Why More Than One Reader

[neilmarr]

This is by no means a covert criticism of those here who seem to collect various reading devices: A question of genuine interest to me -- why own more than one reader?

[doreenjoy]

Because I can, I guess.

One is better for reading fiction, one is better for reading non-fiction (because it allows me to annotate).

A third is kinda junky, so I mostly use it for travel.

[celtica96]

I enjoy using the different capabilities to meet the needs of the moment.

Let me give you some examples.

The Kindle DX is easy on my eyes and allows me to download the latest bestsellers but it's not a general computing device. Also, I read until late last night and my wife wasn't too happy with the need for a light to make reading possible in bed.

I like my SmartQ7 for reading and web browsing on the couch. It doesn't need an external light because it's backlit and in color. Plus, it's very customizable.

The SmartQ5 is pocketable so I have almost all the features of the Q7 in a shirt pocket.

Sometimes, I need Windows and Office plus GPS so I use my ADV3500PC. With FBReader, it's like a Q7 only hotter.

Also, I've dusted off my N800 (again) and have been listening to Internet Radio and checking movie/TV schedules with it. I'm still in awe of how polished this platform is. I'm not ready to pay for an N900 though.

In short, I haven't found the perfect combination device that has everything so I wind up using several over the course of a week.

[Elfwreck]

I only occasionally use my Clies for reading. I prefer them, but the battery life issue drove me to find something else. I liked the multifunction ability--switch between ebooks, games, and note-taking.

I've recently acquired an REB 1100, which I'm setting up for my daughter to use. If I get comfortable with the conversion methods for it, I may occasionally use it--the ergonomics are *incredibly* good, and backlit screens don't bother me; the only issues are the battery life and small storage capacity.

[Elsi]

Years ago, I tried reading on my PC. I mean, after all, there were all those great books at Project Gutenberg and even contemporary SF/F novels in the Baen Free Library. What happened was that I just didn't stick with it. My PC had too much in it that was a distraction -- e-mail, instant messaging, solitaire, web sites, Paint Shop. So, at that time, electronic books were just a bust from my experience.

Then I saw the Kindle at Amazon and ordered one. Totally different experience. The Kindle was for *reading*. It didn't have any distractions in it other than the fact that it had several books in it. I only find that a distraction when I'm trying to decide what to read next, and it's more like cruising the shelves at the book store -- pulling out a book, reading the back cover, and then putting it back if it doesn't grab me right away.

Several months after getting the Kindle, I started learning how to use the book-making software and decided that I needed a reader that supported other file formats, so I bought a used Sony PRS-505. Bingo! I now can view LRF and EPUB files on a device as well as the MOBI/PRC ones I had been using on the Kindle.

Then last summer, my hubby upgraded my cell phone from the very old "candy bar" style to a Blackberry. Since I had an aircard for my PC, we decided not to buy the data plan for the Blackberry -- but I did install Mobipocket Reader on it. Now, when my colleagues all pull out their Blackberries and PDAs to take a look at their e-mail, I pull out mine and read a couple of pages of a SF novel. They think I'm working and I don't inform them that it's just stealth reading.

I plan to get one of the 5-inch readers for extreme portability. If I could justify the expense, I'd get several more just for reference. It's nice to have held & used a particular device when I read something posted here about it. But for now, I'm going to have to be a bit frugal. I haven't upgraded my Kindle1 nor my Sony PRS-505. I don't expect to replace either one of them until there is a *significant* functional improvement in a new model.

[owlrigh]

Originally Posted by Elsi

Now, when my colleagues all pull out their Blackberries and PDAs to take a look at their e-mail, I pull out mine and read a couple of pages of a SF novel. They think I'm working and I don't inform them that it's just stealth reading.

Stealth reading! Hilarious!

Now I'm curious what other people do to stealth-read; I do it on my ipod touch at work, earphones in (although not listening to anything) and people leave me alone...

[Elsi]

Did you see the Harlequin romance packaged as a Powerpoint file? Now, that's a cool approach for stealth reading?

[phenomshel]

I'm with Elsi here. I too started reading ebooks on my PC. But I didn't (and don't) like to be tied to my desk chair to read, I much prefer my comfy couch or reading in bed. I skipped a step with multiple formats, and went straight to an EZ Reader, because I already had bunch of different formats on my computer and wanted something that would read most if not all of them without me having to convert everything into ONE format. That strategy *mostly* worked....*grin*.
Then my husband and I got BlackBerries, and though mine does have the data plan, I still installed mobipocket on it and read on it during breaks at work, and while waiting in the car for my husband to get off work.

Back to my multiple format strategy *mostly* working, as you can see from my sig, I now want an Archos 9. I'd love to be able to read in bed at night without a light to disturb the husband, and the Archos runs Windows, which means it will also run every reading software known to man, and read every DRM'd format out there, with the exception of .azw1, .tpz, and .lrx. This isn't *as* important as it was, since I discovered that Calibre is the best ebook reading software I've used, and it reads just about everything, plus runs on Mac and Linux, and I "liberate" my books to be used on multiple devices anyway. But the extra functionality will be nice. Unlike Elsi, though, I don't see it being a distraction, or at least I hope it doesn't turn out that way.

[neilmarr]

Ahhh ... I understand now. I'm a fiction editor and have read and edited hundreds of digital versions of novels on a PC. Just so that I could work in the fresh air in summer, I started to post-edit proof read on a wee laptop and, eventually a netbook out on my terrace.

For recreational reading (and to catch up on those books we publish that were handled by another editor), I got a PRS-505 from the UK in June. A dream come true -- I'd been hoping for an ebook-dedicated reading device for ten years, and this wee gizmo exceeds all my hopes.

Now, though, I realise from what you say in this thread that even ebook readers themselves are job-specific horses for courses (I love the idea of 'stealth reading') and that owning several readers for different tasks is not an extravagance but a sensible move.

Thanks for the well-considered replies and for answering my question so thoroughly.
Very best. Neil

[Ea]

It's partly because it's a hobby and I can afford the devices, and partly because different e-readers are good in different situations. I'm actually on my fifth e-ink device now (killed one, and the other two was a bad fit, so I've sold them again). Currently I'm really happy with my iRex digital reader because of the 10" screen and it's still light enough to hold comfortably - and I can read those PDF tech books without hassles. It's not very portable though, but the Sony 505 is - though I tend to use my iPod Touch more on-the-go. And the Touch is great for reading in bed because it's backlit.

[wodin]

I'm a gadget junky!