Selecting an ebook reader

[ApK]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Regarding the microSD card and lack thereof, I'd like to quote myself on a different thread:

You should have put "I"s instead of "you"s in that quote and then maybe you'd sound reasonable. As it is, you come across utterly incapable of imagining use cases other than your own, yet you like to talk as if your way is the only way.

For some folks, whom you appear have no idea about, it's not about having a year's worth of reading. It's about having the one particular book you want on hand when you want it.

It doesn't have to appeal to you. You don't need to use an sd card in your readers. You don't have to use physical page turn buttons.
But if you really don't understand why OTHER people might want something different than you, consider asking rather than constantly mouthing off like a jackass.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Just as long as you acknowledge your irrational bias.

No eschwartz, I DO NOT "acknowledge" that refusing to reward a retailer for acting abusively towards its (other) customers is "irrational bias". It's called voting with your wallet.

I like hitting on every point that people make, it's more thorough.

The trouble is that you keep scoring own-goals.

Regarding the microSD card and lack thereof, I'd like to quote myself on a different thread:

Thank you eschwartz for that ignorant, egocentric and condescending rant.

Now if we could take your time away from admiring yourself so-lovingly in the mirror for a moment, let me tell you about the priorities of other people:

1. Some people will eventually buy more than 3 years worth of books, and some of them won't want to trust Amazon's cloud, and/or download the complete Project Gutenberg collection, or Wikipedia, or whatever.
2. Some people will also want to play audiobooks and/or music (which take up considerably more space than eBooks) on their eReaders.
3. Some people will want their collection to be REMOVABLE, so that they can simply unplug it from one reader and plug into another (either because the original got broken, to try out a new one, because they have different readers for home and travel, or whatever).

[Hrafn]

Given the amount of nit-picking, knickers-in-a-twist fuss that my original fourth point has generated, I would like to take the time to clarify it (the original being a hastily-added afterthought):

4. Some of us prefer an eReader designed with the reading experience being the sole priority (subject to technology and cost constraints, of course), rather than hardware and software designed, in part, to encourage readers to buy books from their bookstore, and to think of eReading as a closed ecosystem centered around the Retailer. (If this line of reasoning does not apply to you, then you have one less potential reason to want to buy an independent brand eReader, such as an Onyx, or Pocketbook.)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

Some of us don't need to be told what to want/buy/think!

The insinuation, of course, is that some of us do need to be told what to buy and what to think. (Personally I think some of us take ourselves entirely too seriously.)

Do you know how often I've bought a book on the Nook because of their "recommendation" screen? Zero. Do you know how many Kindle books I bought because of the ads on the Kindle -- I think one book.

But I have bought a lot of books from Amazon (and at Barnes & Noble) because they're 1) Cheap and 2) They've got good selections. But I've also gone elsewhere regularly. Win-win situation for me.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

On my Kindle I can get everywhere from the universal Menu overlay.

The Home screen is where you go for the combined book list with integrated collections grouping.

As doubleshuffle points out, it's all a matter of taste. But my taste prefers the Kindle UI over the screenshots and stuff I've seen for the Kobo, and the experience holding my friends' Nooks.

Okay. So I don't have to worry about ads on the Kindle or the Nook -- though, for whatever reason, I tend to go to the Home Screen much more on the Kindle. (Probably because of the Home button, the only button on the Touch.) So, non-problem "solved." The Nook's display can look almost exactly like a Kindle -- you don't even have to display covers. I think if you tried using one for awhile you would realize the interface is not that bad at all. I don't know anything about Kobos, but I like Nooks, Kindles and Sonys. I think they're all good.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by rcentros

The insinuation, of course, is that some of us do need to be told what to buy. (Personally I think some of us take ourselves entirely too seriously.)

As examples of evidence of my point, I offer the market shares of the likes of Coke/Pepsi ('want/buy') and Fox News ("think"). There are of course innumerable other examples, but life's too short.

[eschwartz]

My point regarding having 3 years worth of reading on your device at one time is that it is ridiculously easy to always carry all the books most people will ever read in their life. And even for the people who read a lot, and/or want specific books, and I myself am among those people, can carry a significant portion of their library on the internal storage. I for example keep my entire TBR on my Kindle, all books that I know I want to read, enough to keep me happy for a very very long time. As well as my favorites that I know I will want to re-read at random times.

I have never had to worry about not reading that particular book because it is always available within the day -- if not on Amazon's cloud, then on my hard drive or in my Dropbox OPDS catalog.

But if it isn't, because you happen to be in the Middle Of Nowhere without your computer or access to WiFi, (not my experience but I know other people do,) then you would still have a couple thousand books that presumably you put on there because you want to read them next!

It isn't necessary to move your library from one device to another, either, because in case you haven't noticed, that device also has internal storage!

Where does it end? If you have 32GB of books on your nice ereader with the expansion slot, will you go into panic attacks because you can't fit another 100GB?? Maybe the book you end up wanting is the 80,001st book, the one you couldn't fit on! Oh noes!

Anyone who feels a need to download the entire Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia Just In Case, I would recommend them see a doctor, because they clearly have some kind of neurosis. Backing up your purchases is another matter, and I do do so myself. But it doesn't all need to be on your device...

And if you really need your ereader for playing music/audiobooks, then you have missed the point of an ereader. Get a freaking MP3 player.

NOTE: In order to preempt yet more rants about why I am using the word "you" instead of "I", I would like to point out the existence of a second meaning of the word "you", which you can read about here (second definition): http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/you. I am not sure why anyone might be unaware of this... unless of course the person is just interested in stirring up trouble.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

No eschwartz, I DO NOT "acknowledge" that refusing to reward a retailer for acting abusively towards its (other) customers is "irrational bias". It's called voting with your wallet.

Your irrational bias is the one where you believe that owning a Kindle/Nook/Kobo obligates you to buy books from Amazon/B&N/Kobo, or else they will or even might delete all your sideloaded books.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

As examples of evidence of my point, I offer the market shares of the likes of Coke/Pepsi ('want/buy') and Fox News ("think"). There are of course innumerable other examples, but life's too short.

Whatever. I don't drink Coke/Pepsi (or any soda), I never watch Fox "News" (so-called) but I do use both Kindles and Nooks. Go figure. I guess -- in your worldview -- I'm an enigma.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Your irrational bias is the one where you believe that owning a Kindle/Nook/Kobo obligates you to buy books from Amazon/B&N/Kobo, or else they will or even might delete all your sideloaded books.

No eschwartz, the cluelessly condescending. Those are your words, NOT my beliefs -- so it is simply your "irrational" egocentric bullshit.

You clearly are completely uninterested in why people make different decisions from you, and I have no interest in being preached at further. So let's accept that you consider the Kindle to be the One Perfect eReader, and that you consider anybody who might think otherwise to be benighted heathens, and leave it at that.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

Given the amount of nit-picking, knickers-in-a-twist fuss that my original fourth point has generated, I would like to take the time to clarify it (the original being a hastily-added afterthought):

Don't worry, we were clear on it from the start.

For my own part, I find the Kindle to be very reading-centric. Other than one unobtrusive store button on top with all the other settings and maintenance-related stuff -- in any event that button is now the KUAL launcher for my hacks -- and an even more unobtrusive button to switch to Cloud view. I can honestly say that he vast majority of the time, I don't notice either.

You know, lots of people use Kindles, Nooks, and Kobos without using the integrated stores.

Bu it is possible that ignorant, egocentric, condescending people who don't consider the priorities of other people wouldn't know this is possible.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hrafn

No eschwartz, the cluelessly condescending. Those are your words, NOT my beliefs -- so it is simply your "irrational" egocentric bullshit.

You clearly are completely uninterested in why people make different decisions from you, and I have no interest in being preached at further. So let's accept that you consider the Kindle to be the One Perfect eReader, and that you consider anybody who might think otherwise to be benighted heathens, and leave it at that.

I think no such thing. I merely take offense at your apparent belief that any ereader with an integrated bookstore is an ad-bloated experience with no priorities other than to suck your money, and thus completely unsuited to the goal of Just Reading.

I speak of the Kindle because that is what I know, in order to provide an example of a device and workflow where you are totally wrong.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

My point regarding having 3 years worth of reading on your device at one time is that it is ridiculously easy to always carry all the books most people will ever read in their life. And even for the people who read a lot, and/or want specific books, and I myself am among those people, can carry a significant portion of their library on the internal storage. I for example keep my entire TBR on my Kindle, all books that I know I want to read, enough to keep me happy for a very very long time. As well as my favorites that I know I will want to re-read at random times.

So this renders you the sole authority on on The One Correct Way To eRead?

It isn't necessary to move your library from one device to another, either, because in case you haven't noticed, that device also has internal storage!

You appear to be sublimely unaware of the difference between capacity and actual content. Having the capacity for your library is not the same as having the content of your library on the device.

Where does it end?

Wherever the buyer wants, and is willing to pay, for it to end. NOT where eschwartz-the-condescending decides it must end.

Anyone who feels a need to download the entire Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia Just In Case, I would recommend them see a doctor, because they clearly have some kind of neurosis.

What if somebody wants the opportunity to read a completely random classic, or have an encyclopaedia with them somewhere without internet access or any of a hundred and one other reasons why somebody might want a very large amount of text.

The point is just because you cannot imagine why somebody would want more than 3GB does not mean that nobody reasonably could. Your argument is an Argument from Personal Incredulity, a logical fallacy, and thus invalid.

And if you really need your ereader for playing music/audiobooks, then you have missed the point of an ereader. Get a freaking MP3 player.

Why? Because eschwartz says you must? Not a very good reason. Ever hear of convergence? Why buy, and carry around, an mp3 player, when you already have a device with a headphone port?

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Don't worry, we were clear on it from the start.

Given your rampant determination to shove (shovel?) words into my mouth, what is "clear" is that you neither know nor care what I actually was trying to say.

[Hrafn]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Whatever. I don't drink Coke/Pepsi (or any soda), I never watch Fox "News" (so-called) but I do use both Kindles and Nooks. Go figure. I guess -- in your worldview -- I'm an enigma.

No, I never said that everybody else needed to be told. Merely that those who are incapable of making a purchase decision without advertising appeared to need to be told.