Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
XI. Misc
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Basic Questions about eReaders
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I own a Nook, and as long as I have access to WiFi when I purchase the book and press the circular arrow button, then I can access the books wherever I go, whether there is WiFi or not. My nook also comes with a place to put a micro-chip, so I can download even more books onto the chip, which I like because it allows me to not ever have to buy another e-reader again, no matter how low the storage space is. Also, I highly recommend a back-light- mine came with one and it is GREAT. Especially for long rides in the car at night should we be traveling. Hope that helps!
I own an iPad, a mini iPad and a cheap paperwhite Kindle without back light.First, I say make sure the device you choose has a backlight or some kind of light. I know paper books don't come with one but it's such a great commodity to be able to read eve in the dark. My Kindle is useless to me. The hubby has the one with the light and loves it. Of course, he isn't like me. He buys a book, read it and then buys another. I love to have a choice so I buy many, and get many free. Because of that and maybe because I don't use it often enough, on kindle, I find it harder to find what I want to read.
On iPad, I have an app for Kindle, an app for Barnes and nobles (Nook) and an app for iTunes (iBook) so whatever store I happen to buy the book(s) I can read it. They both hold thousands of books and I have room for more so if I'm not near a Wi-Fi connection, I still can choose the book I want to read because I download them all as soon as I get them. Once they are on the device, I don't have to worry about wifi connection anymore.
I've never had a Nook. When I first look at eReaders, there were talks about Nook going out of business. I don't believe it mind you but still, that was enough to make me rethink.
On the other hand, iPads aren't cheap. I mean they still cost more then Kindle Fire which is more than the cheap kindle I own (79$). Hubby took the 119$ one and loves it. The difference in price is well worth it.
Sorry I can't help out with the Nook.
I have a Kindle. You shouldn't need to purchase service with any kind of ereader the way you would with a cell phone. You will need a Wi-Fi connection to load your books on if that's what you mean by a service provider. The books are downloaded onto the device, that way you can access them even when you don't have Wi-Fi. When choosing a device you should consider price, whether the device is user friendly, and if you can get the type of books you're most interested in on it.
I don't know much about the Nook, either.
I never thought I would like an ereader, but after having one for the last few years, I love it. If you do a lot of reading I would recommend one that isn't back lit.
I have a cheap Kindle, paperwhite, (I think it was about $120, purchased about 3 years ago) so has a back light. Once it's loaded with books, you don't need wifi. So you can stop somewhere there's free wifi & download books then you're good to go.A big consideration for me was availability of titles & cost of books because I read alot, especially when I'm travelling. I find sites like Bookbub a big help. You get one email a day with books in the genres you've chosen when you sign up. All the books are generally $1.99 or free. This saves a huge amount of time trolling through Amazon looking for the deals. I've probably picked up about 15 free books in the last month.
If I also want the book on my laptop (have a Mac), I can transfer from my kindle to laptop using the free Kindle App for Mac.
So although I'm no big fan of Amazon in general, I have to say when it comes to books, I'm really happy with my plain Jane kindle.
Having said all that, I'm thinking of buying the cheapest Kobo so I can download ebooks from my local library.
I take long flights several times a year & having an ereader has been a God send!
As a long time user of kobo touch, I would recommend a kobo device. kobo sports the maximum formats and allows you to purchase from third party sites. It is also the ereader that most feels like it has been designed by a bookworm.
I have no idea about nook since it is not available in India.
I use my Samsung tablet to read - got the Kindle app on it and it works like a charm. So do check if a Wi-Fi tablet wouldn't be cheaper and then you can download the Kindle and Nook apps on there (Nook only downloads on some tablets/phones, so check to make sure). But the Kindle app is the safe bet for me. Once I hit a Wi-Fi spot and open the app, it downloads everything pending and saves it on the device, so no need for a connection to read again.I also use the background color option - I read white on black at night, and black on white during the day. No need for backlight then, and you can also adjust the brightness on the tablet's screen. You can get a cheap Android tablet that has Wi-Fi and then get the Kindle app
My first thought was: If you're always on the road, then maybe you're better off with one of the Kindle models which feature free 3G - but you'd need to go online to buy a book on Amazon.com anyway, and in my experience, that doesn't really work well on the Kindle itself. (I've got the Kindle DX and it allows me to go online and browse for books, but it's slow and not really convenient)You'll probably need to weigh what's important to you, to make a decision between an eInk device and a backlit display:
eInk:
+extreme long battery life (the display only uses a bit of energy when changing a page, so you can easily go 3-4 weeks with one charge while actively using it)
+you can read in sunlight
-works like a book, so you can't read in the darkness without external light (Kindle Paperwhite comes with an integrated light that's working around this)
-only displays greyscale
backlit display:
+usually short battery life (actively using it you may be out of battery in a couple of hours)
+displays full color
-it's bad for your eyes to read on a backlit display
-you'll have a hard time seeing anything on the display in sunlight
If you're doing a lot of reading, I would rather recommend a Kindle device. However, if the guides you're looking for feature a lot of pictures, then you're probably better off with a tablet.
Then there's also the question of what else you might want to use your device for. E.g. when I found the Lonely Planet apps on my iOS device very helpful.
Ellen wrote: "After several years of resisting the idea of purchasing an e-reader, I'm considering a Nook. Here's why: my hubby and I travel full-time in an RV (yep -- makes for great plot ideas for my books), a..."I loved my Nook, and was sorry when I had to change over to a Kindle. I had a Nook that didn't have a backlight, but the battery life was incredible and I could also read PDF files as well as other formats. The other problem with the Nook is that if you get ARCs from sites like NetGalley, the Nook files expire after something like 55 days. Being a slow reader, that meant I had to be careful to download them soon enough so that I didn't miss the NetGalley archive dates, but late enough to make sure I had enough time to read them before they expired.
But the biggest problem with the Nook is that even with WiFi, when you get a book, you have to download it to Adobe Digital Editions and then connect your Nook to your computer/laptop/whatever and then move it over to your Nook. When I moved over to Windows 10 (and this was probably just my old computer) it screwed up my Adobe Digital Editions. I worked around it for a while, but then I gave up and got a Kindle.
ARCs on Kindle never expire, but you can't share them with other people (Nook files I could send to my husband, but he'd also have to read them before the files expired), only on your own devices (I have the Kindle app on my tablet). The paperwhite Kindle I bought has a backlight, and the battery life is okay (not as good as the Nook), and last a couple of weeks, but only when I keep it in Airplane mode without the WiFi. I like that when I get a new book, I can just connect to the WiFi and it will automatically download it without any other steps in between.
The reason I don't use my tablet for reading is mostly because the battery on it isn't so good, and if I have the WiFi on, the icons of things going on in the background distract me. Also, even with a screen protector that is supposed to be matt, if I'm reading outside I have to fiddle with the brightness.
Davida wrote: "Ellen wrote: "After several years of resisting the idea of purchasing an e-reader, I'm considering a Nook. Here's why: my hubby and I travel full-time in an RV (yep -- makes for great plot ideas fo..."I've found with my Kindle I sometimes have to go on the computer to download the book, but that's only when the book is emailed to me. Otherwise, if I buy a book directly from Amazon, I don't need the computer.
I'm an Apple person so my recommendation is an iPad. Like others have said you can download a free kindle app so you can read books from Apple and Amazon and as long as you download the book to the iPad you can read it anywhere, even without an Internet connection.
Lenita wrote: "I've found with my Kindle I sometimes have to go on the computer to download the book, but that's only when the book is emailed to me. Otherwise, if I buy a book directly from Amazon, I don't need the computer."Oh, I just mail it to my Kindle email address, so that solves that problem. Someone once told me also that if you get a PDF file and you put in the subject "convert" when you send it to your Kindle email address, that it will convert it automatically to a more "Kindle-friendly" format. I haven't tried that yet.
Samantha wrote: "I'm an Apple person so my recommendation is an iPad. Like others have said you can download a free kindle app so you can read books from Apple and Amazon and as long as you download the book to the..."Of course, with an iPad, you also have the option of buying books through iTunes bookstore. I understand that they have the best collection of audiobooks as well, but I've never tried an audiobook myself.
Davida wrote: "Ellen wrote: "After several years of resisting the idea of purchasing an e-reader, I'm considering a Nook. Here's why: my hubby and I travel full-time in an RV (yep -- makes for great plot ideas fo..."I have never had the issues with my Nook that are detailed here. I have a really old one. I think I got it in 2010 or something like that. Does that make a difference?
Davida wrote: "Samantha wrote: "I'm an Apple person so my recommendation is an iPad. Like others have said you can download a free kindle app so you can read books from Apple and Amazon and as long as you downloa..."
I've never really gotten into audiobooks as well. I find it hard to concentrate and follow the story. I'm a visual learner so that might be why.
I've never really gotten into audiobooks as well. I find it hard to concentrate and follow the story. I'm a visual learner so that might be why.
Davida wrote: "Lenita wrote: "I've found with my Kindle I sometimes have to go on the computer to download the book, but that's only when the book is emailed to me. Otherwise, if I buy a book directly from Amazon..."Sounds good. I'll try that. I'd been using "Send to Kindle" on my computer.
I didn't have a chance to read every comment, but here is my experience. My husband bought me a nook about 4 or 5 years ago. I resisted at first also, but it proved to be convenient when traveling. i like to read in my backyard and it was okay, but not great. my husband's ipad was worse. When i published my first novel this past August, I couldn't buy my own book on the nook because I am enrolled in KDP select. I bought a kindle paperwhite and it is amazing in bright sunlight. It is not a tablet device, only an e-reader. My husband has the kindle fire and is not good in sunlight. i don't know if this is a consideration to you.
We published our book on Amazon and smashwords to give us a broader reach. Our book can be read on anything from a phone to a PC even on a few rotten Apples.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
If you can read this post you can read our book on the same device.
My Kindle is an old keyboard one. Battery lasts for weeks provided you switch off Wi-Fi which you only need for downloading books.With Kindle, you register your devices - even the Kindle app installed on a PC - and you can synchronise each one when you turn it on, e.g. if you bought a book on the PC, you synchronise your Kindle reader after switching on Wi-Fi to download the book to it.
You can create Collections on the Kindle which are virtual folders, so you can organise under different genres to find books more easily.
The latest Voyage model is well spoken of and has screen based virtual buttons for turning pages, so you don't have to swipe. This feature is not seen on the Paperwhite and other models since the Keyboard one (the Keyboard one has physical buttons on either side which I find handy). If I had to upgrade, I think I would get the Voyage.
Hope that helps!
Yeah, another non-Nook note here:I have an old Kindle. As others have said, make sure you buy an e-reader with a backlight.
I tend to go on my laptop to order books, which then get sent direct to the Kindle with '1 click ordering'.
When my first Kindle went haywire Amazon sent me a free replacement, and when I switched it on (& connected to wi-fi) my existing library downloaded itself; yippee.
I can create folders, so all my romance goes in one folder, and I'd suggest you could do this with travel guides vs novels. It's easier to look up then.
Definitely turn off wi-fi when you're not downloading/using internet as it saves lots of battery life.
It really is personal preference. All are fairly simple to use.
Go in stores; have a play and see what you're happy with. And check the online stores where you'd order books from (to make sure they have the e-books you'd want)
Happy travels :-)
Ellen wrote: "After several years of resisting the idea of purchasing an e-reader, I'm considering a Nook..."I'd caution you about getting a Nook. It's a dying device that's been a drag on B&N's balance sheet from the beginning, and B&N isn't in rude health either. Also, I find B&N's online environment to be intensely irritating.
If you don't want to get a Kindle but do want an e-reader instead of a tablet, remember that there's a third option: the Kobo. It's the leading e-reader outside the U.S. Also, since it uses ePubs, as does the Nook, in theory you should be able to load books you buy from B&N on a Kobo. (Note: I haven't tried this yet. However, I have loaded the same ePub on both the Nook and Kobo PC apps and it worked fine.) The Kobo catalog is pretty extensive and includes international titles you may not be able to get from B&N or Amazon.
T.L. wrote: "Yeah, another non-Nook note here:I have an old Kindle. As others have said, make sure you buy an e-reader with a backlight.
I tend to go on my laptop to order books, which then get sent direct t..."
Actually, the idea is to AVOID backlit devices. Like computer screens, they're hard on your eyes and they suck power out of the battery pretty fast. The whole idea behind digital ink is to mimic the experience of reading dead-tree books with very little battery drain. Just sit down near a light source, the same as you would a paperback book, and enjoy. You can also read these things in full sunlight.
If you absolutely insist on reading in the dark, Kindle makes a model that is side-lit (and sucks battery juice when the light is on).
Libby wrote: "Yeah, as an author I'd second the recommendations to go for Kindle or Kobo. They have the widest range of books published on them. A lot of people do publish on Nook, sure, but often in terms of ..."
By the way, you can also download ePub format books from Smashwords.com. Most publishers/authors go through Smashwords to publish on Kobo and B&N anyway, so most of the books are there anyway.
Thanks, everyone, for these helpful comments and suggestions! Here's a follow-up question, as I didn't see much clarity on this aspect. Am I correct in assuming that e-readers (of any sort) are less likely to show the four-color field guides and other image-heavy books I'd like to use this for than a tablet device?
In other words, are e-readers best for word/text heavy books, and tablets better for image-heavy books?
My planned (yeah, we know how that goes, but still...) use for the device is to have something handy (without wifi dependency) that I can use to access books for bird identification or other natural things (trees, flowers... etc.), check hiking trails, etc.
Is an e-reader the wrong thing to be thinking about? Would a tablet be better for these things?
Thanks again! You're helping me a lot with this!
E-readers are all black and white so great for text only material, but not so good for image intensive books. Whereas a tablet would give you colour and you can get book reading Apps, e.g. for the kindle. They tend to be not such a nice experience for intensive reading, but can be adjusted, at least, the Kindle app can, e.g. I have mine adjusted to a cream background and brown text, which is less glaring than black on white. But if your priority is for nature field guides, you definitely need colour and hence a tablet.
I'd go for a tablet in your case. It is very easy to customize the reading experience with apps like Kindle and Aldiko Book Reader.And if you're going for image-heavy book, try going for a tablet with a strong processor (quad-core onward) as images tend to slow the flip-page motion on tablets with slower processors (I hope that made sense, lol).
You should also know I do not own a smart phone -- just a basic flip phone for emergencies, so no wifi/Bluetooth via a phone contract.
Given that, here are my questions:
In addition to purchasing the e-reader, will I also have to purchase some sort of service so I can get online (we currently use public libraries, RV park, and other freely available wifi access) to use the device?
Will the books I purchase be downloaded into the device or stored in the cloud? (If I have to be online to read my books, this won't work at all for me.)
What are the most important features I should consider when choosing a device? (Yes, I realize Kindle is an Amazon device and therefore in theory has access to more books, magazines, etc. and I might choose to go that route, but right now the jury's out.)
Thanks for any and all help! (And if I don't respond to questions right away, I'm about to go off the grid again for at least a week... please have patience.)