Kindle not needed for textbook market

[Gideon]

Also... the Amazon forums are about one step above comments on YouTube in terms of reasonableness, usefulness and general civility.

I guess people might get some eyestrain with eInk, but I'd guess it's much more likely they're just reading more and that's causing the problem. I can actually read eInk much longer than paper.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Gideon

I guess people might get some eyestrain with eInk, but I'd guess it's much more likely they're just reading more and that's causing the problem. I can actually read eInk much longer than paper.

I kind of do too. Though it's about the same as paper backs which had greyer paper.

But with other books that had whiter paper, the eye strain is worse. I assume it's from the brighter paper reflecting more light and tiring the eyes sooner.

[Gideon]

That's my experience as well. I think the light gray really helps quite a bit.

Course, they could have been Topaz books... those things kill my eyes.

[talking_walnut]

I'm a student doing a PhD. Got my own desktop with 22" screen and 2nd 15" (I think) monitor in front of me all day. Have a 15" laptop and another desktop with 22" screen at home. I'm still actively planning on getting an eBook reader.

Computer monitors are just not nice to work off. Plus I find it tiring to sit in front of a computer all the time. It'd be nice to be able to switch it off and do some reading of papers, tech books, etc.

I can see your point that it's unlikely that every college student will want to splash out on a laptop and reader at this point though. They're still a bit on the expensive side. But you could say the same about laptops when they first came out. Why buy your own laptop when the college provides computer labs free of charge?

It's a new technology. It'll take time to enter mainstream. I think they have the potential to be massive though. Might save my poor back carrying around loads of books

[JohnClif]

I think ereaders like the Kindle DX will be a major advancement for college students.

The combined size and weight of all of my engineering textbooks for a semester was like over a foot tall and 6 to 8 lbs. I had to lug around at least three of these beasties at a time (Calculus-Physics-Chemistry or CompSci-PolySci-History) and to deal with these was a real hassle. A lightweight ereader like the DX, along with a letter-sized lined-paper notepad, or a netbook, would be great for classroom use (take notes on the netbook, read on the DX). I'll read the textbook PDFs on my 24" monitor in my dorm room, while doing assignments.

Also, the ability to publish classroom notes as a PDF means I can take the DX along with me, and study effectively with it pretty much anywhere... in the library, while eating, on a bus, etc.

Sheesh... students today don't appreciate how well they have it! I used to walk 5 miles uphill through the snow to the computer lab every day, loaded down with textbooks, with my stack of Hollerith cards, waiting to use the card punch machine.

[Slow_hand]

Originally Posted by JohnClif

Sheesh... students today don't appreciate how well they have it! I used to walk 5 miles uphill through the snow to the computer lab every day, loaded down with textbooks, with my stack of Hollerith cards, waiting to use the card punch machine.

And five miles uphill home too, I bet.

[pking36330]

Originally Posted by Slow_hand

And five miles uphill home too, I bet.

And facing into the wind both ways too!

[markbot]

Originally Posted by Slow_hand

And five miles uphill home too, I bet.

it actually is possible to have to walk up a hill both ways if your house is at the base of a hill and the school is located on the opposite side of the bill....and assuming u can't go around the hill.