eBook Readers - similarity with other hobbies

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Antartica

And then, came the iliad . In the first 10 months it had intensive use, both from me and my wife, but now it only has casual use, mainly because the long boot times.

That's interesting - I didn't know that the Iliad had to "boot" every time it was switched on. That's one thing I really like about the Sony Reader - same as with, say, a Pocket PC, the o/s runs constantly so it turns on instantly (under 1 sec, certainly). All that happens when you turn it off is that the screen blanks and most of the buttons get disabled.

[astra]

I cannot pay money for something I am not going to use a lot. Just cannot...so, yes I do use Sony Reader a lot. All books I read only from the reader. Although...I still buy paper books. Why? I don't know. Probably to finish any series I have already started to purchase before I got the reader. Most likely I will not buy books from new series though. I think I will not need any more books shelves with glass doors from IKEA

[wgrimm]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

To be honest, I buy my books in LIT, break the DRM, load into Book Designer, and format. It's not hard and takes hardly any time. Most of the formatting is fixing what BD thinks are titles or subtitles that are not.

I will try that method. I have a fair amount of stuff in pdf, and just purchased UnPDF, which includes a free upgrade to the Reader version. I tried Docudesk's Tech Preview of this software, and it worked very well.

The DRM'd books that are not PDF that I own are in ereader's protected pdb format, and it would be nice to be able to convert them. Ereader does a nice job with its service- maybe they will consider the Sony format.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Hobbies are often seen as unimportant or "disposable" activities. But they don't have to be. For instance, in the U.S., motorcycling is largely considered a "hobby" activity, whereas in most of the world motorcycling is a basic commuting tool, not a simply weekend toy.

E-book reading has similarities, as some people buy readers and read e-books just because they can... and others use them because it's the best (in some cases, the only) way to get and read the books you want. Until the day when paper books really are rare commodities, I think e-books will continue to walk that hobby/essential line.

[slayda]

I admit to being a "Gadget Freak" but I've bee an avid reader for about 50 years, so for me the Sony Reader was a match made in heaven. I still read on my Palm T/X, which I bought for purposes other than reading. It is much easier to carry with me in a shirt pocket.

My problem is the many "unread" pBooks that I have that I don't read because I enjoy the reader so much.

Another item that goes into the mix is that I enjoy "messing" with the eBooks to get them in a more usable format - i.e. more readable font, more Sony Reader friendly, etc. Many people who enjoy reading probably would not like that aspect. This is where better, non-DRM, eBooks that are widely available for sell becomes important & where the folks at Mobileread are improving the reading world by converting public domain books to .lrf format. Thanks guys.

[angelyne]

I love my new SR, apart from the lack of integrated backlight. That's the biggest lack in my book. I'd love to have a light with several intensity level that can also be turned off. But that's a whole different thread.

I find that since acquiring this new gagdget I have been spending most of my time converting books to the Reader format. It seems to have tickled a part of my nature, and I'm spending a lot of time finding new books and converting them. I actually enjoy doing that, strangely enough.

But I've resolved to stop adding books and start reading them instead!. The only problem, and that's a personal one, is that I am like a dog with multiple food bowls; I don't know which one to use. Too many choices!. When you carry only one book in your bag; well that's the one you'll read. When you carry a whole library, then you need to resist the temptation to 'sample' and need to focus!

[nekokami]

angelyne, I share both of those distractions: too much time spent converting texts, and too many texts to choose from when it's time to read (how could such a thing be possible?!) In the case of the latter, though, the problem is that I have many texts to choose from, but still not even a majority of the collection I hope to eventually have at hand.

The conversion time really is a nuisance, but I expect it to taper off. I'm in the process of acquiring e-copies of all the fiction in my paper library, and converting it to a readable format (preferably HTML with an .opf file). This gives me flowable text that's recognized by most reader software import routines, or at least the two I use (eBw Librarian and FBReader). But because not everything is formatted and moved to the iLiad yet, sometimes it's still easier to read on my laptop or on the linux desktop where I'm doing the conversion work. There's no room in the house for enough bookshelves to store all my books, and I like to re-read favorites, usually multiple times. So the effort will pay off in the end. But I'm still in the situation where I'll think of something I'd like to read this evening, but not have it in a convenient format/location yet. (OTOH, that used to happen when all the paper books were out on shelves -- I'd spend an hour looking for the book I had decided I really wanted. Once things are converted, this should get better!)

Now I just need to figure out what to do about my non-fiction library... probably time-consuming non-destructive scanning. I'm not looking forward to it, but a lot of the titles are fairly obscure, and it looks like mostly computer science books and a few self-help books are out there for non-fiction. (My non-fiction falls into categories like educational research, game design, linguistics, and international adoption.)

I like tech, but I don't usually spend money on it unless I think I'll use it (I satisfy my cravings by reading Wired, Make, etc.) I don't use the iLiad as much as I expected, but it's summer and I'm between graduate classes, when I usually have stacks of PDFs to read every week. So I don't think right now is the best time to judge how much use I'll normally get out of it. And again, when the library is fully ported, I think I won't want to be anywhere long without it.

[mogui]

Originally Posted by nekokami

I like tech, but I don't usually spend money on it unless I think I'll use it (I satisfy my cravings by reading Wired, Make, etc.) I don't use the iLiad as much as I expected, but it's summer and I'm between graduate classes, when I usually have stacks of PDFs to read every week. So I don't think right now is the best time to judge how much use I'll normally get out of it. And again, when the library is fully ported, I think I won't want to be anywhere long without it.

Neko, in another thread, someone in Mexico was looking for a low-cost reader. I suggested the eBw-1150 because it looks very good to me and the price is $110. I don't have one, so here is my question. How do the eBw and the iLiad compare? Can you spend long periods reading either?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

E-book reading has similarities, as some people buy readers and read e-books just because they can... and others use them because it's the best (in some cases, the only) way to get and read the books you want. Until the day when paper books really are rare commodities, I think e-books will continue to walk that hobby/essential line.

In my case, the prime attraction of eBooks is that, like most people in the UK, I live in a very small house. I don't have the physical space to store 10,000 paper books, but I can store (and do) 10,000 eBooks on a small external USB hard disk unit.

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by mogui

Neko, in another thread, someone in Mexico was looking for a low-cost reader. I suggested the eBw-1150 because it looks very good to me and the price is $110. I don't have one, so here is my question. How do the eBw and the iLiad compare? Can you spend long periods reading either?

Mogui, I saw your post in that thread and almost commented. I originally got an eBw 1150 but couldn't read PDFs on it, so when I had a chance to get an iLiad used, I jumped at it. Right after that, a utility became available to convert PDFs to a series of JPGs that can be read on the eBw 1150

The eBookwise 1150 is very readable, even in sunlight, the battery lasts something like 20 hours, you can write on the screen or select text to search, it's possible to convert most types of files to read on it, and in general it's a great device, especially for the price.

On the less-good side, it has limited memory capacity (it can only take cards up to 128Mb if I'm not mistaken), it only supports its own "imp" format, so nearly everything has to be converted (though conversion tools do exist, and there's a $15 program that handles a lot of it, along with book management), and once books are on, you can't get them off again in any reasonable way. (You can delete them, but not copy them out to another device.)

With the eBw 1150, what you buy is pretty much what you get (though new conversion programs do occasionally appear, e.g. the PDF program). With the iLiad, new utilities and ported programs are appearing at an increasing rate, and since it's linux, it's a lot more open to new development. The iLiad also offers handwriting recognition, though it's a bit limited at present. The screen refresh rate (page turn rate) of the eBw is of course much faster than that of the iLiad, because of the LCD screen.

For my own needs, the iLiad is a better choice, but I would have remained quite happy with my eBw 1150 if I hadn't had a chance to buy an iLiad.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In my case, the prime attraction of eBooks is that, like most people in the UK, I live in a very small house. I don't have the physical space to store 10,000 paper books, but I can store (and do) 10,000 eBooks on a small external USB hard disk unit.

Right... lack of space is one of the biggest practical issues that raises e-books out of "hobby" status. Lack of access (in remote areas, or of out-of-print copies) is, I think, the next biggest practical issue. If e-book prices ever standardize to a lower-than-paperback price, then cost will become the third biggest practical issue.

These issues aren't so "big" in the U.S., at least, not yet. But there is a trend in some circles to trim down lifestyles and living space, and in those circles, a reader containing a 500-book library is not an oddity, it's a great commodity.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Actually, in all honestly I have to admit that I am a technophile, and I'd love to have one of each type of reader (the last few days' Sony Reader deals have been hard to resist!). But I'm also on a limited budget, and have had to train myself to not buy things or spend my money simply because I can. I have to have a practical reason to spend first (and I still double-check my sense of "practicality" against my wife, before making a serious move).

The Sony reader deals have been nice... but as they raise the possibility that Sony will be releasing a new and improved model, the practical side of me says to wait to see the new model first, and if it's not that different than the old one, buy a discounted one on ebay or some other used model source. I've bought devices like this in the past (including my last 3 PDAs), and as a spending method, it makes a lot of sense. Admittedly, it only provides tidbits to my technophile side, buying old tech, but it's better than starving it!

Note: A friend of mine recently showed me an Iliad that he'd bought, and I had to restrain myself from drooling all over it. But he also told me how much he paid for it, and I simply couldn't have justified that on my budget.

[yvanleterrible]

Honestly we can safely say that anyone who spends time at MR is a technophile. Otherwise how can one justify being here?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Honestly we can safely say that anyone who spends time at MR is a technophile. Otherwise how can one justify being here?

Well... you could come here just to get the e-books...

But yes, MR is a lot more than just another e-book source. News... new tech... bug fixes... recommendations... all the things a growing technophile wants (with the exception of a personal gold mine to be able to afford to buy it all!).

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well... you could come here just to get the e-books...

But yes, MR is a lot more than just another e-book source. News... new tech... bug fixes... recommendations... all the things a growing technophile wants (with the exception of a personal gold mine to be able to afford to buy it all!).

Just using the computer or device to read the said ebooks entitles one to be a technophile. Does any one have a percentage number on the computer savvy population? I'm afraid it is still quite limited.