What eReader to get? -NONE

[richman]

zenmonkey!

You speak monkey zen!

To read much is not to understand much.

p.s. you did own the 505 and you didn't like it. Hopefully something will come out in future that you do like.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by zenmonky

warning rant
There isn't an ereader worth buying on the market unless you have a gadget fetish, which is ok. Why? First, the generic 6 inch models are useless for anything other than paperback novels. These books are common and can be read for free from the greatest thing before the internet: the library.
Second, the larger format ereaders are too much money. Ereaders must come down below the price of the cheapest laptop. How can i justify paying more for something that is essentially a specific purpose computer than I would pay for a full functional netbook with a windows or linux os? Ive seen a $100 netbook on engadget recently. Im not hard up, i just know that paying $800 for an irex only make me another person walking around with a dorky status symbol. I understand the economics of scale but they are still too expensive.

Oh, zenmonkey, this is all so wrong on so many levels. Its not about having a 'gadget fetish'.

Its about carrying my entire library with me where ever I go, and reading whichever one I want whenever I want. (and I'm not done yet)

Its about opening the book to exactly where I left off each time.

Its about having a built in dictionary at your fingertips without skipping a beat while reading. Think you know the meaning of every word ever written? I did until I started reading more.

Its about having adjustable font, for those "old", or weak eyes.

Its about being able to read no matter where you are, whether at the doc's office, or standing in a long postal line, without trying to carry huge hardbacks, or more than one book at a time.

Its about discovering wonderful authors whose written words have stood the test of time, and for free, not just paying for the latest best sellers.

Its about discovering new independent authors who might never make it to your local library or book store. We have several here on MR.

Its about being able to download library e-books onto your device, and reading those also.

With the Kindle, its also about being able to download books instantly........if I want. Or not. I don't buy into the "big brother" theories that are going around, and I download most of my books with my laptop.

Personally, and this is just me, my Kindle has been my 'best buddy' since I bought it 6 months after it came out. I never upgraded, have loved it from the first. I don't need to read graphs, or worry about a bigger screen. I don't worry about being "locked in" since I learned about taking control of my own books.

Price? If you must have the latest and greatest, yes, you will pay the $800 you mentioned, but anyone who just wants to read, really read, will get by with $200-300, and the prices are coming down constantly.

I guess my point is........the entire purpose of an ebook reader is to read books, not be a multifunction device. Everyone has their favorites, and I defy anyone to prove on is better than another. Its all about personal preference.

I hope you enjoy yours when you finally get it.

[phenomshel]

Well, if your heart isn't set on e-ink, I have a suggestion for you. Look at the new crop of tablet PC's coming out. For example, Archos will release the Archos 9 - 8.9 inch tablet form pc (looks like an ebook reader, *grin*) in September. Cost? $450 or 500 USD, depending on how much hard drive capacity you want. It runs Windows, so it will also support the software programs to read every ebook format out there with the exception of .azw and .lrx. Supports wireless internet 802.11 for connectivity, and as I understand it, 3G connectivity is an option, too. Battery life, of course, is nowhere near what an e-ink device can offer, but the portability is there for short jaunts. Being a nearly full power PC, that should satisfy your conscience about multifunctionality.
The Archos isn't the only device of that type out there, either. Check out UMPCportal.com for more and reviews of devices of this type.

[DrMoze]

Well, posts 3, 4 and 17 kinda nailed it (except for the Kindle part in #17--I don't want wireless and I enjoy the longer battery life of the Sony).

For me, I've always been an avid reader--scifi (syfy?), mysteries, spy novels, science books, humor, travel, some history & biography. I have a big set of overstuffed bookshelves to show for it (6 6.5' high shelves, mostly 2-deep and crammed, plus many boxes!). But in recent years, between work, going back to school midlife, web addiction, DVDs, etc., I was doing much less leisure reading. This changed around 2 years ago when I got my first Reader. It has been great for me. (I still read some p-books, btw.)

Pluses (Sony Reader, now a 505):
* Great display, easy on the eyes (I couldn't read an lcd all day for fun!)
* lots of reading choicesat my fingertips
* Great (3-week+) battery life; no need to constantly charge like a phone or laptop--just take it along and read!
* Instant on to pick up where I left off, great for short reading intermissions (like on the subway)
* Multiple bookmarks for when I'm in the middle of more than 1 book
* Adjustable font size
* Smaller than a single regular book (thin!) but holds hundreds
* Great for travelling--short and long trips. Just take it along.
* Discovered lots of authors from online book sources (mostly free/borrowed, some I bought)
* Instant access to the NY Public Library e-collection. Great!
*Easy 1-handed operation.
*Works in my steamroom! (Inside a ziplock bag) Try THAT with a p-book!
* Gets me to read more, even with all my other books on the shelves.

All in all, it has been and continues to be a great value for me. I'll add that my gf has access to many books in Russian through her Reader too.

Funny how the "long-time lurkers" pop out of the woodwork to rant! But seriously, it looks like there will be more e-book device options that will become cheaper in the coming years. And, hopefully, some sort of standard format (ePub) to give users flexibility in their device choices. Amazon made an interesting choice with the big-screen Kindle DX, and I think SOny is getting it right now with the upcoming 300 and 600 models--a compact less-expensive reading device, and a fuller-featured one with touchscreen and dictionary/annotation capability.

[PhishStyx]

As someone who bought an iRex, I have to say that I'm VERY happy with it. I do need a larger screen for PDF's, and the DR 1000s is the perfect tool for my RPG's. I can carry all my PDF games with me all the time in a single lightweight device that doesn't tire out my eyes as an LCD screen would.

It's pretty difficult to tell from your posts exactly what your problem with e-book readers is other than your apparent dislike of 6" screens, which seems just fine for reading most fiction and probably most magazines. I'm not sure about most 'zines because the only ones that I read on my Kindle are Interzone and Asimov's, but those do nicely enough for me, thanks.

[HistoryWes]

I would agree that mobile reading devices are not quite "there" yet. I would also agree that they are too expensive-- too expensive to really justify. I still love mine though, and I won't be without one ever again. And as has been pointed out here many times, PDFs are not really ebooks. The format was designed so that the same printed page could be produced by multiple types of printers. As more people use readers, formats like epub will replace it.

[Ladyrixx]

See I really want a reader too. I have bad hands/wrists and the tension of holding a paperback open one handed make it really hard for my to read as many books as I want. (And hardbacks are really, really heavy)

I'm debating between a COOL-ER...because it's purple, or something like a DX for my pdfs. So I wouldn't say they were just for a gadget fetish.

(And I have one of those libraries that likes to have book one, three and five of a six book series)

[Xiaopanda]

Ok, Lets see.... For me, an Ebook Reader (Ebook) is a combination of a want and need.

I read a lot, not as much as some, but more than others..... and pbooks are hideously expensive in the country I find myself, as well as the oddest censorship in the known universe. (Bruno ended up being 58 mins here)

Also, pbooks go yellow and fall apart in 6mths in the tropical climate.

This doesn't happen with Ebooks (obviously).

I LIKE:
the status (geeky as it may be) of owning an Ebook reader.

the ablity to carry several books at one time.

the battery life

The E-inks screen vs LCD

the functionality of Ebooks (font size and type changes etc..)

I Miss paper books a little, the feel, the smell, the ability to read in the bath without worry about losing my entire library and access etc...

I also wanted to wait untill the 'one reader to rule them all' came out, but took the plunge anyway.

It's all about what works for you.....

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by Ladyrixx

See I really want a reader too. I have bad hands/wrists and the tension of holding a paperback open one handed make it really hard for my to read as many books as I want. (And hardbacks are really, really heavy)

I'm debating between a COOL-ER...because it's purple, or something like a DX for my pdfs. So I wouldn't say they were just for a gadget fetish.

(And I have one of those libraries that likes to have book one, three and five of a six book series)

Well, given this I'm not sure I would recommend a Cool-ER or a DX. With bad hands, I think you need light, easy to hold and easy to turn pages.

At least one person here complained about how hard it is to turn pages on the Cool-er. Likewise the DS is a bit large if you have bad hands.

Go to the ereader matrix and compare weights:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

I think the 5 inch devices will be lighter and best suit your needs, unless your eyes need really big print. I would also prioritize easy page turning that doesn't cramp your hands. For me this would suggest the pocketbook, or Hanlin V5 because of the way they turn the pages. However, you will find boosters here of the Sony 300 and the Cybook Opus.

My current bias is towards the Astak Pocket Pro Ezreader (The Hanlin V5 in the matrix) available at the end of this month in North America at http://www.theezreader.com/html/index.htm and available from www.astak.com for international shipments. I believe, however, that the same unit is available internationally from Bebook.

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by Xiaopanda

I Miss paper books a little, the feel, the smell, the ability to read in the bath without worry about losing my entire library and access etc...

I also wanted to wait untill the 'one reader to rule them all' came out, but took the plunge anyway.

You took the plunge (?) does that mean you are reading in the bath ? Some folks have reported success at reading in the bath using oversized ziplock bags. I must admit, however, that I am not that brave. Ziplock bags never seem to zip for me.

[LDBoblo]

Living in Taiwan presents many of the same problems regarding books as in Singapore, so I can definitely relate to the high prices and humidity issues. You can even find dry cabinets to avoid too much book damage from the humidity.

To me, ebook devices are just too crippled and primitive. Nothing about them is high quality, and even the centerpiece of their design, the e-ink screens, are mediocre and can't compare to any decent printing (that includes cheap digitally printed mass market paperbacks) due to the ridiculously low contrast and poor resolution. If you ever flip through pages in a paper book to skim, scan, or hunt down information, ebook readers are a complete joke currently. If you're like me, you will have to move farther away from the reader so the low quality screen doesn't annoy you, and you will have to change your reading method so that you just plod through books in a linear fashion.

Hopefully the rules regarding sharing and resale of books will become less draconian, or perhaps the prices will reflect the tragic crippling of the medium. I find it amusing how the marketing always goes "imagine, only $9.99 for an ebook instead of $25 for the paper edition", trying to compare it to a hardcover.

With paper books...if I finish reading it, I start lending it to friends or students or perhaps give it away as a gift or resell it second-hand at a really low price to give someone a bit of a bargain. With an ebook...I can read it and...then leave it alone or delete it. Just seems a bit selfish.

Not too bad for the classics that you can get for free though and that allow distribution. For more contemporary books though that I can't recycle in some way digitally, I'm more inclined to sacrifice the ebook reader convenience and portability for paper book quality and versatility.

But who knows...in the future, at least navigation should get a little better, even if the screens continue to suck and proprietary formats and DRM and dubious licensing continue to arbitrarily limit the usability of books.

[Mathlete]

I agree completely. Epaper is a luxury item at the moment with too many drawbacks to be considered a "solution" for people who just want to read for fun. There are many people on these forums who say that they need this technology because of its convenience or (what is even more ridiculous) that it will save them money in the long term.

It wont. It wont because anyone who buys one of these things is the type of person who makes frivolous purchases. We will buy more ebooks than we can read (before this you probably bought more paper books than you could read...you know, just to have them), upgrade devices within two years—if that long, and pay for repairs when the flimsy screens inevitably shatter.

[HansTWN]

Depends on where you live. Here you can get very few foreign language books and those that you find cost 2 to 3 times more than US ebooks. And having them shipped costs a bundle. So I made my money back in no time, I get to read a lot of books I would otherwise never have a chance to read, and during my frequent travels (8 times a year for 15 days on average) I just take one reader with me. So it as frivolous as bread and water for me.

I understand the objections of both of you, but for many people ebook readers are more than good value for money.

[Xiaopanda]

Originally Posted by emellaich

You took the plunge (?) does that mean you are reading in the bath ? Some folks have reported success at reading in the bath using oversized ziplock bags. I must admit, however, that I am not that brave. Ziplock bags never seem to zip for me.

Oh my....I don't read pBooks in the bath

In the shower, now...that's another story!!

[Xiaopanda]

Originally Posted by Mathlete

I agree completely. Epaper is a luxury item at the moment with too many drawbacks to be considered a "solution" for people who just want to read for fun. There are many people on these forums who say that they need this technology because of its convenience or (what is even more ridiculous) that it will save them money in the long term.

It wont.

I have already saved what I would have spent on pBooks I wanted to read, thanks to the Free sites and classic collections and the 'web... With over 1000 pbooks @ even $2 a book, you do the math...

It wont because anyone who buys one of these things is the type of person who makes frivolous purchases. We will buy more ebooks than we can read (before this you probably bought more paper books than you could read...you know, just to have them), upgrade devices within two years—if that long, and pay for repairs when the flimsy screens inevitably shatter.

Sadly probably very very true! But really, arn't books in general a "frivolity" anyway?

Me thinks someone is simply stirring the pot here....