Kindle? Why not a good old fashioned book?

[smkiya]

What is the fascination with Kindle's and E-Readers? Why are they replacing books? I absolutely love my home library. When I read, I like holding a book and flipping the pages. It seems though, that books are becoming obsolete. What makes electronic books better than paper books?

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I agree with you, I love the suspense of actually turning a page in a book and the feel of the book

 

[dodukes]

ita

 

[MEM]

While I love the feel, sound and smell of books, my vision has gotten to the point that I no longer enjoy reading for prolonged periods of time. I already have very strong eyeglasses and I'm not a candidate for surgery. There aren't enough books in Large Print to keep me satisfied so I have decided to buy a Kindle so that I can control the size of the font.

 

[TobiasFunke]

A Kindle is a book, its just condensed in format that makes it easier to carry your library with you. I have a large library of books and switched to the Kindle last year and I love it. I can order a book while at home and have it automatically and if I get bored with one book I can switch to a new one without having to bring the other book with.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I never thought about how the Kindle can help people like you, now I can see why it's popular with some.

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

What is the fascination with Kindle's and E-Readers? Why are they replacing books? I absolutely love my home library. When I read, I like holding a book and flipping the pages. It seems though, that books are becoming obsolete. What makes electronic books better than paper books?

I totally agree with you.
1. I can't afford a kindle gizmo.
2. If we lose power, as long as we have an oil lamp or candle, I can read.
3. I'm kinda old-fashioned and I like books too, as well as
keeping my budget tight and can't help but think
this whole electronic book thing is a racket:
you have to buy the books and I haven't seen any of these available at the library for free, like real books.
Not to mention, will the books be like the gaming systems where they are constantly being updated and old games
won't play on new players so you have to buy the new version of the same thing?

We don't have a gaming system either or a Wii and we still manage to stay quite busy and happy without these things
And to top it all off, my cell phone is only a phone- it doesn't take pictures or surf the web, or play games or anything else
and I like it that way

 

[cseca]

...What makes electronic books better than paper books?

Less space ... no need to figure out where to put more and more DTB (Dead Tree Books). Right now I have over 30 classics in my Nook. I don't have to worry about where I need to put them. Plus I got them for free too!

And if you borrow library books like I do, then it's less time to drive over to pick up and return books.

again... that's only MO, yours of course may vary

oh and one more thing, if you travel like we do and you're an avid reader. You have to know the dreadful feeling when you ran out of things to read
No more of that with ereader, you can pile it with your whole library... The last time we travel I had 12 books in there to read. It was marvelous. No more freaking out trying to figure out where to put piles of books in my suitcase or rolly bag.

 

[allison443]

I totally agree with you.
1. I can't afford a kindle gizmo.
2. If we lose power, as long as we have an oil lamp or candle, I can read.
3. I'm kinda old-fashioned and I like books too, as well as
keeping my budget tight and can't help but think
this whole electronic book thing is a racket:
you have to buy the books and I haven't seen any of these available at the library for free, like real books.
Not to mention, will the books be like the gaming systems where they are constantly being updated and old games
won't play on new players so you have to buy the new version of the same thing?

We don't have a gaming system either or a Wii and we still manage to stay quite busy and happy without these things
And to top it all off, my cell phone is only a phone- it doesn't take pictures or surf the web, or play games or anything else
and I like it that way

There are many free books available. Also with the Nook you can access library books for free. I believe you can also do that for the Kindle but I personally haven't done that.


Also, "a kindle gizmo"? Why do you call it that?

I'm glad you're happy with the way you do things. I don't have all the latest technologies either, but I do see that others might value them/want to have them/just plain like them!

 

[Marionnette]

Its more portable than a book. Plus the applications are endless. We used the 3G connection while we were on vacation. My husband was able to get his daily newspaper from home delivered everyday to his kindle right in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. I also like the fact that I can change the font size when my eyes are bothering me. And the screen isnt back lit like a computer or iphone so there is less eye strain. And you can read it in bright sunlight. The feel and smell of a book are not factors that are important to me. But being able to order a book from amazon and having it right there to read in the train station within seconds is.

 

[StephMK]

Another fan of paper books. I discussed this in an online class this summer. In the e-book favor - you can travel easily w/one and that would be the only appeal for me. Our library does carrry e-books, you get them downloaded for 2 weeks, then it disappears.

I don't have a reader and have no plans to get one. I also love the feel of books and like to be able to refer back to previous sections sometimes. In a real book, I know about where in the book it was based on how far in I was but don't see how that would be easy with a kindle or variation. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes with books.

My younger kids don't bring textbooks home, they log in online for assignments. My oldest still lugs books around in HS, not sure why the HS doesn't go to online access because those are huge, heavy books.

 

[Marionnette]

Oh and it helps the environment b/c Im not killing trees to make books or burning diesel to have them delivered. I happen to love my kindle gizmo and I think that it was worth the small investment.

 

[tlbwriter]

I prefer a "dead tree" book as well, but there are really a lot of things in the Kindle's favor. You can carry many books easily, you can download a new book quickly without having to go to a bookstore, you can search, etc.

 

[Marionnette]

In a real book, I know about where in the book it was based on how far in I was but don't see how that would be easy with a kindle or variation. It will be interesting to see where the industry goes with books.

You can highlight text. You can bookmark a page. You can even write notes on what youve read. The kindle isnt as limited as you might imagine once you take the time to learn how to use the technology.

 

[Tinkh]

I do still buy some books that I will want to keep for extended periods of time. However, I am an avid read. My Nook allows me the options of not having to find space for hundreds of more books, and I also am doing my part for the environment. Think of how many trees that I will personally save by not buying a book or two every single week.

 

[Marionnette]

Oh and another thing. The text to speech feature is great when your eyes are really tired. Then you can have the book read to you. You can also play mp3 music in the background while you read. But that feature is very limited. You cannot shuffle through songs. They just play in order.

 

[RitaE]

the lack of page numbers is about the one thing I don't like about my Kindle.
I do miss being able to glance down at a book and physically seeing I'm about 1/2way through.

The other things mentioned ... A Kindle can still be read if you lose power. I have to plug mine in for a recharge about every 7 to 10 days.

What else I like

No dusting books. No moldy books in my basement. No trying to convince somebody to take all my used book "donations" off my hands because I desperately need space but can't stand to throw out a book. This was a pretty big deal in our house as my husband was developing sinus issues and his Doctor gave us a list of things to eliminate. Old carpeting and old books were big.

No remembering where I left a book or which shelf I left it on or whose bed it might be hiding under. My entire library is right there in one little gizmo. I carry over 1000 books with me and if I get bored with one, I just move on. Don't know what I might want to read while I'm on vacation? Doesn't matter because all my books plus the entire Amazon store will be traveling in my purse.

Easily Searchable text ... Easy to find highlighted text

THE PRICE. I keep track of my book expenditures via my Shelfari account and I now spend about 25% of what I used to on books and I was a frequent user of 2nd hand stores, garage sales and book swap sites. I have such a list of under $3 to free books to read that I could probably stop buying books altogether and not run out of new material to read for 5 or 6 years.

The ability to simultaneously share books. In explanation, I buy a book once and my Mom, my neighbor and I can all read it at the same time on our Kindles. We don't have to take turns.

Easier on my eyes. Adjustable fonts and eInk screen. With my Kindle, I don't feel nearly as blind as I use to.

One Click. One Click. One Click. I can buy a book anytime at almost anywhere. I bought one on a Disney boat last week.

An eBook never has to go out of print. Think of how many books have been lost over the years because the author/publisher doesn't consider it profitable to keep the book on the market.

---
as for the OP another reason why eBooks are replacing physical books is that it is fairly low cost means for a Publisher to get higher risk books onto the market because they don't have to print, ship, and convince retailers to inventory the book and the print run of an eBook is always exactly equal to demand.

There is a new business model of Publishing popping up where a book is offered ebook only and then only the most successful of those make it to print.

 

[Molliday]

While I'd hate for books to ever go away, I think ereaders are getting people to read, that never read much before. My husband is a perfect example.

I love my Nook for probably the most inane reason ever - I love to read outside, or in bed. Outside, I have the wind, and in bed, I have my fan. Reading a book, or even worse, a magazine, is next to impossible when it's windy. (See... told you it was stupid.)

I also have arthritis in one hand, and holding my Nook, is soooo much easier than holding a book.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

I have a kindle and love it. I like how I can have a lot of books without the clutter. I also like the fact that I can buy a book and have it immediately. I read on my commute using public transport and the kindle is popular for commuters because (1) you don't need to carry around a bulky, heavy book in your bag, (2) if you finish your book earlier than expected, you can get another immediately, and (3) you can read whatever you want - even trashy novels - without everyone on the train knowing what you are reading. I like paper copies of things like travel guides, but for regular novels, a kindle really is the way to go. The only downside is the fact that you can't loan books out anymore, but there are way more upsides.

 

[Marionnette]

the lack of page numbers is about the one thing I don't like about my Kindle.
I do miss being able to glance down at a book and physically seeing I'm about 1/2way through.

Im not sure what model your using but I have a dx and the new k3. Both of them have a progress bar at the bottom of the page. It tells you what percentage of the book youve finished.