Suggestions for e-book readers

[cwalner]

I have recently seen and heard some press about advances on e-book readers. I heard a story on NPR and just now saw the prez of Amazon pimping the Kindle on The Daily Show.

My initial impression as that this is the type of tech that would fit my lifestyle very well. I enjoy reading a lot but am not so attached to the physical book. I typically spend about $300-$500/yr buying new books, so hopefully the reduced costs of the ebooks should recover the initial cost of the reader fairly quickly for me.

My major stumbling block is that I have no way to compare the various readers on the market was hoping for suggestions based on your experiences. I am looking for info on which readers tend to be more user friendly and what stores/libraries tend to support which formats. (I do know that the Kindle is linked to Amazon only and I consider that a drawback - nothing specifically wrong with Amazon, but I don't like idea of choosing a reader that is linked to only one store)

Also are these available in tech stores (such as Fry's) where I could actually see and hold one rather than buying blind online.

I also want to know how easy it is to upload/download files to my computer for storage from various platforms.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

 

[macdoc]

I'm in the same boat - I spend a lot each year on books and eBooks are attractive especially with the new paper white screens.

That said I think it's just a tad early. I looked a year ago and found them generally too small and limited or the one that did attract too pricey.

I've switched nearly all my magazine subscription to online and get no newspapers.
I read on a high end monitor.

I think one more generation is needed for the e-readers to be comfortable and KISS.

My 2¢

I wrote this about a year ago...

Not quite sure how I got noodling around on this topic. Must have been an article somewhere a few hours back

Anyways came across this

iRex Technologies

based on this technology

iRex Electronic Paper Display

The iRex iLiad features an Electronic Paper Display which is a significant improvement over CRT and LCD technology with regards to reading and writing. Instead of rows of glowing cells, e-Ink® microcapsules actually appear as either black or white pixels depending on a positive or negative charge determined by the content. All the pixels together create an image.
The result is a reading experience that’s similar to paper - high contrast high resolution, viewable in direct sunlight and at a nearly 180-degree angle, with no power required to maintain the image.
In contrast to CRT and LCD displays, the Electronic paper display projects a stable image which results in less strain on the eyes; however this also means that the Electronic paper display technology has a slower refresh rate and is not suited for video applications.

Now it has an 8" diagonal display 768x1024 at 160 dpi and 16 levels of gray.

Well that's a superb dpi for reading and that screen is an excellent size. I duped it on my 30" desktop screen which is only 100 dpi and downloaded a novel I knew and just tried reading.
It certainly worked and I liked the fact I could change the font size and even the font.

I spend about $100 a month on books. eBooks on the other hand are 50-70% less for the same content so even an expensive reader starts to look attractive.
( that unit runs around $1000 and even for an early adopter and avid reader like me that's daunting )

I had a hard time finding a reasonably colour correct photo online that would give a sense of the digital paper but this looks pretty good.

These photos were from one of the better hands on commentaries.
view from my pocket

What I really found confusing tho was the crazy format wars that seem in progress for eBooks.

It sure could use Apple's impact on the ergonomics and making it easy to both purchase books and use the reader.

I think the screen is here. There is lots of content.
Ease of use and cost need to drop.
I'd pay $300 for a screen this size purely for reading if the downloads were KISS.
Price I think for the books are okay already.

Amazon has Kindle and Sony has a reader
Amazon's Kindle vs. Sony's Reader | Tech news blog - CNET News.com
But I do not think their screen size is adequate to even come close to the comfort of reading a printed novel while the iRex actually appears to.

Anyone an eBook reader/device owner??

Thoughts on where it's at. Any chance that Apple might make a move.
Would give iBook a whole new meaning.

Books are pricey- there is clearly a margin for Apple to work with.

 

[Cuddles]

I'd say basically the same as Macdoc. They're getting better, but it's still too early to seriously think about replacing your books with one.

I think the big problem with ebooks is that they're often compared with media players, and it's very tempting to think of them as similar since the idea actually is similar, but they start from a completely different point. With music, you've always needed some kind of fixed system that buy music separately to play on, and both the system and storage have always had limited lifespan. Books, on the other hand, stand by themselves. You don't need any external equipment to read it with and, if you're sensible at least, you don't need to replace your books every few years due to damage or incompatibility.

Ebooks, on the other hand, introduce all the problems associated with playing media, and people aren't really ready to accept that yet. If I want to listen to music, I have to buy a stereo or something similar, so giving me the option of an mp3 player doesn't add any additional cost. However, I'm not about to spend £300 on something to let me read books when I'm perfectly capable of doing so without it. If, like Macdoc, you spend a lot of money on books and they're significantly cheaper for an ebook then it may be worth considering, but for the vast majority of people the cost just can't be justified.

I think the best idea, which I don't think is too unlikely, is for a subscription model similar to online film rentals or mobile phones. Instead of buying an expensive reader and then spending more on books, you pay a monthly subscription, get one book at a time and replace it with a new one when you're done with it. Add in a pay-as-you-go option for things like magazines and news and I think you'd have something a lot of people would consider.

 

[HarryKeogh]

cwalner, you could purchase one from Amazon, try it out and if you don't like it return it for a refund.

I've only tried my friends first-gen Kindle and I've seen the Sony ones in stores. The displays are great.

I'd never get one because I like to have the physical book (even though I know I'll probably never read it again) but as you said, this isn't the case with you.

 

[Horatius]

I think the best idea, which I don't think is too unlikely, is for a subscription model similar to online film rentals or mobile phones. Instead of buying an expensive reader and then spending more on books, you pay a monthly subscription, get one book at a time and replace it with a new one when you're done with it. Add in a pay-as-you-go option for things like magazines and news and I think you'd have something a lot of people would consider.

I wouldn't like this. I've had an ebookwise reader for a few years now, and the part I love most is having dozens of different books available all the time. If I get bored with one, I can switch to another right away. And I've got lots more saved on my computer at home.

This model is pretty much obsolete at this point, but it's cheap enough, it might be worth getting just to see if you like using an ebook reader. I'm inclined toward upgrading to one of the newer readers, but they're still too expensive, and most seem to place undue restrictions on the formats you can use. The ebookwise one came with software that can accommodate almost all the formats I've seen.

It's also really good for getting cheap copies of the back catalogues of most publishers. You can get older works for free or just a few dollars from lots of places. I've got ebook versions of a lot of things I used to own years ago, but have misplaced at some point, for a lot less than buying new paper copies.

I'm definitely a fan of such readers as a general principle.

 

[Hellbound]

Screw e-book readers. I went looking for one, and didn,'t much care for any of them.

Howeve,r what I did find (and I'm very happy with) is a Palm T/X. It runs about $280 from Wal-Mart. You can download the free Mobipocket software which handles several o fthe common e-book formats. The screen can rotate, so you can read vertically or horizontally, and it's small enough to carry in a pocket. It has 128MB of internal memory, but also takes standard SD cards up to 2GB. I have about 20 full novels on mine in the internal memory alone, and still have some space to play with.

Additionally, it's full color with a touch screen. It can play audio and video. It has built-in wireless network capability and bluetooth. You can even hook it up to a cell phone (with an adapter) for internet access. It comes with a web browser and it can check your email. You can put a PDF reader on it, and it comes with "Documents to Go" which leads you move Office doucments to your paalm and open and read them. It has both a note and a memo program, notes let's you write on the screen and memo is for typing text. It has a pop-up keyboard area that you can either us as a virtual keyboard, or you can switch to a writing mode where it will determine the character you want from your stylus strokes.

I've been VERY pleased with mine, if you can't tell . It was as cheap or cheaper than any of the dedicated e-book readers I've found, and I really like the added functionality. I'd suggest giving it a look and seeing if it'd work for you.

ETA: By the way, you might also check out www.webscription.net for e-books. It's run by Baen books, and has lots of sci-fi stuff. And they're inexpensive; they have several free book offerrings on older titles, but even new titles tend to be between $4 and $6 for an electronic format. They also have "webscriptions", which are basically a collection of 6 to 8 books you can buy in a package for $15, and there's one of those per month.

 

[Cuddles]

I wouldn't like this. I've had an ebookwise reader for a few years now, and the part I love most is having dozens of different books available all the time. If I get bored with one, I can switch to another right away. And I've got lots more saved on my computer at home.

It's certainly not an ideal solution, but as long as ebook readers cost hundreds of pounds in addition to the cost of the actual books, I can't see them catching on any other way. However, I don't think it would be as bad as you might think. Unlike films, where you have to physically send discs to and from the distributor, changing books could be extremely easy.

This model is pretty much obsolete at this point

This is exactly the problem. I've read books that were printed well over 100 years ago, and I don't see them becoming obsolete any time soon. If ebooks are to replace books, they're going to have to be good enough and cheap enough to convince people that having to replace your reader every few years isn't such a bad thing. People don't mind so much with music players and the like because that's always been the case, but persuading them to do it with books is a different matter, and I just don't think they've reached the point where readers are either cheap enough or convenient enough for the vast majority of people to consider them.

but it's cheap enough

Not for me it isn't. And I'm a long way from being poor.

It's also really good for getting cheap copies of the back catalogues of most publishers. You can get older works for free or just a few dollars from lots of places. I've got ebook versions of a lot of things I used to own years ago, but have misplaced at some point, for a lot less than buying new paper copies.

But you can do the same for books. I hardly ever buy new ones, second hand bookshops and charity shops are great for books.

I'm definitely a fan of such readers as a general principle.

As am I. By far the biggest advantage is that I don't have anywhere near enough space to store the books I already have, let alone any new ones. Being able to keep them all on a computer or memory card would be awesome. I just don't think manufacturers have done enough to move them from expensive gadgetry to generally useful device.

 

[Horatius]

But you can do the same for books. I hardly ever buy new ones, second hand bookshops and charity shops are great for books.

But not nearly as easily, and even the best second hand bookstore has practical limitations on how many books it can hold, and is limited to what people have brought in to sell. If you live somewhere without a good store, you're out of luck, but anyone who can get online can go to places like Project Gutenberg, and the Baen site listed above, and find copies of these older works.

As am I. By far the biggest advantage is that I don't have anywhere near enough space to store the books I already have, let alone any new ones. Being able to keep them all on a computer or memory card would be awesome. I just don't think manufacturers have done enough to move them from expensive gadgetry to generally useful device.

That's another big advantage. I'm just about out of room for my real books, unless I decide to become one of those guys who have nothing but books all over the house!

 

[cwalner]

Thanks for the thoughts.

While Hellbound's suggestion about using a Palm Pilot is intriguing, I think that it is too small for it to be comfortable for me to use.

I also looked on Amazon.com and found that the price of new books (7.99 - 9.99) was just too expensive to justify buying the Kindle as a way to reduce my overall book costs. Baen's SF site was much more down my alley (in both content and price) and since most of my reading is SF/Fantasy it could justify the expense of a reader.

While the comments about the readers not quite being there to make sense yet do make sense to me, I must also acknowledge that I am a gadget lover. This means that I will be rational deciding which one to buy, but the decision to have this particular type of new toy is not entirely rational.

Well, now off I go to Fry's to see if they carry any of these so that I can a hands on feel for these and get some other technical questions answered.

 

[Hellbound]

The Palm T/X screen is pretty decently sized for a handheld device. It's a bit over 2" x 4", and while I was worried about it's size at first, it's more than adequate for me. But, YMMV See if they have one in the store to take a look at first..you might be pleasantly suprised

 

[Lucifuge Rofocale]

I use mi tmobile wing with mobipocket. 4 GB memory card, about 200 ebooks, far more comfortable than the physical book and faster reading once you are used to it.

 

[technoextreme]

Also are these available in tech stores (such as Fry's) where I could actually see and hold one rather than buying blind online.

Borders.

I think one more generation is needed for the e-readers to be comfortable and KISS.

I wrote this about a year ago..

Just as a side note it takes a while for these things to come out. I know the Kindle concept was being approached by Amazon four and half years ago when I worked for the company that manufactures the displays.

Howeve,r what I did find (and I'm very happy with) is a Palm T/X. It runs about $280 from Wal-Mart. You can download the free Mobipocket software which handles several o fthe common e-book formats. The screen can rotate, so you can read vertically or horizontally, and it's small enough to carry in a pocket. It has 128MB of internal memory, but also takes standard SD cards up to 2GB. I have about 20 full novels on mine in the internal memory alone, and still have some space to play with.

Additionally, it's full color with a touch screen. It can play audio and video. It has built-in wireless network capability and bluetooth. You can even hook it up to a cell phone (with an adapter) for internet access. It comes with a web browser and it can check your email. You can put a PDF reader on it, and it comes with "Documents to Go" which leads you move Office doucments to your paalm and open and read them. It has both a note and a memo program, notes let's you write on the screen and memo is for typing text. It has a pop-up keyboard area that you can either us as a virtual keyboard, or you can switch to a writing mode where i

If there is one thing that the ebook reader and books have the advantage of is that my eyes won't feel like they are falling out from staring at a backlit display.

 

[cwalner]

I use mi tmobile wing with mobipocket. 4 GB memory card, about 200 ebooks, far more comfortable than the physical book and faster reading once you are used to it.

LR,

Thanks for the suggestion. I already own a TMobile Wing, so I downloaded the reader and couple of the free books from Baen webscription site. If this works out for me, I may have a solution with much lower costs.

I know I said above that this was smaller than I thought would work for me, but since I already have the hardware, doesn't cost me anything to give it a try.

 

[Soapy Sam]

I've bought a few ebooks from EReader.com and use their proprietary reader software (free for the basic version) on various PCs including an ASUS netbook. It's perfectly legible, but I still prefer my books to require no batteries.

Text file versions of many classics are also available from Project Gutenberg.
Worth a browse.

I travel a lot and I like the idea of having 1000 books on my laptop - especially reference works- but there's the whole tactile experience with a real book. Also you can hurl it at the wall when you really disagree with the author. That gets expensive with gadgetry.

 

[Blue Bubble]

I'm really looking forward to the Plastic Logic Reader here.

And for Soapy Sam, it looks like it's pretty hardy enough to hurl at the wall

 

[fls]

(I do know that the Kindle is linked to Amazon only and I consider that a drawback - nothing specifically wrong with Amazon, but I don't like idea of choosing a reader that is linked to only one store)

Just a note...Kindle is not confined to Amazon. You can download from other sites and read anything in a .AZW, .AZW1 (I think those are proprietary?), .MOBI, .PRC and .TXT format.

Linda

 

[cwalner]

Just a note...Kindle is not confined to Amazon. You can download from other sites and read anything in a .AZW, .AZW1 (I think those are proprietary?), .MOBI, .PRC and .TXT format.

Linda

so, if I understand correctly. The Kindle can download from any site, but the format downloaded from Amazon is proprietary and can only be read by a Kindle?

 

[Deneb]

Personally, I've had the Bookeen CyBook Gen3 for about a month and I really like it. While a Palm or other such portable electronic devices may seem like viable alternatives, in the long run a dedicated ebook reader will truly be worthwhile on the account of the e-ink display. Until you've read from one for a lenghty period of time, you just can't really appreciate the benefits of reading from a non-backlit, static display.

While EPD are highly specialized and not suitable for other applications, they'll make other display technologies seem primitive when it comes to displaying text. My only gripe is that the technology still has ways to go when it comes to contrast ratio and refresh rates (also, high-level grayscale/colour displays would be worthwhile).

 

[fls]

so, if I understand correctly. The Kindle can download from any site, but the format downloaded from Amazon is proprietary and can only be read by a Kindle?

It is my understanding that other formats that are protected by DRM will not be read by the Kindle. I don't know if anything else can read the Amazon formats (I wouldn't assume so). Amazon will convert personal documents in other file formats (PDF, DOC, HTML, JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP) into the AZW format for you, so they can be read on the Kindle.

ETA: I just realized I didn't really answer what you wanted to know. I think regular book purchases (like the latest bestseller) all have to be through Amazon.

Another nice feature is voice-to-text (it turns any book into an audiobook). I've had it read aloud some research papers and it hasn't mangled any of the words, yet.

Linda

 

[Soapy Sam]

I'm really looking forward to the Plastic Logic Reader here.

And for Soapy Sam, it looks like it's pretty hardy enough to hurl at the wall

Nice. But 8.5 x 11?
They don't know everyone outside N.America uses A4?