Is Wifi a deal-breaker for you?

[carld]

For me, yes. I really like the extra connectivity, even if I don't use it a lot. I want it to be there when I want to use it.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Harry, why would anyone want more than one dedicated reading device? I only read on one device at a time and see no reason why I need spend hundreds of dollars to have multiple dedicated devices that all do the same thing.

I admit I'm a bit behind the times. I don't own an iPad, an iPhone, or an iPod. I don't own a portable MP3 player or a smart phone. I don't read for pleasure on my PC (it's a reading for work only device) and I don't use apps to let me read on anything anywhere anytime. Rather, I take my Sony 950 with me everywhere. Other than the desire to own more than one dedicated device, I don't see either the need to do so or the logic in doing so.

Well, I just added a second device a couple of days ago, because it does some things that my original reader does not. My Jetbook Lite is great for everyday reading; the new Libre Color has a larger screen and--obviously--color, so it's better for some pdfs, like cookbooks and crafts how-tos and comics. Plus it plays audio and video files. It's definitely an ancillary device to the JBL--my little splurge.

Neither device has wi-fi or 3G--and that lack was actually a selling point for me; I don't want to be connected all the time. I don't own any iJunk or a smart phone either; I do have an mp3 player, however, and I can take my netbook if need wi-fi.

[CyGuy]

I don't need WiFi or 3G, I keep all of my books on SDHC cards so I always have my entire library with me at all times...

[elcreative]

Real deal breaker... if it's got wi-fi then far less likely to be of interest... I want ereader for reading without any distractions... and never felt the need for instant gratification with must have new book now... Why pay for unwanted tech for the sake of tech?

[Ken Maltby]

Right I obtain and disinfect my ebooks on my PC. The ebooks I add to the master library
folder on my PC, I sync with an SD card to maintain the over seven thousand ebooks in
the current library. The SD card is easy to slip out of my ereading device (JBL) and back
and forth to the media reader I installed into my PC. So no WiFi or USB cable needed for
any of that.

WiFi uses a good deal of power, (it's a radio transceiver & data modem after all) and its
use just means that the device will need to be recharged/batteries replaced, all the
sooner.

Luck;
Ken

[speedlever]

To each his own. I find the wifi extremely useful and convenient. Others not at all. Sounds like the OP will have to come up with his/her own wifi priority determination.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

WiFi uses a good deal of power, (it's a radio transceiver & data modem after all) and its
use just means that the device will need to be recharged/batteries replaced, all the
sooner.

True, WiFi does indeed require a considerable amount of power, but that's why devices that have WiFi and/or 3G have an "off switch" for the radio transmitter. I only ever turn my Kindle's radio on when I want to buy a book.

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by HarryT

True, WiFi does indeed require a considerable amount of power, but that's why devices that have WiFi and/or 3G have an "off switch" for the radio transmitter. I only ever turn my Kindle's radio on when I want to buy a book.

You are perhaps much more decisive, than I. The process of buying a book,
for me, involves a lot (a whole lot) of browsing and perhaps some sample
reading or downloading. Not a problem on my PC, but would not be something
I'd do on my PDA. I turn the PDA's WiFi on to check the weather or Google
Maps, as well as keeping the date time accurate, but for the most part these
are very quick processes.

Luck;
Ken

[Pomtroll]

I started out with a Nook with WiFi & then went to a Kindle3 with it. I now have a Sony350 without it. Of course it is easier to have the connection if I want to shop at B&N or Amazon. I could have gotten that with a Sony 950 & the Sony Store.

I did miss it at first. But now I find I'm not doing a lot of impulse buying & that is saving me money. Would I go back? I don't think so. Now that I have the hang of side loading I'm fine with it.

[Hellmark]

I usually have my 505 in my netbook's bag, so in the rare instance that I don't have a book on my reader (which due to having an SD card and a Memstick in it, got plenty of space), I can still get it. Wifi isn't a big deal for me. However, for the average person, wifi or 3g may be a bigger concern as it would allow for easier purchasing.

[Worldwalker]

I think to a large extent the answers here can be broken down by reading patterns. The people who want that instant gratification -- who buy from company stores and want their books right away -- want WiFi/3G. The people who obtain their books in batches, like my Gutenberg reading, don't want to expend the battery life, money, etc.

I think that may, to some extent, also shake out by age. The older you are, the more likely you are to be accustomed to not buying a book, no matter how highly recommended, until you could get to a physical bookstore, and in the days before super-stores, until they could special order it for you. This makes instant gratification more of a "well, it's nice, I guess" thing and less of a must-have. Obviously these are just general trends, not necessarily the actions of any individual, but I think the longer you're accustomed to waiting for books pre-ereader, and the greater the percentage of your life has been spent without an ereader, the more likely you are to be satisfied with buying or downloading them on your computer. Of course, there are plenty of people who don't fit their demographics (in many ways, I'm one of them) so your mileage is likely to vary wildly.

[Scarpad]

Originally Posted by cgk

Is wifi a deal-breaker for your selection of a ereader?

I ask because I recently purchased a Kindle 3 for my other half - within ten minutes it was set up to access my Calibre library wherever she is and of course she can buy books off amazon as she likes. She's away today and forgot a PD book that she's using for a course, she got it off the content server in seconds.

I have a Sony PRS600 and thought after seeing the new generation screens that I'd get a PRS650 and use that. I was amazed to see it has no wifi connection - so instead I ordered myself a kindle as well.

Where do you stand on Wifi? Must have or don't care? Or are you a step beyond and 3G is a must?

Nop I bought the pocket reader for its size and portability , I can load 3000 books on the thing so I'm covered for stuf to read.

[grumpy3b]

Originally Posted by cgk

Is wifi a deal-breaker for your selection of a ereader?

I ask because I recently purchased a Kindle 3 for my other half - within ten minutes it was set up to access my Calibre library wherever she is and of course she can buy books off amazon as she likes. She's away today and forgot a PD book that she's using for a course, she got it off the content server in seconds.

I have a Sony PRS600 and thought after seeing the new generation screens that I'd get a PRS650 and use that. I was amazed to see it has no wifi connection - so instead I ordered myself a kindle as well.

Where do you stand on Wifi? Must have or don't care? Or are you a step beyond and 3G is a must?

must have either or better yet both. It's as needed as redundant backups. I really have come to enjoy the Wikipedia thanks to my Kindles. Prior to my Kindles I pretty much never used Wikipedia mostly because of the often bad info. But now I use them anytime something in a book leads my mind astray and I can't stop thinking about whatever. Just a quick pop over to the Wiki and my curiosity is sated and I am back in the mood to read.

I don't use the web server feature of Calibre though. Too much traveling these days, trying to find a new place to live that is not California. So I have everything that matters for fun and work tucked behind seat in the front of my pick-up.

Wireless has just become too significant to my daily life to even think about getting by without it.

[tofubean]

Yes, it's a deal breaker for me. Used to use a sony reader but i got fed up with being unable to get any books without booting up the computer. Then i used my iphone to read using stanza and other apps. I admit the reading experience on the iphone spoilt me because it made getting books so easy. Not very good for my bank account since i'm an impulse buyer. But it really makes transferring and buying books a breeze.

Now that i use k3, i browse kindle books on iphone or computer and only turns on the wifi when i'm ready to read the books i purchased.

[faithbw]

It's not a deal breaker for me at all. I have a Nook wifi. I've purchased a couple of books and sideloaded both of them anyway along with the free books from MR and Gutenburg and the books from the library. I have no problem sideloading books and actually prefer it to buying books on directly on my Nook. Plus, I find using the wifi function on my Nook to be really cumbersome. I've used the wifi function probably 3 or 4 times. If I want to check my e-mail or go online, I use my iPod Touch. It's much easier.