eReaders

[ShunNakamura]

Well I am considering the dive. It seems more and more often releases I am interested in offer only hardcover+kindle for quite some time and only begrudgingly offer paperback. Given I dislike hardcover books I am unwilling to pay the premium they demand over other formats.

However, the problems with reading books on a screen is eye strain. Even as I type this my eyes burn and burn and burn. And I haven't even been looking at the screen that long. Meanwhile I can read printed books for 10+ hours only taking breaks for bathroom and maybe to get a snack. Even with my cellphone I can not read it without my glasses(as in the screen is just a blur even at book distance). In contrast I normally read printed books without my glasses.

I am just not convinced that such devices are worth the price tag(particularly not now since I just had to get a new car). To top it off apparently they can't agree on a common format. I absolutely loath dealing with cross platform crap. At least a printed book is a printed book, it doesn't much matter where I got it from.


So talk about the different eReaders so I can try and come to a decisive decision. Currently my leanings would be towards the Kindle if only because I am a Prime member.

[Parker]

Get an e-ink reader so you're not looking at a bright screen. Get an older kindle. Don't bother with touch screen or non-e-ink versions. close the thread

[Jiro]

I love my Kindle. I downloaded a bunch of books off Project Gutenberg and it's a lot easier to read in low/no light situations; definitely get an e-ink one or whatever though, so much better than a troutty screen.

eReaders also have the benefit of being able to just, erm, download books. If you're financially challenged, that is. Just remember to support your favourite authors when you can -- being a writer is absolute bollocks.

[Shlup]

I love my Nook. The eInk screen won't hurt your eyes; I can read it all day just like a regular book. I've also never bought a book; it's easy to... "find" them. I also have a waterproof cover so I can plug in my earbuds and bring it in the tub. It's my little buddy.

[noxious.sunshine]

Yeah what they said. E-Ink/Paper white is probably the way to go.

I use tuebl.ca or my Overdrive app + Local Library to download books. And every now and then, I just use the Play Store to buy them.

I use the eReaders on my phone (I have PlayBooks, Kindle, & moon+ reader... The 1st 2 came automatically installed ... ). I'm pretty sure they have e-ink/paper white settings... I'd love to have an actual e-reader though .. Like the Kindle Fire HD - which is multifunctional.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I have the first generation of the Kindle Fire. It's a nice size and it's pretty nice to have for long trips or something to read from. Screens don't really bother me too much, though. E-ink readers are perfect if you don't want to strain your eyes from a computer screen. I would say the kindle is the best like others have said, but the nook is good too if you can find one for cheaper.

[The Man]

Nook Simple Touch is good because it's an e-ink display with a pretty user-friendly interface. I hear Kindle has one that's similar but I don't have much experience with it.

Definitely agree with the above suggestions about e-ink displays though; if you want a device to read on for long periods of time that's definitely the way to go.

[escobert]

I loved my kindle until I lent it to my friend and he now refuses to give it back

But, I like owning books more than the easiness of a kindle. and I like hardcovers I actually bought 10 books today from Books-A-Million.

[Minami]

I have one of those really old kindles with the keyboard on the bottom and i love it XD The screen doesn't bother me at all and i read everyday on it around three hours or so. I do still read the odd 'proper' book but i have so many ebooks dled for free that i kind of hate paying for books now lol

[Jess]

I have a Kindle Fire, and I love it. But, reading off a screen really doesn't bother me, as I spend 8 hours a day at work staring at one & usually a couple more hours outside of work. I just love that I can buy an ebook for half the price I would pay for an actual book. And, that when I'm done reading it, it doesn't have to go into the bookcase for the rest of eternity to collect dust (as I'm not one for re-reading books I've already read).

[Bolivar]

I know it might sound weird but my original Kindle Fire really doesn't bother my eyes that much, especially since I can change the font, size, line spacing, and background color. If it's really a big deal, get a kindle paperwhite, you won't regret it, especially as a prime subscriber.

[ShunNakamura]

Well it seems like what I was leaning towards(the PaperWhite) is what this thread is pushing me towards. Not that I can make the dive anytime too soon. Wanna catch up with Expenses before I drop a 100+ on something to read books.

Though do eBooks make for more profit for authors or do paperbacks? I do like to support my favorite authors. The ones whose publishers have paperback preorder options for the first release I always preorder. With hardcover or eBook being the only option I always place a hold through the library. I REALLY don't like hardcovers.


And I have read that studies indicate that screens shouldn't be harder to read from than paper. But that has never been true for me. The easiest example is I need my glasses to read from a screen the same distance that I can read a book without my glasses. Obviously print sizes and fonts are comparable. Everything on the monitor/phone is just so blurry without my glasses. Paper though is readable. I wonder if the E-Ink will be readable without my glasses? That is a biggie since my glasses have always caused some minor eye strain on their own(likely because they get slightly bent or because I don't keep them clean enough or because they get scratched).

[Pike]

Yeah, the e-ink is super nice. Most e-readers will read .epub files (Kindle might not... may want to double check) and that's probably the closest you'll get to a "standard format".

Though do eBooks make for more profit for authors or do paperbacks? I do like to support my favorite authors.

Depends on the author, price, publisher and so forth. My own books turn a considerably larger profit when the hard copies are sold as opposed to the ebook versions but I sort of prefer when people buy the ebooks for various reasons.

[Shauna]

If you download an ebook that's not the right filetype for a Kindle, you can download a free program (Calibre, I believe it's called) and that'll make it Kindle-compatible. There is probably an easier way to do these things, but it's how I figured out how to deal. xD

[Pike]

Ooh, you can run Calibre on Kindle? Awesome!

In that case yeah, .epub is the standard file format.