[VictoriaP]

I can't answer for anyone else regarding keeping books on the device, but I am a voracious reader and re-reader, and I very frequently don't know what I'm going to be in the mood for. I also prefer to keep wireless off for the same battery reasons we've discussed all along in this thread.

I also hate cables and am rarely near a "real" computer, preferring the iPad. So sideloading from a hard drive is not my favorite activity, nor is it convenient.

Sideloading OTA from a source like Dropbox is marginally better, but I have limited Dropbox storage which is mostly tied up in more important uses (like wirelessly backing up critical things from my iPad) and frankly the Kindle's browser sucks. Yes, it works. It's also kludgy and relatively slow. And oh yeah, for some damn reason, I can't get it to download .prc files to the Touch, even though they seem to actually run fine once they're on there. Go figure.

Downloading from Amazon's archives is marginally better, but of course, nothing's actually sorted up there. Finding a book isn't a matter of, oh, I'm in the mood for sci-fi, filter just that category and browse just the 100 or so books in there. Neither the archives on the computer nor the Kindle itself show me covers in a list form, at a glance, so I don't have that to guide my choices either (it would make a difference, as I'm a visual person and more likely to recognize the cover than the title). Having my fairly extensive library sorted into smaller categories that are relevant to me on the Kindle makes all that easier.

I want choosing what to read next to be faster and easier than it is to actually walk into my physical library in my house and pick a book off the shelf. Keeping everything well sorted and on my device accomplishes that, and moreover, does it no matter where in the world I take the Kindle.

(Interestingly enough, during the year that I read predominantly on the iPad, I stored only 20 books or so on the device and left everything else in the cloud. The differences I think are accounted for by: a) always-on wifi, b) color covers to search in the archives, and c) Dropbox app integrated with Kindle app (well, and it's jailbroken so I can move things behind the scenes very easily). The lack of categories in the app made it a lot less appealing to keep much directly on the device.)