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Ereaders...Which should I get? HELP
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I vote against the Kindle. Too proprietary. I've heard good things about the Sony eReader.
I'm not sold on the whole eReader thing, because I'm defiantly old school, but I understand from some folks who do have it that the Nook is quite good, and very user-friendly.
My wife has a Kindle, which she likes. Personally, I use the Kindle reader on my laptop, because I don't see any need to carry around (or pay for) an extra device. I've taken a look at the Nook a few times at my local B&N store and thought it looked very similar to the Kindle in its overall approach. No big differences that I could see--although maybe there was something I missed.
I realize that the I-pad is, at the moment, much more expensive than either Kindle or Nook, but it seems to offer a lot--color screen, a good web browser, applications for a million other things aside from books. It seems like an interesting product--but for me, the laptop works fine, since I'm seldom away from it...
The iPad is still backlit though, so it doesn't offer the same theoretical relief from eye-strain that the dedicated eReaders offer.
I like the Sony. Navigation is easier than that of the Kindle, and the screen is a good size. I'm also sort of against the Nook & Kindle because each is proprietary -- trying to isolate a section of the market for themselves. In my opinion, the whole thing would be better for customers if they would get rid of the copy protection crap (DRM) and think bigger.
Good point about the eye-strain issue. I don't really have problems with it using my laptop, but I know people who really suffer on account of visual fatigue. So maybe the purpose-built e-readers do have an advantage in that regard.
It seems like the entire e-book business still needs some sorting out. Probably in time the e-reading devices will improve in terms of technology and features. The pricing model remains problematic because of turf wars between publishers and distributors. And the issue of non-compatibility, as everyone has pointed out, is incredibly irksome.
I received a Kindle for my birthday last year and I like it. I love using it outside, no problems in the glare of the sun. I have a HUGE Amazon wishlist (it's like window shopping and satisfies my urge to spend money I shouldn't) so it was a great gift. I don't use it as much as I thought, but I have a lot of free stuff on it and any Amazon gift card I get goes for kindle books. I feel guilty about using it instead of reading the books I've had forever on my bookshelf, but that's my problem, not the Ereader's. It's very easy to use, and there was a recent update that allows for better tagging and some other features I forget right now!
The free library of older books for Kindle (and I think also for some of the other readers) is a terrific feature. It encourages me to read classics that I missed. Also, since I'm working on a large writing project at the moment that involves a lot of 19th-century history, I've found tons of useful stuff available for free on Kindle (also sometimes through Google Books) that would have taken a lot of time to track down at the NYPL.
A lot of classics are available free for any platform through Project Gutenberg. Not just for the Kindle. There's an iPod/iPhone app called Stanza that acts as a kind of aggregator as well for finding e-versions of books.
I like the word confusticated - that is all.
I'm a big fan of Project Gutenberg, Sarah (although their formatting often has the strangest glitches). Gutenberg has lots and lots of obscure titles, which is a big plus. For me, the obscurer, the better. Google books is also a very helpful tool, mostly for finding references to things that I can look up later at the library. Often there's only a limited preview available online.
Misha, I think you're right about the VHS vs. Beta analogy. Probably the reason that all of these companies cling to their respective proprietary models is that they want to become the universal standard. But for that to happen, I think one company has to come out with a reading device that just blows all the others away.
From what I can see, that hasn't happened yet, which is why I've held off on buying one and just use the freebie reader on my laptop.
I got a Sony ereader for my bday and i really like it. There are lots of free classics for this one as well. I doubt that I will stop reading regular books altogether but I'm sure that this gift won't go to waste.
I actually really love Kindle. I a K1. I messed with both the Sony readers and Nook and didn't find them very intuitive.I just heard about Kobo a few weeks ago and wondered how it compared. What didn't you like about it, Vinglori?
Of all the ones I've seen I like the Sony ones without the backlighting feature best.At the moment I'm using iBooks on my iPhone - love the PDF support so far.
Mod
The whole proprietary thing makes me angry and pretty much ensures I will never buy a Kindle. Outrageous. All my friends complain about the crappy formatting issues their kindle books have.
I love my Nook, but if you're interested in owning your books, I *think* you can with a Sony.Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
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It seems that the besting selling Ereaders are the Kindle 2.5 and the Nook from Barnes & Noble. I have been reading and reading about these devises, think I have narrowed it down to just these two but am having a tough time deciding. Although I'm sure a few weeks after I make my purchase there will be new devices and updates, I want to get the best that is offered now.
So please, if you have an Ereader let me know your opinion. I appreciate the input. HELP!