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Paper? That's like a baby's toy! [eReaders]

Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
It's the future, motherfuckers!

startrek.jpg

Once again, Star Trek managed to predict the future, but overshot by about 300 years. E-book readers are have been around for a while now, but they're about to hit critical mass. For the last several years, there have only been two real contenders, Sony's line of various ebook readers, and then the Kindle, which quickly caught on and took about 60% of the market. This showed everybody else that there's actually a market for these things, and we're right on the cusp of being inundated with ebook readers.

Let's look at the major contenders.

The Amazon Kindle
kindle3rdgen.jpg
This is the third generation Kindle hardware, and a number of changes have occurred since the last hardware revision. The body, though similar looking to the Gen 2 Kindle, is 21% smaller, while retaining the same size screen, and the weight has been similarly reduced. Additionally, the battery life has been doubled to last up to a month with wireless turned off.

Aside from color choices, there are also three variations of the 6" device, one with 3G capabilities, which has been standard since the Kindle was first announced, and a cheaper wi-fi only version, which was a direct response to growing competition from the Kobo and Nook. In April 2011, Amazon announced a third ad-supported version of the Kindle device. It has wi-fi capability, but no 3G, looks identical to the other versions of the device, and is $25 cheaper. Instead of the standard screen saver the Kindle displays when the device is in sleep-mode, special offers will display instead. Additionally, when you're in the menu screen, banner ads will be visible. Amazon has stated that the reading experience will remain unchanged, and no ads will appear anywhere else on the device, especially not within the books themselves.

If you have a growing library of Kindle books, but don't want to keep the Kindle with you everywhere you go to read them, the Kindle library is also available on a growing number of devices via free software. You can read your Kindle books on the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry. You do not have to own a Kindle to purchase books through these applications. Additionally, starting in January of 2011, Amazon updated the Kindle software to allow for book lending between devices, a service the Nook has offered since launch. Restrictions on the service are identical to the Nook's restrictions (ie: the loan period expires after two weeks, a book can only be loaned a single time).

Specs
*6" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.3"
*Weight - 3G = 8.7 oz. | WiFi = 8.5 oz.
*Storage - 4GB
*Battery - 1 month (with wireless off)
*Reading - Eight font sizes, and three font types
*Library - Over 850,000 books, newspapers, magazines and blogs from Amazon.com
plus 1.8 million free out of print books via archive.org.
*Formats - Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible, MP3, nonDRM MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP

Cost 3G = $189.00 | WiFi = $139.00 | WiFi w/ad support = $114.00



kindledx.jpg
Aimed at the professional and student market, the Kindle DX has a much larger display area for those that need a lot of information on screen at once, such as with technical manuals. The Kindle DX also has 3G capabilities, but does not offer a wifi-only version.

Specs
*9.7" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.4"
*Weight - 18.9 oz.
*Storage - 4GB
*Battery - 2-3 weeks (with wireless off)
*Reading - Eight sizes
*Library - Over 850,000 books, newspapers, magazines and blogs from Amazon.
*Formats - Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible, MP3, nonDRM MOBI, PRC, HTML, DOC,
JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP

Cost $379.00

The Barnes & Noble Nook
nook.jpg
Still technically on it's first generation of hardware, the Nook has gone through a number of changes over the last year, since it was initially released. Like the Kindle, it started with a single 3G capable device, but eventually released a wi-fi only device to drive costs down, and help compete with the Kobo.

The Nook features a 6" eInk screen for reading, but uses a 3.5" LCD color touch screen for navigating menus and your library. Like the Kindle, the Nook has apps available on a number of other devices that allow reading books purchased through the Nook store, even if you lack a Nook reader. The Nook boasts the ability to loan out books to friends and family with Nook devices. Note though that lending is limited to one loan per book, and the loan expires after two weeks. Additionally, Amazon has since included this ability with the Kindle line.

The Nook is frequently updated with firmware updates, and overall Barnes & Noble seems very responsive to customer feedback on the device.

Specs
*6" Diagonal eInk screen
*3.5" LCD color touch screen
*Size - 7.7" x 4.8" x 0.5"
*Weight - 3G = 12.1 oz. | WiFi = 11.6 oz.
*Storage - 2GB (expandable with 16GB SD card)
*Battery - 10 Days (with wireless off)
*Reading - Six font sizes
*Library - Over 2 million books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDB, PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3

Cost 3G = $199.00 | WiFi = $149.00



nookcolor.jpg
Barnes & Noble recently released the first change in the Nook hardware, the NOOKcolor. This seems to be a direct response to the entry of Apple's iPad into the eReader market, and seems to be more of a mini-tablet device instead of a dedicated eReader.

The NOOKcolor does away with the eInk screen altogether, and instead has gone to a 7" full-color LCD touch screen. Full web and e-mail capabilities, along with apps and gaming seem to place this firmly in the "tablet computer" category, but Barnes & Noble is still touting it as an eReader. The device is wifi capable, but does not include a 3G option.

Specs
*7" Diagonal LCD color touch screen (1024 x 600 resolution)
*Size - 8.1" x 5.0" x 0.5"
*Weight - 15.8 oz.
*Storage - 8GB (expandable with 32GB SD card)
*Battery - 8 Hours (with wireless off)
*Reading - Six font sizes
*Library - Over 2 million books. Magazine subscriptions are available through the Nook NewsStand.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF, XLS, DOC, PPT, PPS, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC, MP4

Cost $249.00

The Indigo Kobo
kobo.jpg
Presented as a minimalist alternative to the other eReaders on the market, the Kobo is largely a Canadian device, though it is sold via Borders here in the US.

The Kobo is available in three colors, Metallic Silver, Pearlized Lilac, and Onyx. Features are largely similar to the other offerings, including a 6" eInk screen, and wifi capabilities, though no 3G version is available.

The Kobo will read both EPUB and PDF files, making it compatible with most 3rd party ebook stores, as well as local libraries that offer ebook lending.

It is unknown at this time what effect, if any, the Chapter 11 filing by Borders will have on the Kobo.

Specs
*6" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 7.2" x 4.7" x 0.4"
*Weight - 7.8 oz.
*Storage - 1GB (expandable with 32GB SD card)
*Battery - 10 Days (with wireless off)
*Reading - Five font sizes, and two font types
*Library - 2.2 million books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF

Cost $139.00

The Sony Reader
The Daily Edition
sonydaily.jpg
Sony seems to have been in the eReader game the longest out of everybody on this list. The Daily Edition is their most current version of their reader, and as an attempt to catch up on all the features that the Kindle and the Nook brought to the fight. It boasts a 7" touch screen eInk display, along with 3G capabilities. Stock on Sony's two readers appears to be drying up, but news on why is difficult to come across. They may be dropping out of direct competition with Amazon & Barnes and Noble, or they may be gearing up to launch new revisions soon.

Specs
*7" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 7.9" x 5" x 0.4"
*Weight - 9.6 oz.
*Storage - 2GB (expandable with 32GB card)
*Battery - 3 Weeks (with wireless off)
*Reading - Six font sizes
*Library - 1 million books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF, DOC, TXT, RTF, BBeB

Cost $299.99



The Touch Edition
sonytouch.jpg
The mid-range Sony reader, this model offers full touch screen capability. No wireless ability is available, so a computer is necessary for loading books.

Specs
*6" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 6.6" x 4.7" x 0.4"
*Weight - 7.6 oz.
*Storage - 2GB (expandable with 32GB card)
*Battery - 2 Weeks
*Reading - Six font sizes
*Library - 1 million books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF, DOC, TXT, RTF, BBeB

Cost $229.99



The Pocket Edition
sonypocket.jpg
The entry-level Sony offering. Like the Touch and the Daily, this model offers a full touch screen, and like the touch, no wireless ability. The size is the biggest selling point with this model, as the screen is a mere 5", making it the most compact of the available eReaders.

Availability of the three Sony eReaders appears to be in flux at the moment, and it's unclear whether this is due to the line being refreshed, discontinued, or simply in short supply.

Specs
*5" Diagonal eInk screen
*Size - 5.7" x 4.1" x 0.3"
*Weight - 5.5 oz.
*Storage - 512MB
*Battery - 2 Weeks
*Reading - Six font sizes
*Library - 1 million books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF, DOC, TXT, RTF, BBeB

Cost $179.99

The Apple iPad
ipad.jpg
Apple recently released the second generation of its tablet computer, the iPad. Billed as more of a multi-media device than an eReader, it none the less has that feature built in, along with all the other games, music and movie watching capabilities. The iPad features a LCD touch screen, running iOS 4.3. This screen is also its largest drawback, as it reduces battery life to only 10 hours, and for some, reading on an LCD screen induces eye fatigue.

The variations of the iPad are legion. There are three primary sizes, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Of those three sizes, there are wifi-only versions, as well as 3G capable versions. The 3G capable versions also are available either through AT&T or Verizon. And of those nine possible models, you can also get it in either black or white, making for 18 possible iPad combinations.

One of the truly stand-out features of the iPad is the fact that it has access to the largest library of books out of all devices available. This is primarily due to the fact that, in addition to the iBookstore, the iPad also has apps for the Kindle and Nook, including access to all the books available to those devices.

Specs
*10" Diagonal LCD screen
*Size - 9.5” x 7.3” x 0.34”
*Weight - 1.33 lbs. (1.35 lbs. for AT&T, 1.34 lbs. for Verizon)
*Storage - 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
*Battery - 10 Hours
*Reading - Multiple options, depending on book
*Library - 200,000 books.
*Formats - EPUB, PDF

Cost 16GB = $499.00 | 16GB 3G = $629.00 | 32GB = $599.00 | 32GB 3G = $729.00 | 64GB = 699.00 | 64GB 3G = $829.00

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Bionic Monkey on
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Posts

  • IdolisideIdoliside Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Im personally using eReader and Microsoft reader on my Ipaq to read my books at the moment. I'm looking forward to my Ipod touch coming soon so I can get reading on that instead. It had a much nicer page display than the ipaq does.

    But i wouldn't get "just" an ebook reader. For that price i'd want other functionality.

    Idoliside on
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  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Yeah, but what is the best device that can work as well as an e-reader?

    Impersonator on
  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    What a coincidence! I've been seriously looking into getting an eReader, and wanted to find a thread to ask some questions in.

    Additionally, this is a find that may very well be relevent to this thread, at least for the next ten or so hours.

    My number one question about them: How are they for reading pdf's, especially in Journal Article form? I think Journal Articles and textbooks will be my primary use, and to be honest I kind of want to get that cheap deal I linked, especially since it's a gamble in my opinion. Has anyone used them for reading columned articles? I suppose it would always be possible to copy and paste them differently to view them if necessary, however.

    piL on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Yeah, but what is the best device that can work as well as an e-reader?

    I've been looking a bit into the Smart Q7 (or SmartQ 7, or however the fuck you want to write it) - yes it's some LOLChina goodness, but there's already a fairly sizeable community dedicated to hacking the shit out of these things to put a proper Linux, WinCE, and even Android on them. Apparently this helps out a lot over the shit that comes preinstalled. It's a 667MHz ARM core with 128MB of RAM, so performance theoretically should be pretty much on par with the Nokia N-series internet tablets. Apparently people have gotten Flash working (SD content only) as well. Oh, and it's under $200; I'm tempted to get one just to see if it can hold its own as a portable media streamer, electronic recipe book, and photo frame.

    PeregrineFalcon on
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  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2009
    piL wrote: »
    Additionally, this is a find that may very well be relevent to this thread, at least for the next ten or so hours.

    Thanks for that. I'll be updating the OP to include other ereaders too. I just spent the better part of an hour and a half putting together what's there now, and wanted to get it up.

    If anybody has any other suggested readers that can go in the OP, mention them and I'll throw them up.

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • piLpiL Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    piL wrote: »
    Additionally, this is a find that may very well be relevent to this thread, at least for the next ten or so hours.

    Thanks for that. I'll be updating the OP to include other ereaders too. I just spent the better part of an hour and a half putting together what's there now, and wanted to get it up.

    If anybody has any other suggested readers that can go in the OP, mention them and I'll throw them up.

    So, I just want to emphasize, there's some sort of timelimit on this sale, because its one of those Thanksgiving/Black Friday sales, but it's going to be gone soon. So people that aren't bionic monkeys, keep that in mind.

    But I ended up buying it, so in three shipping days, I'll let you know how it is. Especially for reading scientific journal articles.

    piL on
  • DarkHawkeDarkHawke Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    This is a fantastic resource if you want to know about ebooks: they have a great comparison matrix for all the eink devices. Not just the major ones, either.

    PDFs can be problematic - the Sony Reader manages stuff fine as it's got PDF reflow, but a lot of the smaller manufacturers don't, meaning that generally you need PDFs sized to the device. Most support zoom, but moving around a PDF document on a screen with a refresh rate of about 1 Hz can be a pain. For scientific articles you're probably better off going for one of the larger A4/Us Letter sized devices (Kindle DX, iRex Iliad, and there's a bunch of others in the pipeline).

    I love mine though, eink is a wonderful thing to read off. Bought it a few years ago - it's a Cybook Gen 3. Doesn't manage PDFs perfectly, but public domain stuff from Feedbooks or even project Gutenberg runs fine.

    DarkHawke on
  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    It also offers the ability to lend certain books to a friend to read, but each book can only be loaned for two weeks, and cannot ever be loaned out again.
    WHAT

    So you can't loan it out to anyone, ever again, after you loan it out once? WTF. I could understand restricting a loan to the same account, but if they're going to restrict your loans to ALL accounts once you loan it ONCE then that's bullshit. There are a lot of books that I'd love to share with a lot of people, and the Nook's loaning ability was a huge selling point with me... but it won't be a big point if they're going to restrict the function that much.

    Also they need to allow you to "give" books to people from your own device. I would be fine with little restrictions like the giver can never get the book back again. Maybe make it so each book can only be given a limited number of times.

    Anyway I lurv my Kindle 2 so so much! <3 Best purchase I have made in years.

    Spacemilk on
  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Huh. So I sign up for Audible for 12 months, and I get $100 of a Kindle2?

    Interesting...

    KiTA on
  • Vi MonksVi Monks Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So I just ordered my brand new Kindle 2 (so excited) and I'm curious about the newspaper/magazine delivery thing. How comfortable is reading a newspaper on the Kindle? Does it organize itself with an article table of contents and such or is it more like an actual newspaper that has me flipping all over the place looking for the correct pages? I'm really hoping it's the former.

    And secondly, I need a newspaper recommendation. I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this (if not, let me know) but I figure it's a good place to start. I'm woefully out of the loop when it comes to current events and I'd really like to change that. I've been meaning to start following a newspaper or news site more frequently and I figure getting the Kindle is a perfect time to do that. So can anyone recommend a good newspaper and/or news magazine that delivers to the Kindle? And any other cool magazine/blog recommendations are welcome too, even if they won't help me follow current events.

    Vi Monks on
  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So are any of you guys using the sony readers? Those of us with first-gen Sony readers have a choice to make. They're switching over book formats, and in order to handle the new format, they say you'll have to ship your old reader back to them, where they'll upgrade it and send it back. If you don't want to do that, they'll give you a discount on a new reader. I'm in love with ebooks, so I think it's probably time to upgrade anyway. I'm probably going to go with another Sony one, since although I really like the Nook, it's first-gen hardware and tough to find, and Amazon's eBook selection still isn't quite what I'm looking for.

    Has anyone used the pocket Reader from Sony? How does it compare to the full-sized one? I wouldn't mind having a smaller reader, but not if it sacrifices too much in the way of features or readability.

    edit: Oh, nevermind about Amazon's book selection. I was looking in the wrong place, apparently. Has anyone used the Kindle2 and the PRS-600? I'm interested in how they compare. This is a tough decision, since all the different competitors offer a nearly identical product.

    PolloDiablo on
  • Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2009
    Well, I haven't used the 600, but from what I learned putting together the OP, with the 600 you get: a touch screen and expandable memory, but lose 1.5 GB of internal memory, wireless downloading of books, and slow (but free) internet, but pay $40 more.

    Personally, I don't get the point of having a touchscreen on a device that you'll be directly interacting with about once a minute, and when you do, a simple button press will suffice.

    How much of a discount are they offering for buying a new device?

    Bionic Monkey on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So now that Kindle2 is finally available in Canadia, I'm considering swinging it for Xmas. Hurray!

    Can people who already have one tell me what it's like to use with classics and so on from the web? Mostly .txt, but also pdfs. I'll definitely be buying a lot of my fiction from the store, but I have a huge backlog of public domain classics and stuff that I want to get through, and some other articles and things that are too long to comfortably read on the PC. :)

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • PolloDiabloPolloDiablo Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Well, I haven't used the 600, but from what I learned putting together the OP, with the 600 you get: a touch screen and expandable memory, but lose 1.5 GB of internal memory, wireless downloading of books, and slow (but free) internet, but pay $40 more.

    Personally, I don't get the point of having a touchscreen on a device that you'll be directly interacting with about once a minute, and when you do, a simple button press will suffice.

    How much of a discount are they offering for buying a new device?

    Not much. It's something like $75 off the 600, or $50 off the pocket. Given the cost of the things anyway, they're still expensive, but it's enough of a discount to keep me looking at Sony's offerings.

    I'm considering the pocket, mostly since the bells and whistles on both the 600 and the Kindle don't really grab me for the price. Most books max out at a few megabytes anyway, so I don't mind having only 512mb of memory. And I probably won't use wireless download for books too often, because I'm typically at a computer before I can get through a few dozen books anyway. I don't really see the point of a touchscreen either. After typing all that out, it kind of seems like I've already made my decision. Do you know of any pitfalls to the pocket? I'm wondering if having the smaller screen is a pain for long reading sessions. If it fits less on a page, I could see it burning through battery power faster.

    PolloDiablo on
  • flammiebcflammiebc Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    So now that Kindle2 is finally available in Canadia, I'm considering swinging it for Xmas. Hurray!

    Can people who already have one tell me what it's like to use with classics and so on from the web? Mostly .txt, but also pdfs. I'll definitely be buying a lot of my fiction from the store, but I have a huge backlog of public domain classics and stuff that I want to get through, and some other articles and things that are too long to comfortably read on the PC. :)

    Calibre e-book management (http://calibre-ebook.com/about) is free and can convert pretty much everything to the kindle formats; the default settings even generate breakpoints for chapters and such through regex searching.

    Hell, it does a better job formatting-wise than a lot of the stuff I've paid for, which speaks volumes of the publishers' lack of caring.

    flammiebc on
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  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Brilliant!

    I heard about Calibre, but I wasn't sure how nice the conversions would be, so thanks! If it formats it even half as decently as a regular downloaded ebook, I'm happy. That's going to come in real handy.

    Pretty much seals the deal for me. Kindle2 it is!

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • HoundxHoundx Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Personally, I don't get the point of having a touchscreen on a device that you'll be directly interacting with about once a minute, and when you do, a simple button press will suffice.

    Handwritten notes, highlighting and dictionary lookups

    Houndx on
  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I bought a PRS-600 to try out over the weekend, but I'm taking it back. Any notional benefits from things like note-taking are completely killed by the fact that the experience of actually reading on the thing is much, much worse than reading on a non-touch e-ink screen. It's so much more milky and, for want of a better word, dim than my coworker's Kindle 2.

    So I think I'll be getting myself a Kindle

    Senjutsu on
  • VistiVisti Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    KiTA wrote: »
    Huh. So I sign up for Audible for 12 months, and I get $100 of a Kindle2?

    Interesting...

    That's...

    I might get one.

    Visti on
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  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I demand an explanation, what is this Audible you speak of?

    Impersonator on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I demand an explanation, what is this Audible you speak of?
    Wiki wrote:
    Audible.com is an Internet provider of spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming. Audible sells audiobooks, radio and TV programs, and audio versions of magazines and newspapers. On January 31, 2008 Amazon.com announced it would buy Audible for about $300M.[1] The deal closed in March of 2008 and Audible is now a subsidiary of Amazon.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audible.com

    OremLK on
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  • genetikgenetik Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I know there are a lot of Linux and open source geeks here so we should probably mention the iRex Illiad eReaders in the OP. They are kind of expensive but they have an open platform that runs Linux and they have an SDK. Several popular PDF, web browsers, and comic viewers have been ported.

    Also, it might be worth putting the MobileRead E-Book Reader Matrix in the OP.

    genetik on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I considered the Illiad briefly when I was looking at my options, but I heard too many tales of easy breakage and hardware failure. Plus it doesn't look as pretty as the Kindle2. But those who love it really seem to love it.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Visti wrote: »
    KiTA wrote: »
    Huh. So I sign up for Audible for 12 months, and I get $100 of a Kindle2?

    Interesting...

    That's...

    I might get one.

    You end up spending $180 on the Audible account, but it's spread out across a year.

    KiTA on
  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Is the Nook available today in stores for viewing et all? I'm going to end up plopping down for a new Kindle 2.1 (International) or Nook this week, once I get my severance package, but I'm still hesitant.

    KiTA on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I decided against the Nook because the colour lcd touchscreen down there is going to eat battery power like crazy. But I'd be really interested to hear other PAers' experiences with it.

    Zetetic Elench on
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  • genetikgenetik Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I considered the Illiad briefly when I was looking at my options, but I heard too many tales of easy breakage and hardware failure. Plus it doesn't look as pretty as the Kindle2. But those who love it really seem to love it.

    Yeah, you can count me in on that. I've had mine for a couple of years and I still love it. If I were to buy a new eReader, I would just buy a newer/bigger Illiad. Having an open platform makes it easy to support new formats. For example, I really dig reading comics that are in .cbz and .cbr on mine.

    Also, I like doing a recursive mirror of a section of a web site and slapping it on the eReader so I can read it in the browser while I'm on a plane or otherwise offline.

    genetik on
  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    KiTA wrote: »
    Is the Nook available today in stores for viewing et all? I'm going to end up plopping down for a new Kindle 2.1 (International) or Nook this week, once I get my severance package, but I'm still hesitant.
    Yes, that's one of the touted benefits of a Nook - you can play with one in their brick and mortar stores, something you can't do with Amazon.

    Spacemilk on
  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    genetik wrote: »
    I considered the Illiad briefly when I was looking at my options, but I heard too many tales of easy breakage and hardware failure. Plus it doesn't look as pretty as the Kindle2. But those who love it really seem to love it.

    Yeah, you can count me in on that. I've had mine for a couple of years and I still love it. If I were to buy a new eReader, I would just buy a newer/bigger Illiad. Having an open platform makes it easy to support new formats. For example, I really dig reading comics that are in .cbz and .cbr on mine.

    Also, I like doing a recursive mirror of a section of a web site and slapping it on the eReader so I can read it in the browser while I'm on a plane or otherwise offline.

    God, that sounds sweet.

    Anyone ever try doing something like using HTTrack to mirror a website and then plopping it on the Kindle? Does it support html files?

    KiTA on
  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    also this just in: Kindle is the best selling item on Amazon

    in your FACE, steve jobs

    Spacemilk on
  • Seaborn111Seaborn111 Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    not to uh, burst the marketing bubble of the device i just bought, but that's a little deceptive.

    Amazon is the ONLY way to purchase a kindle. cornered market, as it were. so for it to be the best selling item is not that surprising.

    Seaborn111 on
    </bush>
    It's impossible for us to without a doubt prove the non-existence of God. We just have to take it on faith that he's imaginary..
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    oh my goodness yes

    splendid

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    oh my goodness yes

    splendid

    WANT!

    Librarian's ghost on
    (Switch Friend Code) SW-4910-9735-6014(PSN) timspork (Steam) timspork (XBox) Timspork


  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Seaborn111 wrote: »
    not to uh, burst the marketing bubble of the device i just bought, but that's a little deceptive.

    Amazon is the ONLY way to purchase a kindle. cornered market, as it were. so for it to be the best selling item is not that surprising.
    Excluding eBay, it's true that you can only buy a Kindle on Amazon - but the article doesn't say "Kindle sells best on Amazon!" as that would be deceptive; it just says that the Kindle sells better than all the books and tchotchkes and gift crap that Amazon generally makes billions on, which is impressive. Yeah the Kindle might not be the #1 selling item if it were available elsewhere, but it would at least be in the top 5 considering how both Barnes&Noble and Sony completely sold out of their e-readers through January. So while you might say it's "deceptive", it's only just barely so, and it's only so if you misunderstand the article. Personally I don't think things count as "deceptive" unless they deliberately leave out a piece of unknown information; since everyone knows Amazon is the only spot you can buy a Kindle, this isn't deceptive unless you are being wilfully ignorant.

    Really I only posted that because Steve Jobs predicted e-readers would be a huge market bust because "no one reads anymore". Steve Jobs' foot, please meet Steve Jobs' mouth.

    Spacemilk on
  • Librarian's ghostLibrarian's ghost Librarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSpork Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    After reading a few articles today I'm seriously thinking about asking for a Kindle 2 for Christmas. There's a ton of books I could get for it that I'd like to read but would have no where to put on my already stuffed bookshelves.

    Librarian's ghost on
    (Switch Friend Code) SW-4910-9735-6014(PSN) timspork (Steam) timspork (XBox) Timspork


  • SenjutsuSenjutsu thot enthusiast Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    KiTA wrote: »
    Is the Nook available today in stores for viewing et all? I'm going to end up plopping down for a new Kindle 2.1 (International) or Nook this week, once I get my severance package, but I'm still hesitant.

    If you're getting a Kindle International, are you outside the US?

    Because last I checked the Nook is still US exclusive

    Senjutsu on
  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Screw it. I just bought my Kindle2 International with case and overnight delivery. Tired of hedging.

    Of course, when they announce the Kindle 3 next week, well, you're welcome.

    KiTA on
  • KiTAKiTA Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Senjutsu wrote: »
    KiTA wrote: »
    Is the Nook available today in stores for viewing et all? I'm going to end up plopping down for a new Kindle 2.1 (International) or Nook this week, once I get my severance package, but I'm still hesitant.

    If you're getting a Kindle International, are you outside the US?

    Because last I checked the Nook is still US exclusive

    Nah. But the AT&T wireless has better coverage in my zip code (83301). In the end, the extra $50 for a new Kindle2.1 as opposed to a refurbished Kindle2.0 wasn't enough to make me want to worry about it.

    KiTA on
  • takyristakyris Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    I'm going to get my Canadian hands on an IntlKindle. I really wish, though, that it had slightly faster Internet -- or, you know, ANY Internet in Canada. I was hoping for something that was an iPhone minus phone plus Kindle -- so, you know, checking your mail and finding the nearest Starbucks and cute stuff like that.

    I could still use what amounts to a normal iPod but for readin', though.

    Kindle-kin -- any concerns about stuff not being on Kindle? Can I get my Jim Butcher and Charlaine Harris without the hassle of dead trees?

    takyris on
  • Zetetic ElenchZetetic Elench Registered User regular
    edited December 2009
    Well, we Canadiers still get Wikipedia, right? That's some small consolation.

    Zetetic Elench on
    nemosig.png
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