Using a Kindle

mickoregan

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book. To me, all of the advertised advantages appear to be just clutching at straws - "In the time it takes you to read this review you can download an entire book"????? So what???
The only possible advantage I can think of might be for large unwieldy text books for students.
I never felt over the years that my reading was in any way hampered by having to do it from a pesky old book.

I did a search of the board for the topic but couldn't come up with a satisfactory thread.

flyaway.

Everyone has different preferences really.

Depending on what books you read, the ebooks can be cheaper so there's one advantage.
Some people don't live near bookshops and like being able to have a book with one click.
Some people like being able to have a book the second they pay for it than wait for it to be delivered.
Some people prefer to hold a light ereader that fits in their pocket than drag around a seven hundred page book.
Some people don't have any room to store books and like being able to keep a collection of thousands of books in something the size of one book. Some people love them because of the thousands of free Public Domain books available.
Some people love not having to worry about whether or not they can fit enough books for their holiday in their carryon bag.

I know a lot of people who read a lot more since they got their ereaders as they're more convenient. I personally don't find any difference in the reading 'experience' either, it's pretty much the same as reading on a hardcopy. There are lots of advantages to ereaders! They're not for everybody but there's nothing wrong with them.

jam_mac_jam

Ok, I read maybe three or four books a week. I now no longer have to go into town every time I want to buy a book, I can buy it in bed. I live in Blanch and despite the huge population there is no good book shop. Sometimes I dont feel like going into town on a Saturday so its a huge advantage in that way. When I go away for two week I would bring 7/8 books now I bring the Kindle.

Andy-Pandy

I used to think the same about e-readers. Then i moved to the country side and the only books i could buy where from the local supervalue. As someone who reads mostly sci-fi and fantasy i now have the ability to buy the books i want when i want. They are easy to read from and so very very portable. I love it and it has changed my reading habit for ever.

jam_mac_jam

Oh another reason is that I read lots of history, esp second world war which can be huge 1000 pagers which will not fit in my bag. I read a lot on the train so now I can have my kindle.

mossy2390

also like with when mp3 players came out you can get "free" books, if your into that

marketty

I don't have a kindle but have the kindle app on my iPhone, it's not as easy on the eye as reading a kindle or a real book but it's actually not bad at all, can definitely read for an hour at least comfortably. Been doing this for a few months and would now definitely consider getting a kindle at the €100ish price available now, because I really appreciate the portability. I'm not as voracious a reader as some here but I'm a fecker for having maybe 3/4 books on the go at once, depending on my mood I mite be reading fiction going to bed then during the day I mite want to read a bio or whatever, so handy having it all in one unit rather than carrying a few books around. All that said there's nothing nicer than a real book, I'd certainly prefer a lovely hefty hardback as a christmas present rather than someone sending an ebook file to my phone! I reckon kindles are a great compliment to real books, they'll never really replace them. The convenience factor and the easy access to so many books without ordering them or hunting them down in book shops has really got me back into reading.

mickoregan

Yeah, I guess to each his or her own then.

I find them abhorrent. I love books....the paper, the cover, the pages... I also like to have them in the house. I have books everywhere.

I wonder if it'a perhaps an age thing. Maybe with 40+ yrs of book reading behind me I'm just too old to want to change

blackie4

I don't get kindle's either, the screens look too small to me. They would be handy for holidays though because books are quite heavy if you want to take a few of them with you and the kindle would save weight for the plane trip.

mickoregan wrote: »

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book. To me, all of the advertised advantages appear to be just clutching at straws - "In the time it takes you to read this review you can download an entire book"????? So what???
The only possible advantage I can think of might be for large unwieldy text books for students.
I never felt over the years that my reading was in any way hampered by having to do it from a pesky old book.

I did a search of the board for the topic but couldn't come up with a satisfactory thread.

akonobi

I like the Kindle Fire for reading even though earlier Kindles are better for reading in sunlight. I like e-reading in general because I'm addicted to reading in bed with the lights off. can't do that with a regular book.

http://valu-trek.com/review-kindle-fire-whats-all-the-fuss

Toby Take a Bow

akonobi wrote: »

I like the Kindle Fire for reading even though earlier Kindles are better for reading in sunlight. I like e-reading in general because I'm addicted to reading in bed with the lights off. can't do that with a regular book.

http://valu-trek.com/review-kindle-fire-whats-all-the-fuss

Is the Kindle Fire backlit then? That's do my head (and especially eyes) in. I've been on my laptop and I'm going to have to log off soon, primarily due to my eyes.

Regarding eReaders and books, it really is a case of each to their own. Personally, I don't see the benefit of spending 100 euro or so on a kindle, there's just not enough benefit for me personally, but if I travelled on a regular basis, then maybe I would consider it. Cost of books would be important too, I know Amazon consistently highlight the low cost of ebooks compared to the paper editions, but I rarely find this to be the case (especially if you take second hand books into question).

That's for now, though. In maybe twenty years, when they develop technology for non-backlit, color, foldable screen, then that'd be pretty great.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

gutenberg

I was like you initially OP, very resistant to the idea of an e-reader: I love my book collection!

I did however recently purchase a Kindle (part-financed by my university ) in order to read journal articles and other sources (I'm an historian, and so much of our primary material is moving online through digitisation etc). It is amazing! I can read these articles without having to print them out, thus helping the environment; I can also read them easily without the eye strain that comes with prolonged computer usage. Finally then I no longer have huge lever arch files cluttering the shelves above my desk!

The prices of ebooks would have to drop considerably (it's ridiculous that a bestseller is the same price in hardback as it is as an ebook!) before I would switch to reading my leisure books on the Kindle. But thus far it has made my research life much easier.

mickoregan

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Yeah, but...it's never been that much of a strain to turn the page.

Gutenberg,
Yes, I could see the advantage for such research purposes as you mention.

marketty

Couldn't agree more that amazon will have to get real about the price they charge for ebooks, both new bestsellers which can cost as much as the hardback, and older books that can easily be picked up 2nd hand but they're stil charging price when new for the ebook. Ebook piracy is still a fairly niche thing but if amazon don't nip it in the bud by offering a fair price then they'll end up like the record companies, fighting a losing battle. Although I'm sure it's not just that amazon are being greedy, because I know some new and less well known writers are available v cheap, so I'm sure the publishing houses are really setting the prices. Also the fact that some ebooks are only available in certain countries is presumably down to some distribution rights issue which amazon and publishers need to sort out before people get p'd off

rich.d.berry

I would love to see the day when school text books are made available for downloading on e-readers. It's ridiculous the number of books my son is expected to carry around.

Kinski

mickoregan wrote: »

Yeah, but...it's never been that much of a strain to turn the page.

If you like reading in bed while lying on your side, it does make a big difference. I know TV always depicts people sitting up in bed reading, but I've never done that!

MagicMarker

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

Is the Kindle Fire backlit then? That's do my head (and especially eyes) in.

Nope, the case has a light that extends out...

dvpower

MagicMarker wrote: »

Nope, the case has a light that extends out...

The Kindle Fire is a tablet, not really a dedicated e-book reader at all. It doesn't use electronic ink technology.

MarchDub

gutenberg wrote: »

I was like you initially OP, very resistant to the idea of an e-reader: I love my book collection!

I did however recently purchase a Kindle (part-financed by my university ) in order to read journal articles and other sources (I'm an historian, and so much of our primary material is moving online through digitisation etc). It is amazing! I can read these articles without having to print them out, thus helping the environment; I can also read them easily without the eye strain that comes with prolonged computer usage. Finally then I no longer have huge lever arch files cluttering the shelves above my desk!

The prices of ebooks would have to drop considerably (it's ridiculous that a bestseller is the same price in hardback as it is as an ebook!) before I would switch to reading my leisure books on the Kindle. But thus far it has made my research life much easier.

I agree. I started to read the thread and was about to post the same when I read your post. The Kindle is indeed a great way to get and easily store archival material and many original sources that are now available on line free for download, not to mention journal articles. The ease of carriage is also a great plus.

AFAIK the price for popular ebooks is set by agreement between Amazon and the publisher depending on volume, which is why it varies over the life of the book.

darragh666

Kindles can be good for reading at night in bed. It can be annoying when your in a comfortable position and reading a thick book when your arms start to get tired but you cant just move because you might lose the amount of light being cast on the page by your lamp.


The dictionary function is the most useful feature. You can easily look up a word while reading without losing your place.


I own a kindle but I still buy some points for my collection. It has just become more specialised. Only really sci-fi and fantasy novels being bought.


Kindle also handy for reading some books which you may not want to be seen reading in public.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

mickoregan

Never, I tell ya...NEVER!!!

:D

iguana

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

That's for now, though. In maybe twenty years, when they develop technology for non-backlit, color, foldable screen, then that'd be pretty great.

Twenty years? If you'd said five I'd be thinking you were pessimistic about the speed of advances in consumer technologies but twenty?

Dades

mickoregan wrote: »

Never, I tell ya...NEVER!!!

:D

Ah, I was once like you.

Then George RR Martin got his thumb out and finished A Dance With Dragons. I simply couldn't lug that thing around every day for weeks on my commute (walk and train).

A lot of people go digital due to some catalyst - travel requirements, cost, space, arthritis, poor eyesight (you can increase the font size)...

Yes, books smell and feel and look nice, but when you've finished a great book do you remember what it felt like or do you remember the words?

coffee_cake

Dades wrote: »

Yes, books smell and feel and look nice, but when you've finished a great book do you remember what it felt like or do you remember the words?

Both
also easier to remember what page something was on when i remember how much of the book i was holding in each hand!!

mickoregan

Dades wrote: »

... but when you've finished a great book do you remember what it felt like or do you remember the words?

It's not something I think about too much. Books are one of my greatest pleasures. I am capable, thank God, of using one so I have no need of an ereader of any kind.
NE...VER I say.:)

DjFlin

Kindle was fairly heavily discussed in this thread here just a couple of months ago.

emeraldstar

Dades wrote: »

Yes, books smell and feel and look nice, but when you've finished a great book do you remember what it felt like or do you remember the words?

When I think of a book I've read, I think of my particular copy. The cover, the paper (white or cream, new or old), where I got it (as a present from somebody, or one I bought for myself in Waterstone's, or an old, old copy I rooted out in my grandparents' house that might have my granny's or my uncle's name on the first page in faded ink). That's also the reason why, if I re-read a book, I like to read my own copy, the one I originally read, rather than another version because, for me, the story itself is completely linked up in my head with my reading of, as well as the history of, that particular volume.

mickoregan

emeraldstar wrote: »

When I think of a book I've read, I think of my particular copy. The cover, the paper (white or cream, new or old), where I got it (as a present from somebody, or one I bought for myself in Waterstone's, or an old, old copy I rooted out in my grandparents' house that might have my granny's or my uncle's name on the first page in faded ink). That's also the reason why, if I re-read a book, I like to read my own copy, the one I originally read, rather than another version because, for me, the story itself is completely linked up in my head with my reading of, as well as the history of, that particular volume.

Excellent point.
Each book on my shelf has a memory attached in my mind. I can look at each volume and can remember where and when I bought it or it was bought for me. That's a wonderful thing, I think.

Animord

I'd love a Kindle and am thinking of putting one on my Santy list, but I love, love, love my books so much - I love the feel and the smell and most of all I love the history of them - I have lugged the blooming things all over the world and I buy a lot of books both when I am travelling and for the actually travelling bit - I always put my name, the date I bought them and place that I bought them. I leave stuff in them, bus tickets and boarding passes and stuff - they are almost like a chronological history of me - if that doesn't sound too pompous or something.... but then I hate how big some books are...and my arm gets sore and cold at night, and I read fast which means if the book is big I have to turn over each blooming time I turn a page... decisions, decisions...;)