Please tell me about e-readers

The Kindle Fire is more of a hybrid device: part eReader, mostly Tablet (like the iPad). If you want something specifically for reading, I would not get the Fire.

I have both the basic, $69 Kindle, and the Kindle Fire. The basic Kindle is much better for traveling with-it's smaller, lighter, and I can read it outside. The only advantage to me with the Fire is that I can turn out the bedroom lights and read in the dark so DH can sleep at home.
 
I've had a Kindle Fire for about a year and a half. I use it a lot to check email, Facebook, etc., but I will admit it took me a while to warm up to reading books on it. Now I love it! I like that it's so portable. I can load books and magazines on it and only have to carry this one little device that fits in my purse. DH had a lengthy medical procedure last month and I had books, magazines and games loaded on my Kindle. I also used the medical center's free Wi-Fi to surf around. Before my Kindle, I would have carted a whole bag full of stuff to keep me occupied for a few hours.

There is one thing that bugs me about reading a book on my Kindle. It's hard to tell when you're getting to the end of a book. You can always see the percentage of pages you've finished, but sometimes books have extra stuff at the end. For example, last night my Kindle showed that I was 75% through a book. It was a mystery that was pretty well wrapped up, but I figured there must be a lot more since I had 25% left. Suddenly, I got to the last page. Then I discovered there was a fairly long preview of the author's next book. In a paper book, I would have been able to look ahead and see that my story ended well before the last page of the book.

The other thing that bugs me is that sometimes I like to go back and look for a particular passage or plot point in the story. It's hard to locate specific things in an ebook. It's a lot easier to flip through actual pages to find what I'm looking for. These are minor gripes. Overall, I love having an eReader!
 
The two best known ones are the Kindle and the Nook. There are also some not as well known brands like Sony and Kobo.

Some are just e-readers and others are more of a tablet that have e-reader capabilities. It all depends on what you want yours to do. Personally, I prefer just the e-reader. I find it's much easier on the eyes and there is no glare even in direct sunlight.

If you buy a Kindle you have to buy your books from Amazon, unless you get the tablet version and download an app that allows you to purchase/get from different sites. Same with the Nook.

I have a Sony and can get my books from pretty much anywhere except Barnes & Noble and Amazon (proprietary software won't let me download).

All of them will let you download from the library. Our library has a pretty good selection. You can take out up to three books at a time and keep them for 2 weeks. I usually return them early so I can get more, but if for some reason I don't they disappear after the 2 weeks is up.
 
I LOVE mine! There are too many replies here so I will not know until I read them all what posters may be able to tell me about my next one.

I have one of the first ones. My wish list for a replacement would be:

A warning that the battery needs recharging (ahead of time?) so many times I'm at a great part in a book then it reads Battery Needs Charge. I seem to always be in bed reading when it happens. :sad:

A lite screen for night reading.

Other then these two features if possible I'm still good with mine.

Edit:. Size does matter! Mine fits conveniently in all my pockets even my bathing suit coverup for cruises!
 

I have one of the first ones. My wish list for a replacement would be:

A warning that the battery needs recharging (ahead of time?) so many times I'm at a great part in a book then it reads Battery Needs Charge. I seem to always be in bed reading when it happens. :sad:

That suggests an answer to my question. I got my Kindle Fire first, which shows the % of battery power left. Then I got a basic kindle, and on that one I can't find such a thing, no matter how many places I've looked. All there seems to be is the little icon, which may or may not show somewhat accurately. Is that it?
 
I LOVE mine! There are too many replies here so I will not know until I read them all what posters may be able to tell me about my next one.

I have one of the first ones. My wish list for a replacement would be:

A warning that the battery needs recharging (ahead of time?) so many times I'm at a great part in a book then it reads Battery Needs Charge. I seem to always be in bed reading when it happens. :sad:

A lite screen for night reading.

Other then these two features if possible I'm still good with mine.

Edit:. Size does matter! Mine fits conveniently in all my pockets even my bathing suit coverup for cruises!

My first question would be what brand do you have now and how important is it to you to be able to read the books you purchased for that eReader on future devices?
 
I love my kindle paper white. It is very easy on the eyes and I can read it with the lights off and still have no eye strain. Since I have Amazon Prime, I get free books through their lending library. They have a huge selection. I browse on the kindle and buy from there. You can borrow one a month which works fine for me since I only read before bed. Our library also has the e-library but I don't finish books fast enough to return in 2 weeks.
 
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My first question would be what brand do you have now and how important is it to you to be able to read the books you purchased for that eReader on future devices?


Kobe. I received it one Christmas (regift). I download free ebooks. Rec'd a $25. Gift card and bought $23. worth of eread from it. However, this is the only $ I've spent as an E reader.
 
I've had a Kindle fire for about a year. I bought it for an international trip because I thought it would be more practical than carrying books. On that trip, I used it for the Wi-Fi as much as a reader. I had no idea how much I was going to love it. I mean LOVE it! I've read several books and use it for web surfing almost as much as the PC.

OP - some books are free and some cost. A much anticipated book that came out last week is going to be $10-$15 while a classic might be $1.99 or free. You can borrow books from the library. Once you set up your account, you can order a book with one click and it appears in your "library" like magic. A few weeks ago, I preordered a book and there it was in my account the day it was published.
 
I have the Nook Simple Touch and I love it! I like it because it is a dedicated ereader (cannot check email, facebook, or anything else online except the Barnes and Noble store). I have bought a few books, but I mostly download them for free from my library. In the last two years, I feel that the library selection has grown so much and I can almost always find what I am looking for. I do sometimes have to wait for the book to become available, but it's never too long.

I love that the screen is not back lit. I spend way too many hours on the computer and don't like to read books on that type of screen.

I love traveling with my Nook too. I don't have to load up a bag with books...now I just bring this little device that easily slips into my bag and doesn't take up much room.


I agree with all of this regarding the Nook Simple Touch. :thumbsup2
 
We have Kobo's, we are Canadian,.

But I just wanted to tell y'all tuebl.ca is your friend!
 
I am shocked no one mentioned this:

You can download the software programs to test out what it is like to download & read off an e-reader, on your computer. (You can also just keep it on your computer to keep reading from your computer.) It mimics what it will look like on an e-reader. This is the same software program, now known as apps, which you can install onto a tablet like the iPad. There are also mobile apps for smartphones. They are all free from each company to download.

If you get a dedicated e-reader like the Nook or the Kindle, you generally have to keep buying only that format eBook, unless you get a converter app to convert the eBook. Kindle format is mobi or azw. The Nook's format is EPUB or PDF.

On a tablet, you download the separate apps for each format from each company. You also download the third format, the PDF app from Adobe. (Not the same app as for opening PDF files. Although some PDF eBooks can be read on a regular PDF file reader.) Then you have all THREE formats on the one tablet (or your PC) to choose from. This way, you are not bound to only one format. You also get to do regular computer work on your tablet, like surf the web, check emails, create a Power Point presentation, take pictures, watch videos, etc. Stuff that e-readers don't do. Tablets, of course are more expensive. But, you also get to do more.


Here are the three formats of apps for eBooks:

Kindle apps: if you get Kindle books from Amazon, your local library or books in the mobi pr azw format.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sa_menu_karl3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Nook for PC: Books from B&N or the local library in the EPUB format. Link at the top of that page for the mobile apps.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-for-pc/379003591/

Adobe Digital Editions which will read library eBook loans in PDF file format as well as EPUB:
http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/


Do a search for your local library's online website. If they have one, they may have an eBook section to download their eBooks for a limited time. Input your library card number, and you are good to go! :coffee:

If their selection is very limited, do a search for your state's libraries. You may find that some will allow you to borrow from a larger library's eBook collection either free or for a small yearly fee.

Last, you can buy a membership for a yearly fee from a few libraries around the U.S. Depending on how many eBooks you read a year, it may be worth the membership to then access thousands of eBooks to download.


My library, the NY Public Library, has over 31,000 eBooks to loan. Many are the latest best sellers. The ability to download eBooks has definitely changed the way I read. I'm able to read so many more books, many in genres I wouldn't have tried before, as I can download and delete at will, if I don't like the book. No waiting to go to the library or choosing how many books I want to lug home.

I'm also able to skim through more eBooks just for research. Never reading the full book, just plucking out pertinent parts I want to read and again deleting right away. a librarian said she noticed many students download this way for research.
 













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