Thoughts on eBook readers

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:54 pm

See all the benefits of iCloud and the AppStore?

On a somewhat related topic (to Apple but not e-readers), I recently discovered that Costco and Apple severed a long-term relationship where a ton of product was going out the door at a pre-negotiated price which was a buck or two below the street prices. Not sure about all the fallout, but I understand that Costco was pushing for better pricing, and Apple gagged on the notion -- and so they lost a major distributor of product. But then again, this is Apple -- and they can be quite big for their boots at times.

Back to e-readers -- still very, very happy with my Kobo - and especially that I can get content from so many places.

scruffy · Post by **scruffy** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:22 am

I was stuck on a really cramped plane. I could not even reach the books in my travel bag that was on the floor by my feet. I was glad that I had loaded a bunch of books on my Sharp Zaurus. I just took it out of my pocket and started reading. It is great for traveling.

hexdump · Post by **hexdump** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:14 am

I just got an IPad as a birthday present. Totally a surprise. I had admired it from seeing and playing the Angry Birds".

Anyhow, I had always said that I would resist the movement to e-books, until I found out that the IPad has a free Kindle reader.
Well, I will never go back. I love this dude.

GA Russell · Post by **GA Russell** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 4:42 pm

Big news today from Amazon.

They announced a new tablet called the Fire, which was expected, and three new Kindles, which were a surprise.

The Kindles start at $79.

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:18 pm

Yup -- saw that. The new tablet looks quite good. But to be honest, I still haven't figured out why I would want a tablet.

Now -- e-readers I do get. Wish Amazon would get off this crazy proprietary kick though, they would sell more product, and potentially create close to a monopoly. Even with that, they are still the #1 selling e-reader.

I am still impressed with Kobo. Mine went on the fritz just before our holidays in August -- it's been replaced twice --- so what's the big deal, you say? It has been out of warranty for 3 months and Kobo are saying that as long as they have product they will replace problem units.

Oh and one other thing -- the new Kindles sure look alot like the previous model Kobos ----- I'm just saying .....

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 6:43 am

there are quite a few people i can think of that wouldnt switch from a real book on their own, but at $79, the kindle sure makes for a nice gift (read, kick in the pants...maybe jeff will pay a small commission!!!)

clive

Quarterstick · Post by **Quarterstick** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:17 am

jww wrote:Yup -- saw that. The new tablet looks quite good. But to be honest, I still haven't figured out why I would want a tablet.

Now -- e-readers I do get. Wish Amazon would get off this crazy proprietary kick though, they would sell more product, and potentially create close to a monopoly. Even with that, they are still the #1 selling e-reader.

I am still impressed with Kobo. Mine went on the fritz just before our holidays in August -- it's been replaced twice --- so what's the big deal, you say? It has been out of warranty for 3 months and Kobo are saying that as long as they have product they will replace problem units.

Oh and one other thing -- the new Kindles sure look alot like the previous model Kobos ----- I'm just saying .....

I am there with you on the benefits of owning a tablet. I do not have need of a portable web interface tool, I am not a gizmo person, and besides SMF, I am not a social media person.

I am not sold on the e-reader concept either. For me, their purpose seems too limited. Especially since I can get the same functionality on my mobile phone. However, I must admit I tend to be pretty tactile when it comes to things like this. iPod be damned, I buy CD's for my music!

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:54 am

If you go with something not proprietary, it's incredible how many free books are available as epub format. For example I just downloaded Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for free -- pretty good deal, to me. I can't even find it in the Kindle store.

Seamaster · Post by **Seamaster** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 2:35 pm

jww wrote:If you go with something not proprietary, it's incredible how many free books are available as epub format. For example I just downloaded Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for free -- pretty good deal, to me.

But stolen, basically.

Kindle keeps you honest, if nothing else.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Fri Sep 30, 2011 4:56 pm

Seamaster wrote:
jww wrote:If you go with something not proprietary, it's incredible how many free books are available as epub format. For example I just downloaded Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for free -- pretty good deal, to me.
But stolen, basically.

Kindle keeps you honest, if nothing else.

Absolutely not. Every single ebook I own is free. I got it directly from the publisher or from the author.

I agree wholeheartedly with the non-proprietary route.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 4:34 am

I'm glad people get books for free, and at the end of the day, people who own glass houses shouldnt throw stones. Authors and publishers who rape the public with outrageous digital prices deserve what they get

clive

jww · Post by **jww** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 6:55 am

To clear the air here -- I get my free epub books from tons of different reputable sources including Guttenberg press, as well as many others. The Le Carre book was free for a short period from one of the e-publishing sites I frequent -- but I can't remember which one. I got P.D. James' Death in Holy Orders the same way. These sites often run certain freebies all the time -- you just have to visit frequently. I haven't found one that does a daily email digest telling you what's free yet, though. That I'd like to have.

At this point in time, the Ottawa Public Library doesn't loan Kindle books -- but do loan epub. Not sure why, to be honest

Seamaster · Post by **Seamaster** » Sat Oct 01, 2011 7:20 am

Fair enough.

I read enough forums to know that bootleg ebooks are as becoming almost as common as bootleg MP3s, however.

scruffy · Post by **scruffy** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:36 am

Many of the old classics have expired copyrights. They are available for free on the internet for anyone to read or republish.

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:21 pm

Being a total gadget nerd - and totally converted to e-readers, I picked up a new Kobo Touch today at my local Chapters store. It all started with a conversation with #2 son - who was over this afternoon with his wife going on about why I like my Kobo. He was a non-believer initially, but suddenly had become quite enchanted with my little e-reader. So I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. I said if I bought a new Touch, he could have my Kobo original. Before my wife knew it, we had given them a lift home, and I ran by Chapters to get the new unit.

I am charging it now. I must say it is a very good item. Much improved speed-wise from my original - it has a number of excellent features including full wi-fi, an experimental beta browser which I am not really interested in, and even a free game.

The Pearl e-Ink is much clearer and easier to read than the original e-ink -- and that was unbelievably impressive to begin with anyway.

Swipe and touch means that my wife will no longer get annoyed at the constant clicking sound that the D-navigator button on my original used to make as the button had a tactile response for navigating through books and menus.

All in all I am very impressed. The quilted back is still the bees-knees in terms of in-hand feel. It feels so good in hand and is very well built.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:22 am

jww wrote:
The Pearl e-Ink is much clearer and easier to read than the original e-ink -- and that was unbelievably impressive to begin with anyway.

Swipe and touch means that my wife will no longer get annoyed at the constant clicking sound that the D-navigator button on my original used to make as the button had a tactile response for navigating through books and menus.

All in all I am very impressed. The quilted back is still the bees-knees in terms of in-hand feel. It feels so good in hand and is very well built.

How do you feel about fingerprints on the screen?

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:52 am

rustyblade wrote:...

How do you feel about fingerprints on the screen?

That's the one downfall -- if you can call it that -- you can't even notice them, the new Pearl e-ink screen is that good.

I will follow the same regimen I do with my laptop -- but more frequently. I simply use a slightly dampened micro-fibre cloth, and wipe it down. It works extremely well. I also keep it stored in a case when I am not using it.

Big news on the Touch is that it is now compatible with DRM protected books -- which means more books available from more sources. That can't be a bad thing.

Here is my review of the new Touch on ChaptersIndigo.com.

Warning -- it's a tad lengthy/wordy, and I still have more I could say praising this little beauty of an ereader.

Oh and currently, the online store is giving a $20 CDN discount if you purchase a Touch and a case at the same time -- and free shipping. I bought mine in a store, and they are honouring the deal by giving me a gift card -- so now I have an excuse to get a new LED reading lamp
$\:D/$

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:13 am

Wendell, I have the Sony touch, last years model. It sports a touch screen and buttons. I can't stand dirt or fingerprints on the screen as they are too noticeable (it also has the pearl screen). Fingerprints on the iPad doesn't bother me as the bright lcd overpowers them (if that makes sense). The nice thing about the Sony is that it comes with a stylus, so using that doesn't leave any marks. I like the look of the Kobo touch though, and I suppose I would get used to a smudgy screen. It would have been nice if they put on some sort of next page button. Can you hold the Kobo and change a page with one hand?

m3m0ryleak · Post by **m3m0ryleak** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:24 am

jww wrote:
Here is my review of the new Touch on ChaptersIndigo.com.

Warning -- it's a tad lengthy/wordy, and I still have more I could say praising this little beauty of an ereader.

$\:D/$

Thanks for the link Wendell. I'm still toying with an e-reader. I am using Kobo's free ( such a cheapskate ) service on my smart phone which is "ok".
Wasn't Kobo linked with the now shuttered Barnes & Noble store?, if so what's the delivery mechanism for the Touch, is it all via WiFi?

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:39 pm

Richard -- one-handed reading is a cinch. You can either turn a page by tapping or swiping. I hold the reader in my left hand, and simply tap my thumb on the bottom corner of the screen. Easy-peasy. The problem with a clicker button is that you have that annoying sound -- well, it never annoyed me, but my wife sure disliked it when I read in bed when she was trying to go to sleep. Now it's pure silence. Just to tease her last night I kept saying "click" each time I turned a page -- it was fun

Tony -- Kobo is said to be a financially independent global reading company, whatever that means. They were initially affiliated closely with ChaptersIndigo in Canada, and I had thought at one point they may have been a subsidiary. They did have an initial marketing agreement with B&N in the US, and then became a bit more pervasive, making their products available through other avenues such as BetBuy, Target, Walmart, and on-line retailers. Kobo is a Canadian firm -- located in Toronto.

You have plenty of options for content delivery. You can use wifi for the Kobo on-line store (including their free books), likewise the Kobo Desktop application or the Kobo website via a browser for books you purchase from Kobo. You can also use Adobe Digital Editions for books purchased at other places than Kobo - as well as for DRM protected books. I have used all methods of book delivery and they work fine.

Just announced is Kobo's new Vox eReader -- which is actually a low-end $200 android tablet. I can't get my head around ereading on a colour LCD screen for any length of time though, it's simply too hard on my eyes. Whereas the Pearl e-ink technology is excellent.