Huh... I was told the Kindle 2 could browse the web. This spec list says it can't.
Then your spec list is flawed. I've accessed the internet from it, I like to read news sites on occasion though admittedly I mostly just take advantage of wikipedia.
4x better battery life, so that's pretty cool for the Kindle 2. DSi has 25x the storage space, though. Not that books take up much space anyway.
Is that batter life before or after the recent software update that made it consume some 80% less battery power? (that may have been discussed in the other thread, although it also may be in the OP of this thread) I'm guessing it's not taking that update into account, since it was incorrect about the Internet access. I suggest looking at Amazon's site as a crosscheck for whateverthefuck you're reading. Also, try CNET.
Neither is capable of GPS navigation. And I have no idea why they chose to mention that.
Neither have a camera. How terribly outdated!
I will agree that the Kindle 2 fails in direct light. That's my only beef, but it's not really a problem for me as I generally don't read outside in direct sunlight anyway. It does just fine in situations like riding in a car; the ambient sunlight doesn't make it hard to read, only direct sunlight does.
As for the people saying they don't get eye-strain: Either you don't work at a job that requires constant computer use (I do, and if I don't take frequent "eye-breaks" I have a headache by midday - and I'm someone who can read books for hours without any strain), or *gasp* you're different from other people! In which case your personal opinion is fine, but since it differs from almost every other opinion here, you need to stop telling people they're somehow "wrong".
p.s.
If I wanted to convince YOU I would have emphasized how the DS comes in cool colors and how all the cool kids have one. Luckily I don't care about you.
The "OOH SHINY" method of convincing me to buy something stopped working when I was in 1st grade. I don't particularly care about the colors or the cool kids. Guess that completely explains why you prefer your DS though.
Why do eink fanatics always scream EYESTRAIN and FLICKER? We all stare at backlit LCD's for hours and hours and hours but the entire country hasn't run over to Lenscrafters for glasses. Your LCD flickers? I ask because I can't recall one LCD that I've ever seen flickering. If mine flickered, I'd probably replace it. Eink and LCD are both fine for reading. Eink has better battery life and is, in general, easier to read outside while LCD is better, in general, in low light situations but has poor battery life.
edit: that was probably too much
I am absolutely bothered by the amount of time I spend staring at an LCD. Therefore, I do not want to extend that duration into other venues of my life.
I am absolutely bothered by having to repeatedly press keys or a similar motion. Therefore, I do not want to extend that onto a DS with its smaller screen and necessitation for greater "clicks" or whatever to turn the page.
Done. You have lots of customers who care about one or both of these issues. If a lot of customers care, then the Kindle is filling that need. It doesn't fucking matter if one is somehow objectively better than the other because of logical fallacies.
I am absolutely bothered by having to repeatedly press keys or a similar motion. Therefore, I do not want to extend that onto a DS with its smaller screen and necessitation for greater "clicks" or whatever to turn the page.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers. Turning the backlight on those devices down to about 10% really gets it about right plus the reading software usually offers TONS of customizations ranging from things like letter thickness, letter spacing, line spacing and paragraph spacing to indent widths, margins and colors.
In my home, starting tomorrow, there will be both an eink device and an lcd device.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers.
Ubuntu? Nice. Like I said in the very beginning, it's the fact that every square millimeter and every interaction with the Kindle is 100% proprietary from start to finish. You read THEIR books on THEIR system over THEIR network for THEIR prices on THEIR hardware with THEIR software under THEIR EULA.
Upgrade the memory with an SD card? Lol, fuck off. Found a better price on a book? Lol, fuck off. Have a library of e-books already in a different format? Lol, fuck off.
If I wanted a company that far up my ass and in my wallet, I'd use Apple products.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers.
Ubuntu? Nice. Like I said in the very beginning, it's the fact that every square millimeter and every interaction with the Kindle is 100% proprietary from start to finish. You read THEIR books on THEIR system over THEIR network for THEIR prices on THEIR hardware with THEIR software under THEIR EULA.
Upgrade the memory with an SD card? Lol, fuck off. Found a better price on a book? Lol, fuck off. Have a library of e-books already in a different format? Lol, fuck off.
If I wanted a company that far up my ass and in my wallet, I'd use Apple products.
You do realize that the Kindle can read mobi, prc, txt, tpz, and pdf files in addition to its proprietary format, right? It can also read primarily text-based HTML and it can convert Word documents into text and a number of image file types into its azw format. So basically the only stuff it can't read are the proprietary formats used by its competitors.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers.
Ubuntu? Nice. Like I said in the very beginning, it's the fact that every square millimeter and every interaction with the Kindle is 100% proprietary from start to finish. You read THEIR books on THEIR system over THEIR network for THEIR prices on THEIR hardware with THEIR software under THEIR EULA.
Upgrade the memory with an SD card? Lol, fuck off. Found a better price on a book? Lol, fuck off. Have a library of e-books already in a different format? Lol, fuck off.
If I wanted a company that far up my ass and in my wallet, I'd use Apple products.
You do realize that the Kindle can read mobi, prc, txt, tpz, and pdf files in addition to its proprietary format, right? It can also read primarily text-based HTML and it can convert Word documents into text and a number of image file types into its azw format. So basically the only stuff it can't read are the proprietary formats used by its competitors.
I do, and Kindle's Mobipocket software is by no means the worse, but it's still a pain in the ass to convert ebooks into another format. I do it over the web, but it's time consuming if I have to convert a big series.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers.
Ubuntu? Nice. Like I said in the very beginning, it's the fact that every square millimeter and every interaction with the Kindle is 100% proprietary from start to finish. You read THEIR books on THEIR system over THEIR network for THEIR prices on THEIR hardware with THEIR software under THEIR EULA.
Upgrade the memory with an SD card? Lol, fuck off. Found a better price on a book? Lol, fuck off. Have a library of e-books already in a different format? Lol, fuck off.
If I wanted a company that far up my ass and in my wallet, I'd use Apple products.
You do realize that the Kindle can read mobi, prc, txt, tpz, and pdf files in addition to its proprietary format, right? It can also read primarily text-based HTML and it can convert Word documents into text and a number of image file types into its azw format. So basically the only stuff it can't read are the proprietary formats used by its competitors.
I do, and Kindle's Mobipocket software is by no means the worse, but it's still a pain in the ass to convert ebooks into another format. I do it over the web, but it's time consuming if I have to convert a big series.
What formats can the Kindle not read natively that must be converted?
The one I know the most about is .Lit, which had a pretty sizable market share prior to the Kindle (and still does, for all I know). I converted all my .Lit files into more generic stuff a while ago, not that it matters now since there's open source readers that handle everything.
Any comments on how the iPhone Kindle app fits in to this lengthy DS vs Kindle debate? It seems to posses all the so-called pluses of the DS (or possibly even more, since it's well, a phone).
I personally think it's great for small sections of reading. Such as standing in line wherever or waiting for a movie to start or something. I will definitely say that after more than 30 mins or so of reading my eyes can tell a huge difference between staring at a screen like that versus the display on a regular Kindle.
I've also noticed it's much harder on the eyes using the Kindle for PC app than even the iPhone. Though the sync features between all of them are pretty sweet.
In general, I'd say the DS as an eBook reader is very comparable to the iPhone Kindle app. But when you talk about any kind of lcd screen versus an eInk screen there really is no comparison. Seems to me that's why most eReader comparisons are between like-screen devices.
If you personally don't think that the eInk screen makes much difference then I guess you must know something that all the top eReader makers in the world don't since they appear to have invested quite a lot of time and money in the technology. I'm sure it's very possible that on a per-person basis there are people that do not mind reading for extended periods of time on an lcd screen. Luckily for folks like me (and apparently many others in this thread) the majority of people seem to notice a difference and as such the devices cater to this majority.
Any comments on how the iPhone Kindle app fits in to this lengthy DS vs Kindle debate? It seems to posses all the so-called pluses of the DS (or possibly even more, since it's well, a phone).
Seems like a good trade off. The iPhone has a slightly bigger screen than the DSi's combined screens with the LCD advantage of performing good in all lighting. Not sure if the iPhone can be dimmed as much as the DS, though.
You gain iPhone functionality. You lose the ability to play DS, GBA, GBC, GB, NES, SNES, and Genesis games. Both iPhone and CycloDS let you mess around with music, videos, and albums.
The latest iPhone and the DSi both have 32 gb storage.
I guess it really depends on whether you enjoy video games or not.
If you personally don't think that the eInk screen makes much difference then I guess you must know something that all the top eReader makers in the world don't since they appear to have invested quite a lot of time and money in the technology
Well, one part of that is right.. eink panels cost less than LCD, so there's that. If you were the manufacturer, wouldn't you be happy to charge more for a device that costs less to make? The marketing campaign from the eink camp has certainly worked well.
I fall in the camp that both are just as good as the other for different reasons.
It's easier on your eyes than a Kindle, easier in high light situations than the Kindle, 1,000,001 times better in low or no light situations than the Kindle, and when you factor in the top AND bottom screen it's got about the same words per "page".
There is literally no way it's easier on the eyes than an eInk screen. That's a simple fact of LCD screens. And you may get the same words per page, but those words are going to be a hell of a lot smaller, and thus harder to read, only adding to the eye strain already exacerbated by the LCD screens.
If I showed you a comparison of DS lumens and pixel density vs Kindle lumens and pixel density, would that satisfy you? Since obviously 2 old ladies who don't exactly have the best vision preferring the DS over the Kindle despite using the Kindle extensively doesn't mean anything to you.
Then again, you may have the eye sight of a mole, and I'm not a doctor. I'm an MBA in consumer marketing who consults with technology firms on how to part fools with their money.
Go buy a Kindle.
You realize almost everybody in this thread already has an eReader, right? And being a gaming forum, we all almost certainly have DS's as well. So your two little old ladies are trumped by out personal experience.
Man, I don't strap a desklamp to every paperback I carry with me, why would I feel any differently about a Kindle?
Logical fallacies aside... oh wait, that's all you've provided.
If you can't realize why technology switched to back-lighting in the early 90's and hasn't looked back since - that's not my problem.
Enjoy sticking to your "Optimal Lighting Environment" and never leaving it without your lamp attachment. Meanwhile the rest of us can carry something that's smaller, more durable, completely non-proprietary, and easier to read in every environment ranging from high glare (beach or park) to no-light (nighttime in bed next to a sleeping spouse).
I've read my Kindle by candle light. I've also read it in direct sunlight shining right onto the screen. You know what the "Optimal Lighting Environment" is? "Any light at all."
I do, and Kindle's Mobipocket software is by no means the worse, but it's still a pain in the ass to convert ebooks into another format. I do it over the web, but it's time consuming if I have to convert a big series.
You can zip mutiple files together and have them batch converted. Is there anything you're not wrong about?
Any comments on how the iPhone Kindle app fits in to this lengthy DS vs Kindle debate? It seems to posses all the so-called pluses of the DS (or possibly even more, since it's well, a phone).
Seems like a good trade off. The iPhone has a slightly bigger screen than the DSi's combined screens with the LCD advantage of performing good in all lighting. Not sure if the iPhone can be dimmed as much as the DS, though.
You gain iPhone functionality. You lose the ability to play DS, GBA, GBC, GB, NES, SNES, and Genesis games. Both iPhone and CycloDS let you mess around with music, videos, and albums.
The latest iPhone and the DSi both have 32 gb storage.
I guess it really depends on whether you enjoy video games or not.
Nice thing about using your phone is that you've already got it on you. The DS just adds something else I have to carry around.
Of course, I read paper books and don't like any of the e-reader options, so my opinion here is probably moot.
You can zip mutiple files together and have them batch converted. Is there anything you're not wrong about?
Hahaha.
Yes, two old women are definitely going to do that just because the Kindle is cool nowadays.
I don't think two old women are going to be doing any kind of converting of alternate formats. His specific complaint was about it taking forever to convert a lot of files.
The marketing campaign from the eink camp has certainly worked well.
I can't see how eink marketing had anything to do with why I bought a Kindle. I travel on business a lot and it's much more convenient to carry one "book" than multiples. I also looked at the selection of books available and found that the Kindle was the best option for me.
The eink screen was like a footnote in a spec sheet until I had actually spent long periods of time with the device. Now I personally wouldn't buy an eReader without it until there's a better technology (for me, obviously not for you or people like you that aren't bothered reading other screens).
I'm having a hard time choosing between a Kindle or a Nook. I already spend a lot of time in Barnes and Noble, and have several books on my iPhone, so this seems like the obvious choice. But I don't want to wait a month because I'm psycho.
I'm having a hard time choosing between a Kindle or a Nook. I already spend a lot of time in Barnes and Noble, and have several books on my iPhone, so this seems like the obvious choice. But I don't want to wait a month because I'm psycho.
I think you can go to B&N and actually play with their e-reader now (at least the one near me.) I bought the kindle a couple months back and love it but it would have been nice to at least play with one of the alternatives before making the decision.
I'm having a hard time choosing between a Kindle or a Nook. I already spend a lot of time in Barnes and Noble, and have several books on my iPhone, so this seems like the obvious choice. But I don't want to wait a month because I'm psycho.
I think you can go to B&N and actually play with their e-reader now (at least the one near me.) I bought the kindle a couple months back and love it but it would have been nice to at least play with one of the alternatives before making the decision.
Do this and see how much you like it. Be aware, though, that the nook has a shorter battery life because of the colour touchscreen bar.
I believe so, yeah. It's actually a little longer than some people speculated. "10 days", compared to the Kindle's "14 days" - not that that really means much. Being in Canada I haven't had a chance to play with one.
I accidentally posted this in the other thread instead of this new one, but I just wanted confimation: Is it true that the Nook is incapable of web-browsing? I read that although it has WiFi access, it has no web browser. The WiFi access serves to allow the user to download new books only.
I accidentally posted this in the other thread instead of this new one, but I just wanted confimation: Is it true that the Nook is incapable of web-browsing? I read that although it has WiFi access, it has no web browser. The WiFi access serves to allow the user to download new books only.
That would surprising, seeing as it runs the Google OS. I'd better confirm before I make my decision....
But now that I think about it, the free 3G access for both products forces you to subscribe to RSS feeds and websites, I think. I'll be back.
So, if you're not getting it, the Kindle best sellers RSS feed often links to free books that are on sale for that day only. I've scored like 5 books that way that I'll be cracking once I finish World War Z. Warning, there's still a bunch of crap and romance too though.
UncleChet on
I'm sometimes grumpy and random, feel free to overlook the strange man in the corner.
So, if you're not getting it, the Kindle best sellers RSS feed often links to free books that are on sale for that day only. I've scored like 5 books that way that I'll be cracking once I finish World War Z. Warning, there's still a bunch of crap and romance too though.
Which feed is his, and can you set the Kindle up to use it?
i.e., does the Kindle have an RSS reader? That would be really cool if it did.
I accidentally posted this in the other thread instead of this new one, but I just wanted confimation: Is it true that the Nook is incapable of web-browsing? I read that although it has WiFi access, it has no web browser. The WiFi access serves to allow the user to download new books only.
That would surprising, seeing as it runs the Google OS. I'd better confirm before I make my decision....
But now that I think about it, the free 3G access for both products forces you to subscribe to RSS feeds and websites, I think. I'll be back.
The specs promise an interesting experience and it’s especially nice to hear that the device will last for 10 days with wireless off, a bit longer than any of the Kindle family in practice although, in theory, any member can hit the 14 day mark.
I know I keep coming across as a severe Kindle evangelist here, but this is not my experience at all. At my normal reading rate, which is a minimum of 30 minutes a day, usually more, I only charge my Kindle 2 about once a month.
So, if you're not getting it, the Kindle best sellers RSS feed often links to free books that are on sale for that day only. I've scored like 5 books that way that I'll be cracking once I finish World War Z. Warning, there's still a bunch of crap and romance too though.
Which feed is his, and can you set the Kindle up to use it?
i.e., does the Kindle have an RSS reader? That would be really cool if it did.
If you go into the Kindle>Books>Best Sellers you can get "subscribe to our feed. It gives you the URL and I put it into Google Reader. I love free books.
This is at Amazon.com btw
UncleChet on
I'm sometimes grumpy and random, feel free to overlook the strange man in the corner.
I just received my Aluratek Libre eReader in the mail (3 day shipping on Thanksgiving = 7 day shipping). It's plugged in right now and charging. The Black Friday sale is over, and so while it's no longer $137, I figure I'd explain my impressions of the product.
Let me also prefix this by saying that I've never used an eReader before, and so I cannot compare, but just explain what I got. $137 was a low enough price point to convince me to try it out--if owning an eReader absolutely changes my life, it'll be worth investing in a more expensive higher quality one, but I didn't want to drop $400 and find out that I just don't like it.
Initial impressions:
Packaging
Packaging is standard. Came in a 3lb box from NewEgg. The box lists the following features:
Supports: PDF, TXT, FB2, EPUB, MOBI, PRC and RTF electronic book format
Supports BMP, JPG, GIF, animated GIF picture format
Content search for easy navigation between books and pages
Bookmark and autopage turn function
Adjustable font type and size
Screen rotation support (portrait and landscape mode)
Built-in MP3 player with background playback support
SD card slot - up to 32GB
Internal lithium-ion polymer battery (24 hrs continuous use / 30 days standby time)
Battery level indicator and low level warning
1 Year Warranty
Included in the box is the following:
eBook Reader PRO - the reader itself
USB Cable - about four or five feet
Power Charger - an AC wall charger -- doesn't fold (I'm spoiled by cellphones)
Hand Strap - like those things that came with Wiimotes and DSes
Earphones - just a pair of black generic ear buds, rubber coated
Carrying Pouch - Synthetic black pouch with a velcro strap over the top and a hard face on the front presumably to protect the screen
Quick Start guide - Stupid poster-print guide showing features and how to navigate menus and plug into the computer. Note: There is no true manual. Aluratek does not have a strong enough sense of irony.
Warranty and Registration card - blah
It also contains a 2GB SD card. Included are 100 books in txt format, all predictably public domain. Gutenberg
Unpackage it, investigate the cables, etc.
The eReader itself
The screen is a little over 5" diagonally. The entire device itself 4.5" x 6" x .5". Qualitatively, doesn't seem to weigh any more than a thin paperback or a magazine, but heavy enough to not blow away. A spring loaded bar sits on the left presumably for scrolling. Two page buttons are on the bottom left. A d-pad sits on the bottom left, with an ok button in the middle, and some shortcut keys. Along the right are number buttons 1-9 and 0, each of which are set up like texting buttons on a phone, on the odd chance you need to type something into the phone (at this point, I realise how sweet it would be to have something like this combined with a stand and a folded keyboard for taking notes on). On the top is a small plastic bar that can be pulled out to reveal an SD card slot and the port for the charger or the computer.
Turn it on. I'm surprised at the crispness of the screen (especially considering the budget price). I reiterate that I cannot compare it to another eReader. Buttons have a nice tactile feel. A menu is listed showing eBooks. I get impatient on the menu screen which loads slowly (at least this first time), and press the button too many times. It opens the manual.
This provides an opportunity to test the 'back' button to get back to the menu which shows a list of books, and the folder I included with a couple of Journal articles in it. First I check 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. Font is some sort of Sans Serif, and is easily read under this florescent light, even if I get in the way. Initially loading the book isn't terribly fast, but once it is, turning the pages seems to take under a second, just long enough to notice. It should be mentioned also that the book observed the file tree I had placed inside, which, while probably pretty standard, reveals an unnecessary worry I had for the product. Along the top of the screen is listed the title (which is always shortened with an elipse unless the title is very short), the % of the book you're read through, what page you're on, and the current battery charge.
Return to the top menu, to open: McRae, H., Dickson, B.G., Khitt, T. H., and Shah, V. B. Using Circuit Theory to Model Connectivity in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. 2008. Ecology.89:2712-2724
Although the text is very small, it's surprisingly readable in it's present format. Clear, but I wouldn't be comfortable reading over a period. Zooming is quick and easy, and by hitting the zoom button and pressing number 5 quickly puts it at just the right size to read a column's width, and the page can be rotated to give even more width for easier zooming/reading. Easily readable and fortunately it should work for my purposes. I am rather elated.
Exit to main menu, which lists the following options:
Recent Readings, eBooks, Pictures, MP3 Player, Settings, and Help.
"Recent Reading" shows the two books I just looked at.
"Pictures" shows some pictures I had put on here to test. Obviously not in color, but the pictures are crisp. I can rotate them, and I can scroll through them with the spring bar on the left.
"MP3 Player" Skipping this for now, because I forgot to put some audio on it. Didn't come with any sample sounds unfortunately.
"Settings" lists: User Settings, System Settings, Internal File Manager, SD Card File Manager, and Background Music.
"User Settings" includes options Languages, Auto Power Off, Auto Turn Page, Volume and Fonts. Expected stuff mostly.
"System Settings" has a bunch of technical stuff.
"Internal File Manager" lets me move things around, copy, delete, create new folders, etc.
"SD Card File Manager" does the same thing, but on the card's memory. I was able to copy from the internal memory to the SD card pretty simply.
"Background Music" included options to start, stop, and change volume which would be useful had I actually put music on there.
"Help" is what I must have hit earlier in my haste to open up the manual for the device. Also, I want to note that that really long initial loading only happened once, and even though things aren't as fast as on a desktop computer, it operated smoothly and rapidly after that one instance.
Overall:
This is neat! I wish I could compare with other devices to let anyone know whether it was a good buy, but at $200 I would probably buy one having gotten to mess around with it. At the $180 it is on NewEgg right now, I would also consider it a nice deal. At the $137, I'm going to call it a steal as far as I am aware, and so if you ever see it that low again, I suggest you move on it. This seems like it will be incredibly helpful, and I'm looking forward to carrying it around and using it. After I've toyed with it a bit, I'll let you know what I think. I'm happy to have made the plunge to an eReader though.
Edit: Added in a note about the top bar of the reading page.
I had a chance to play around with a Pocket for a while today, totally obstructing the main path through Best Buy. They've got their readers tethered to a kiosk right in the entrance. It's crazy. The 5" screen wasn't a problem, I was able to read their excerpt from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy easily. My 500 has a 6" screen, like most readers, but I couldn't really tell a difference when using the pocket. It was still comfortable. I really like the size. The larger type of readers, like my old one or the kindle, are a little too bulky to fit easily in a pocket, but the 300 is small enough that I can keep it in a pocket without it being obvious I had a huge thing in there.* I would love to have the dictionary/wikipedia that other readers have, since that would turn it into the closest thing to the actual Hitchhiker's Guide. While that would be really cool, I know I wouldn't use those features all that much. The fact that it's $100 cheaper doesn't hurt either, but that isn't really a factor considering it's a luxury item regardless. I think my final decision is going to come down to their stores.
On that, what are some books that you like that are a little obscure? I want to try to put both stores, and maybe Barnes and Noble's too, through their paces. It seems like they have very similar selections, but Amazon is consistently a buck or two cheaper. Amazon is also considerably cheaper for specialized nonfiction. Does anyone know how the different DRM schemes interact? Can I read Kindle books on a Sony reader, or vice-versa?
I also tried out the DS 100 classics collection. That's actually not that bad. I prefer having a real page or a larger screen, but I wouldn't write it off completely. If I had one of the DS's with the bigger screen, like the DSi or the extra large one if that's in America yet, I think it could serve as a credible replacement eReader.
That Aluratek looks nifty, too. You'll have to keep us posted on what it's like to use it over time.
*Besides the huge thing I already keep in my pants. :winky:
So if you buy an eBook from Amazon or B&N, do you have to use their reader for it? I think B&N had an eBook store before the Nook, so I'm guessing not from them?
Also, has anyone tried to read something in languages other than English on these? Maybe unicode characters? (That is still the one thing that is holding me back from getting one, that and possibly dictionary availability)
Yes to Amazon and B&N. They both use proprietary formats that only their reader supports. The rumor is that B&N is going to switch to ePub, like Sony just did, so in theory they should be compatible with each other, but there's probably a DRM clusterfuck between them that would make that impossible. I'm really glad Sony is moving away from this proprietary bullshit, and I hope B&N does, too. It'll be best for everyone once the industry settles on a standard. The differences in hardware don't really matter to me, what I'm most concerned with is the differences in what books are offered.
Does anyone have any experience trying to find texts from specific translators? For instance, I read a lot of philosophy texts from ancient Greece all the way through the middle ages, most of which aren't written in English. As is the case with these things, some translations are rubbish and some are fantastic. Most of these texts are public domain these days, but is there any way I can go about finding specific translations? Even if some translations aren't public domain, is the selection wide enough that I can be a little picky or am I probably stuck with one?
Does anyone have any experience trying to find texts from specific translators? For instance, I read a lot of philosophy texts from ancient Greece all the way through the middle ages, most of which aren't written in English. As is the case with these things, some translations are rubbish and some are fantastic. Most of these texts are public domain these days, but is there any way I can go about finding specific translations? Even if some translations aren't public domain, is the selection wide enough that I can be a little picky or am I probably stuck with one?
Yes, actually. I busted my head against the different stores while I was testing them out. They're all uniformly terrible at noting translations. Most listings contain no mention at all of translation, just the original author. I checked a bunch of famous novels and works of poetry, and I actually specifically checked a bunch of philosophy texts. They're all pretty dismal, but if I was going to rank them, B&N is the best of the three I tried, with Amazon just barely scraping bottom, and Sony being the worst. "Best" in this case is a relative term, since they all suck.
edit: And B&N only scored points because they incorporate Google Books into their searches. On their own they're the worst of the three. You'd get the same results if you started at Google and bypassed the B&N store entirely.
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4x better battery life, so that's pretty cool for the Kindle 2. DSi has 25x the storage space, though. Not that books take up much space anyway.
Neither is capable of GPS navigation. And I have no idea why they chose to mention that.
I will agree that the Kindle 2 fails in direct light. That's my only beef, but it's not really a problem for me as I generally don't read outside in direct sunlight anyway. It does just fine in situations like riding in a car; the ambient sunlight doesn't make it hard to read, only direct sunlight does.
As for the people saying they don't get eye-strain: Either you don't work at a job that requires constant computer use (I do, and if I don't take frequent "eye-breaks" I have a headache by midday - and I'm someone who can read books for hours without any strain), or *gasp* you're different from other people! In which case your personal opinion is fine, but since it differs from almost every other opinion here, you need to stop telling people they're somehow "wrong".
p.s. The "OOH SHINY" method of convincing me to buy something stopped working when I was in 1st grade. I don't particularly care about the colors or the cool kids. Guess that completely explains why you prefer your DS though.
I am absolutely bothered by the amount of time I spend staring at an LCD. Therefore, I do not want to extend that duration into other venues of my life.
I am absolutely bothered by having to repeatedly press keys or a similar motion. Therefore, I do not want to extend that onto a DS with its smaller screen and necessitation for greater "clicks" or whatever to turn the page.
Done. You have lots of customers who care about one or both of these issues. If a lot of customers care, then the Kindle is filling that need. It doesn't fucking matter if one is somehow objectively better than the other because of logical fallacies.
I wouldn't want to use a DS either. But there are LCD devices like the Smart Q7/Q5, Smart V7/Q5, and a variety of other MIDs that run WinCE, Ubuntu and/or Android that are light-weight with large screens and decent battery life that do make great readers. Turning the backlight on those devices down to about 10% really gets it about right plus the reading software usually offers TONS of customizations ranging from things like letter thickness, letter spacing, line spacing and paragraph spacing to indent widths, margins and colors.
In my home, starting tomorrow, there will be both an eink device and an lcd device.
Ubuntu? Nice. Like I said in the very beginning, it's the fact that every square millimeter and every interaction with the Kindle is 100% proprietary from start to finish. You read THEIR books on THEIR system over THEIR network for THEIR prices on THEIR hardware with THEIR software under THEIR EULA.
Upgrade the memory with an SD card? Lol, fuck off. Found a better price on a book? Lol, fuck off. Have a library of e-books already in a different format? Lol, fuck off.
If I wanted a company that far up my ass and in my wallet, I'd use Apple products.
You do realize that the Kindle can read mobi, prc, txt, tpz, and pdf files in addition to its proprietary format, right? It can also read primarily text-based HTML and it can convert Word documents into text and a number of image file types into its azw format. So basically the only stuff it can't read are the proprietary formats used by its competitors.
I do, and Kindle's Mobipocket software is by no means the worse, but it's still a pain in the ass to convert ebooks into another format. I do it over the web, but it's time consuming if I have to convert a big series.
What formats can the Kindle not read natively that must be converted?
I personally think it's great for small sections of reading. Such as standing in line wherever or waiting for a movie to start or something. I will definitely say that after more than 30 mins or so of reading my eyes can tell a huge difference between staring at a screen like that versus the display on a regular Kindle.
I've also noticed it's much harder on the eyes using the Kindle for PC app than even the iPhone. Though the sync features between all of them are pretty sweet.
In general, I'd say the DS as an eBook reader is very comparable to the iPhone Kindle app. But when you talk about any kind of lcd screen versus an eInk screen there really is no comparison. Seems to me that's why most eReader comparisons are between like-screen devices.
If you personally don't think that the eInk screen makes much difference then I guess you must know something that all the top eReader makers in the world don't since they appear to have invested quite a lot of time and money in the technology. I'm sure it's very possible that on a per-person basis there are people that do not mind reading for extended periods of time on an lcd screen. Luckily for folks like me (and apparently many others in this thread) the majority of people seem to notice a difference and as such the devices cater to this majority.
Seems like a good trade off. The iPhone has a slightly bigger screen than the DSi's combined screens with the LCD advantage of performing good in all lighting. Not sure if the iPhone can be dimmed as much as the DS, though.
You gain iPhone functionality. You lose the ability to play DS, GBA, GBC, GB, NES, SNES, and Genesis games. Both iPhone and CycloDS let you mess around with music, videos, and albums.
The latest iPhone and the DSi both have 32 gb storage.
I guess it really depends on whether you enjoy video games or not.
Well, one part of that is right.. eink panels cost less than LCD, so there's that. If you were the manufacturer, wouldn't you be happy to charge more for a device that costs less to make? The marketing campaign from the eink camp has certainly worked well.
I fall in the camp that both are just as good as the other for different reasons.
There is literally no way it's easier on the eyes than an eInk screen. That's a simple fact of LCD screens. And you may get the same words per page, but those words are going to be a hell of a lot smaller, and thus harder to read, only adding to the eye strain already exacerbated by the LCD screens.
You realize almost everybody in this thread already has an eReader, right? And being a gaming forum, we all almost certainly have DS's as well. So your two little old ladies are trumped by out personal experience.
Nice argument from authority fallacy though.
I've read my Kindle by candle light. I've also read it in direct sunlight shining right onto the screen. You know what the "Optimal Lighting Environment" is? "Any light at all."
You can zip mutiple files together and have them batch converted. Is there anything you're not wrong about?
Hahaha.
Yes, two old women are definitely going to do that just because the Kindle is cool nowadays.
Nice thing about using your phone is that you've already got it on you. The DS just adds something else I have to carry around.
Of course, I read paper books and don't like any of the e-reader options, so my opinion here is probably moot.
I don't think two old women are going to be doing any kind of converting of alternate formats. His specific complaint was about it taking forever to convert a lot of files.
I can't see how eink marketing had anything to do with why I bought a Kindle. I travel on business a lot and it's much more convenient to carry one "book" than multiples. I also looked at the selection of books available and found that the Kindle was the best option for me.
The eink screen was like a footnote in a spec sheet until I had actually spent long periods of time with the device. Now I personally wouldn't buy an eReader without it until there's a better technology (for me, obviously not for you or people like you that aren't bothered reading other screens).
I think you can go to B&N and actually play with their e-reader now (at least the one near me.) I bought the kindle a couple months back and love it but it would have been nice to at least play with one of the alternatives before making the decision.
Do this and see how much you like it. Be aware, though, that the nook has a shorter battery life because of the colour touchscreen bar.
That would surprising, seeing as it runs the Google OS. I'd better confirm before I make my decision....
But now that I think about it, the free 3G access for both products forces you to subscribe to RSS feeds and websites, I think. I'll be back.
Edit, eh: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/20/chart-how-the-nook-stacks-up-in-the-ereader-race/
Ordering me a Kindle now. Wee!
Which feed is his, and can you set the Kindle up to use it?
i.e., does the Kindle have an RSS reader? That would be really cool if it did.
Edit: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24949
http://feedbooks.com/help/kindle
Apparently it costs $0.15 each time it refreshes?
I know I keep coming across as a severe Kindle evangelist here, but this is not my experience at all. At my normal reading rate, which is a minimum of 30 minutes a day, usually more, I only charge my Kindle 2 about once a month.
If you go into the Kindle>Books>Best Sellers you can get "subscribe to our feed. It gives you the URL and I put it into Google Reader. I love free books.
This is at Amazon.com btw
Let me also prefix this by saying that I've never used an eReader before, and so I cannot compare, but just explain what I got. $137 was a low enough price point to convince me to try it out--if owning an eReader absolutely changes my life, it'll be worth investing in a more expensive higher quality one, but I didn't want to drop $400 and find out that I just don't like it.
Initial impressions:
Packaging is standard. Came in a 3lb box from NewEgg. The box lists the following features:
- Supports: PDF, TXT, FB2, EPUB, MOBI, PRC and RTF electronic book format
- Supports BMP, JPG, GIF, animated GIF picture format
- Content search for easy navigation between books and pages
- Bookmark and autopage turn function
- Adjustable font type and size
- Screen rotation support (portrait and landscape mode)
- Built-in MP3 player with background playback support
- SD card slot - up to 32GB
- Internal lithium-ion polymer battery (24 hrs continuous use / 30 days standby time)
- Battery level indicator and low level warning
- 1 Year Warranty
Included in the box is the following:It also contains a 2GB SD card. Included are 100 books in txt format, all predictably public domain. Gutenberg
Unpackage it, investigate the cables, etc.
The eReader itself
The screen is a little over 5" diagonally. The entire device itself 4.5" x 6" x .5". Qualitatively, doesn't seem to weigh any more than a thin paperback or a magazine, but heavy enough to not blow away. A spring loaded bar sits on the left presumably for scrolling. Two page buttons are on the bottom left. A d-pad sits on the bottom left, with an ok button in the middle, and some shortcut keys. Along the right are number buttons 1-9 and 0, each of which are set up like texting buttons on a phone, on the odd chance you need to type something into the phone (at this point, I realise how sweet it would be to have something like this combined with a stand and a folded keyboard for taking notes on). On the top is a small plastic bar that can be pulled out to reveal an SD card slot and the port for the charger or the computer.
Turn it on. I'm surprised at the crispness of the screen (especially considering the budget price). I reiterate that I cannot compare it to another eReader. Buttons have a nice tactile feel. A menu is listed showing eBooks. I get impatient on the menu screen which loads slowly (at least this first time), and press the button too many times. It opens the manual.
This provides an opportunity to test the 'back' button to get back to the menu which shows a list of books, and the folder I included with a couple of Journal articles in it. First I check 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. Font is some sort of Sans Serif, and is easily read under this florescent light, even if I get in the way. Initially loading the book isn't terribly fast, but once it is, turning the pages seems to take under a second, just long enough to notice. It should be mentioned also that the book observed the file tree I had placed inside, which, while probably pretty standard, reveals an unnecessary worry I had for the product. Along the top of the screen is listed the title (which is always shortened with an elipse unless the title is very short), the % of the book you're read through, what page you're on, and the current battery charge.
Return to the top menu, to open: McRae, H., Dickson, B.G., Khitt, T. H., and Shah, V. B. Using Circuit Theory to Model Connectivity in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. 2008. Ecology. 89:2712-2724
Although the text is very small, it's surprisingly readable in it's present format. Clear, but I wouldn't be comfortable reading over a period. Zooming is quick and easy, and by hitting the zoom button and pressing number 5 quickly puts it at just the right size to read a column's width, and the page can be rotated to give even more width for easier zooming/reading. Easily readable and fortunately it should work for my purposes. I am rather elated.
Exit to main menu, which lists the following options:
Recent Readings, eBooks, Pictures, MP3 Player, Settings, and Help.
Overall:
This is neat! I wish I could compare with other devices to let anyone know whether it was a good buy, but at $200 I would probably buy one having gotten to mess around with it. At the $180 it is on NewEgg right now, I would also consider it a nice deal. At the $137, I'm going to call it a steal as far as I am aware, and so if you ever see it that low again, I suggest you move on it. This seems like it will be incredibly helpful, and I'm looking forward to carrying it around and using it. After I've toyed with it a bit, I'll let you know what I think. I'm happy to have made the plunge to an eReader though.
Edit: Added in a note about the top bar of the reading page.
On that, what are some books that you like that are a little obscure? I want to try to put both stores, and maybe Barnes and Noble's too, through their paces. It seems like they have very similar selections, but Amazon is consistently a buck or two cheaper. Amazon is also considerably cheaper for specialized nonfiction. Does anyone know how the different DRM schemes interact? Can I read Kindle books on a Sony reader, or vice-versa?
I also tried out the DS 100 classics collection. That's actually not that bad. I prefer having a real page or a larger screen, but I wouldn't write it off completely. If I had one of the DS's with the bigger screen, like the DSi or the extra large one if that's in America yet, I think it could serve as a credible replacement eReader.
That Aluratek looks nifty, too. You'll have to keep us posted on what it's like to use it over time.
*Besides the huge thing I already keep in my pants. :winky:
Also, has anyone tried to read something in languages other than English on these? Maybe unicode characters? (That is still the one thing that is holding me back from getting one, that and possibly dictionary availability)
Yes, actually. I busted my head against the different stores while I was testing them out. They're all uniformly terrible at noting translations. Most listings contain no mention at all of translation, just the original author. I checked a bunch of famous novels and works of poetry, and I actually specifically checked a bunch of philosophy texts. They're all pretty dismal, but if I was going to rank them, B&N is the best of the three I tried, with Amazon just barely scraping bottom, and Sony being the worst. "Best" in this case is a relative term, since they all suck.
edit: And B&N only scored points because they incorporate Google Books into their searches. On their own they're the worst of the three. You'd get the same results if you started at Google and bypassed the B&N store entirely.