Mine: I like my laptop. I live with it. And it has color, as well as pretty clear screens. I can also read it in the dark: I understand the eInk screens require an external light source just like paper. As I get older, my eyes get worse for close work, and my need for good lighting becomes more acute…so the lit screen is a plus for me. Plus I already own the laptop. That makes it cheapest. 😉 Paging-over is easy–just hit an arrow key, with the cursor set to rest on one of the ‘advance’ buttons.
Another route might be to get one of the superlight drive-less notebook PC’s, lighter, but smaller. I like my nice wide bright screen on the Dell Latitude.
But there are some of our group looking for the best reader, the one with the best support, best technical performance, best file access, user friendliness, readability, and best future support.
What would you recommend based on your experience? And if you know what kind of files the device you’re recommending uses, state that, too.
My Sony Reader Touch PRS-600 has worked pretty much as I expected. I didn’t want to be locked into the Kindle’s business model. With the Sony I can download anything I want, convert it if necessary to a format it likes using Calibre. It will even handle mp3s and graphics, so I can load up all the music, audio books and photos I want. It has basically unlimited storage with the SD support: I’ve got a 14GB card in there right now. It is light, I can curl up in bed with it. The battery life is good: about a week for me, but I use it for several hours each day. And everything I own sits on my hard disk, can be backed up and no dependency upon a company that can arbitrarily change its policy, go out of the ebook business, etc.
Yes, it’s not backlit. But, then, neither is a real book. It can enlarge the fonts several times, so I can even read it without my glasses. That’s nice: I can read myself to sleep!
It handles PDFs far better than the Kindle. For scanned PDFs, it’s not so great. The best ebook reader for PDFs is the iRex Digital Reader 1000S, but the cost is prohibitive: about $1000 vs. $300 for the Sony. I don’t miss the wireless access to books. I do wait with anticipation for the day when the eInk technology goes color.
My $0.02 (which, courtesy of our wonderful Federal Reserve, buys less than it used to)
The Cap’n said everything the ol’ sarge was going to say and said it better. The larger Sony reader has about the page size of a mass-market paperback with the advantage of adjustable font-size. As far as I am concerned, the lack of wireless access is a feature; the ‘1984’ fiasco took the Kindle off my list of choices for good. So far, the Sony has displayed everything I’ve sent to it. I can’t speak about their customer service because I haven’t needed it, yet.
I should add that while LRF is the Sony ebook format, they are abandoning it in favor of ePub.
Readersoftware on a smartphone – if you carry such thing anyway, you can always have a book with you – especially good if you encounter unexpected waiting times, travel by public transport …
(In my case its an oldfashioned palm centro with palm os and mobipocket or plucker.)
Last thing I read on my smartphone was Jane Eyre, a big part of it while waiting at a medical practice.
I’m a PC user.
I don’t have unlimited funds for new electronics, and I also don’t need to carry all that stuff during the commute.
From the college perspective, the ability to move between digital text to composition is wonderful when trying to quote. I know my students are reading ebooks, and our library prefers them over hardcopy purchases, due to space requirements.
I know this isn’t high on your priority list, but please, please, please make sure your digital work has the appropriate copyright information included – both printed and digital versions. That will hopefully ensure the bibliographic information is correct. MLA and APA style guides changed in 2009. The best online resource for both systems is at Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/).
Absolutely we will be careful about copyright. In some cases we are securing a new copyright, where revisions have been extensive. I have all the works copyrighted in my name, so that is less problematic than might be.
I think the first question you have to ask is what is your timeframe for upgrades. If you are looking for something you will be happy with for more than 2 years, then sit on your hands. The tech development curve has just really ramped up. There are 2, if not 3, readers announced for next year that all have the potential to be game changers. A year from now my Kindle 2 (K2) could look like a rotary phone next to an IPhone.
If you are comfortable with a shorter product cycle, wait until the first of the year and then choose between a Nook and a Kindle. Both of them handle a wide range of formats. There is a huge misconception that Kindles can only handle ebooks from Amazon. That is pure bunk. Once the Nook is out get online and read posts from people who actually use them about what they can and cannot do. In my opinion the best source for info on Kindle is http://www.kindleboards.com.
I have looked at the new Sony readers. The small one I think is too small to do what a dedicated reader does best. I would probably go with an Apple Touch instead (it can run the Kindle app which is fully functional just without the eink display and other ereader apps as well). The touchscreen is nice hardware. I didn’t care for the way it felt in my hand, but I could get used to that. The touchscreen, itself, is really nice.
I am just completely addicted to the 3g wireless interface. I didn’t think I would be. I plug things into my laptop to transfer files all the time, but I will never go back. There is supposed to be a 3G enabled Sony out this year. It might be worth waiting for, that I really don’t know.
I do know that a dedicated reader is easier to read on than a computer screen. It is easier to disappear into the book. Sitting in front of a computer I never lose that connection to reality and just disappear into the story. It took maybe an hour and a half to get so comfortable with Kindle that I was just gone.
The K2 has some problems. The biggest for older eyes is the low contrast on the screen. I think Amazon completely missed the boat on the over 50 market, which is huge. I expect that to be fixed in the K3 — whenever that will be. Oh, and the 5-way controller SUCKS. OTOH, Amazon’s customer service is superb.
I don’t see format as being a huge problem. (This is, of course, coming from someone who has 51 of the 52 Blake’s 7 episodes on Betamax tape.) There are too many good converter programs out there, and there is enough market for all of the major readers that if they die, there will be a way to covnert your collections. To me, no other conclusion makes sense; and I refuse to accept the possibility that I might be wrong — ever. 🙂
Seriously, don’t believe what anyone selling an ereader tells you. Get online and talk to the people who actually use them. There is more misinformation and slanted info out there about ereaders than on a Verizon v. AT&T commercial. Whatever you choose, you will love it. All of the available information (anecdotal and hard numbers from both Sony and Amzaon) says that people who buy an ereader read more with it than they did before. In many cases, they are reading lots more; so be prepared for a messy house and an out-of-control office.
I have a Cybook Gen 3 from the French company Bookeen. It is very light and convenient, far more comfortable to read than a hardback or my laptop. However, I dislike the four-way left-right-up-down button quite a bit (I don’t like them on phones or my GPS either, with they’d never been invented).
The Cybook reads Mobi, both open and DRM, also HTML, text, and some PDF. And plays MP3, if I want to use up the battery fast. The e-ink tech of not using power to show a page, only to change it, is remarkable. Very disconcerting when you use up the charge and it just sits there, displaying a page that you can’t change.
I am very suspicious of depending on a device tied to a distributor, like Kindle. Downloading a book to my computer and transferring it is no prolem. It’s pleny of convenience for me just to be able to whine at 2am that I don’t have anything to read, go to Baen or Fictionwise, click a few key, and Presto! a book is in my hands. Magic!
By the way, you CAN cable books over from other sites onto a Kindle. I have done that with books from Project Guttenberg, and I will do that with books from Carolyn, Jane and Lynn. I just would rather click the menu button. . . .
I use MS Word on a PC. This offers me maximum ability to reformat to reduce eyestrain–large type, my choice of fonts, change colors to green on black for best readability. It has no DRM, which–with very long experience dealing with DRM in computer games–I loathe and distrust. It’s also “free” since I already need a computer.
It IS less portable than a book. I’m not even going to use a laptop if I want to have a good soak and read. If I want to read in the park, I’m going to use a paper book that doesn’t need batteries, won’t get stolen, and won’t break when dropped (not if!) As such, I think the publisher should share the savings of not doing all that publishing stuff with me (with which I am tolerably familiar, a friend being in the business and myself having done temporary duty as Manager of Publications). After all, I have to ensure backups, support my PC, etc. This is as much a fairness issue to me as anything. And, since I visit the local library anyway twice a month, getting library books is extremely convenient for me. A very few books I re-read regularly: Chanur, Tolkien, and O’Brian, frex. I have them in paper, two sets for some, and I don’t see that changing.
E-readers make zero sense to me. If anything, I’d get a general device like an i-Phone. I sit on a book, it survives. I sit on a Kindle, it’s kindling. I pay $259 for a Kindle, and I only get $1.60 off a book; that makes the trade-off point 162 books. That’s at least five years of reading for me, by which time the Kindle will probably be junk, and then where will my e-books be? E-books are in a format war just like Beta/VHS or the recent HD-DVD/Bluray–good luck! Pretty much, it’s poorer than a book and I pay more for it. Why?
Since I’m doing my usual shtick of madly digressing, look at the economic trends of electronics. I just went to Costco.com. The most expensive desktop computer, a customized “bleeding edge” HP is $2675–used to be $5000+ with much lower performance, and computers have moving parts. The most expensive TV is a 48″ plasma for $1700–they used to be $10,000 and lower quality–no moving parts. Electronics crash in price constantly! Manufacturers have to race to dump extra capabilities into electronics to justify a higher price. E-book readers and iPhones are definitely in this category. Buy them when they get down to whatever you consider to be toy money, is my advice.
I have a Bebook http://mybebook.com/ which I am happy with and seems to work best with Mobipocket format both DRM and open. The ease of reading pdf files seems to depend on the software version used to produce them. I also support the above comments regarding devices tied to distributors (to be avoided) and specifically purchased this one for this reason. I believe an upgraded machine is due out in 2010.
I am not convinced that Wireless capability is necessary and find that transferring books from my computer is simple. The comments about when to buy and the rapidly changing market are true but in electronics the rate of change is phenomenal, flexible readers will be available soon and obsolescence looms for all. KISS principle applies (Keep It Simple Stupid) get something that you find large enough that is readable with a long use time per charge.
The BeBook software has been upgraded twice since I purchased and has improved. I also have a number of Baen electronic books and have also found some interesting genre works at the Mobipocket site. My use of the machine is not large as I still prefer actual paperbacks but with UK publishers turning out a reduced range and when they do in oversize volumes that take up far too much room (excuse rant)I expect use to increase. I also find that for holidays it is ideal as it is impractical to carry enough books for a two week vacation.
I will be supporting the new website when it is up and running but as my library already contains nearly all of the Cherryh canon in paperback my use will be limited. I hope that the availability of the back catalog will generate revenue and support our esteemed authors.
Very impressed by both blogs.
Ian
PS. Sorry no Avatar, far too old and miserable
Welcome—our first BeBook.
And there will be some new and exclusive books on our site, so I hope you will give them a look. We will have samples when we get organized. 😉
I know what you mean about big British books—they really can get quite large!
I have a PRS-700 and have just bought a PRS-600 as a birthday gift for my mother. I really like the E-Ink display and touchscreen (the slight reduction in display quality due to the touchscreen feature is not a problem to me).
With about four hours’ use a day, the reader only needs charging about once a week. This is a huge plus, and the reason why I’ve switched from using a Asus eee whose battery lasts only 2.5 hours per charge.
With E-Ink I don’t have problems reading outdoors (although the display does seem to react oddly to very bright sunlight). When indoors or at night I have to provide an external light source just as if I were reading a paper book, so there’s not much of a difference as far as I’m concerned.
The Sony software is evil and the Sony Bookstore doesn’t want to sell me anything, so I use Calibre for all file conversions and transfers.
You are being so good, people—you do good commercials for your favorite readers: they should hire you. 😉
Just a note of warning. Those cute little note- books that just came out,they call them Netbooks,
when you buy one for a song you are hooked into a
contract for internet that runs about $60 a month!
I saw warnings on the news a few days ago. They do
look perfect for reading an ebook.
Wah! That’s a shock!
Not true. Getting tethered to an internet connection is something to be wary of, but it’s pretty easy to find netbooks which don’t have embedded cell phones. Mine uses the same wi-fi connection my laptop does.
But DON’T avoid netbooks for this reason. Just be careful what you buy.
If you want to work with your texts (editing, scrawling, taking notes) and need a big display, I recommend the iRex DR1000S reader. It has limited battery capacity, though. After ten hours, you have to recharge it. For “real work” (replacing the author’s paper train) the 10″ eInk display is perfect.
If you really just want a book, I cast my vote for the eBookwise device. I have had a Rocket eBook (the grandfather of that device) for about 9 years now, and it is still in service and useful. I took it to Japan, on trains, into baths and to the beach. It still works. Just the battery is getting tired. It only runs for 10 hours now.
I like both.
–Thea
Herzogenaurach, Germany
I got the Sony PRS 505 last July. I have had no problem with it. I read in bed with it, at home and on my travels. I have no regrets on the purchase. I can’t compare it with anything else as it is the only reader I’ve ever owned. The Sony software can be a bit annoying but I suppose it is having to deal with my relic of a laptop.
I just saw this posted elsewhere. It is a nice comparison chart of about 30 ereaders.
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
I’d 2nd the Mobileread site as the best comparison I’ve seen. The forums are also full of helpful people to answer specific questions on specific models.
I’m a Sony 505 owner and very happy with it. Lots Epub or PDF fiction around which I read quite happily. Not sure how well it would cope with non-fiction. I understand the Irex is best for large PDF reading/annotating, but that’s not what I do. I don’t miss wireless, justa liek a real book when you’ve finished one you have to go to a bookshelf to get another. Calibre is heaps better than SOny’s annoying software, although the latest update from Sony isn’t too bad.
My OtherHalf has the Cool-ER, lightweight, colourfully prettier, same file formats, less buttons = more menu navigation, otherwise not a lot between them.
Format wars are the only downside to buying an Ereader now, unless you need the very latest tech – the market is changing fast, but there aren’t any major drawbacks with any of the current readers. Choose which features are most important to you!
I like my Kindle, but I didn’t compare it to anything else before i bought it, so wouldn’t claim it is necessarily better than anything else. i did like buying the complete works of Charles Dickens for $0.99.
This only marginally belongs here, but my city public library offers ebooks. I don’t have a reader and haven’t tried it, though I might stop in and use the library reader just to see if this is a direction I want to go. (The library has been doing this for a while, “went public” in the local paper today.) I assume they will have more books that can be read on more types of readers, eventually.
Question, do authors get any reimbursement at all from this arrangement?
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091202/NEWS01/912020324/1079
Alas, American writers never get any compensation from libraries, and will receive nothing from this either. Other countries pay writers for every checkout of a book from a library. Not us. Our tax system (re taxation and re-re-re-re-taxation of book inventory) is killing the paper publishing industry, (so they won’t get any tax at all from a dead goose, will they?) and our writers don’t get paid for secondhand sales or library usage. Our pay is 8-10% of the cover price of an actual paper book, with the possibility (in some contracts) of having that reduced by the same amount if any book in the print run is returned unsold.
I have an Amazon Kindle 1, which I’ve had since August 2008. I’ve been very happy with it.
What I like is the e-paper screen, which looks just like regular paper except I can adjust the font size. It’s easier to read than a paper book for that reason and I also notice I tend to read a lot faster on the Kindle than otherwise.
It also accepts .mobi files, .txt, Amazon’s proprietary format, and .pdf files are relatively easy to import although I usually don’t bother.
Haven’t tried the Sony reader or the others, never felt the need. Amazon’s online store and wireless delivery are great, very easy to use and convenient (my wife would say TOO convenient).
I agree with your wife Russ. One-click shopping together with wireless download can be hell on the budget. It’s particularly bad when you’ve just bought yourself a kindle.
readyGuy and I have a Kindle1 and a Kindle2. I have no problems downloading applicable formats to our home computers and then loading them on the two Kindles from my computer. I automatically download a copy of every DRM’d book I get from Amazon and FictionWise for both Kindles so that both of us can carry “the library” with us when we travel.
By the way, the Kindles also play audiobooks, and music from mp3 files, as well as delivering books and documents wirelessly from Amazon. For books from other providers such as Project Gutenberg, FictionWise, etc, my computer provides temporary storage and a reader (I have software for several ebook readers on my computer, but much prefer the Kindles as they provide the easiest (truly one-handed reading) experience.