MobileRead kicks off this Summer with a Giveaway!

[johncollins1]

It's no use buying a Sony PRS-505 if your wife is also a book addict and kidnaps it on its first day out of the box. We neeeeed anotherrrrr !!! So that I can have mine back.

[Techtistic]

This is my entry for the MobileRead Summer Giveaway.

I suspect that many people will have good and humorous reasons for wanting to win this contest, but my reason is a humble one. First of all, I don't believe that I should win this contest (and according to the rules it will be a random drawing anyway) but I would most definitely like to win. My motivation to read comes from the desire to become a more compassionate and self-sacrificing member of society. I believe that true love is only shown through sacrifice, because by nature we are all selfish to some degree. There are many great teachings and texts that can help me to better understand how to become such a person; they are just waiting to be read and have their treasures unlocked. Unfortunately, my workplace, income, and family-life make it hard to accomplish the reading that I wish to do. Those constraints are why I have had a great interest in e-books and the technology that has revolutionized something as ancient and simple as text. If I won this contest, I would choose to have the Amazon Kindle 2. It would allow me to easily read (otherwise cumbersome textbooks) on work-breaks, buy books for cheaper, and take advantage of the small breaks I receive while at home.

For me, wining this contest would be much more than being able to have a gadget to play with. It would help me become who I desire to be.

Thanks for reading my entry.

Techtistic

[bjgraves]

I need to win the Kindle 2 because my daughter (age 11) and grandson (age 7) prefer to read their books on my kindle. How can I take it back when they are reading so much more now. Please help me!!

[rogueleopard]

I should win as my wonderful, marvelous wife bought me my first reader last week; I thought she was buying it for herself and was helping her pick out what would be best for her, being cheerful and supportive, though sad because I personally wouldn't be able to afford one for myself. And then, leaving the Sony Style store, she pushed it into my hands and told me to enjoy it!
Now I wish her to have this amazing device as well, as an amazing gift for her!
Sony Reader PRS-505

[BookishDreamer]

I hadn't planned to enter the contest, but changed my mind today after a conversation with a friend. He reads books that are out-of-print and difficult to obtain. When I showed him that some of the books he wants are available as ebooks, his eyes lit up. "Cool!" was the verbal response. He's been a little skeptical of my ebook fever, but I think I might have successfully infected him with the bug today. If my diagnosis is correct, the only prescription is a new ebook reader and ebooks in mass quantities.

Dreamer

[robynsc]

all hail the mobileread book reader gods. they offer the gifts of technology and enlightenment.
oh, worthy gods, should you see through your wisdom and mercy to bestow upon me that most precious of gifts, the e-book reader kindle from the amazon nation, i shall sing your praises across the world (or at least as far as the next county).
i offer up to you fairly worthy reasons why i, your humble servant, shall be the vessel of your gift:
i don't own one, but, ironically enough, i am in charge of setting up an evaluation of them at my job, and now that i have given it to others to evaluate, i am going through severe withdrawal and will have to spend thousands of dollars on kindle rehab and therapy in order to get back to my semi-normal, paper and ink book reading self.
i have been reading for pleasure since before i could read (that's what they tell me) but my want-to-read list exceeds my monetary income by several million drachma (substitute dollars or any other form of currency with a good exchange rate . . . euro, maybe?)
i shall honor you with psalms of praise and adoration and will tattoo your logo on my person to profess my profound admiration and appreciation for your gift.
thank you, oh mighty gods of mobileread. may you be bathed in e-ink for all eternity. blessings and salutations to you.

[sassanik]

I love my little EB1150 but there are days when its very annoying. Having to convert secure books can be most frustrating!

Why should I get the Sony PRS-700?

Well I saw one in person the other day and actually liked it! I don't have an e-ink device. I am also a really cool person with a really cute tree kangaroo avatar!

Amy

[mcastell]

Enter me in the contest/giveaway.
The device I would find ideal is the iPod Touch 16GB. With the Touch I could download the book and movie version on the same device (thus the 16GB model). As you get older, the cross connections tend to fade and to restrict myself to just the input from my Sony PRS might be darkening some of the corners that could be lighted up nicely by a motion picture version of the same story. So I guess you could think of the whole thing as "the mind that you save could be my own." And the Touch is cheaper than a Kindle.

[phenomshel]

Ok, I'll give it a shot. I'd like to win the Ectaco JetBook for my son. He wants an ebook reader in the worst way. Should I win? There are lots of entries, all with good reasons for wanting the prizes. I'm good if I win or don't, but it's worth a shot!

[jsteggy]

I'm entering. I could really use a new ebook reader. Mine in always being used by someone else. So I NEED another. Does emphasis on NEED make a bigger impression? ;-)
When I win the ebook - my college kid will get a lot of use out of it when she puts all her text books onto it! PRS-700 or Kindle 2?
Thanks!

[ruskie]

Entering...

Hmmm why should I... Well I've been patient since the first time I've heard of the hanlin devices and only got mine this year after seeing it first. So now that I have it I want to spread the love. I want one for my mom... I was planing on getting her one for her birthday but it all depends on cashflow.

It's a try

[Abecedary]

Why should I win? Simple. I have two eyes, yet only one ebook reader. It clearly makes sense that I should have a device for each eye.

[mjh215]

I looked down at the box which contained my new CyBook. It had been sitting unopened for three days since it was delivered on the 1st of August. It would have arrived slightly sooner but there was some confusion between Bookeen and Alex as he first tried to send it to Panama instead of Pennsylvania. A feeling of uneasiness settled over me while holding the FedEx package which was strange because the past few days had been quite remarkable.

Starting with the delivery, which came at 2:02 AM on the 1st. Being an insomniac I was currently up to the melted butter scene with the lobsters in Leonard Part 6 on my DVR. After being startled by the screen door slamming and a screech of tires I paused Cosby's magnum opus. It was several minutes before I worked up the courage to check the door. Once certain no one was around I opened it to find the package stuffed between the doors. It was only then that I finally swallowed the strawberry I had bitten into just prior to the interruption.

While preparing to open the box the phone rang and the Caller ID showed it to be my sister's mobile number. Leaving the box on coffee table I proceeded to answer the phone. In a nutshell she and a coworker had been out consoling a friend at the bar till close and she had managed to lock her keys in the car (Sadly, this is a common enough event that I keep a spare set at the ready) thus needing my help.

On arriving at the bar I found my sister and a coworker, a rather cute petite young lady with short dark brown hair, a mischievous face and clothes that told she was a fellow Mike Patton fan.

As to how I wound up still being with her for the next two days, part of it involved the fact that she lived closer to my house than my sisters and naturally I drove her home. I spent some time chatting and drinking coffee* in her apartment as well as exchanging phone numbers for a 'proper' date before leaving just to discover that my car was dead. In a chivalrous act on her part she invited me to spend the night to avoid paying a premium calling for a tow truck at that hour. And while romance was certainly in the air we both did the gentlemanly thing and passed out on the couch shortly after daybreak.

Both Misty and I slept late and realized that by the time we awoke it was evening and my regular mechanic was already closed, not to reopen till Monday. Any tow truck agency would do, but the cost savings and the opportunity to spend more time with Misty left me eager to accept her offer to spend the weekend together. She even had a change of shirts for me in the way of an oversized (undersized for me) Josie & The Pussycats t-shirt she kept as a nightshirt.

We went on to discuss books, music and movies. Watched episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (she too collected them) and a House M.D. marathon. Interspersed was the occasional ordered meal in the way of pizza or snack in the way of leftover pizza. By bedtime the following afternoon we found ourselves deeply engaged with one another in a not so innocent manner, however we reserved ourselves to light petting and gentle kisses till we were asleep. Which seemed only appropriate considering we still hadn't gone on our first date.

After our goodbyes were spoken and the tow truck driver was prepping the car it turned out that the neutral safety switch for some reason had been engaged and the driver was able to start the car and send me on my way with only a few dollars for the call.

At home I found a message from a former client offering me a full time position at a new branch they were opening. Returning the call I was to find out it was within a few miles of my home as well as that they were preparing to order the systems and servers for the facility that week and could I come in that day to discuss things given I would be the SysAdmin. After a shower and change of clothing I left to spend the day finding out the details of my new employment. With a new girlfriend and six figure salary I celebrated the rest of the evening with a couple beers and by going to bed early.

When I woke up the following morning is where we get to go back to the box. I pulled the strip on the side and removed one box from another. Cybook Gen3 read the new box, in which I was presented with a third, albeit plain white box to open. In this box I removed the Cybook’s cover to finally be presented with its foam wrapped goodness. Removing the wrapper I was to discover an odd tag attached to the protective film covering the screen of the Cybook which read;

Expérimental
____________
Couleur

This, needless to say, excited me. So after charging the reader off of my computer's USB port I turned the Cybook on for the first time. A bright flash and the feeling that the air pressure had plummeted and recovered in a fraction of a section caused my ears to pop. When my hearing and vision recovered I was left stunned for several seconds. The room, in fact everything including my hands had turned into a fine grayscale, devoid of any color or even pure white or black. I looked dazedly about. At the grayscale coffee table. At the grayscale television. At the grayscale walls and floor and my grayscale arms and body. I slowly became aware that color now radiated up at me from the screen of the Cybook. At the top was a beautifully rendered black and white matte painting of me looking stunned with a color floral design and gold illumination bordering the edges of the art. The text itself was deep black in a lovely serif font on a light cream colored background and read;

Quand je recommençai à voir et à entendre, je demeurai plusieurs secondes abasourdi. La pièce, en fait tout dans la pièce, y compris mes mains, était passé en échelle de gris délicats, sans aucune couleur ni même de noir et blanc pur. Je regardai, hébété, autour de moi. La table basse en échelle de gris. La télévison en échelle de gris. Les murs et le sol en échelle de gris, mes bras et mon corps en échelle de gris. Je me rendis compte progressivement que de la couleur irradiait vers moi depuis l’écran du CyBook. En haut se trouvait un portrait de moi en noir et blanc, magnifiquement rendu, en transparence, l’air stupéfait, avec un motif floral en couleur et une enluminure dorée qui bordaient le dessin. Le texte lui-même était d’un noir profond, dans une police sérif ravissante, sur un fond blanc crème léger, et disait

In an act of panic I turned the Cybook off, to be greeted by the same jolting flash and wrench of my aural faculties. With reality back to what was normal for me (perhaps not for others) I was left in a cold sweat unable to comprehend what had just occurred. And the phone rang.

To be continued if...

And you know the rest of that statement.

*Just think of tea, but brewed with beans for you Brits…

[My thanks to YGG for providing French translations for me]

[DawnHeinle]

I would really like to win an eBook... but I'm struggling to come up with something as creatively written as the other entries above mine!! :-( I've been saving and saving for an eBook for awhile now... but as life does... it's thrown me curveballs and my savings have had to go towards other emergencies.

I've asked Santa Claus... but he's still six months away from answering me on this one... so I'm trying to be a good girl so that he grants my wish!

I'll cross my fingers and hold my breath in the meantime!! *gasp* :-)

Thank you!!
Dawn

[mangust]

I would like to enter. I should win because my mom says that I am special. However, the reason I want an ereader is because I am jealous of my wife who uses "our" 505 full-time.