e reader

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Anyone got an e reader? Which one and how much? Do you guys like it? I go back and forth since I love to read, but I borrow books from the library. And yes the reader would be easier to download books instead of going to get them.

And I know they dropped in price, but still seem pricey. I refused because of how expensive they were.

[MonkeyMama]

$150? I bought one with a gift certificate I got for Christmas - so didn't pay that much.

I got the nook. After my dh got a free kindle (those are bout $129?). I didn't have much interest in one until I saw it in action. Now I am in love with it.

We decided on the nook because it is compatible with our library system (whereas the kindle isn't).

I like the nook better because it has a touch screen (MUCH easier to navigate than the kindle) and I also have enjoyed that the ebook look more like a real book (with pages and chapters) on the nook. The kindle doesn't seem to work the same way - which is frustrating to navigate.

They are both similar in size and weight.

The kindle admittedly uses up less batteries since it does not have the touch screen interface. That said, the battery life on both is pretty awesome.

B&N is currently promoting the nook pretty heavy, so lot of great ebook deals at current - which was probably a deciding factor for me. (I love the library ebook option, but not much selection at current).

[kork13]

I'm having trouble getting it shipped to me overseas, but except for that, I'd have had one in my hot little hands by now... I'm working on getting a Kindle. Between the e-books available, and its PDF capability (there are alot of free e-books out there in PDF format, as are many of the "textbooks" for my master's degree), I'm totally sold. A friend let me check out theirs, and I'm really quite impressed. Plus, the battery life is fantastic. As soon as I can get someone to accept delivery of it then re-send it to me, I'm going to get one.

I'm not impressed with the iPad or the Sony reader. I've heard some good stuff about the Nook (as MM brings up), but I've not been able to play with that one.

[feh]

We have a public library fairly close to our home; it's not out of our way to stop there. Given that situation, I put e-readers firmly in the "waste of money" category. Three figures to buy the device, and then buying every book adds up to a lot of money, IMO.

[disneysteve]

I use the Kindle app on my iPhone. I'm not a big reader, though, and I refuse to buy new books. When I do read something, either I borrow it from the library or I pick it up at a yard sale for a quarter. Kindle does have a lot of free books, though. Right now, I'm reading "The Island of Dr. Moreau."

I think the whole e-reader thing is a waste of money. At least when you buy a physical book, you can turn around and sell it or donate it when you are done and recoup some of the cost, or you can just buy used in the first place for a fraction of the cost. With an e-book, you spend the money and get nothing back.

[bjl584]

My Mom got one for Xmas. I haven't seen it yet, but she said that she loves it. I don't know the details on it though.

[MonkeyMama]

PErsonally, I think what I love the most about it is the no clutter factor. I think with time a lot of you will come around. Not that I expect you to today. But I think it will come down to people who want piles of books and those who want one little book-sized place to keep them all. Some of my book loving friends want to keep their massive libraries and hold books in their hand. My spouse is more like that - but I don't like a lot of stuff, which is why I have come to love the ereader. (I felt more like the rest of you before I actually tried it out).

I personally don't foresee spending much money on ebooks (ebook prices are comparable with used books, though you are right - can not sell them). I still prefer to get most my ebooks from the library.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I only use the library or read in a bookstore. But where I live there are a ton of ebooks so i'm getting a nook or sony e reader for sure. But I just want it in price to drop more. I want it under $99 and I've looked used, but people sure are asking a lot. Seems like a lot of people get it as a gift but don't want it so it's unused and close to full price. Sounds good, but if I'm getting a $5 or $10 discount I'd rather buy it new and get a full warranty and know I can take it back with receipt. If it were a 50% discount or 25% then maybe.

[MonkeyMama]

I am sure prices will come down. I'd give it a little bit more time. But they are becoming much more common.

[DayByDay]

The price came down enough to tempt me. I just got a Kindle two weeks ago.

My library is far away (costing me time and gas money), has no parking available half the time, and doesn't have a good selection (county wide) of the types of books I like to read. Now I don't have to deal with that or ever be stuck without something to read when I feel like reading (which is a lot - I'm a bookworm).

The free internet access on the Kindle is great, too, since I don't have mobile internet access on my cell phone (it's just a basic pre-paid phone for emergencies).

For those reasons, the Kindle will pay for itself soon enough for me. So far I've downloaded almost 100 free ebooks, and I've only barely browsed the free ebooks available. And the fact that ebooks that must be purchased are cheaper than regular books is a plus, too.

[jpg7n16]

But I think it will come down to people who want piles of books and those who want one little book-sized place to keep them all. Some of my book loving friends want to keep their massive libraries and hold books in their hand.

What is the backup plan like?

I don't know how comfortable I'd be having my entire library subject to a hard drive crash. But if they had a decent backup system, that might be something for me to look into.

I have too many books anyways but at least I can sell some of these back!

[kork13]

For Kindle (don't know about the others), anything you get from their eBook store is archived on their servers, and you can re-download it anytime. Otherwise, how do you back up all of the other data you keep on your computer? eBooks would be no different.

I absolutely love to read, but one reason I often hesitate to buy a book is because I know I'll frequently read a book once and never read it again. So I don't want to clutter up my place. However, with eBooks (many of which are free, since I'm mostly a fan of classics anyway), I can read it the one time and be done with it, no mess. And for those books I do absolutely love, I'm probably going to buy them in hardback anyway so I can read them over and over and over again. While I agree that Amazon's eBook prices (mostly $10/book) are a little high (I'd personally put them in the $5-$8 range), I think the convenience of not having to deal with a book after you've read it is totally worth it.

Besides, how often do you truly go about trying to re-sell books? And if you bought it for $15-$20 (or more), do you really think you'll get more than 50% of it back on resale? I see the eBook's cost as about the same sunk cost as buying a physical book, but without the hassle of having to deal with it after I've read it the one or two times that I want to.

[snafu]

I'm a Kindle fan. Cheap, easy, to use. it doesn't have the research materials I need yet but I expect it will change my life as much as having my own laptop or iphone.

[rj.phila]

got a kindle. i read probably 3-10 times more books now. LOVE it.

[disneysteve]

For Kindle (don't know about the others), anything you get from their eBook store is archived on their servers, and you can re-download it anytime.

You can also read a book on any of your devices - your Kindle, your iPhone, your iPad, etc. You can start reading on one device and pick up where you left off on another device. Pretty neat, actually.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of single-use devices. I'm much more apt to get an iPad. While that can be used as an e-book device, it can also be used for thousands of other purposes. Yes, it costs a lot more, but it also does a lot more.