Ereaders

**Traffic Goddess** · 03-15-11, 03:49 AM

Hi, my name is Traffic Goddess and I am a reading addict.

(Hello, TG)

Seriously, though....I LOVE to read. I never thought I'd give up the feel of a good book for an ereader but then I was seduced by the evil that is Sony.

My first one was a basic Sony reader that still was an outrageous $300. I wore the thing out, literally. So, I jumped at the new version that had a touch screen and a backlit screen. That baby was almost $700. I still have it and it's nice to have when I can't sleep but I want to read in bed without disturbing the hubby. But, it still has some kinks that need worked out. It loves to freeze up and then be out of commission for several days until it suddenly decides to cooperate. (I think it is possessed.)

Then, for Christmas, my hubby bought me a Kindle. It's definitely a great deal at a low price, has free wifi and wireless downloading. The newest books are still half the price of the hardcopies.

I do have to admit that I have some issues with the idea of sharing ebooks is illegal. Why is it that I can buy a book in a book store and then loan it out to anyone I choose as many times as I choose and that is okay....but, if I have an ebook and share it with someone, it's against the law?
I get and understand the whole copyright thing, but isn't it basically the same issue if it is a hard copy that is being passed around?

What do y'all think?

TG

**Buttercup** · 03-15-11, 09:28 AM

I was given a Kindle for Christmas and while it doesn't replace the tactile sensation of a real book, the convenience of having many books easily available to me is fantastic. I travel frequently and it's so much easier to carry the Kindle than to carry several books.

As for the sharing, I agree - it doesn't make sense that some books cannot be shared. Plus, I think that with the Kindle you can only loan the book only once and only for 2 weeks.

**Traffic Goddess** · 03-15-11, 08:23 PM

I will be so happy when most textbooks can be ebooks. When I just traveled to Florida for Spring Break (I did the "older person" type...I stayed on a yacht with friends of mine), I had to lug most of my text books with me because I still had work, including a Constitutional Law mid-term.....
I did get to see an actual rocket launch (we were anchored right be Cape Canaveral) and I heard the twin sonic booms of the shuttle as it landed by sprawled on Cocoa Beach. But, the best part was meeting some wild manatees. I'll have to post some pics!

**Tango Zulu 22** · 03-16-11, 03:44 PM

I've just been given a Kindle 3G as a present - brilliant bit of kit.

**keith720** · 03-16-11, 04:19 PM

While I recognize the convenience of such devices, as a book lover, I have yet to concede to the electronic format!

**Mike325** · 03-16-11, 08:39 PM

If I were in your shoes I'd get an iPad 2, serves your function or ereader and does so much more!

**Ducky** · 03-16-11, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by keith720

While I recognize the convenience of such devices, as a book lover, I have yet to concede to the electronic format!

As co-owner of a brick and mortar bookstore, I concur.

**Traffic Goddess** · 03-16-11, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Mike325

If I were in your shoes I'd get an iPad 2, serves your function or ereader and does so much more!

Mike- Surprisingly, I found that I can cruise the net with the Kindle, didn't know I could do that, and it's free wireless and 3G. But, I'm waiting on the iPads until all the kinks are worked out, like reading it in daylight. I spend a lot of time on our boat in the sun.

Ducky- Where's your store? If it's close, I'd love to patronize it. Do you handle textbooks? I'd be glad to give you my business because of the apb connection...feel free to PM me with info if I can order if you are too far away.
TG

**Traffic Goddess** · 03-16-11, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Tango Zulu 22

I've just been given a Kindle 3G as a present - brilliant bit of kit.

Tango-
I probably wouldn't have bought it for myself, but my hubby got it for me. Like I said, my only complaint is that it doesn't have a backlight in the screen so it can be a PITA to have a booklight so I don't keep the husband awake.
I'm into the apocalyptic type books, lately...I find them fascinating.
TG

**Odd** · 03-17-11, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by keith720

While I recognize the convenience of such devices, as a book lover, I have yet to concede to the electronic format!

Have the entire Encyclopedia Britannica on a compact disc! Read it cover to cover on your PC Jr!

The experience didn't translate well. Encyclopedias were densely packed volumes of limited information. Even as densely packed as they could be they took up half a bookshelf. So, change the user experience, make it one CD instead of a bookshelf - turns out that introduces the reverse problem. Now we have too limited information on a conveniently sized product...and what does this modem thingy offer?

Hmm, should this discussion be branched to fiction and non fiction?

When I sit down to read a novel I'll get through a hundred before a pee and olive break, then a couple hundred more - and I'm easily distracted. I'd love to see the page/session numbers between Kindle (hardware) and Kindle on iOS/Android. I find I read about five pages on a phone device (in the Kindle app or ePub) before my mind wanders and I start thinking about the rate of the battery drain, or if I should check email, or if I turned off the IM client, or...or...or..

Haven't even tried non fiction on an e-reader though. Currently a couple chapters into The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and I don't know that I'd have made it past the first six pages yet if I could run off to Google or hit Wikipedia whenever a name came up.

I'm no luddite, and while I am more wary of praising new tech prematurely over time my bigger question is whether old texts will survive the technological changes. Even as I wish for "click for detail" annotations in this book I can't help wonder how they would impact the trajectory of argument originally contained in the text.