OT- E readers, Sony, Kindle etc....

[rjan67]

Anyone have one? Likes and dislikes? Are we able to use the Kindle in Canada yet? I have been looking at the Sony e-reader 6 inch, but I see (in the U.S.) there is now a 7 inch? Does anyone download books from their library? How does that work? Any information appreciated?

 

[lilmissbehaved]

Anyone have one? Likes and dislikes? Are we able to use the Kindle in Canada yet? I have been looking at the Sony e-reader 6 inch, but I see (in the U.S.) there is now a 7 inch? Does anyone download books from their library? How does that work? Any information appreciated?

I have a couple year old generation 1 Kindle. I LOVE it.
They make an international version and i think you would need that for Canada but I'm not sure.

This may have changed since I bought mine, but what i like about the kindle that sony didn't have at the time is that i can download books via my device without being connected to the computer.. I also don't have to sync it via the computer because all purchases are stored on your amazon account.. so if i choose to delete the book and decide a year later that i want to re-read it, I can easily download it again via my account w/o saving it anywhere..

The other difference (at the 2 year old time of my purchase) is that the sony screen has lighting, the kindle screen does not.. I also appreciate this because it makes me feel more like I'm looking at a book and not a screen, and I didn't want any extra eye strain..

It's really the best purchase i ever made. I read lots more.... You don't realize you are looking at a screen and not a book, and the instant access to lots of reading is wonderful.

 

[Gwendolyn]

I have a BeBook and I absolutely love it. It really reads like a real book.

The good thing is that it can take months before the battery empties even when you dont turn the BeBook off, due to the fact that the only time energy is needed is when you "flip" a page. I actually tend to read in bed, and end up falling asleep while reading. And the battery just as "fully charged" as before I fell asleep.
Another plus for the BeBook original is that it DOESNT have a touch screen so that energie will not be wasted over that.

Ive been checking up on multiple e-readers and the BeBook is the most versatile. It can read almost every type of file. .doc, .txt, .pdf among a lot of others.

I am not a fan of Kindle since it is Amazon only. And Amazon can control YOUR Kindle, even after purchase. Ive heard of a book that people purchased on amazon for their Kindle, and appearantly Amazon took that book out of their collection and deleted it from ALL Kindles that ever purchased that book

 

[gilsan]

My Mom got a kindle for Christmas and really likes it. I was surprised how much I liked it. It has the 3G built in so you can download books anywhere. My parents live outside Mahone Bay in a rural NS area and have no trouble downloading books.

Chapters has one, the Kobo, that will be available soon. It looks nice and the price is excellent, $149. It also comes with 100 classic books pre-loaded. It uses wi-fi to download, no 3G.

I am personally waiting for the ipad. You can get the kindle/kobo app so you can read/download your books through their apps. Plus all the benefits of the ipad, websurfing, e-mail, movies, etc. The big question with ipad is the cost of the 3G, in the US they are offering it at a good price with no contract, I hope Canada will have a similar plan

 

[lilmissbehaved]

I am not a fan of Kindle since it is Amazon only. And Amazon can control YOUR Kindle, even after purchase. Ive heard of a book that people purchased on amazon for their Kindle, and appearantly Amazon took that book out of their collection and deleted it from ALL Kindles that ever purchased that book

actually you can download non amazon books on the kindle.. it has a really basic web browser and you can pretty easily get to non-amazon sites and DL .. i have a TON of non amazon content on there.

They did have an issue like you described above though- was a copyright issue on a book purchased through amazon-- they did delete it from everyone's kindle -- later apologizing for the error in judgment.. They do control your amazon account and can delete purchases stored there i would imagine

 

[dis_guy]

actually you can download non amazon books on the kindle.. it has a really basic web browser and you can pretty easily get to non-amazon sites and DL .. i have a TON of non amazon content on there.

They did have an issue like you described above though- was a copyright issue on a book purchased through amazon-- they did delete it from everyone's kindle -- later apologizing for the error in judgment.. They do control your amazon account and can delete purchases stored there i would imagine

The book that they deleted was Orwell's 1984. Is that ironic or what? The issue was that the publisher who put on the Kindle store did not actually have the rights to the material, so Amazon had no choice. But after the uproar (justifiably so, too) Amazon had so much back pedalling to do, I'm sure they'll practice due diligence in the future.

I have a Kindle 2. By far my favourite feature is the newspaper subscription. Every morning my Edmonton Journal appears and I start my day with it. We're very rural so having a newspaper "delivered" to my home is novel, to say the least.

All in all my K2 experience has been very positive. And yes, I do find I'm reading more than I was when I toted around a book.

 

[nat1234]

I'm going to speak up for the Sony reader. I have one and love it. Mine holds about 160 books with expansion slots for an SD card to hold more. I can download books from my local library and at the end of the lending period the files stop working so you've returned the book. You're aren't able to do that with a Kindle. No mine doesn't have Wifi, but I just need a book and I'm happy. I screen isn't backlit to reduce eye strain and the page really does look like a paperback book page. There's something about turning the page of a real book but this is convenient to just slip in my purse when I have and appointment and may be waiting for a while.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

Happy Kindle 2 user here.

I love gadgets so I was really excited when the Kindles became available in Canada.

Here are the pluses (in my opinion)
- the e-ink screen is really easy on the eyes, looks just like paper
- since it isn't backlit you can read it in the full sun
- long battery life, I charge usually once every week and a half and it really is still just below half battery at that stage
- lots of available content from other than amazon, plenty of sites where you can get public domain books for free
- don't need your pc/laptop since it has 3g coverage
- you can archive books with amazon (amazon purchased only) if you are short of space (but since it hold 1500 books....)
- has text to speech option so your can have it read to you if you like.


Here are some of the drawbacks
- not colour or touchscreen - don't matter to me but would make it more flashy
- books can be sorted a few ways but there is no way to set up folders so that you can organize your content - amazon has indicated that they are working on an upgrade for this
- it's not a multipurpose device - you can have music on it but it doesn't have the multfunctionality of the ipad
- no light so you can't read in the dark - just like a book that way and you can buy a light if you are so inclined
- doesn't easily borrow books from the library - there is a work around but not being hugely technical I would like it to work easier

The best thing - When you leave on vacation - you can take ALL your books along....want something new....you don't even have to leave your pool chair, just download it from the "cloud"
Second best thing - Amazon customer service! They don't want you to be unhappy. I have had a few questions/concerns and they really went the extra mile to help.

As a stand alone reading device it is awesome. I think I will eventually buy an IPAD because it is so cool, but the reading experience on a dedicated e-reader is still a better option as far as I'm concerned. I don't leave home without it!

 

[damo]

Chapters is coming out with one called the Kobo.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/kobo/kobo-promo.html

 

[tiggerrr]

Count me as another satisfied Kindle 2 owner. I was really sold on the e-ink/no-backlighting in whatever reader I chose.

I seriously looked at the Sony e-reader, but the one that is the same screen size as the Kindle is a touch screen and the glare was noticeable (Best Buy sells them if you want to take a look). The non-touch screen e-reader looked great, but the screen is an inch smaller. So I went with the Kindle.

I initially balked at it because you are locked into their format and by extension their site. Yes, I know you can get free books elsewhere and convert them to the Kindle format, but 99% of what I want to read is stuff you need to pay for and you can only buy those books from Amazon (which is why you get the free 3G connection). But, I haven't noticed a significant price difference between them and anyone else, and I already bought 90% of my paper books from Amazon.ca anyway, so in the end I chose the Kindle.

 

[rjan67]

Thanks everyone! I watched Oprah yesterday and saw the ipad and although it might not fit in my purse....I may want one of those! Decisions, decisions!!!