Quote:
Originally Posted by nelamvr6
At least 99% of the DTBs I've purchased over the last 10 years I have purchased from Amazon. The idea of being able to download a book from Amazon in about a minute was just too much for me to pass up.
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Honestly, when I first heard about Whispernet, I didn't really consider it a big deal. Loading stuff via USB is pretty easy so I didn't see it as a huge value add unless I wanted the subscription content or I was out of the house away from a computer. It was nice but I didn't think it would be increasing my happiness or changing my reading experience all that much.
I was wrong. First, the combination of the free samples and the fast delivery has totally changed the way I buy books. I used to go to the book store and try to buy enough books to tide me over for a few weeks. I might read the first page or two. More often I would rely on a recommendation or a review. I ended up with a lot of books I didn't like well enough to finish. Some I didn't even start because my fancy for them passed. This was pretty wasteful. Now, I download a sample and only buy the book after I finish the sample. I have it in less than a minute and I am rarely anywhere I can't get Whispernet coverage. I move from sample to book without really breaking the rhythm of my reading. Most sites don't offer free samples of this kind of length, if they do at all, and you can't read them at your leisure on the device. You read them on the website. I doubt I would buy as many books in advance with another reader as I did with pbooks, but I still would do it some and I would still be buying some clunkers. When I hear about a book I might like, I just send myself the sample. It's like a "to read" list.
Second, I love Wikipedia and Web search. Sometimes when I'm reading I come across a reference and want to look into it further. I can satisfy my curiosity without annoying the cat. Before, I used to just make a mental note to look it up later. Sometimes I'd remember, sometimes not. Now, I just look it up right away. It makes my reading experience richer.