
Clearly, if you have large text needs or travel frequently, the current readers can be an over the top device.
Hey, if I was not interested in the product class I wouldn't bother posting about it. For me, the combo of price and format wars is enough to keep me from adding another electronic device at this time. Not to say I won't get one in the future.
DisneyKevin
10-04-2009, 09:30 AM
Yes, that was the case. Sony has abandoned the format and new books at the Sony store are now in the non-proprietary format. I believe they will eventually convert all of their offerings.
I had heard that Sony was allowing you to download from other sources, but you still cant read a SOny book on a Kindle....or vice versa.
I wish you dould.
Maybe some day.
Had I not developed eye problems, I would not have strayed from my Sony Reader. It was well loved.
The inability to make the font large enough and the low background / font contrast were the deciding factors.
I had heard that Sony was allowing you to download from other sources, but you still cant read a SOny book on a Kindle....or vice versa.
I wish you dould.
Maybe some day.
Had I not developed eye problems, I would not have strayed from my Sony Reader. It was well loved.
The inability to make the font large enough and the low background / font contrast were the deciding factors.
Yes, you are correct. The Kindle is the better device from a font and contrast stand point. I would buy the referb Kindle right now if it could read ePub books from my library, but alas it can't. That is a killer for me. Not that the Library has an exhaustive inventory of books, but they are there for free. I'm hoping any Apple foray into the market will force Bezos to open up the Kindle a little.
DisneyKevin
10-04-2009, 09:53 AM
Yes, you are correct. The Kindle is the better device from a font and contrast stand point. I would buy the referb Kindle right now if it could read ePub books from my library, but alas it can't. That is a killer for me. Not that the Library has an exhaustive inventory of books, but they are there for free. I'm hoping any Apple foray into the market will force Bezos to open up the Kindle a little.
I'm just happy to be able to read again. :)
Have you ever visited the Kindle discussion boards on Amazon?
They can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=sv_kinh_6
THere is always an ongoing discussion about the different formats.
You might find them interesting.
I'm just happy to be able to read again. :)
Have you ever visited the Kindle discussion boards on Amazon?
They can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=sv_kinh_6
THere is always an ongoing discussion about the different formats.
You might find them interesting.
Yes, I have been to the Kindle boards... very informative. Some interesting discussions both pro and con.
I hear you about being able to read again. The readers play an important role in serving those with vision issues. A close friend of mine has similar vision issues to you and he is frustrated by the format restrictions. I wish the industry could get over their hang ups and make it easier for people to move their books among multiple devices. As you said, hopefully in the near future things will move in that direction.
PinkBudgie
10-04-2009, 10:41 AM
I read more than one book at a time too! I currently have 3 books going now! :rotfl:
I just got an itouch and put both kindle and stanza on it. So far I've only used Stanza because it has the public domain books for free that kindle has for a dollar or so. But if I purchase a book I will use kindle. I went to look and just couldn't decide, so I'll wait. The kindle unit looks very easy on the eyes and I would love one someday, but right now I can't spend the extra money on it. I have to say reading in bed with books can be hard especially with a hard back book. An e-reader would be much easier.
It is exciting to see so many different types of ereaders. Maybe eventually the kindle price will drop further.
karen l
10-04-2009, 10:56 AM
I love my Kindle. It's light and easy to carry when traveling. It's also nice to order a book when sitting around waiting for someone. LOL
When reading the article it said that most people only read around 1,500 books in their lifetime. I wonder where they came up with that number? I feel like I have definitely read more than that already in my life. LOL
I forgot to add that I'll still be buying actual books of my very favorite authors so I can keep my collections whole too.
I'm with you - where did they get 1500 books in a lifetime?
I'm saving my money to buy a kindle - hopefully next year.
Kindle users might find this picture amusing. Sorry the link below only takes you to the Kindle gallery page. I intended to link to a picture on page four of the gallery where someone put their Kindle in a zip-lock bag so they could take it in the bath tub.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B00154JDAI/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all
katscradle
10-06-2009, 12:03 AM
I would really like a kindle.
Does anyone know when they might be available in Canada?
DisneyKevin
10-06-2009, 10:01 AM
I would really like a kindle.
Does anyone know when they might be available in Canada?
It's my understanding thatKindle isnt available outside of the US yet due to book licensing agreements.
I understand that the next place Kindle will be available is the UK.
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