Best of both worlds?

[badgoodDeb]

I'm with Alisa on the buying habits. I only download samples, and buy the whole book when I have read the sample. Saves lots of pre-buying and probably lots of $$ too.

One exception: free books. Amazon books are listed as $0.00. If you download only the sample, you may not read it till the original price goes back up. Then you'll wish you *had* bought the whole thing.

[MissNomer]

I'm with you bwaldron. I'm currently working my way through the first S.S. van Dine Omnibus (from Mobileread--Thanks HarryT) and it seems that I'm looking up at least one word in every chapter. As you said, some of his words have never made it to my repertoire; however, a lot of them were there years ago but have fallen away from disuse. Sometimes I feel like I'm studying for my SATs all over again!

[ChaosInc]

Having an option of using a dictionary I think would be good idea, if it came with one and didn't have to be bought separately.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by MissNomer

I'm with you bwaldron. I'm currently working my way through the first S.S. van Dine Omnibus (from Mobileread--Thanks HarryT) and it seems that I'm looking up at least one word in every chapter. As you said, some of his words have never made it to my repertoire; however, a lot of them were there years ago but have fallen away from disuse. Sometimes I feel like I'm studying for my SATs all over again!

Continuous learning keeps the brain agile!

Originally Posted by ChaosInc

Having an option of using a dictionary I think would be good idea, if it came with one and didn't have to be bought separately.

The Kindle2 makes it even easier to look up a word -- just put the cursor on it, and the definition appears at the bottom of the screen. I rarely used in on the K1, but this makes it more straightforward and too simple to ignore!

[da_jane]

I love the Kindle 2 dictionary feature and the one click buy directly from the device is incredible. Having said that, I've owned the Kindle for a week now and have only read on it twice. The majority of reading I do at night and for that the Sony 700 is superior. A friend of mine who just recently received the 700 said that you don't realize how integral a light is until you have it and then try to read a device without it. (Same arg as with the dictionary/wireless feature).

If you read at night, then the Sony makes a lot of sense. If most of your reading is done during the day, then the Kindle 2 features make it a more attractive item.

[cvkemp]

I am a newbie I have not gotten a ebook reader yet and I am looking for advice on getting one. My usage will be converting word docs and pdf tech docs to be read on the device I get.
Please help

Chuck

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by da_jane

I love the Kindle 2 dictionary feature and the one click buy directly from the device is incredible. Having said that, I've owned the Kindle for a week now and have only read on it twice. The majority of reading I do at night and for that the Sony 700 is superior. A friend of mine who just recently received the 700 said that you don't realize how integral a light is until you have it and then try to read a device without it. (Same arg as with the dictionary/wireless feature).

If you read at night, then the Sony makes a lot of sense. If most of your reading is done during the day, then the Kindle 2 features make it a more attractive item.

You're not kidding. I'm still on the hunt for a good booklight.

[europas_ice]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

I am a newbie I have not gotten a ebook reader yet and I am looking for advice on getting one. My usage will be converting word docs and pdf tech docs to be read on the device I get.
Please help

Chuck

This question would be better posted as a new thread in the forum "Which one should I buy?" People over there should be able to help, especially with the thorny issue of which reader is best for pdfs. Unfortunately, pdf support is in short supply on a lot of ebook readers.

[tristanofalls]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

That's relative though. I don't want the wireless, and don't need the dictionary. I think it is a good thing to have one that is free of wireless for those who don't want it.

I agree, for myself, anyway. But for me, it's not that the wireless doesn't sound nice. It's just a matter of cost premium over other options.

It seemed to me that Amazon could potentially sell many more total devices by having a bare-bones, no-wireless Kindle in addition to their current premium model. But after further thought and consideration of other readers, the basic cost of e-ink technology is high enough that customers wouldn't get sufficient savings on the bare-bones version.

And an even more important factor might be the whole 'experience', right down the the packaging, that Amazon rolls out with the Kindle. They clearly (are trying to) position it as more than just another gadget, so it makes sense fromt hat poitn of view to avoid diluting the brand with a lower-end model at this point. Maybe when and if they are even more firmly established or the cost of e-ink comes down...

-tristanofalls

[ChaseKR]

I tried a Sony Reader in a retail store just yesterday. I found pressing the buttons to be too awkward and physically difficult to press.

[slayda]

The 505 may be better than the 500 but how long will it be before Sony abandons it like they did the 500? Personally, I'm steering clear of Sony from now on.

I do however like the dictionary support on my Cybook & Kindle1.

[tlshaw]

When I bought my Kindle, I thought the dictionary and wireless were nice options, but that I really would not use the. However, I find that I use the wireless a lot. I like to download samples, and would hate to think that I get started on a book and then have to wait until I get home for download the rest. I also use the dictionary a lot more than I thought. It is so easy to look up a word and not have to sit and figure out the definition just from the useage.

Just my $.02