What was your ultimate reason for getting an E-Reader?

[jeffcobb]

We love our ereaders and when I run into someone who asks about it I try to make the point it matters less which one you get, just get one. We read so much more now it is incredible. For years now as a software engineer all I have had time/opportunity to read tech manuals to keep my skills up. Two divorces have cleaned out my dead-tree scifi and fantasy collection not to mention the number of books I have loaned out and never got back.

Now with 90% of my collection as ebooks I can back them up in case the ER goes south plus if I loan out a title, I am not worried about getting it back.

Another way ereaders have helped us is my poor wife is losing her eye-sight to being able to jack the font up to bill-board sign levels, she too is reading a lot.

The E-Ink technology is great as I have to charge my phone, various netbooks, etc daily, I only had to charge my ereader about once a week.

Frankly both ereaders also featured that it could play audio books and/or MP3s. Totally useless feature.

[kathyfitz]

I got mine initially because my husband was working out of town and my dad was ill, between the two I was traveling what felt like constantly. Carrying enough books around was heavy and making sure I had the right ones with me for upcoming discussions was very time consuming! Getting my ereader was one of the best things I have ever done! It went from a luxury to a necessity very quickly.

Oh, and storing pbooks is a pain. (I know now, reading them is too! )

And I love gadgets! (As evidenced by the growing number of items I have listed to the left...)

[estrial]

I like gadgets, but was always too reluctant to buy much for myself, I think about 3-4 years ago I saw the kindle on oprah's show and thought I wanted one. It was only for US and $500. I gave up on it for quite a while. When I saw the kobo in the boarders bookshop 4 mths ago there was an instant spark to my head that this time maybe I could get myself an e-reader now that prices were more affordable and I did so and had been enjoying ever since ...

[darknessangel]

Three main reasons:

a) Wanted to read a lot of academic literature

b) I move a lot, so it's good for me to have an e-library in a convenient external drive than to carry arround many heavy boxes of books.

c) I can download books from the internet for free.

[bookworm65]

Mainly because I have issues with my hands and holding a book for a long period of time was painful. As I read mainly fantasy having a lighter way to read 800+ tomes was something I wanted. Also it allows me if I am out and about and feel like reading I can just sit down and read. I was also running out of space at home.

[GA Russell]

I think it's interesting that while the polls from about a year ago showed that most of the US public considered price to be the most important factor (most said they would not consider buying a device until the price dropped below $100 or $50), clearly the majority here on this thread are more concerned with storage and portability issues.

[Xenophon]

Saving money. Really.

See, I was buying lots of paper books from Baen. And I was a starving (mid-career) graduate student, with a serious cash-flow problem. Then Webscriptions went live, and I realized that I could purchase Baen's entire output in bits for less than I'd been spending on paper! The first-year savings (compared to my original spending on paper) more than paid for my first eReading device (an RCA1100).

Then I realized that bits don't require shelf space. And that meant we could slow down our acquisition of new bookshelves, saving yet more money. And, I could read more, too!

All wrapped up together, my net spending on reading (including readers, eBooks, paper books, bookshelves, etc.) stayed flat until I finished my Ph.D. -- but the total spent on books went up. And the number of novels purchased went up. And we haven't had to buy a new bookshelf since 2002!


Our spending on books is increasing now that I have a real income (of course!). But 10+ years and four reading devices later, I'm still ahead financially by any measure I use. Absolute number of dollars spent on reading; check. Cost per book purchased; check. Number of books purchased; check!

What's not to like?

Xenophon

[mrscoach]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I think it's interesting that while the polls from about a year ago showed that most of the US public considered price to be the most important factor (most said they would not consider buying a device until the price dropped below $100 or $50), clearly the majority here on this thread are more concerned with storage and portability issues.

To me, asking why we ultimately bought a reader, and asking the general public about when they would buy something are completely different.

I won't buy something just because it is cheap, but there are things I will buy but not until the price comes down. See the difference? None of us (probably)said, "hey, X is on sale. I don't want it, but I'll buy it anyway." There has to be the want first.

And, honestly, we're mostly geeks and nerds here (I don't remember the difference, but my son is very clear that there IS one) and we love our gadgets and love to read.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

From urbandictionary.com:

The term "geek" originally referred to the carnival performers whose act consisted of biting the heads off chickens and eating glass. Over time it came to be applied to anyone who got paid to do work considered odd or bizarre by mainstream society.

The term now enjoys a special status within the technical community, particularly among particularly knowledgable computer programmers. To identify oneself as a "geek" indicates a recognition that most people still consider programming computers to be a bizarre act, along with a certain fierce satisfaction in being very good at their inglorious profession.

That most software geeks now easily earn twice as much as the average laborer just sweetens their defiant embrace of the term.

Note: Unlike the word "nerd," which is always pejorative, "geek" often carries a positive connotation when used by one of the group. The use of the term by outsiders is considered insulting.

As far as I'm concerned, geek always has a positive connotation. A geek is top in her/his field, often at the expense of social interaction (but not social skills), but a nerd has little or no social skills.

[jessicalynn]

Knitting and reading are my 2 main hobbies. The ebook reader allows me to do both at the same time! Knitting while reading a paper book is just not feasible. My nook sits nice and flat, and I can turn the page with just a swipe of my pinky, never having to set down my knitting.
Of course there were other reasons as well. Many ebooks are cheaper, and I was starting to run out of storage space for my books.

[geniodiabolico]

My reason was that I was doing interviews with book authors and started getting electronic review copies. Carrying around printouts of pre-release books was an incredible drag, so I got a Kindle. Also, being able to have hundreds of Project Gutenberg books in my backpack at any time ain't bad. Also, I prefer not to have a smart phone so having emergency internet access via the Kindle browser is just about perfect for me.

[ManosHandsOfFate]

Two main reasons:

1. Lighten my bag for my daily commute.
2. Always have another book available after I finish one during my commute.

[nighthawk]

Well I have 1000s of ebooks on my computer to replace the real books that have fallen apart lost etc.
Most of them you can't find in print anymore old scifi etc.

I wanted a ebook reader for a long time but the price was too expensive for the tech but I seen a Aluratek on sale at my local best buy for 100 bucks and change and decided to take the plunge.
Glad I did love my ebook reader!

[Dwayne_Matheson]

I have a Kindle on order. I wasn't sure that I wanted an e-reader, my wife has one and while it is very nice (a Kobo) I just wasn't sold. The thing that changed for me is knowing that when I travel I can take a whole slew of books with me. Not only can I take them with me, I can get new ones too.

The other big factor, the prices keep falling. How can you look at a new hardcover when the Kindle format is so reasonable. The lower e-reader costs coupled with great ebook prices, and a ton of free ebooks too it is just too good to turn down.

[suelange]

The airlines are charging more and more for luggage. I like to read on long flights. An e-reader was the answer.