RE: e-readers (Full Version)

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TheHeretic -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 7:34:03 AM)

Aren't specific e-readers already a dying technology? I picked up a Toshiba Thrive tablet a while back that has far more capabilities, and the wife has a whole library of books built up on it.

Call me old fashioned, but I've never had the battery go dead, or the page refuse to turn, in a paperback.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 7:51:16 AM)

I never ever buy a book - too heavy and take up far too much space.

I don't/won't ever by a kindle or a nook or any other type of e-reader either - too limited.
And yes, I think they are very much a limited and dying technology.

I just grab ebooks/epubs etc from torrents.
Free and easy to use on my PC and being small only take seconds to download.
Whatever is available for an e-reader is available for a PC so doesn't cost a dime.


Just my [sm=2cents.gif]



cordeliasub -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 8:22:41 AM)

If you already have an ipad, I would just download the kindle cloud reader for free. That's what I did. Before that I downloaded it for my laptop.

What can I say, I'm cheap. No, not THAT kind of cheap....



Moonlightmaddnes -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 8:24:35 AM)

I just got a Kindle fire for my birthday. I love it.



OsideGirl -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 8:29:26 AM)

I've had a Kindle for 6 years. I still love it. (We each have one now)

I have the ability to carry 1500 books. I have the ability to get a new book even if I'm out in the desert. And one of the things that I like about the older Kindles and the paperwhite, is that it's like reading a book. Reading on something like a computer screen makes my eyes hurt. Those Kindles are like reading a piece of paper.



peppermint -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 10:04:21 AM)

Cheapest Kindle at the moment is $69.  I upgraded to a new Kindle Paperwhite ($119) for my birthday and I love it!!! I can read at night without having a light on.  I never could get those little lights you clip on aimed right.  This is so much easier. Both of these have 2 KB of storage plus you get free cloud storage if you ever run out of room.  That means you can easily put a 2000 or more books on it and use your cloud storage for many more.  I don't think I will ever run out of space.  Neither of these has the built in 3 G wifi.  The Paperwhite was worth the extra $50 in my opinion.  We live full time in a motor home where there just isn't space for many books. 

You have to get an Amazon account if you use your Kindle.  This means registering a credit or debit card with them even if you pay buy gift card.  I pay using an Amazon gift card.  This keeps my spending under control.  I never want to have to have Amazone get paid via the debit card.  It's very easy to check how much money is still on the Amazon card. 

Gary bought me the Kindle Fire HD.  It's nice but it's too much like a computer.  My eyes get tired if I read on it for very long.  The e ink is so much easier on the eyes.  The Fire is nice because basically I have a tiny computer that is easily carried around in a purse.  We'll probably use it a lot when we do over night traveling. 



jlf1961 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 10:42:51 AM)

When the Apocalyptic EMP from a CME renders unshielded electronics useless, and the massive meteor hits the planet messing up civilization as we know it, people will look at those e readers and then try to find an honest to god book.

Of course that is after they find food, water, shelter, and heat.

Besides, a red blooded normal 13 year old teenage boy cannot take the center fold out of an e reader and put it on his wall.



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 11:11:33 AM)

$119 for something you can read for FREE???

I use e-reader software that makes the e-books/epubs and PDF's even look like books and paper.
The pages even turn just like a paper book.
I can even make turning the pages sound like a real book!

And of course, I don't need any extra light.
I can adjust the background to any colour, texture or brightness I care to choose.
I can change the size, font and colour of the text being displayed.
I assume you meant 2GB of storage rather than just 2KB?
I have well over 5,000GB (11TB) for storage - I don't need 'cloud'.
For cloud, you need to be online - I don't have to be online for mine.
I can increase my storage capacity almost ad-infinitum - you can't do that with cloud or small e-readers.
I don't need any dedicated hardware to use it.
I'm not likely to drop it or damage it in any way and it's not easily stolen.
I can do lots of other things apart from reading ebooks.
I can read all sorts of different formats - not just ebooks or epubs.

I don't need an account anywhere.
I don't need to give anyone my credit card details.
I'm not tied to any particular company or website. [sm=ballchain.gif]
Oh, and did I mention it was FREE??


I think kindles, nooks and similar things are for those with more money than sense.
It's a novelty thing like an executive desk toy that has no real purpose.
And like all those novelty toys, it's a show-off snobbery item with extremely limited use.




freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 11:16:04 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

When the Apocalyptic EMP from a CME renders unshielded electronics useless, and the massive meteor hits the planet messing up civilization as we know it, people will look at those e readers and then try to find an honest to god book.

Of course that is after they find food, water, shelter, and heat.

They'll probably use real books for the fire [:D]
I'd hate to be near the toxic fumes of burning kindles!!

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
Besides, a red blooded normal 13 year old teenage boy cannot take the center fold out of an e reader and put it on his wall.

But they could grab the image and wallpaper their whole room with a gazillion prints of it!! [sm=biggrin.gif]



peppermint -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 11:21:18 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1

$119 for something you can read for FREE???

I use e-reader software that makes the e-books/epubs and PDF's even look like books and paper.
The pages even turn just like a paper book.
I can even make turning the pages sound like a real book!




So are you using a computer for your reading?  I hate reading a computer screen for very long.  My eyes begin to tear and the screen starts to blur.  So the $119 is well worth it to me to be able to read comfortably for hours on a rainy day. 



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 11:38:06 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: peppermint

quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1

$119 for something you can read for FREE???

I use e-reader software that makes the e-books/epubs and PDF's even look like books and paper.
The pages even turn just like a paper book.
I can even make turning the pages sound like a real book!




So are you using a computer for your reading?  I hate reading a computer screen for very long.  My eyes begin to tear and the screen starts to blur.  So the $119 is well worth it to me to be able to read comfortably for hours on a rainy day. 


Must be a bad setup or not sitting comfortably.
Any electronic screen is the pretty much the same - it needs to be setup correctly.

And I can plug in anything from a 2inch micro-screen to a whopping 84inch screen and bigger.
The software can be used on just about anything on IOS, Windows, Linux, Android... etc.
So it can be used on the smallest smart phone or tablet to the biggest PC you care to want to use.
I can choose what sized screen I want to view it on. Can you?

There will come a time when they will start publishing full-colour illustrated, animated and even movie-clip type ebooks and your kindle won't be able to handle those without buying the newer and more expensive models.
There are already some illustrated ebooks and it won't be long before that format starts expanding to meet user expectations and demands for bigger and better - just like the PC, laptops, netbooks and now tablets.
That, to me, is dead-end technology and a waste of money.


No, kindles and the like are extremely limited technology and will have a very limited lifespan.



peppermint -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:01:47 PM)

There are advantage and disadvantages to both e ink and LCD screens.  I remember reading books online 10 years ago before Kindles and Nooks.  I found it unsatisfactory then.  A great atvantage to e ink is that is doesn't keep you awake as an LCD screen can do.  It is easier to take the Kindle to bed than a computer monitor.  I can go 4 weeks or more on a charge which your computer will not do.  The books I read don't normally have any illustrations and the few illustrations they do have are visible on the Kindle.  I read e books to read, not watch movie clips.  Heck, I seldom watch move type movies let alone ones in a book. 

The Kindle e ink devices are a way to read books.  It is a dedicated reader as you have pointed out.  It costs 1/3 or less than the price of a new computer,depending on the type of computer and Kindle.  The Kindle does not require a touch screen computer screen which I do not have nor plan on getting. 

It really comes down to choice.  I have computers.  I have Kindles.  I use the computer for going online.  I use the Kindle for reading. 

( Tries to picture myself in bed with an 84 inch monitor) 



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:09:25 PM)

My PC didn't cost me a bean.
Neither did my laptop.
Neither did my screen - which isn't a touch screen.

A semi-decent 2nd-hand smart phone or tablet costs less than half a standard kindle.
They are more versatile than a kindle and usually more portable.
My son got his smart phone for free too and he's an avid reader - much more than I am.


I still maintain that a kindle is nothing more than a snobbery-styled desk toy.



JeffBC -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:16:58 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
$119 for something you can read for FREE???

Well... no. For me the money for the reader (iPad in my case) had more to do with utility. Honestly, several hundred pounds of books didn't fit well into our new "global gypsy" lifestyle. The other thing is I'm a voracious reader on airplanes. I'll typically take 6 paperbacks with me to go on a round trip flight. That also is a lot of weight. I find it very convenient to have hundreds of books, some music, and even some movies available at my beck and call.

quote:

I use e-reader software that makes the e-books/epubs and PDF's even look like books and paper.

No you don't. No modern computer screen has the resolution for that. A typical monitor right now is ~90 pixels per inch and it causes a fair amount of eye strain. A book, depending on how you want to measure it, can be considered AT LEAST 300ppi. Interestingly, the Apple retina display actually approaches printed legibility.

The bottom line though isn't readability since our eyes/brains are pretty adaptable. For me it's convenience. Even with my very high-end 24" monitor I prefer to read on my ipad because I can do it sitting in the back yard, on the couch, at the park, etc. Sitting in a computer chair is something I have to do too much anyway.

quote:

I don't need an account anywhere. I don't need to give anyone my credit card details.

very valid points

quote:

I'm not tied to any particular company or website.

Neither am I. I get my ebooks for my iPad from all over the place. And if I get them from a corporation (apple/amazon) the very first thing I do is crack the encryption so that I not tied to the vendor.

quote:

Oh, and did I mention it was FREE??

You got a free computer? Where?

quote:

I think kindles, nooks and similar things are for those with more money than sense.

Or, alternately, you simply assume that your needs are everyone's.



OsideGirl -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:22:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
No, kindles and the like are extremely limited technology and will have a very limited lifespan.



My Kindle is almost 6 years old and it's doing just fine. That's longer than any computer I've owned.



peppermint -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:25:05 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1

My PC didn't cost me a bean.
Neither did my laptop.
Neither did my screen - which isn't a touch screen.

A semi-decent 2nd-hand smart phone or tablet costs less than half a standard kindle.
They are more versatile than a kindle and usually more portable.
My son got his smart phone for free too and he's an avid reader - much more than I am.


I still maintain that a kindle is nothing more than a snobbery-styled desk toy.



You are very fortunate that people are willing to give you their old computers.  Gary has a nice Android phone too and it has to recharge every night.  We have to be careful when we are out and about and using it as a GPS because the phone runs out of juice. 

As I said previously, it is a matter of choice.  You have your preference and I have my own.  So how often do you take yout free computer to bed and read for a couple hours before you drift off to sleep?  How long can you read when you go camping out in the woods on your computer with no electricity?  Can you sit outside in the sunshine and easily read with that glare on your monitor?  Heck, that is one of the disadvantages of the Kindle Fire, and I will admit that.  As with a computer, reading the Fire with it's LCD screen outside is nearly impossible. 

Yes, a computer can do many things a Kindle e reader can not do.  I will admit that.  You are very very right in saying that.  The Kindle was not meant to replace a computer.  I will say that a Kindle has a format for reading that is so superior to your computer that is is worth paying the $69.  With people giving you and your son phones and computers, surely you can find someone to donate a Kindle. 



freedomdwarf1 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:46:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
Well... no. For me the money for the reader (iPad in my case) had more to do with utility.

You are using an iPad - and that was my point against specific e-readers like the kindle.
iPads are much more versatile than a simple e-reader for what they cost.
Kindles and nooks just aren't worth the money IMHO.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
quote:

I use e-reader software that makes the e-books/epubs and PDF's even look like books and paper.

No you don't. No modern computer screen has the resolution for that. A typical monitor right now is ~90 pixels per inch and it causes a fair amount of eye strain. A book, depending on how you want to measure it, can be considered AT LEAST 300ppi. Interestingly, the Apple retina display actually approaches printed legibility.

I don't have any eye strain from reading my screen at all.
And yes, what's on my screen looks very much like a book.

In fact, sometimes a book with the wrong sized print or typeface actually gives me a headach after a while.
My screen never has and I've been using computers since 1976.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
The bottom line though isn't readability since our eyes/brains are pretty adaptable. For me it's convenience. Even with my very high-end 24" monitor I prefer to read on my ipad because I can do it sitting in the back yard, on the couch, at the park, etc. Sitting in a computer chair is something I have to do too much anyway.

As I can with my small netbook [8D]
Lazing in a hammock, on the bed, in a chair, at the table, on the bus or plane..... anywhere.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
quote:

I don't need an account anywhere. I don't need to give anyone my credit card details.

very valid points

quote:

I'm not tied to any particular company or website.

Neither am I. I get my ebooks for my iPad from all over the place. And if I get them from a corporation (apple/amazon) the very first thing I do is crack the encryption so that I not tied to the vendor.

Many people with a simple kindle/nook wouldn't bother or don't have that knowledge [;)]

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
quote:

Oh, and did I mention it was FREE??

You got a free computer? Where?

Never heard of Freecycle or Freegle??? I know they have those in the US.

I have nine full-sized PC's here as well as the various laptops, netbooks and other devices attached to my network here - some wired, some WiFi.
None of it, including the 2x 24-port switches, 4x 16-port switches and the handful of 5-port switches and HomePlugs here has cost me anything at all.
Actually, tell a lie, one PC cost me £2.50 (~$4) for a network card.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffBC
quote:

I think kindles, nooks and similar things are for those with more money than sense.

Or, alternately, you simply assume that your needs are everyone's.


I don't actually.
But I know an expensive dead-end product when I see one. [8D]

Like your iPad, my son's smart phome and my small netbook compare very well with a kindle.
And mine didn't cost me a dime. [:D]



jlf1961 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 12:52:10 PM)

I still prefer the written word on a wood pulp and recycled material medium giving one the ability, should the desire arise, to highlight passages in a scholarly volume.

Besides throwing a kindle or e reader across a room at someone not paying attention is just not as satisfying as lobbing a five or six pound text at their heads, which according to friends who are instructors at various institutions of higher learning is still a practice, although the point is not to actually hit the student, but hit the floor or wall and scare the living shit out of them. Actually it is more often the act of dropping said text of considerable mass to the floor resulting in a loud noise.

And a 11 month old toddler can pick up a kindle or e reader and walk off with it, where as the history texts I have been reading of late are a bit too bulky and heavy for him to accomplish such a feat.

Yes I am actively considering finishing my masters, and although the texts required are available for kindle, ipad, and other electronic media, I still would prefer actual books... It just looks better when doing research to have a pile of books surrounding your work space as you do research.

Have I ever mentioned that I am an old fashioned old geezer type male?



OsideGirl -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 1:05:14 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
should the desire arise, to highlight passages in a scholarly volume.


You can highlight in Kindle.



jlf1961 -> RE: e-readers (2/23/2013 1:24:47 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: OsideGirl


quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961
should the desire arise, to highlight passages in a scholarly volume.


You can highlight in Kindle.




In neon yellow? It has to be neon yellow, or it is not really highlighting you know, that is the fourth universal law of creation.

And since I have seen no evidence of a programing change in the program that formed creation, that universal law has not changed.



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