I bet you still buy your music [/quote]
fixed
In addition to education, travel is another branch of publishing eager to have books go digital. Lonely Planet for example has all their books available as pdf downloads. I imagine it won’t be too many years before they and others stop printing books altogether, offering softcover copies only by print-on-demand.
[quote=“sandman”][quote]I think you would have to play with one in front of you before you can make such determinations. For example, you wouldn’t think that you would be able to surf the net on an iPhone due to its small screen size, yet you can do so quite comfortably because of the smart zooming capabilities.
[/quote]
See? That’s where we differ. I’ve used those things and I know from experience how rotten they are, which is why I won’t have one. They’re nasty little things that you can’t see properly unless you zoom in, in which case you spend more time fiddling with your damn thumbs than you do reading. I hate them with a passion.
Yeah, yeah, I know that’s where things are heading, but as long as print books continue to be available while I’m alive then it won’t bother me.[/quote]
Well there are two parts to it. Websites also have to optimize themselves for mobile readers like iPhones. If they don’t then the reading experience WON’T be very good, as you described. Trying to read a PDF on the first generation of PDF readers on iPhones were a pain since you had to scroll sideways as well as top to bottom. However the newer generations parse the text and then reformat them to your screen so you only have to scroll downwards. Much better!
I bet you still buy your music on vinyl LP’s 
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Don’t be so silly! I’m a celebrity – people GIVE me music. For free. And not on vinyl, either, smartarse. I’ve had an 8-track for YEARS. 
[quote=“Adam_CLO”][quote=“sandman”][quote]I think you would have to play with one in front of you before you can make such determinations. For example, you wouldn’t think that you would be able to surf the net on an iPhone due to its small screen size, yet you can do so quite comfortably because of the smart zooming capabilities.
[/quote]
See? That’s where we differ. I’ve used those things and I know from experience how rotten they are, which is why I won’t have one. They’re nasty little things that you can’t see properly unless you zoom in, in which case you spend more time fiddling with your damn thumbs than you do reading. I hate them with a passion.
Yeah, yeah, I know that’s where things are heading, but as long as print books continue to be available while I’m alive then it won’t bother me.[/quote]
Well there are two parts to it. Websites also have to optimize themselves for mobile readers like iPhones. If they don’t then the reading experience WON’T be very good, as you described. Trying to read a PDF on the first generation of PDF readers on iPhones were a pain since you had to scroll sideways as well as top to bottom. However the newer generations parse the text and then reformat them to your screen so you only have to scroll downwards. Much better![/quote]
Better, maybe. But see how far you get with the quintessential comfort of licking your thumb and turning the page. NOT gonna happen.
Maybe no licking your thumb, but turning the page effect is already there in some iPhone apps…
[quote=“djlowballer”]I am an avid reader. I try to read at least 100 novels a year, keep stacks of shorter books near the toilet, and read technical books at work. When I go home I visit the LoC reading rooms, and I frequent reference libraries to see rarer works. In all my collection is like 600 books at my parent’s house, 200 waiting to be shipped from MUC, and about 50 I am currently using here in Taipei.[/quote]Well, the response to that seems obvious as a benefit. You only have 50 of your 850 books available to you. If they were ebooks, they’d ALL be available to you. No shipping required. I’ve got a few books in the US, and I’m trying to think of ways to have as little stuff in my luggage as possible, when I visit. That way I can fill it with books, instead of paying to have them shipped.
[quote]I think the idea of having thousands of books on one device is neat, but in reality who is reading any more than two or three books at a time? I get the idea of instant shopping, but people traveling under the whispernet probably are not too far off from just buying the book at a bookstore or can wait a day to have it overnight shipped and own a physical copy that exists. Books generally aren’t so big you can’t throw them in a bag or something.[/quote]Theoretically, it CAN be cheaper. If you get a pirated version, or a non-copyrighted version it can be free. But, used paper books will be cheaper than other ebooks for a LONG time. Large scale piracy would necessitate a change in the current business model. Either suing the readers, or maybe tax based system, where everyone pays a media tax.
Not factoring in the piracy of ebooks because of its illegality also means not considering international editions of textbooks. International editions are illegal, too-in the US, anyway.
[quote]The battery life thing also seems like a downgrade. 4-5 days of life is good, but compared to a book which has up to thousands of years life it makes no sense. Plus I tend to use reference books when there is no power/net available which would make an ebook reader sort of pointless.[/quote]Yes, but are you away from power for 4-5 days? Unless you are camping, probably not.
[quote]The cost is insane compared to just buying books. The kindle for example is like 250$, then the books basically cost as much as the paper version. Even more if you factor in not being able to buy the books used at a huge discount. Absurd if you consider that libraries exist and generally allow free circulation of the same books.[/quote]I agree, especially if you consider the durability of a reader, compared to the durability of a book. They are probably more durable than a laptop, but ANY piece of electronic equipment risks being broken if you drop it. I’ve never worried about dropping a book-and I take pretty good care of books.
[quote=“Adam_CLO”]If a thief stole your Kindle, you could easily report it and disable your account. Even purchases already made could be deleted and refunded by Amazon. The thief would have your device, but wouldn’t be able to do much with it.[/quote]You might feel better that the thief can’t use it. But, that won’t give you back your $250 for the Kindle.
but if you eat while reading on an ereader you won’t blemish the pages. oor coffee stains on my textbooks…
its very much dependent upon what type of things you read…if you’re into the modern lit…paperback used is the way to go…
for me i’m more looking for textbooks and very old philosophy books that are already free.
…yeah but everything on earth can be stolen…see i just stole your underwear while you were still wearing it.
and no matter your personal feelings…
engadget.com/2009/12/27/kind … tsell-phy/
the day of the ebook is coming.
and its coming very quickly…2010 is the year of the ebook reader with at least 4 different brand new ebook readers set to debut at CES…
i’m personally getting my sony reader in a couple days…i’ll try to give a sorta review…or somethin like that…
a little personal look ya know? a REALISTIC look…
i don’t think it’ll be perfect but i do think it’ll fit my needs of less weight with 4 textbooks in 1 ereader.
on a related note…
i did buy a paperback textbook for christmas also…cause i think some things are just meant to be read in paperback.
Maybe no licking your thumb, but turning the page effect is already there in some iPhone apps…
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i saw the iphone ebook app for the first time this week…it was exactly what i thought…very pretty…too bright…too small a screen.
bubye.
2010 is supposed to be the year of the e-book reader. By the end of this year there will be several 9 and 10 display devices come out. Color is probably a couple of years away. Maybe next year. There’s a program in Amsterdam where they are doing a trial run of letting schoolkids keep all their schoolbooks on an e-reader. When I see how many books my kids have to lug to school in their backpacks, I like that idea more and more. I’ve only seen one person reading a Kindle on the MRT, but it looked nice to me, reading over her shoulder. You can take notes on them, and listen to music and audio books on them. There’s a lot of possibilities. They are lightweight, thinner than a pencil, and I hope the price comes down a lot this year.
engadget.com/2009/09/28/kind … princeton/
I guess it didn’t work out so well for serious research. I can only imagine what it would be like to not be able to physically write in my books. Nearly all my academic books are littered with in-line notes, drawings, highlights, and simplifications.
Masterdoko…If you spill coffee on a book it dries out and smells nice. If you spill coffee on a kindle it will break. If you seriously cannot eat and read a book at the same time without making a messy mess then maybe you should not combine the activities?
For the Kindle app on iphone, Change the text to white and lower the brightness. Makes it easy to read without strain.
We are well on our way into the era of e-books, but I’m not convinced it will focus on the device. For me personally, I’ve found that reading novels on my iPhone is best. I have my phone with me all the time and can always get it out if I have a few minutes to read. I use the Stanza app for the most part, but also Barnes&Noble, depending on which source has the best price on the book I’d like to read.
While dedicated e-book readers will enjoy some success, I suspect the largest market for e-books will be on multi-purpose devices like PC’s, laptops, tablets or smart phones.
A big part of the problem was the availability of ebooks. You probably couldn’t find your favorite author’s new novel in ebook form. Since Amazon sold more Kindle books than anything, maybe that isn’t such a problem anymore. Maybe that’s a critical point, and companies will start investing money in improving readers(including the price).
Given the technologies involved, distribution is faster and easier for ebooks than for paper books. Of course, the other edge of that double edged sword is piracy. That’s why publishers have been slow to make ebooks.
I just came across this concept video of what SI might look like on a tablet. It’s pretty sweet. I tried to produce an interactive paper in grad school that would be absolutely stunning on such a device.
I haven’t read this entire thread yet, but is anyone in Taiwan using a kindle? I want one SOOO much. If I do buy, should I buy here or wait until I get to Taiwan?
I have the Kindle 2 and I like it a lot. I actually bought it before moving here. The book delivery via Whispernet works fine and I can easily buy my favorite English books. Only one thing: if you can afford the extra money, go for the DX. I bought mine at a time, when the DX was not yet available for international shipment. The screen of the K2 is OK for reading, but if you have anything with graphics or illustrations, the bigger screen is better.
When they learn to read another letter besides E I will be impressed.
They’d be good at Taiwanese eye tests.
I have a kindle and I’m so glad I do. When I first got to Taiwan it was so hard to find books/authors I like except at Page One and even there the pickings were slim. I got one about 2 months ago and I have really enjoyed it. I would never have bought a kindle in the US because I’ve always liked books and the feel of books but it really is useful while here and when I’m traveling. I would definitely buy it while you are still in the US though. There are shipping fees and a long wait if you order in Taiwan, so why bother? And just as an fyi, whispernet, the wireless download, has a 1.99 fee for international orders so I always download the books on to my computer then transfer them to the kindle.
Another eeeliterate question. Besides books what else does it do, as in stay connected? music? games? chat?? I mean what is the ‘staying addicted’ capacity of the gadget?
I have a kindle and I’m so glad I do. When I first got to Taiwan it was so hard to find books/authors I like except at Page One and even there the pickings were slim. I got one about 2 months ago and I have really enjoyed it. I would never have bought a kindle in the US because I’ve always liked books and the feel of books but it really is useful while here and when I’m traveling. I would definitely buy it while you are still in the US though. There are shipping fees and a long wait if you order in Taiwan, so why bother? And just as an fyi, whispernet, the wireless download, has a 1.99 fee for international orders so I always download the books on to my computer then transfer them to the kindle.[/quote]
That’s why I want one–because I could never get enough new reading material when I was in Taiwan. The 1.99 whispernet fee is one thing I was wondering about. Is it difficult to download the books to the computer first, then transfer them? Sure it’s not, but I don’t know why the need for the extra step to avoid the fee. I mean, if there’s no fee to download them to the computer first. I guess it’s just a convienience fee, but don’t think it exists here.
Thanks for the tip about the waiting lists and shipping fees if I buy in Taiwan, too.