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Old 10-02-2009, 02:16 PM   #16
poohbear_nc
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There's no reason why you cannot have fancy colourful covers for your ebook reader. I have this
OMG - and your head doesn't explode??

My Kindle's skin is flat solid black.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:24 PM   #17
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:26 PM   #18
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Yeah I disagree with that. I love having my Kindle to take a ton of books with me easily. I don't care about the smell of books, the physicality etc. For leisure reading that's a down side as I'm stuck with a physical object I'll probably never touch again after reading once, and have to either find shelf space or time to donate it.

The area I think is lacking is using them for any books other than leisure reading due to screen size, lack of color, lack of stylus annotation on most devices etc. Thus I don't use them for my academic work. But that will come with time once tablet devices get out and perfected etc.

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Old 10-02-2009, 02:30 PM   #19
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I think he makes some good points. Although he seems to not quite "get it" as it relates to music. For some people, the physical record with album art and liner notes is just as important as the hard cover book is to him.

But I do agree that ebooks are a good way to expand the market, not just cannibalize existing readers. I think that is one reason we have the pricing issues we have...a desire by publishers to no cannibalize their paper book sales.

His thoughts about ipod-esque adds is a good one. A kid with a kindle, and Percy Jackson hops out to sit by him? Nice.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:30 PM   #20
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interesting article. i think he may actually have a valid point, when he says at the end in the last paragraph :
Quote:
I don't want to feel like e-readers are targeting me. I'm not the one who needs to be sold on the joys of reading. So here's the challenge: with this new technology, publishing has a small, slowly closing window to do what they've struggled to for so long: show people in doubt just how cool reading is. More readers -- that's how we save publishing. So get on it.
(crazy ! when you copy part of that article, it automagically appends a link to the original page. i must look into that.)
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:32 PM   #21
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His experience with ebooks, according to the article, only includes using ereader computer software and an ereader iphone app. He's never experienced eink, and therefore his opinion is invalid.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:33 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by poohbear_nc View Post
OMG - and your head doesn't explode??
Not yet But it's not so bad on the front, most of the space is taken by the screen, and my hand and thumb tend to cover the bottom part.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:37 PM   #23
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His opinion is certainly not invalid. He is entitled to it.

I couldn't get through an ebook on my laptop either. I've only now started to appreciate a dedicated ereader, having owned my first for one whole week.

What I found odd is he easily separates music from it's medium, but not stories. For him, music is the tune, but a book is the paper.

Then again, I love the smell of old hardcovers. I'll never get rid of my father's library. Just the memories that smell conjures up is worth more than any ebooks.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:44 PM   #24
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Then again, I love the smell of old hardcovers. I'll never get rid of my father's library. Just the memories that smell conjures up is worth more than any ebooks.
I can't wait for the audiophile version of pBook readers to start claiming that they can "smell" the 1's and 0's in eBooks.
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Old 10-02-2009, 02:45 PM   #25
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You guys are missing the author's main point!

He likes the physicality of the books. With an ereader, it's always the same feel and weight in your hands. We also loose the cover's seduction (hey, for me, a good cover can add a lot to a book ), the smell and texture of paper, the pleasure of holding something physical in your hands (without the worry that it's fragile and can break easily).
Personally, I just refrained from commenting on that part of the article because its been said so many times before in articles like this and I thought his ideas about who should be targeted by ebook marketing were the only new thing in this article.


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(BTW, I'd rather take 5 books to a desert island than 500 in an ereader. The battery would be wasted after reading one or two ebooks, anyway. )
Two words, solar charger.
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Old 10-02-2009, 03:15 PM   #26
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Two words, solar charger.
Either that or get the Professor to rig up a bike made from bamboo as a power source and get Gilligan to pedal it.
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Old 10-02-2009, 03:39 PM   #27
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I think the author is wrong about what the industry should do. The ebook industry is doing exactly the right thing as far as targeting their core customer base, heavy readers.

Let's face it, ebook readers are expensive, not fully featured, and sometimes buggy. This is not something you want to market to non-readers. This is a new (well, still pretty new) technology and you need earlier adopters. Once you have converted over your core customers, then you will have the volume and the exprience to expand your market to new customers.

This is just like the rise of personal computers.
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Old 10-02-2009, 03:50 PM   #28
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I think the author is wrong about what the industry should do. The ebook industry is doing exactly the right thing as far as targeting their core customer base, heavy readers.

Let's face it, ebook readers are expensive, not fully featured, and sometimes buggy. This is not something you want to market to non-readers. This is a new (well, still pretty new) technology and you need earlier adopters. Once you have converted over your core customers, then you will have the volume and the exprience to expand your market to new customers.

This is just like the rise of personal computers.
Is there something wrong with me? When I click on the link to the article there's no article.

I understand what the original author means about the feel, shape, smell and weight of paper books. It was something that stopped me from transitioning for awhile. But with as much travel I do and the volume I read, an ereading device just makes sense for me. I don't understand what he means, however, about not marketing ereading devices to avid readers. Those of us that need 5 paperbacks for 48 hours will always have a use for an ereading device, even if it's just for trips. I think what he's trying to say is that there is going to be a portion of the market that won't want to give up paper books. Just like there are still people who collect vinyl records, the paper book market is not going to completely disappear any time soon. I do think it will begin to decline. When ebooks and ereaders become less buggy and more available, I think we'll see a huge decline in paper reading. But there will always be a nostalgia market, or hangers-on who simply want to do it the way they've always done.
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Old 10-02-2009, 03:55 PM   #29
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Well, we know that he is missing something. Like many people who "prefer" paper books or who knock eBook readers, it doesn't seem like he has given an honest shot to eBook readers. He has maybe tried one briefly, looked at the price, and moved on, with his mind firmly closed.

When I read only paper books, I didn't get much thrill out of paperbacks, which was the majority of what I read. Before I got my K2, I "preferred" paper books too. Then, I met a lady on the train with a K2 and found myself staring and almost reading over her shoulder. I questioned her, and my mind was opened. When I heard about all the "free classics" that was all the further justification I needed to invest in the reader itself. It doesn't take many classics at $6 a pop to pay for a K2.

A nice cover heightens the experience, but that is only worth the money for a book I would read more than once. (Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, etc) For a sci-fi or fantasy book that is in a 10-book series, it would have to be a VERY good book to justify the purchase of the hardcover to get that nice feeling.

I guess I'm preaching to the choir though. We're all on the same... er... location.
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Old 10-02-2009, 04:18 PM   #30
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I have to agree with the author to an extent. While the function of the ebook device cannot be matched, the experience is not the same as a book. The ability to carry your entire library with you makes sense, but does not "feel" the same as carrying even one of your favorite books. Looking at shelves lined with books does indeed create a different feeling than a digital reader on the desk, even if it does contain thousands of ebooks.

What is not mentioned is that going digital (with all of its benefits) does not stop anyone from remaining a fan of the physical book. Why not keep one foot in each world? The quality of books on the shelf would most likely increase. It would be nice if publishers would allow us to download the digitial version of a book when we purchase the physical one.

Another route toward a solution is an ebook device that "felt" more like a book. Maybe a two-page device that opens like a book and could be covered with something nice like leather (or whatever). Maybe we could at least get closer to the experience that is missed by the flat device.

For those who desire function over experience, I think ebook devices are doing pretty good.
I agree with you. I read as many physical books as digital. More probably. Frankly I wouldn't want to give that up. The kindle has been a neat experience and I love getting back into reading classics and out of print mysteries but I love going to my library and bookstore to get books as well. And the devices do need to give you a more book like feel. It is why I always have a cover on the kindle when reading. Makes it feel less gadgety.
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