E-Readers

I have noticed more and more people on the train reading books from E-readers, mainly the Kindle I think, Still haven't really found anythng I wanted for christmas so I fancy getting one, has anyone got one, are they worth it, good selection of titles etc, they seem to claim the battery life could be as long as a month but then so does my phone and that seems to be on charge every other day.

Thanks FF

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  • I bought t'other half a Sony E-reader for Christmas last year. Though I gave it to him rather early as he was due to spend 2 weks away from home. - This is why I gave it to him, going away for that length of time would involve more books than he could reasonably carry. To me it seemed to make sense.

    I think that they are just gadgets unless you have a specific reason for wanting one - such as the above. then why?

    Of course he can read alot of other things - PDF files for example and unpublished books. (most of which are crap but hey ho). Books - massive selection, I won't say just about everything as I don't know this for sure, but not far off. Originally Waterstones was a pain to use and WHSmiths a doddle - don't know if thats changed. There are tons of sites that offer free books (out of copyright) along side charged books - there are some libraries that you can join as well.

    The charge seems to last a long time, though just plug it into the pc seems to be no effort.

    I don't mind reading books on the pc, I can do that while doing other things just can't read in the bath.

    Oh - if you read a lot of periodicas then it saves on paper - though you can't use a kindle to light a fire!

  • I have a Kindle and it's the best present I've ever had - seriously!  I got it for my birthday and I charged it and read it as I normally would read and the battery lasted for 3 weeks.  It's very easy to read - it's light to hold and there is a vast array of books to download....one of the best features is the sample a book - this means you can read a portion of  a book before commiting to buying it - it's normally the first 3 or 4 chapters.  I can't tell you how much money I've wasted on books because I believed the blub and the book was bad!

    The price of books is good - loads of them under £3.00 and tons of free  - new best sellers are expensive in comparison but the prices do drop.

    I usually take a good few books on my holidays and this will cut down on my luggage - image

  • That was my other question GFB, I spend ages choosing my books and often read the first few pages before buying.

    Thanks so far image

  • Oooooh I know I have a kindle coming for xmas and I cant wait!!!
  • What about flicker?  Computer monitors flicker and can give you a headache. The refresh rate is important.  I can't remember any more than that, but does that have any implications for e-readers/kindles?

  • I've got a irex ilad which classified as a e-pad as not only does it read all ebook formats but you can also annotate the books and use it as a pad as it is one of the few devices with handwriting input also.
    Technically it was one of the best ebook products about in terms of screen resolution and quality. It's specification, connectivity, and compatible formats made it one of the benchmark e-books but the price and the fact that it did not have a tie in with a book shop mean't it was doomed.

     You can pic them up at very reasonable prices now and are worth a look if your a geek and want to download books, but if you simply want ease of use and do not mind paying for books the Kindle is simply unbeatable imho

    A Very Merry Chrism.ouse wrote (see)

    What about flicker?  Computer monitors flicker and can give you a headache. The refresh rate is important.  I can't remember any more than that, but does that have any implications for e-readers/kindles?

     e-readers do not use the same technology as monitors as such do not have the same limitations, this is why they are better than anything to read from (although deluded ipad owners state otherwise)
    A electronic paper, e-paper or electronic ink display (what ever its called this week) is a display technology designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper. It is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later. This is why they have awesome battery life.

  • I was looking at getting a Kindle but for what I wanted it for - taking on holidays etc - it didn't seem to offer any advantage over books.    Checked out the prices of some of the books I'd read recently and there wasn't really much of a saving to be made.    
  • Squeakz - that's brilliant, thank you for that information.  (I guess I could have done some research myself but hoped for a knowledgable person and you were there!)

    Thanks again.

  • Got the sony ereader and am v pleased with it. I read a lot and due to the bag weight limit going offshore limiting the books I could take I can finally have enough to read while I'm away. No flicker and have a cover with a light so can read in bed without any other lights on.
  • Bought my Wife a Kindle for Xmas. Great piece of kit. Easy to read. Cheap (nay free) books - bought loads of titles for under a £1.00.

    Charge lasts ages if 3g off.

    Nice and light - saving on lugging books on holidays.

    Highly recommended.

  • I am rapidly running out of space for all my books and I've noticed the Kindle and its reviews.

    One thing holds me back: there was a case recently of a book being published but then recalled and pulped after a court case (libel, I think). A revised version was issued. The electronic versions were recalled from Kindles and replaced with the new version, without the users' say-so or even knowledge.

    Is this true or just an urban myth? If it is true, it raises privacy issues imho.

  • Interesting Mutts, that would put me off too.    How does the kindle store the books - is it possible to store them on some kind of memory stick ?

     I think I probably will get one eventually though - if I hadn't had a lot to pay out with vets bills/xmas recently I might have been swayed a bit more easily - reviews on here seem positive.   

  • Muttley wrote (see)

    One thing holds me back: there was a case recently of a book being published but then recalled and pulped after a court case (libel, I think). A revised version was issued. The electronic versions were recalled from Kindles and replaced with the new version, without the users' say-so or even knowledge.

    Is this true or just an urban myth? If it is true, it raises privacy issues imho.


    I believe it is true, however following the incident Amazon re-evaluated what they'd done (I think mainly down to furore along the lines you mentioned) and have now changed the firmware so they won'tcan't do it again.

    Have bought a Kindle for Mrs C. for Christmas (wish they'd stop advertising them now as is going to ruin the suprise), she goes through books at a rate of knots and the Kindle seemed the best out there. Ok at the moment it doesn't support the emerging standard ePub format for eBooks, but there is plenty of free software out there to do a conversion for you (Calibre looks to be the best).

    They've also just bought out the 'lending' function that allows you to lend a book to another Kindle for a period (2 weeks I think) which is brilliant considering Mrs C, my mum, SIL and cousins all read the same authors and pass them round.

  • Just looked at a couple in Waterstones. The Sony ones look absolutely awful. All of the demo versions flash the screen while changing pages. The iRiver one they had looks like it's made out of the cheapest materials known to man, and the Elonex one is junk - buttons to move from page to page, and no touchscreen.

    I've not seen Kindle, but it must be a bazillion times better than any of the four Waterstones had on show. Then there's iPad...
  • But the Ipad flickers as pointed out earlier and the little matter of at least £450 + monthly costs
  • @FFinPT - I use mine for reading, and can read from it for an hour quite comfortably.

    There are not, necessarily, any monthly charges, either. In fact, none of the iPad versions, including the 3G versions, stipulate a monthly fee.

    The £450 gets you far more than 4x of what's in a Kindle. iPad is, however, relatively heavy.
  • @squeakz - before you say anything re. my comment on reading from an iPad, I have no doubt that e-ink screens are better, particularly in harsh lighting conditions, but the iPad screen is perfectly suitable for use indoors in under shade. If the backlight is too bright, turn it down.

    Many read from LCD screens all day without any trouble, so reading for an hour or two from iPad is not a problem.
  • I got the sony touch screen as a present but I sold it because I quite simply hated the thing. The touch screen was way out of date (compared with my iPhone) to the point I wanted to chuck it against a wall. Plus while I understand the reasons for it not being backlit the lack of contrast made it annoying to read. And to cap it all off, when I'm reading a book I don't want to be distracted by reflections.

    I'm a right grump aren't I!!
  • much prefer a paper book which i get from the library usually or oxfam bookshop, also less expensive if dropped in the bath, can also be lent to friends

    can see the attractions if one is a commuter / frequent air traveller though. but what if it breaks, have you 'lost' your books?

    i often wonder if the same thing applies for ipods, have you lost the stuff you bought off itunes if the ipod (or computer the stuff is backed up on) breaks.
  • of course the main advantage with e-readers is that you don't knock over the big pile of booksin the doorway because the bookshelves are all full.
  • I can't comment on the other versions mentioned, but I can vouch for the Kindle being excellent... image   Highly impressed by it actually.....   for all the reasons stated earlier...

  • TMW, my understanding is that the Kindle books you buy are kept on record at Amazon or wherever, so if you lose them you can re-download for free.

    They do seem to have thought it through and I'm increasingly interested, but I do like paper books. Just wish I had enough space to store them all. Which brings me back to thinking about the Kindle.

  • I think this is the story I was kind of remembering ... issue has probably been sorted by now but anyway, here it is if you're interested.
  • I like real books and hummed and hawed about a kindle for a couple of years but was never convinced. However, I got an iPad at work earlier this year and downloaded the kindle app.........and it is great. So much more than a kindle with great quality screen.
  • I like real books and will always have real books around but I seriously love my kindle.  One of the best things I've bought in ages.
  • Well I have ordered a Kindle, won't get here till jan but hey......Thanks for all the comments folks.
  • Good overall choice Flat Foot.
    The Kindle are also a bit more than just a e-book reader and have functionality which is not documented such as limited fuctionality with google maps.

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-9838934-39.html

    You can even install a fully fuctional linux enviroment on it image

  • MrsK8MrsK8 ✭✭✭

    I'm really tempted to get a the Amazon Kindle. I do like to read a lot but hate carrying around books. I'm looking at at Amazon 3G/WIFI as Amazon will pick up the bill for any downloads done via 3G. I like how light they are & the fact that I can carry round as many books as I want without all the weight.

    The downside is not all the books I want have a Kindle version & also the cost. The books I'm after seem to average at about £5 whereas I'll normally borrow from the library for free or doesn't cost much to buy online. It's good you can demo the books though - 'try before you buy'.

    I have a Kindle app on the iPad but find the it too heavy to read from & also have the app on my iPhone but find it too small to read from for long periods of time.

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    I've been thinking about a Kindle.  I do like proper books, though.  I'm undecided.....

    I like the idea of samples of books, though. 

    I think it was Books, etc., that used to do a free book containing a chapter or two of new books coming out.  That was a very good way to sell more books, and give readers the chance to see what they'd like that they might not have tried otherwise.

  • I've not tried it yet but you can email PDF docs to your kindle which could be a useful function.
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