Those with both an ereader and an I Touch, please respond

[kelly1010]

This is an interesting thread. I just got a 505 and shortly after I decided I wanted an Ipod touch. When I realized I wanted one, I didn't even realize you could ebooks on them. I have since decided to hold off on the Ipod touch for a short while...maybe in the next month or two, I'll get one. However, I really don't think I'd be doing much reading on the Itouch, if I had the 505. The 505 is just as easy to take with me anywhere. I wanted the Ipod touch for the other applications and games that it has. But If I do end up getting an Ipod touch, I know I won't regret having both. ♦

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

Not being a phone I think most think of the Touch as a fancy mp3 player and not a 'serious' device.

Wrong wrong wrong. The phone part is nice, but the Touch has all the essential stuff. A Touch is just the iPhone without the phone - and even then, with all the free wifi around, you can actually get phone connectivity via skype, and of course, internet connectivity here & there.

What the Touch really is, is an extension of your home computer. Think of it as a speedboat for your yacht! When you head off in the speedboat, you just take along the essentials, depending on your destination.

Plus, I have been thinking about the price. I would never be happy with anything less than a 32g and the real price of that with tax, extended warranty, protective case, and a smattering of apps would be clost to $600. And that is way way to much for a little pocket entertainment device. Period. On the other hand paying over $300 to read books I can continue to read at no additional cost on paper is a tough call as well considering the device does nothing else.

Yeah, price is a problem. You could probably survive with a 16g, though, if you do a bit of management once a week. You don't need the extended warranty. You are more likely to lose or drop it than to have something go wrong that the warranty covers. My rule is that I only buy warranties for laptops. Apps cost little or nothing. The ebook apps are all free.

But you are still looking at 400 bucks, with a case plus taxes.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by kelly1010

This is an interesting thread. I just got a 505 and shortly after I decided I wanted an Ipod touch. When I realized I wanted one, I didn't even realize you could ebooks on them. I have since decided to hold off on the Ipod touch for a short while...maybe in the next month or two, I'll get one. However, I really don't think I'd be doing much reading on the Itouch, if I had the 505. The 505 is just as easy to take with me anywhere. I wanted the Ipod touch for the other applications and games that it has. But If I do end up getting an Ipod touch, I know I won't regret having both. ♦

What I'm finding is that my 505 stays at home. Now, I do have an iphone rather than a Touch, so I'd be carrying it anyway. But what seems to be happening to me is that my 505 has become just another book. It has not displaced my treebooks, in part because I tend to buy used, and in part because what I buy used is not generally stuff that's available in ebook format.

The test of my 505 is going to be next week, when I'm traveling. I am not taking any treebook with me. Usually, I take four books on the plane in my briefcase, and pack another four or five in my luggage. And I also take several magazines.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Seabound

I quite agree with this. The issue of fingerprints is a red herring.

It's really quite astonishing. If I look at the screen of my iPhone, I can see that it's all smudged up. But somehow, that has exactly no impact on my viewing experience.

The iPhone screen is a marvel. About ten years ago, I got my eyes lasered, having become extremely nearsighted from all the reading I did in the womb. I had one eye corrected to 20/20, and the other to 20/40, in order to limit my need for reading glasses. While I do use reading glasses for comfort, for treebooks, computers, and my 505, I can get along without them, and I flat don't need them for reading the iPhone.

Now, that's amazing enough. But here's the thing - it turns out that I have a minor defect in my 20/40 eye, apparently an artifact from the laser surgery. I never even noticed it until I got the iphone. The screen is that clear and sharp.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by petermillard

I'd also suggest you try out both devices before making the purchase - perhaps using the 'view a device in a cafe near you' list on these very boards.

Sage advice. If you can, try them out under real world conditions. I tend to get a little carsick when I read my 505 on the bus, but I don't have that problem with my iPhone. I figure it must have something to do with how I hold them, or maybe with how much eye-travel is required to read each. But the fact remains...

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by Gideon

I would give up my Kindle before my iPhone, but if I just had my iPhone I'd never read on it (except the occasional reference or absolutely having nothing else to do). I don't think the two can even compare...

I just can't stare at that tiny screen (backlit) especially.

Different strokes, & all that. But the Stanza has a reverse screen feature, that puts white type on a black screen. It's supposed to be spouse friendly, for reading in bed, or maybe for dealing with glare while you catch some rays on the beach. You might try it for your backlight issue.

Plus on Stanza, you can adjust the backlight down down down....

[ficbot]

I thought I would leave the Sony at home too. But I find that even when I am actually, truly reading for work, people never believe it when they see me using the Touch and the Sony looks like a regular book. So I do take it to work with me and am reading less on the iPod now that I have it.

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by GntlmnBndt

It does not bother me at all, though it is one of the reasons I do not use the Kindle app. Both Stanza and eReader apps can be set to page turn with a tap rather than a swipe. It may seem a rather subtle difference, but I find the swiping gets old rather quickly, while the taps don't bother me. I do keep the font fairly large when I read without my glasses (which I often do in bed).

I use the Instapaper app in the pro version, which has a setting that allows the print to scroll based on slightly tilting the iphone/pod. It works very well - better than the tap, in my experience.

What would be very nice would to be able to move to the next page by a simple to & fro tilt. Combine that with the curl effect in Stanza, & I think it would be a psychologically satisfying reading experience.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Harmon

The iPhone screen is a marvel. About ten years ago, I got my eyes lasered, having become extremely nearsighted from all the reading I did in the womb. I had one eye corrected to 20/20, and the other to 20/40, in order to limit my need for reading glasses. While I do use reading glasses for comfort, for treebooks, computers, and my 505, I can get along without them, and I flat don't need them for reading the iPhone.

With respect, the iPhone screen is a perfectly standard 320x480 LCD screen, neither better nor worse than any PDA with the same screen (which many have). It is no "marvel" .

[GntlmnBndt]

Originally Posted by Harmon

I use the Instapaper app in the pro version, which has a setting that allows the print to scroll based on slightly tilting the iphone/pod. It works very well - better than the tap, in my experience.

What would be very nice would to be able to move to the next page by a simple to & fro tilt. Combine that with the curl effect in Stanza, & I think it would be a psychologically satisfying reading experience.

I tried using the tilt/scroll feature for a while -- it seemed like a perfect fit for those times I was stuck standing on the bus and had only one hand free. Unfortunately, I could never seem to hold steady enough, it was just too sensitive, and text would keep shifting as I was trying to read. Very uncomfortable.

Eventually I got quite used to holding the Touch in one hand and tapping with my thumb, and it has become a very comfortable position. On the other hand, I am also not using Instapaper much these days, so it is something of a non-issue.

The Bandit

[Mrgauth]

If having an ebook did not COMPLETELY replace paper books, I would not even consider an ebook. Just too much money to not go 100% on it. So, that is a factor as well I need to consider. Could I live without ever buying a paperback again? Might mean missing some really good books.

I dunno. May have to skip the whole ebook thing afterall now that I mull that over...

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Mrgauth

If having an ebook did not COMPLETELY replace paper books, I would not even consider an ebook. Just too much money to not go 100% on it. So, that is a factor as well I need to consider. Could I live without ever buying a paperback again? Might mean missing some really good books.

I dunno. May have to skip the whole ebook thing afterall now that I mull that over...

Do you have anyone who could buy you an ebook device as a present? That'll get rid of the guilt

My system for buying works like this. I check for the ebook first. If it's not available (or it's overpriced, not often), I check the library. If the library doesn't have it, then I get the pbook. Since i'm in PA, I can go to any library with an access card, so I go to the really good library 20 miles away. With this method, I've only bought maybe 10 pbooks in the past year (and a few of those were because I had a bookstore gift certificate). And I only do it this way for convenience. I'd much much rather read an ebook than a pbook.

If you are thinking about a Kindle, and need to offset the costs, you can do two things (among others, of course), to earn amazon gift certificates. One is if you have a coinstar machine nearby (like in a grocery store), they'll waive the coin counting fee if you choose the option of getting an amazon gift certificate. And then start picking change up off the ground

Also, I use a search engine that gives me "bucks" for using their search engine, and those bucks can be used to buy gift certificates. I've been using them for months and they don't spam, and send the gift certificates in a very timely manner. If you used their engine every day, you could earn a $5 gift certificate in two weeks. It's not a lot, but it helps and it's easy. Here's the link:
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=121492
*disclaimer* Yes, I get credit for referrals. You are more than welcome to just go to the main site if you don't want me to get credit. I use the credits for Starbucks gift certificates

[Mrgauth]

I wish. Nope, not gonna happen. And honestly, that is what it comes down to-guilt. In this crazy world there are sooooo many better things to spend my money on that I have a hard time justifying it. Of course, realize that this is coming from someone who has not been on vacation for 16 years because I don't want to waste the money. I am very frugal.

If these readers were $99 I think not only I but 1/2 the population would be all over them easily. Maybe someday.

As for saving coins I do have a coin basket with about $125 in it and I often do take them to a coinstar. Didn't know you could get Amazon gift cards from them. Cool. Will have to check that out. That is a good idea. I would not get a Kindle, as I don't like the screen, but they do sell the Sony PRS's.

You all have been very thoughtful with the suggestions and all and I am mulling it all over. Funny thing is though, this whole time I have been buying ebooks like I had a reader. How wierd is that?!

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by HarryT

With respect, the iPhone screen is a perfectly standard 320x480 LCD screen, neither better nor worse than any PDA with the same screen (which many have). It is no "marvel" .

Interesting. Somehow, when the screen is downsized to the iPhone size, it seems terrific. Whenever I show my iPhone to someone, they remark on the clarity.

But it is a marvel, nonetheless. You are just too used to the marvelous to see it!

[Harmon]

Originally Posted by GntlmnBndt

I tried using the tilt/scroll feature for a while -- it seemed like a perfect fit for those times I was stuck standing on the bus and had only one hand free. Unfortunately, I could never seem to hold steady enough, it was just too sensitive, and text would keep shifting as I was trying to read. Very uncomfortable.

Yeah, the bus ride can be a problem, depending on the driver, and on whether you have a seat.

Eventually I got quite used to holding the Touch in one hand and tapping with my thumb, and it has become a very comfortable position.

What I'd like is to be able to just flick my wrist a little, & get the next page. Or at least, I think I'd like it.

On the other hand, I am also not using Instapaper much these days, so it is something of a non-issue.

I find myself using Instapaper more & more. Unfortunately, I can't put it on my work computer, so when I'm browsing around (on my lunch hour, honest, officer!) I have to do a "send link" to my home computer, or my iPhone, & IP it later.

It occurs to me that the reading experience is being deconstructed. First, it moved onto television. The books went to Masterpiece Theatre, the magazines to 60 Minutes, and the newspapers to the Evening News. Now the reading experience has migrated to computers on blogs, podcasts, audiobooks & RSS, and is on its way to ebooks and telephones. Meanwhile, reading itself is being broken up into "chunks" that fit the various media accessing the reading material. What works on my Sony 505 does not always work on my iPhone, & vice versa. The kind of stuff I read on my iPhone via Instapaper is really not worth downloading to my 505, even using the Bookit widget that sends things to calibre. What I listen to on audioblogs wouldn't work on television.