Thinking of eBooks and Readers

Pabz · 10-12-2009, 04:47 PM

I am contemplating buying an "ebook reader". Sony Touch/Elenox seem to read-up as being a good buy for the price.

On checking out the sites where ebooks are offered for sale I found them to be what I considered a tad expensive. Although some were giving a small discount on certain publications NONE were as competetive as the high street shops where paper backs can be obtained with offers such as "buy three pay for two" etc.
Those offering FREE books seemed to be giving away very little!

Being a pensioner with time to read price is a prime consideration!

My next thought was, can I swap an ebook with my pals. Even if the ereader will hold up to 1000 books I suppose a book can be deleted when read. Personally I do not read a book more than once!

Being completely "green" about this new innovation I would be most happy to hear from others who might be able to answer my queries and give me encouragement to spend about £200, explaining to me the advantages. After all one can buy a lot of books for this amount of hard-earned.

Hoping to see your comments soon....

Pabz

dickon25 · 10-12-2009, 05:48 PM

Hi Pabz and welcome to Mobilread - the very BEST site for all things ebook and ereader related!! There's masses of info here, links to the best deals going, hints tips and advice plus thousands of free ebooks. Can I recommend this thread to get you going:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43794

As far as the specific queries you mention go.....the pricing of ebooks is one of the hottest topics on the threads at the moment. We usually find that while a book is still only in hardback, the ebook price is comparable. Once the paperback is issued, however, the ebook price will drop to somewhere around the same, if not lower. Many sites and publishers offer free books as promotions - watch Mobileread for the links!!

Can you swap books with pals? Sort of........ a lot of ebooks have DRM, security protection, which may prevent swapping. It's possible to remove the DRM, but that may not be legal, depending on where you live. Lots of books Don't have DRM of course - in which case you're fine! Have a look at the WIKI section (follow the link at the very top of the page) for explanations and tutorials on all sorts of things.

Happy reading!!

The-eBook-Reader · 10-12-2009, 05:49 PM

I wouldn't recommend the Elonex; Sony is much better. But you also have to consider the Kindle now too, which will cost a total of about 215 pounds, and offers the most books--but is limited DRM-wise.

The Sony is 229 but you can't purchase ebooks from Sony's online store in the UK; you buy from online sellers like Books on Board, Waterstone's, Borders, etc.

I started a poll question here regarding new UK ereaders, and the PRS-600 seems to be the favorite.

And no, you can't lend DRM-ed (purchased) ebooks, although Barnes and Noble is trying to make that happen with their new reader (pending).

Click on my signature to read more about all these ebook readers. I have just about every UK model described on my website . . .

JeremyZ · 10-12-2009, 07:57 PM

Yes, welcome! You're smarter than me already; I bought my eBook reader THEN signed up here. This is the perfect place to do your research. The only problem is too much data & too many choices!

If the prices seem high, this is also probably the perfect place to purchase a lightly-used eBook reader from an.... enthusiast who always likes to have the latest & greatest.

The "best" eBook reader seems to vary by region. Since you mentioned the price in GBP, your "best" reader is going to be different than mine, as an American.

Something worth considering is to check the prices on books that YOU like to read. I've found, for instance, than New York Times Bestsellers cost $9.99, but I don't read them much. I just finished reading Flashforward for $8, which I enjoyed. I'm finishing A Tale of Two Cities which was free, as it is in the public domain now. Next, I will probably try Agatha Christie, whose novles mostly go for $0.99. So the fact that some books cost $9.99 is not always relevant to me.

From what I've read, if I were outside the US, I would probably buy a Sony. Widely supported reader, and supports a lot of formats.

Have fun, and don't get sucked into the forum so much that you don't have time left to read!

Dr. Drib · 10-12-2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pabz

I am contemplating buying an "ebook reader". Sony Touch/Elenox seem to read-up as being a good buy for the price.

On checking out the sites where ebooks are offered for sale I found them to be what I considered a tad expensive. Although some were giving a small discount on certain publications NONE were as competetive as the high street shops where paper backs can be obtained with offers such as "buy three pay for two" etc.
Those offering FREE books seemed to be giving away very little!

Being a pensioner with time to read price is a prime consideration!

My next thought was, can I swap an ebook with my pals. Even if the ereader will hold up to 1000 books I suppose a book can be deleted when read. Personally I do not read a book more than once!

Being completely "green" about this new innovation I would be most happy to hear from others who might be able to answer my queries and give me encouragement to spend about £200, explaining to me the advantages. After all one can buy a lot of books for this amount of hard-earned.

Hoping to see your comments soon....

Pabz

Welcome to MobileRead, Pabz.

You'll find a lot of helpful advice and recommendations. You might also check this specific Forum ("Which One Should I Buy?") on MobileRead for more coverage on your question:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123

We also have a huge library of over 11,000 ebooks in various formats. They're mostly Public Domain and Creative Commons ebooks - but there's some great reading here, and almost every title has been lovingly assembled by some of our Members and Moderators here.

HAVE FUN!

Don
(Moderator)

Pabz · 10-13-2009, 03:11 AM

Thanx to you all for your help.

Now I must settle down and do some serious homework based on what you so kindly have written.

I am so pleased that I discovered this forum before parting with good money and perhaps buying the wrong reader.

Living in Spain the cost of these goods is considerably higher than the in UK where I have family and can avail myself via them.

It appears that the formats are important, why in this day and age don't the manufacturers "standardise"! Makes one think that they just love making life difficult for old non-tech codgers like myself.

In the future, not too distant maybe, when the ereader really catches on (as did microwave ovens way back) the books will become more competetive and easily downloaded, swappable without hassle too.

Thanks again....Pabz. I shall keep watch on this forum!

JohnDoe · 10-13-2009, 05:31 AM

...of course, all of the above assume you won't embrace the Dark Side of the 'Net...

dickon25 · 10-13-2009, 12:54 PM

I'm in the UK and I second what JeremyZ says - I have a Sony PRS-505 and absolutely love it! It uses many formats, including Epub - which is fast becoming an industry standard, particularly in Europe and for the non-Kindle ereaders.

Elfwreck · 10-13-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pabz

It appears that the formats are important, why in this day and age don't the manufacturers "standardise"! Makes one think that they just love making life difficult for old non-tech codgers like myself.

Ebooks are fairly new. While some form of them has been around for as long as the web (I have a Project Gutenberg CD from 1995), the technology of digital files has been rapidly changing, and we're just beginning to get the software to where everything we want to display can be done, and we can start focusing on choices about how to display that.

There are still conversion issues--for example, although both digital & print files can do tables of contents, they're formatted differently. Tables are different. Print often uses columns; none of the digital formats are good at columns. (Nor are they necessary, for the most part.)

Currently, the best reflowable formats are ePub and Mobi, with ePub having an edge in being open source. For page-based formats, PDF is hands-down the best--but it still has all the problems that page-based digital files have.

It'll be a while before the industry settles on a single filetype, and it may not be any of the ones we currently use.

fugazied · 10-13-2009, 05:46 PM

I think for a person in the UK to whom price and DRM are a key factor, the Sony is probably the best choice. The Kindle may be better in a few months for UK readers, but at the moment it's not so attractive with a smaller book range (compared to US customers) and DRM.

DaleDe · 10-13-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pabz

Thanx to you all for your help.

Now I must settle down and do some serious homework based on what you so kindly have written.

I am so pleased that I discovered this forum before parting with good money and perhaps buying the wrong reader.

Living in Spain the cost of these goods is considerably higher than the in UK where I have family and can avail myself via them.

It appears that the formats are important, why in this day and age don't the manufacturers "standardise"! Makes one think that they just love making life difficult for old non-tech codgers like myself.

In the future, not too distant maybe, when the ereader really catches on (as did microwave ovens way back) the books will become more competetive and easily downloaded, swappable without hassle too.

Thanks again....Pabz. I shall keep watch on this forum!

Be sure and include our wiki in your research. It has all the data conveniently organized.

Dale

10-12-2009, 04:47 PM	#1
Pabz Pabz Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, Spain. Device: none as yet	Thinking of eBooks and Readers I am contemplating buying an "ebook reader". Sony Touch/Elenox seem to read-up as being a good buy for the price. On checking out the sites where ebooks are offered for sale I found them to be what I considered a tad expensive. Although some were giving a small discount on certain publications NONE were as competetive as the high street shops where paper backs can be obtained with offers such as "buy three pay for two" etc. Those offering FREE books seemed to be giving away very little! Being a pensioner with time to read price is a prime consideration! My next thought was, can I swap an ebook with my pals. Even if the ereader will hold up to 1000 books I suppose a book can be deleted when read. Personally I do not read a book more than once! Being completely "green" about this new innovation I would be most happy to hear from others who might be able to answer my queries and give me encouragement to spend about £200, explaining to me the advantages. After all one can buy a lot of books for this amount of hard-earned. Hoping to see your comments soon.... Pabz

10-13-2009, 03:11 AM	#6
Pabz Pabz Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, Spain. Device: none as yet	Thanx to you all for your help. Now I must settle down and do some serious homework based on what you so kindly have written. I am so pleased that I discovered this forum before parting with good money and perhaps buying the wrong reader. Living in Spain the cost of these goods is considerably higher than the in UK where I have family and can avail myself via them. It appears that the formats are important, why in this day and age don't the manufacturers "standardise"! Makes one think that they just love making life difficult for old non-tech codgers like myself. In the future, not too distant maybe, when the ereader really catches on (as did microwave ovens way back) the books will become more competetive and easily downloaded, swappable without hassle too. Thanks again....Pabz. I shall keep watch on this forum! Last edited by Pabz; 10-13-2009 at 04:26 AM.

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10-12-2009, 05:48 PM	#2
dickon25 Groupie Posts: 199 Karma: 818 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-505. Pocketbook Inkpad 840	Hi Pabz and welcome to Mobilread - the very BEST site for all things ebook and ereader related!! There's masses of info here, links to the best deals going, hints tips and advice plus thousands of free ebooks. Can I recommend this thread to get you going: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43794 As far as the specific queries you mention go.....the pricing of ebooks is one of the hottest topics on the threads at the moment. We usually find that while a book is still only in hardback, the ebook price is comparable. Once the paperback is issued, however, the ebook price will drop to somewhere around the same, if not lower. Many sites and publishers offer free books as promotions - watch Mobileread for the links!! Can you swap books with pals? Sort of........ a lot of ebooks have DRM, security protection, which may prevent swapping. It's possible to remove the DRM, but that may not be legal, depending on where you live. Lots of books Don't have DRM of course - in which case you're fine! Have a look at the WIKI section (follow the link at the very top of the page) for explanations and tutorials on all sorts of things. Happy reading!!

10-12-2009, 05:49 PM	#3
The-eBook-Reader Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 4637 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: United States Device: All	I wouldn't recommend the Elonex; Sony is much better. But you also have to consider the Kindle now too, which will cost a total of about 215 pounds, and offers the most books--but is limited DRM-wise. The Sony is 229 but you can't purchase ebooks from Sony's online store in the UK; you buy from online sellers like Books on Board, Waterstone's, Borders, etc. I started a poll question here regarding new UK ereaders, and the PRS-600 seems to be the favorite. And no, you can't lend DRM-ed (purchased) ebooks, although Barnes and Noble is trying to make that happen with their new reader (pending). Click on my signature to read more about all these ebook readers. I have just about every UK model described on my website . . .

10-12-2009, 07:57 PM	#4
JeremyZ Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 1000702 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago Device: Nook ST, Kindle 2, Samsung Galaxy Stellar phone	Yes, welcome! You're smarter than me already; I bought my eBook reader THEN signed up here. This is the perfect place to do your research. The only problem is too much data & too many choices! If the prices seem high, this is also probably the perfect place to purchase a lightly-used eBook reader from an.... enthusiast who always likes to have the latest & greatest. The "best" eBook reader seems to vary by region. Since you mentioned the price in GBP, your "best" reader is going to be different than mine, as an American. Something worth considering is to check the prices on books that YOU like to read. I've found, for instance, than New York Times Bestsellers cost $9.99, but I don't read them much. I just finished reading Flashforward for $8, which I enjoyed. I'm finishing A Tale of Two Cities which was free, as it is in the public domain now. Next, I will probably try Agatha Christie, whose novles mostly go for $0.99. So the fact that some books cost $9.99 is not always relevant to me. From what I've read, if I were outside the US, I would probably buy a Sony. Widely supported reader, and supports a lot of formats. Have fun, and don't get sucked into the forum so much that you don't have time left to read!

10-13-2009, 05:31 AM	#7
JohnDoe Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505	...of course, all of the above assume you won't embrace the Dark Side of the 'Net...

10-13-2009, 12:54 PM	#8
dickon25 Groupie Posts: 199 Karma: 818 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-505. Pocketbook Inkpad 840	I'm in the UK and I second what JeremyZ says - I have a Sony PRS-505 and absolutely love it! It uses many formats, including Epub - which is fast becoming an industry standard, particularly in Europe and for the non-Kindle ereaders.

10-13-2009, 05:46 PM	#10
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	I think for a person in the UK to whom price and DRM are a key factor, the Sony is probably the best choice. The Kindle may be better in a few months for UK readers, but at the moment it's not so attractive with a smaller book range (compared to US customers) and DRM.

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