Books & Music Electronic readers vs. old fashioned books

E-readers vs. books

  • I have an electronic reader and use it a lot

  • I have an electronic reader but still read books

  • I don’t have an electronic reader but want one/plan to get one

  • I don’t have an electronic reader and don’t want one/don’t plan to get one

  • Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
#31
Mediana said:
I want a e-reader, I just can't figure out which one to get. Ipad or Kindle? I listen to a lot of audiobooks right now, mostly because we don't have any space left for books at home. All the books we buy now are reference books, or books we need for work. There's no space for fiction. So, an e-reaeder would be great for me. I read a lot of ebooks as it is, but only on my computer.
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If you're going to do any type of reading outside, or if your eyes get tired reading the computer screen, I'd go with the Kindle. The ipad is like a computer so it wears my eyes out after a while. The way the Kindle is made (others here will know the mechanics better than I will), it's more like reading an actual page of text so it doesn't bother your eyes.
 
#32
Mediana said:
I want a e-reader, I just can't figure out which one to get. Ipad or Kindle? I read a lot of ebooks as it is, but only on my computer.
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If you already read books on your computer and it doesn't bother you then the iPad would probably work out great! I often have my iPad near me when I'm reading on my Kindle in case I want to google something that I'm unsure of, or a location.


jillybean307 said:
If you're going to do any type of reading outside, or if your eyes get tired reading the computer screen, I'd go with the Kindle. The ipad is like a computer so it wears my eyes out after a while. The way the Kindle is made (others here will know the mechanics better than I will), it's more like reading an actual page of text so it doesn't bother your eyes.
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I completely agree. But, again, you've already said that you read on your computer, so you might not need a Kindle!
 
#33
Mediana said:
I want a e-reader, I just can't figure out which one to get. Ipad or Kindle? I listen to a lot of audiobooks right now, mostly because we don't have any space left for books at home. All the books we buy now are reference books, or books we need for work. There's no space for fiction. So, an e-reaeder would be great for me. I read a lot of ebooks as it is, but only on my computer.
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The ipad isn't an e-reader - it lacks e-ink technology (every popular e-reader has e-ink - so no backlit display that can cause eyestrain). If you plan on reading heavy reference materials in pdf, then the ipad would be the way to go or if you're planning to read a lot of comics/visual novels. The only e-reader I know that can handle pdf well is sony but none will be like the ipad. However if you're planning to do a lot of extensive leisure reading, then definitely go with an e-reader. Kindle has wifi, no glare, relatively cheap, very popular but it's also not touchscreen and closed source. Sony and Nook are touchscreens except with Nook there's a glare (dual layer screen) and sony has the pearl infrared sensor screen so no glare but no wifi unlike Nook (also Nook has the lending feature). Both are open source. I preferred open source and touchscreen when I purchased mine. No e-reader is perfect so purchase the one you want! My younger sister has Alarteck? and it's really old but gets the job done as well!
 
#34
When DH and I moved about 8 years ago, we gave away 30 boxes of books. Right now we're in the middle of another move, and we're giving away another 30 boxes. We don't have the space, and we don't want to decorate our entire house in books. Downloading all of those books and reading them online is MUCH nicer than reading a paperback once and then figuring out how we're going to get rid of it.

Books we highly enjoy and think we're going to read more than once we buy a second time in paper.

We had 20 or so bookshelves (full sized, 6 foot tall, 3 feet wide) in our house, and with our remodel we're getting rid of most of them. It's changed the look of our house, and made us really decide "How much do I really need a physical copy of this book?"
 
#36
I love the feel of an actual book in my hands. My Mom wants to get me an e-reader, I would use it for my digital books from the library(free) but I wouldn't buy ebooks (i'e Amazon's reader). I LOVE going to the library. It's one of my weekly trips.

I also love used books stores, but I had to stop buying, cause I would keep so many.
 
#37
jburgh said:
I voted, "I don’t have an electronic reader and don’t want one/don’t plan to get one."

This is somewhat of a personal conflict for me. On one hand, I am gadget-y, on the other, as I get older, I am experiencing a growing disdain for certain technologies.

Reading a book is more than the words. It is also the feel and smell of the paper, the weight of the book, holding open the pages. It is the same for reading a newspaper versus reading news on the web.

I doubt I will ever get an e-reader.
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yep, you are my girl, this is what I said too! I love the feel of a book. It's just a different experience.
 
#39
im 100% with the book enthusiasts, but in certain applications an ereader just makes sense. for commuting & travel theyre ideal, but i couldnt imagine cuddling up in front of a fire with a glass of wine and a kindle.
 
#40
call me old-fashioned but i'll ALWAYS prefer a real book to an electronic one. when i was in college they would offer books online in an ebook version and i always HATED it! I'm a huge creature of habit & i just can't get into reading a book from a screen
 
#42
babypie said:
Which do you have? Which do you prefer? For those who have stuck to books, do you plan to "upgrade"?
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I have the Kindle 2 and I love it. I prefer it 100% over regular books.

jburgh said:
I voted, "I don’t have an electronic reader and don’t want one/don’t plan to get one."
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jburgh said:

This is somewhat of a personal conflict for me. On one hand, I am gadget-y, on the other, as I get older, I am experiencing a growing disdain for certain technologies.

Reading a book is more than the words. It is also the feel and smell of the paper, the weight of the book, holding open the pages. It is the same for reading a newspaper versus reading news on the web.

I doubt I will ever get an e-reader.
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I had the exact same mindset before the Kindle 2 was released. I was hell bent that reading was an experience and that having an actual book in hand was essential. I’ve now swung in completely the opposite direction although I switch back and forth between e-books and regular books. Right now I’m reading an Edward Rutherfurd novel that is roughly 1000 pages. Since I carry my books with me everywhere this book is taking quite the beating. Just yesterday the cover tore from the spine as I was pulling it out of my bag. Aside from the ease of transport the Kindle (any many other e-readers I’m sure) offers a dictionary. I love reading and stumbling upon a word I might not be familiar with. I find myself missing this feature quite a bit in regular books.

I stumbled upon another short coming for regular books just the other day. I accidentally left my book at the office. If this was my Kindle it wouldn't have been a problem since I have the Kindle app on my phone and my Mac. Since the office is too far to drive back to I ended up not being able to read that night. As an avid reader you can imagine what stress this caused.

As for Amazon being closed sourced – you can go online and find applications that convert files to be accessible on the Kindle.

babypie said:
Are e-readers waterproof? What happens if you drop it in the tub while reading? A book gets wrinkly but can dry…an e-reader would be destroyed….
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E-readers are not waterproof. However, several places sell splash proof cases. Not sure how they would work if it was fully submerged but some protection is certainly better than none. J

In the end I don't think I will ever convert fully to one or the other. I'll read what ever is put in front of me. ;)
 
#43
Mediana said:
I want a e-reader, I just can't figure out which one to get. Ipad or Kindle? I listen to a lot of audiobooks right now, mostly because we don't have any space left for books at home. All the books we buy now are reference books, or books we need for work. There's no space for fiction. So, an e-reaeder would be great for me. I read a lot of ebooks as it is, but only on my computer.
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I never had any issue with eye strain when reading 10 300+ page books on the iPad. Think of it as an e-reader with cream on top. It's so convenient to mark your page then check your email with it. You can change the brightness and font-size, and I liked the sepia-tone setting personally - such a nice change from black text on a white page.
 
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