Ebook reeaders make reading too easy

[guess32]

I think it's a sign of the times. Too much music, words, movies, we see two movies per day, read two books per week, when twenty years ago was a movie per week and a book per month, impossible to remember something of all that.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by guess32

I think it's a sign of the times. Too much music, words, movies, we see two movies per day, read two books per week, when twenty years ago was a movie per week and a book per month, impossible to remember something of all that.

I don't think the difference is that great for me, but one thing that is certain for me is that I am reading more books since I bought my first e-ink device, so there is certainly a good chance that I am going to remember less of them, but that should be considered a positive since it means you can more readily go back and reread those books again.

[SensualPoet]

To tell the truth, I am reading for pleasure ... and the Kindle 3 and Kobo are ideal for the novels I have been enjoying. I'm not actually concerned whether I retain 14% less because they are easier to read than on paper. As I get older, I am forgetting more all the time anyway ... another 14% won't make much difference.

[CazMar]

I don't think that I read any more, mainly because there are still only 24 hours in a day and I need to sleep through some of them! Like some of the other MobileRead folks I can also remember most of the plots of novels I've read and the information from non-fiction books (although dates tend to slip through the brain cells).
Audio books and podcasts are the worst for trying to remember information, especially if the speaker has a soothing voice zzzzz...... Sorry, now I'm awake! If I listen in the car I'm OK because driving in Adelaide makes you very alert (world's worst drivers!).
I don't think meaningful information from books gets lost if you don't allow distractions like email,texts or checking your Facebook account every 2 minutes to break concentration.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Ken Irving

E-ink devices on the order of the Kindle 3 and the Nook probably aren't so good for reading a book that has footnotes, bibliography, and an extensive index even when they are properly formatted - meaning that the links all work as they should. I don't know how much my sense of this coincides with what he's saying, but for me this is because with print I have easy access to the entire book at once, and I am able to examine it (not just read it) in an entirely non-linear fashion. When I have to tackle a tough read like that in print, I may initially skip around in it, using the table of contents and index - or even just thumbing around in it - to get the lay of the land, and that in turn helps with both comprehension and retention.

With almost any ereader I must access the book by starting at the beginning and reading through it page by page, as nonlinear navigation is too difficult, and the page is too small.

ITA. The advantages outweigh the drawbacks, but I get a less in-depth experience when I read "serious" books on my nook. It's worth it, since portability and accessibility frequently make the difference in whether or not a book gets read at all, but something is lost in the transition.

I'm interested in your comments on nook study, which I downloaded for the freebies, but realistically I'm not going to start reading on my laptop. However, I shall keep it in mind if something seems worth the effort.

I've found that books read on my Touch suffer even more. The device makes a difference. Again, better to read something at all, but I try to keep something light, or at something that won't be hurt by being read in chunks, for reading on my Touch.

[kaelynmorrill]

Hi! I'm new to this forum. I just purchased a Kindle. I used a Palm Pilot before. There are books I want to read that I can't get to without a reader. I can't retain what I don't read.

[DarkRoast]

Isn't the article more about font types than pbook or ebook? I don't think a page in a book is easier or harder to read than the same page on a reader, with the same font.

[nashira]

I've read a few books on my ipod. over a dozen on my computer. and I'm currently reading three via eink. I remember them just fine.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by kaelynmorrill

Hi! I'm new to this forum. I just purchased a Kindle. I used a Palm Pilot before. There are books I want to read that I can't get to without a reader. I can't retain what I don't read.

Welcome to mobileread ....

Have a look in our library (link in my signature line) for some wonderful books

[Spiffy]

So eyestrain and headaches are the BETTER choice?

Uh uh. Not buying it.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by kaelynmorrill

Hi! I'm new to this forum. I just purchased a Kindle. I used a Palm Pilot before. There are books I want to read that I can't get to without a reader. I can't retain what I don't read.

Very good point!

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Spiffy

So eyestrain and headaches are the BETTER choice?

Uh uh. Not buying it.

Not in my experience with both Gen3 and Pocketbook .... though may be they be the cause of me tending to fall asleep slightly more easily than with paper ....

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The medium may impact how well (or badly) you retain knowledge, but the person’s desire to learn and remember is even more important than the obstacles presented by the medium, allowing them to transcend the medium and its limitations.

I think the study may have been adversely impacted by the participants' desire to remember the material for the study's sake. Of course, that's the problem with most studies...

[maianhvk]

I think the article is somehow correct about how our brains work with computer fonts and hand writings.

IMO, the hand writing is easier to remember because each letter is unique - especially if it is written by fountain pen. that's why everytime I have something that needs reading many times, I usually write it down in 2-3 colors of ink and use many highlighters (even if the handout/outline are printed). that truly helps with remembering text.

I only use e-reader as pastime. if I want to remember any idea or detail, I just add a note or highlight the outstanding words.

[bhartman36]

What the article is saying is counterintuitive to me. Having to decipher someone's handwriting, or make out poorly-chosen fonts on a paper (or any other) page take my focus off the content.

I agree about the footnote comments, though. I haven't seen a well-done layout for footnotes on a Kindle book I've read yet.