MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Really, really confused newbie to ebook readers

abookreader · 11-28-2010, 08:00 AM

I think you have a couple of low cost options

1. Buy a refurbished nook (went as low as $87 on Overstock w/ a discount code recently). Nook does not sell internationally so you will have to work around that when your IP goes international. Advanatge - you'll be able to join and download a library Overdrive system. Advantage - you can buy from several bookstores including Kobobooks with their discount codes. Check out the deals forum to see what these are like. Since you'll be taking i overseas and the nook 3G doesn't work outside North America, you'll be just fine with the WiFi model.

2. Buy an International Kindle. Advantage - you'll be able to buy books more easily when you travel outside the US and on non-Agency priced books Amazon is usually cheapest. $119 Kindle 2 refurbished is currently available from Amazon warehouse. Learn how to strip DRM and convert the files and you can still buy from Kobo and Barnes and Noble and other stores. You'll also have another free 3G source then to check email and things when you travel overseas. Clunky browser, but it does work.

3. Old model Kobo readers/Sony Pockets etc are all available for around $99 or less now.

These are all nice machines that will compactly carry your books for you. They all have their good and bad points, you really just need to look at them and decide who has the buttons and screen layout and features you like.

PDF files do not look good on any 6" reader. You'll likely want to learn how to convert those to whatever file format the reader you buy uses anyway. No retailer will give you free copies of the physical books you already own. You'll probably want to get Calibre or a similar database program and start recreating your library digitally. I've been working on it for a couple of years now and I still don't own all my old paper books in digital form.

The best thing about digital books though, is once you have the file cataloged into Calibre and backed up in multiple places - that's it. You'll have it forever. You can't ruin it by spilling apple juice on it or lose it or decide you can't afford to move it to your next apartment, or that you don't have room for it anymore .....

11-28-2010, 08:00 AM	#11
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I think you have a couple of low cost options 1. Buy a refurbished nook (went as low as $87 on Overstock w/ a discount code recently). Nook does not sell internationally so you will have to work around that when your IP goes international. Advanatge - you'll be able to join and download a library Overdrive system. Advantage - you can buy from several bookstores including Kobobooks with their discount codes. Check out the deals forum to see what these are like. Since you'll be taking i overseas and the nook 3G doesn't work outside North America, you'll be just fine with the WiFi model. 2. Buy an International Kindle. Advantage - you'll be able to buy books more easily when you travel outside the US and on non-Agency priced books Amazon is usually cheapest. $119 Kindle 2 refurbished is currently available from Amazon warehouse. Learn how to strip DRM and convert the files and you can still buy from Kobo and Barnes and Noble and other stores. You'll also have another free 3G source then to check email and things when you travel overseas. Clunky browser, but it does work. 3. Old model Kobo readers/Sony Pockets etc are all available for around $99 or less now. These are all nice machines that will compactly carry your books for you. They all have their good and bad points, you really just need to look at them and decide who has the buttons and screen layout and features you like. PDF files do not look good on any 6" reader. You'll likely want to learn how to convert those to whatever file format the reader you buy uses anyway. No retailer will give you free copies of the physical books you already own. You'll probably want to get Calibre or a similar database program and start recreating your library digitally. I've been working on it for a couple of years now and I still don't own all my old paper books in digital form. The best thing about digital books though, is once you have the file cataloged into Calibre and backed up in multiple places - that's it. You'll have it forever. You can't ruin it by spilling apple juice on it or lose it or decide you can't afford to move it to your next apartment, or that you don't have room for it anymore .....