Why are dedicated ebooks readers still popular?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Apache

Reading kept me occupied and made the time go by faster.

And likelyvsaved you from your parents' ire after you asked "Are we there yet?" too many times. A question one of my younger siblings would ask 10 seconds after the car was started.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by kandwo

I mostly read at home, too. But I've moved a lot in recent years, and not having to haul 5-10 boxes of books is a plus. They are now in storage waiting for me to find something more permanent.

I almost never search for a word within a book, but the couple of times it has happened it has really been a godsend! Still, last time I did that was on my computer long after having read the book (a paper book).

I want to love the highlighting/note taking features, as I imagine it to be really useful somehow, but I've never gotten around to it. I used to do this all the time with physical books - have a separate notepad, where I jotted down interesting words and phrases and my thoughts while reading. Now I can do that right on the page on my Nova 3, and even share and export the notes. But it's just not interesting for some reason.

I guess I'm analogue at heart

The main reason I use the search function is if I want to find where a particular character was previously mentioned.

As for highlinginh - mostly I'm reading fiction books from the library so it's not like I'm going to be referring to them again. However, sometimes an author will introduce a bunch of characters all in a single paragraph near the beginning of the book. Since it can take me a while to start remembering who's who, highlighting such a list can be useful.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

Looking at the "similar threads" at the bottom, there are two threads with their last post in 2010 titled "Dedicated E-Readers: They're History"...
So I guess dedicated ereaders have been dead for over 10 years...

They're probably right, too. E-readers never actually took off in the general public as far as I can tell. Very few people seem to read for pleasure in general, and even fewer do so on e-ink. Most of my friends had no idea what e-ink was - they thought it was basically the same technology as LCD - until I showed them. They still don't see the point, as they hardly read.

Mostly, people seem to prefer audio books.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

The main reason I use the search function is if I want to find where a particular character was previously mentioned.

As for highlinginh - mostly I'm reading fiction books from the library so it's not like I'm going to be referring to them again. However, sometimes an author will introduce a bunch of characters all in a single paragraph near the beginning of the book. Since it can take me a while to start remembering who's who, highlighting such a list can be useful.

I'm currently reading an 1100 page poetry anthology, the first dead tree book I've read in at least 5 years, and I wish it was available as an ebook. Signing my name is pretty much the limit of my handwriting these days , so it would have been nice to be able to bookmark the many great lines , or even be able to search for to find them, or the biographical snippets along with them.

[JSWolf]

I remember when I was young, my dad had cars that had a light in the backseat. So I was able to read in the car even if it was dark outside, I did read a lot in the car. I've never had motion sickness.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by kandwo

They're probably right, too. E-readers never actually took off in the general public as far as I can tell. Very few people seem to read for pleasure in general, and even fewer do so on e-ink. Most of my friends had no idea what e-ink was - they thought it was basically the same technology as LCD - until I showed them. They still don't see the point, as they hardly read.

Mostly, people seem to prefer audio books.

I've always found that weird because audio books are so expensive! I suppose I see more people with e-readers because I get involved with book groups.

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

I've always found that weird because audio books are so expensive! I suppose I see more people with e-readers because I get involved with book groups.

Most people I know don't buy audio books directly, but rather use a subscription service, which is about $20/month. Listening to one book a week would make it $5 per book - not too expensive

I can also borrow 2 e-books/audio books a week from my library.

Mostly, I just borrow physical books if I want to read something modern and download e-books in the public domain to read on my devices. I don't really have to worry a lot about the cost with my taste in literature.

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by kandwo

Most people I know don't buy audio books directly, but rather use a subscription service, which is about $20/month. Listening to one book a week would make it $5 per book - not too expensive

I can also borrow 2 e-books/audio books a week from my library.

Mostly, I just borrow physical books if I want to read something modern and download e-books in the public domain to read on my devices. I don't really have to worry a lot about the cost with my taste in literature.

And on Audible, you can purchase them for under $10/credit if you go with a longer term plan. That's really not expensive if you are comparing to buying popular current books, which tend to run $9.99-$14.99 (as opposed to older books).

[timebug]

I would seriously miss my Kobo Touch! As an avid reader, I use the Kobo for a couple of hours every day.Recently, it went haywire and while I was sorting it out, I used a tablet to continue with my current book; the tablet needed more recharging than the Kobo,which seems to last for a couple of weeks (on a full charge) So I love the little beast and was glad when I got it up and running again!

[MikeOsborn]

The S08e is my daily reader. As for the fact that it is too small to read, this is solved by enlarging the text, so I LOVE ALL of these devices! In addition, the technology has improved significantly, and the phone's brightness has increased so that it can be read outdoors. And since I leave my phone on airplane mode 99% of the time, I don't have to worry about being distracted.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

When smart phones can do that as well?

Oh my GUUURD. I must go get a bowl of popcorn and then read this thread.

Lee

[issybird]

Originally Posted by leebase

Oh my GUUURD. I must go get a bowl of popcorn and then read this thread.

Lee

And the OP never bothered to come back.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by MikeOsborn

The S08e is my daily reader. As for the fact that it is too small to read, this is solved by enlarging the text, so I LOVE ALL of these devices! In addition, the technology has improved significantly, and the phone's brightness has increased so that it can be read outdoors. And since I leave my phone on airplane mode 99% of the time, I don't have to worry about being distracted.

Welcome to the board Mike!!!! You and I are on the same wave length. My phone stays in airplane mode 99% of the time as well.

My Samsung S10e is 5.8 inches and I upgraded it last year from the Note 2 which was 5.2 inches but was bigger and bulkier than my S10e. When I looked at it for the clock outside I was amazed when it automatically brightened so that I could read it easier.

But reading outside is not really a big priority for me right now. When it does when I retire, I have an old Sony T1 or a relatively new Kobo that I can take with me.

The absolute BEST feature of all the readers be it phone or reader is that the text is adjustable! And I don't know about you, but I have NO problem nor is it an inconvenience plugging any of them in to charge even if it is every night for my phone.

[leebase]

Wow - I did it. Read the whole thread. It was EXACTLY as expected. And for one of the rare times I was on the side of the eReader-Gang. There is zero reasons why anyone who like reading on an eReader should change just because reading on a phone or table is far superior to most people.

Hahaha

I kid. I kid. But really...I'm no more in favor of suggesting that eInk has no value than I am in saying that eInk is "what serious readers use" and other such poppy-cock.

When a Paperwhite quality Kindle comes out at $49, I'll buy one. I have other reasons to own a smart phone and a tablet, and I LOVE reading on either one. I like my iPad mini best for reading books.

Then again....I don't live in a cabin in the remote woods or desert where there is no electricity nearby. I have read outside in the bright sunlight...don't understand why people say you can't. BUT -- who wants to sit out in the bright sun and read? I'll mosey on over to the shade.

But that's me. If I was a beach reader away from home for weeks at a time, I'd likely get an eReader.

Just because I can read quite comfortably on today's amazing mobile screens...doesn't mean EVERYBODY can. Witness all the testimony here. But just because "You" can't, doesn't mean "no one" can.

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by leebase

Wow - I did it. Read the whole thread. It was EXACTLY as expected.

You might like the reading in the bathtub thread.