Thoughts on eBook readers

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GA Russell
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Post by GA Russell »

I received this email offer from Tilley Endurables today.

If you buy $295 worth of merchandise, they will include a free Kobo.

http://www.tilley.com/kobo.aspx?lang=en-US
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GA Russell
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Post by GA Russell »

The refurbs and "last year's models" are now going for less than fifty dollars. There's no reason an American who wants an eBook reader can't have one now.

Here's the Kobo WiFi refurb currently going for $39.99.

http://www.kobo.com/ereaders/kobo-wi-fi ... ished.html
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Post by GA Russell »

Our local paper distributes the Walmart flyers on Wednesdays.

Today's flyer has on the front page the Kindle Fire and a "bonus" $50 Walmart gift card for $199. (I believe that Amazon sells the Fire for $199.)

At the bottom of the page it says, "Event Dates: Sunday, February 5 - Tues, February 14, 2012."
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Seamaster
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Post by Seamaster »

I'm sure the Fire is a fine tablet, but like all LCD devices it's going to be a lousy e-reader.
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Post by Tye »

My iPad makes for a pretty good e-reader.

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Post by Seamaster »

Tye wrote:My iPad makes for a pretty good e-reader.
I have an iPad and a Kindle, and while the iPad is a great mobile computer, the Kindle is incomparably better to read anything on.
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Post by jww »

The new Pearl e-Ink display is far easier on my eyes than anything currently available with LCD technology. Not that these aren't great devices, but for me, far too hard on my eyes for anything beyond 30 minutes or so -- and I like to read for longer periods of time than that at one sitting.

My Kobo Touch is still an unbelievably good product/device -- I love it and prefer to read most books on it. I do admit, that there are still some things I want paper and a solid cover in hand for -- e.g. scriptures, Lord of The Rings (We have the large edition released just around the time the movies were coming out with outstanding artwork from the movie design workshop), The Hobbit (50th anniversary edition), special edition Chronicles of Narnia, Manchester's bio of Churchill, coffee-table books, etc.

No question, though, for everything else the Kobo can't be beat.
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Tye
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Post by Tye »

Seamaster wrote:
Tye wrote:My iPad makes for a pretty good e-reader.
I have an iPad and a Kindle, and while the iPad is a great mobile computer, the Kindle is incomparably better to read anything on.
I suppose for me it's an ignorance is bliss thing. I don't know any better.

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Post by Messa »

Just ordered a kindle touch now that they are available internationally
Find my bookshelves full of books I'm loathe to be rid of so this is kind of a compromise for space
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Post by fallingwickets »

kind of a compromise for space
dont be like me and start ordering both versions of a book for else you will need more book space and more memory space and what to do with the space in the bank balance??

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Post by Messa »

fallingwickets wrote:
kind of a compromise for space
dont be like me and start ordering both versions of a book for else you will need more book space and more memory space and what to do with the space in the bank balance??

clive
Be good if you were able to get physical copies with a digital version included, they do it with certain DVDs now so why not books
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Post by jww »

Messa wrote:...
Be good if you were able to get physical copies with a digital version included, they do it with certain DVDs now so why not books
I can see that coming eventually -- oddly as it seems, I think it would continue to help selling books vs digital versions.
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Post by fallingwickets »

You should see the *complaint* letter is sent to the Culinary institue of America (cia?? :bull ) $50 for the book and then they had the audacity to charge same for the ipad version. Where is occupy book publishers when you need them?? :lol: :lol:

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Post by fallingwickets »

P.S. I'm not saying ipad app should be free, but should at least be heavily discounted with hard copy book version)

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Post by Kyle76 »

My wife bought a Kindle touch this afternoon and returned it to the store a few hours later. The e-Ink looks great under the bright store lights, but at home under normal reading conditions, she felt the display was just too dark to read comfortably. We also took the device to Barnes & Noble to see if the Nook was any better, but it was the same. She was disappointed. She bought a book on the Kindle, so she's going to try to read it on her iPad.
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Post by jww »

Interesting. I found that the EInk Pearl screen of my Kobo Touch to be far superior to the previous EInk screen on my original Kobo for sure. I also have a Verso Arc LightLED light which I use when indoors most of the time I am under artificial light.
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Post by Kyle76 »

jww wrote:Interesting. I found that the EInk Pearl screen of my Kobo Touch to be far superior to the previous EInk screen on my original Kobo for sure. I also have a Verso Arc LightLED light which I use when indoors most of the time I am under artificial light.
That's the thing, Wendell. She doesn't want to be tied to an external light source in addition to normal reading light. She's going to try the book apps on her iPad and perhaps check into a smaller tablet she could carry in her purse.
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Post by jww »

Hmm -- ymmv, I suppose. I find the ArcLight perfect -- it's portable, non-intrusive, and rechargeable via micro-usb. In fact, I find the colour tablets much to hard on my eyes for any kind of long-term comfortable reading of say more than 20 minutes.

The Kindle Fire and Kobo Vox are still e-readers first, but their back-lit screens may be just the ticket for your wife.
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Post by jtpca »

I was gifted the Nook Color and immediately took to it while reading indoors. HOWEVER, I loaded it with books for a recent Caribbean holiday and was so disappointed. Any hint of natural light and the screen becomes uninterpretable. That is, totally glared out.

Does this occur with the e-ink/black and white units?
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Post by jww »

Nope -- that's one problem with back-lit displays -- they can't work with natural light. E-Ink Pearl display, on the other hand, while it is not back-lit, work perfectly fine in bright daylight, artificially lit rooms, etc. My ArcLight actually allows me to read at night quite easily if my wife doesn't want to read and I do. Perfect world for me.
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