Do Your Kids Have an Ebook Reader? Or Will They Eventually? - Page 2

wvcherrybomb · 12-13-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queentess

I've briefly looked at this for my daughter (who is way too young for this yet, but I'm super excited about it). As far as I can tell, it requires cartridges for the books, which is what ruled it out for me.

The other thing I had looked at was Disney Digital Books, which you need a computer (and internet?) to access, and it's subscription-based. So it's not as portable as the Vtech (unless you have a netbook), but it's a very cool idea. I haven't been able to figure out the pricing yet; the site is impossible to navigate. Do you pay for a subscription AND pay for the books? If you stop paying the sub, do you lose the books you "purchased"?

EDIT: using Google (the site was worthless) I was able to determine that Disney Digital Books costs $8.95/month and it appears that gives you access to all their books. If you stop paying, you lose access to the content.
http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/dig...b/siteinfo/faq

Thanks very much for the info.

After I posted I went to the site for the VReader and it appears you can download books also. It even said that there was a selection of free stories. I downloaded the software in hopes I could see the selection and prices but it wouldn't let me access that section without the actual device connected.

GoblinWriter · 12-13-2010, 02:46 PM

Thanks for the responses, folks!

kindlekitten · 12-13-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queentess

I've briefly looked at this for my daughter (who is way too young for this yet, but I'm super excited about it). As far as I can tell, it requires cartridges for the books, which is what ruled it out for me.

The other thing I had looked at was Disney Digital Books, which you need a computer (and internet?) to access, and it's subscription-based. So it's not as portable as the Vtech (unless you have a netbook), but it's a very cool idea. I haven't been able to figure out the pricing yet; the site is impossible to navigate. Do you pay for a subscription AND pay for the books? If you stop paying the sub, do you lose the books you "purchased"?

EDIT: using Google (the site was worthless) I was able to determine that Disney Digital Books costs $8.95/month and it appears that gives you access to all their books. If you stop paying, you lose access to the content.
http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/dig...b/siteinfo/faq

so with the Disney system you are basically only leasing the books? that doesn't seem fair. for $8.95 you can pretty much buy any children's book I would think

if I am ever blessed with grandkittens I would like to try to get them into ereaders by age 10 at least if the schools haven't already pre-empted that choice

queentess · 12-13-2010, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

so with the Disney system you are basically only leasing the books? that doesn't seem fair. for $8.95 you can pretty much buy any children's book I would think

if I am ever blessed with grandkittens I would like to try to get them into ereaders by age 10 at least if the schools haven't already pre-empted that choice

Yeah, it sounds like a "leasing" system, basically. I can see the value in it: access to the books on any computer, no clutter in the house, easy to stop the subscription once your child outgrows the books. I've heard many people on these forums asking for a leasing ebook option that was cheaper than the price of buying a single ebook.

But I don't think this is for my child. (Granted, she's 10 months old, so this is a lot premature on my part...) For now she's more interested in the book as a physical object, essentially a toy she can touch and look at the colorful pictures. As she gets older, I'll want her to have the ability to take the books in the car. The Vtech or something similar to it, essentially a rugged version of an ereader, is more what I'll be in the market for.

kindlekitten · 12-13-2010, 04:42 PM

I'm not so hot on the leasing bit. my folks had all of the Dr. Seuss', Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and so on. my nine years younger sister got to enjoy them, both of our kids enjoyed them, and hopefully there will be grands to enjoy them. I like posession ;o)

Latinandgreek · 12-13-2010, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I'm not so hot on the leasing bit. my folks had all of the Dr. Seuss', Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and so on. my nine years younger sister got to enjoy them, both of our kids enjoyed them, and hopefully there will be grands to enjoy them. I like posession ;o)

Me too. I still have my older brother's books, and I plan on passing my own books off to my children and /or nephews and nieces.

wvcherrybomb · 12-13-2010, 05:19 PM

I think I'll take a pass on the Disney thing for a couple of reasons.

Like others said, I want something to show for my money that can be used by later children.

Also, I don't think it would be very practical for a very young child to sit at the computer to read. With the VReader, my grandsons will be able to carry it around and sit where they're comfortable.

I'm going to buy one VReader first, then hook to the network. If all the download-able books are $20, it's going back.

Janeena · 12-14-2010, 07:26 AM

My daughter is getting her sons, ages 11 and 15, Kindles for Christmas. Both of them are big readers. They have been drooling since I got my Sony last year.

jbcohen · 12-14-2010, 08:28 AM

I too will pass on the Disney lease model, that's way to high for a lease. I can buy the book for the same price and have something of value on the other end to show for it. If I was going to read any disney with my son I would probably buy the disney book from somewhere like Kobo or Borders rather than leasing it. I don't like the idea of a lease rather than a purchase seems like way too much dollars for that.

As for the readers I don't want to hand my son a device that costs that much, my ereader is one of the cheaper ones and works great. I don't think that he is a candidate for one as yet, he has a tendency to destroy all of his toys and $90 for a toy that he will wind up destroying seems to be way to expensive for my tastes. First he will get a smart phone then an ereader. The smart phone seems like a security thing, he is coming home from school and misses his buss home so he pulls out the cell phone and calls mom. He is out with his pals and someone falls and gets hurt so he pulls out his cell and calls mom or pop, seems like a security thing for me. Ereaders, when he can resist destroying it.

tubemonkey · 12-14-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

so with the Disney system you are basically only leasing the books? that doesn't seem fair. for $8.95 you can pretty much buy any children's book I would think

Actually, it is fair. It's no different than leasing TV shows (Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network) or music (Rhapsody, Sirius, Spotify).

What it boils down to is how one chooses to spend their entertainment dollars and the value they place upon the services they want.

kindlekitten · 12-14-2010, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Actually, it is fair. It's no different than leasing TV shows (Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network) or music (Rhapsody, Sirius, Spotify).

What it boils down to is how one chooses to spend their entertainment dollars and the value they place upon the services they want.

I don't lease shows so I guess I cannot complete the logic loop

tubemonkey · 12-14-2010, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I don't lease shows so I guess I cannot complete the logic loop

Most people lease shows, so it would apply to them.

queentess · 12-14-2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I'm not so hot on the leasing bit. my folks had all of the Dr. Seuss', Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and so on. my nine years younger sister got to enjoy them, both of our kids enjoyed them, and hopefully there will be grands to enjoy them. I like posession ;o)

Same way here. I have a small bookcase (actually, one of the ones I cleared out after getting an ereader) that is full of Dr Seuss and Berenstain Bear and Eric Carle books.

Care · 12-14-2010, 12:51 PM

I was thinking about getting a ereader for my 11 yr old niece. My kids are 1 /12 and 3, and I was going to get them a Vtech reader (which I made a thread for to see if anybody had any info on them, but nobody did

), but I heard the downloaded books disappear every time they restart it. If anybody has any more info they want to share about the Vtech reader I would love to hear it. I can still get it for them for their bdays.

So my older son might be given a DS, are there kids learning games/books for those? I saw somebody posted about one earlier.

tubemonkey · 12-14-2010, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Care

So my older son might be given a DS, are there kids learning games/books for those? I saw somebody posted about one earlier.

100 Classic Books

Junior Classic Books & Fairytales

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12-13-2010, 02:46 PM	#17
GoblinWriter vizsla wrangler Posts: 73 Karma: 120000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Seattle Device: Kindle 3G	Thanks for the responses, folks!

12-13-2010, 04:42 PM	#20
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	I'm not so hot on the leasing bit. my folks had all of the Dr. Seuss', Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and so on. my nine years younger sister got to enjoy them, both of our kids enjoyed them, and hopefully there will be grands to enjoy them. I like posession ;o)

12-13-2010, 05:19 PM	#22
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	I think I'll take a pass on the Disney thing for a couple of reasons. Like others said, I want something to show for my money that can be used by later children. Also, I don't think it would be very practical for a very young child to sit at the computer to read. With the VReader, my grandsons will be able to carry it around and sit where they're comfortable. I'm going to buy one VReader first, then hook to the network. If all the download-able books are $20, it's going back.

12-14-2010, 07:26 AM	#23
Janeena Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SE Tennessee, USA Device: Kindle PW, iPad, iPhone	My daughter is getting her sons, ages 11 and 15, Kindles for Christmas. Both of them are big readers. They have been drooling since I got my Sony last year.

12-14-2010, 08:28 AM	#24
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,032 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	I too will pass on the Disney lease model, that's way to high for a lease. I can buy the book for the same price and have something of value on the other end to show for it. If I was going to read any disney with my son I would probably buy the disney book from somewhere like Kobo or Borders rather than leasing it. I don't like the idea of a lease rather than a purchase seems like way too much dollars for that. As for the readers I don't want to hand my son a device that costs that much, my ereader is one of the cheaper ones and works great. I don't think that he is a candidate for one as yet, he has a tendency to destroy all of his toys and $90 for a toy that he will wind up destroying seems to be way to expensive for my tastes. First he will get a smart phone then an ereader. The smart phone seems like a security thing, he is coming home from school and misses his buss home so he pulls out the cell phone and calls mom. He is out with his pals and someone falls and gets hurt so he pulls out his cell and calls mom or pop, seems like a security thing for me. Ereaders, when he can resist destroying it.

12-14-2010, 12:51 PM	#29
Care Aes Sedai Posts: 659 Karma: 46166 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Aura and Kobo Mini, had a Nook, NOOKcolor, Nook STR.	I was thinking about getting a ereader for my 11 yr old niece. My kids are 1 /12 and 3, and I was going to get them a Vtech reader (which I made a thread for to see if anybody had any info on them, but nobody did ), but I heard the downloaded books disappear every time they restart it. If anybody has any more info they want to share about the Vtech reader I would love to hear it. I can still get it for them for their bdays. So my older son might be given a DS, are there kids learning games/books for those? I saw somebody posted about one earlier.