Kindle, Nook, iOS, or other: Ars wants to know how you put words in your brain.
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Ars asks: How do you read your e-books?
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I use my Android phone with FBReaderJ and a black background, too. I also refuse to get many of the other e-ink devices because I won't read anything published with DRM. I will add that there are a several places to get good, DRM-free books, now, too.
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The iPad 2 with iBooks, Kindle, and Overdrive App. It's a device that has the ability to check out ebooks from my local library so I enjoy it just fine. I still prefer reading a physical book though.
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I started off with the Kindle app on my iPhone, and transitioned after ~6 months to a Kindle 3 and haven't looked back. Save for text books, every book I've purchased since has been consumed with my Kindle/iPhone combo. For some reason, I still like having hard copy text books despite the obvious benefits.
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E-ink Kindle user here. I usually read during the daily commute or when i wanna relax. I ENJOY the single mindedness of it (no apps in the background, no worries about battery level, no cares about the sunshine washing out the image, etc) and the ability to carry many different books at once.
I will probably get one of the new Paperwhite ones if my current one brakes down (I'm secretly hoping it will survive until color e-ink screens will be available
).
I will probably get one of the new Paperwhite ones if my current one brakes down (I'm secretly hoping it will survive until color e-ink screens will be available
).
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I have a Nook with Glow Light, and so I check out books from the library (via Overdrive) and transfer to the Nook via PC. Recently I rooted the Nook so I can download checked out books directly on the Nook using Overdrive App. The app works OK, though the reader is not as good as the one built-in to Nook . I never actually purchased an eBook (and do not intend to), but library checkouts work well, and I have 21 days to read the book, or go back into the queue.
Once in a while I also check out mp3 audio books, and listen to them in my car via Overdrive app on my phone.
Once in a while I also check out mp3 audio books, and listen to them in my car via Overdrive app on my phone.
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Just a one of last years cheap Kindles. It does reading best, use the iPad for surfing/media.
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A Kindle 3G, primarily because the other ebook stores here aren't worth bothering with. I'm happy with it, I'm going to keep it until the battery is worn out then replace it with whatever generation Kindle is available at that point.
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My back loves the Kindle. Being a computer nerd, I had a fairly impressive nerd library. That library is now gone. And for the first time ever, I didn't dread moving to a new residence.
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I use my Nexus 7 for reading my Kindle books in portrait mode and PDFs in landscape mode. PDF's a little small but Kindle reads brilliantly.
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I had to vote "Other", as there is no multiple-choice option.
I have a 2nd gen Kindle that is great for reading during the day and outdoors.
At night or in darker environments (like restaurants), I use a Nexus 7.
And, occasionally, I still read actual bound books. A number of books in my interests haven't been converted to digital (or to a digital format that I like) and probably won't be. So, hard/softbound books works great then.
I have a 2nd gen Kindle that is great for reading during the day and outdoors.
At night or in darker environments (like restaurants), I use a Nexus 7.
And, occasionally, I still read actual bound books. A number of books in my interests haven't been converted to digital (or to a digital format that I like) and probably won't be. So, hard/softbound books works great then.
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Hanging out for the Kindle Paperwhite to be available in NZ. Until then, I'm mostly reading on my iPad 3.
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My primary ebook readers are the Nexus 7 (with FBReader) and the PC (with Calibre); currently using the PC more than I like, as my wife took a liking to the Nexus
I'd very much like a device with sunlight-readable color screen, however the wait for these is proving fruitless.
I'd very much like a device with sunlight-readable color screen, however the wait for these is proving fruitless.
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I would have appreciated selecting more than 1 device.
I went with E-ink Kindle. I have the 2nd gen 3G-only version, and it's preferred in 90% of all cases. However, I do use the Kindle app on my Android phone as well.
I do still enjoy bound dead-tree books, but with the amount of travel I generally do, the kindle's just that much more damned convenient to hold whatever i'm reading.
I went with E-ink Kindle. I have the 2nd gen 3G-only version, and it's preferred in 90% of all cases. However, I do use the Kindle app on my Android phone as well.
I do still enjoy bound dead-tree books, but with the amount of travel I generally do, the kindle's just that much more damned convenient to hold whatever i'm reading.
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I ready primarily on my Kindle Keyboard. I absolutely love it.
In a pinch, I'll read off my S3 with the Kindle app.
In a pinch, I'll read off my S3 with the Kindle app.
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Eh, guess I'm in the minority. I just use Google Play Books on my Galaxy S3. I've never had the need or desire to carry a second device just for an e-reader when the one I have already carries that functionality.
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I read on an iPad, but sometimes I miss my Kindle (3, which my wife uses now). Not only is it easier to read in the sun, it also just feels a lot more "normal" than the iPad to sit and read at lunch, or out in a park, or on public transit. I live in San Francisco, where it's not unusual to see people with all manner of computing gadgets in just about any setting, but it still feels a little "off" to me. If reading articles sent from a desktop browser were less finicky (I use Instapaper on the iPad, and used Klip.me on the Kindle), I might well switch back.
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I have an IREX DR800SG eInk reader. 8.1 inch pen touch screen and a strum bar for page flipping. A simple interface that just works.. it came out at a time when other readers were cluttering up the bezel with keyboards and pointing devices.
Too bad the company went bankrupt because it’s an awesome ereader. It used to connect to Barnes and Noble over 3G but now I have to sideload everything.. It’s still running fine although the battery isn’t holding up like it used to.. it may be time for a trip to the battery store.
Too bad the company went bankrupt because it’s an awesome ereader. It used to connect to Barnes and Noble over 3G but now I have to sideload everything.. It’s still running fine although the battery isn’t holding up like it used to.. it may be time for a trip to the battery store.
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I use Kindle on the following devices (in order from most-utilized to least):
iPhone - because it's with me all the time
iPad - which I carry when travelling
e-ink Kindle - because it's more portable than the iPad, easier to read than the iPhone, and cheap enough that if it gets wet at the beach I'm not going to get too worked up about it (I have the $79 one). For instance, I'll throw the Kindle in the pocket of my cargo shorts when taking the dog to the park. Easier to read than the iPhone, so light I don't even notice it in the pocket, and bringing the 10" iPad wouldn't even be an option.
iPhone - because it's with me all the time
iPad - which I carry when travelling
e-ink Kindle - because it's more portable than the iPad, easier to read than the iPhone, and cheap enough that if it gets wet at the beach I'm not going to get too worked up about it (I have the $79 one). For instance, I'll throw the Kindle in the pocket of my cargo shorts when taking the dog to the park. Easier to read than the iPhone, so light I don't even notice it in the pocket, and bringing the 10" iPad wouldn't even be an option.
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I have a Kindle Keyboard, about two years old now (IIRC). It recently stopped picking up any wifi sources, but the 3G still works so I don't have to replace it just yet.
And I plan on getting another Kindle Keyboard, because I like the 3G and the cover I have for the current one is in great shape and I can keep using it. Plus I prefer the hardware keys on the side to flip pages, as opposed to the screen touch models.
And I plan on getting another Kindle Keyboard, because I like the 3G and the cover I have for the current one is in great shape and I can keep using it. Plus I prefer the hardware keys on the side to flip pages, as opposed to the screen touch models.
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Professional:
Since getting a Nexus 7 about 5 weeks ago, it has completely taken over my professional reading. I used to print two articles a day on paper, sometimes dozens of pages. Now I email pdfs to myself and read them on the Nexus 7. I haven't printed a single article since I got it. I love it.
I use Scholarley to sync it to my extensive Mendeley library for articles.
I've bought electronic versions of a couple professional reference books through Google Play.
An e-ink device couldn't do what I want, since scientific articles involve a lot of color, formatted pdfs, etc.
Also, when preparing my lectures, I type up my class notes and sync them to the Nexus 7 (using AGit, a nice, simple, pull-only git client) to use in class. It gets the nexus a little chalky, though.
I haven't bought any nook or kindle fiction books, though I got some free classics to try the software.
Personal:
I don't read much fiction nowadays.... by the time the long professional day is over, my eyes are too tired to get buried in a book.
However, I have started listening to podcasts a *lot*, so in that sense, my android tablet and phone have completely taken over my fiction entertainment, too.
(BeyondPod is awesome.)
Since getting a Nexus 7 about 5 weeks ago, it has completely taken over my professional reading. I used to print two articles a day on paper, sometimes dozens of pages. Now I email pdfs to myself and read them on the Nexus 7. I haven't printed a single article since I got it. I love it.
I use Scholarley to sync it to my extensive Mendeley library for articles.
I've bought electronic versions of a couple professional reference books through Google Play.
An e-ink device couldn't do what I want, since scientific articles involve a lot of color, formatted pdfs, etc.
Also, when preparing my lectures, I type up my class notes and sync them to the Nexus 7 (using AGit, a nice, simple, pull-only git client) to use in class. It gets the nexus a little chalky, though.
I haven't bought any nook or kindle fiction books, though I got some free classics to try the software.
Personal:
I don't read much fiction nowadays.... by the time the long professional day is over, my eyes are too tired to get buried in a book.
However, I have started listening to podcasts a *lot*, so in that sense, my android tablet and phone have completely taken over my fiction entertainment, too.
(BeyondPod is awesome.)
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I listen to audio books while driving and working out. Is that considered digital? They are downloaded from a website into my mp3 player.
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iPad. I've used my fiancée's 2nd generation e-Ink Kindle and it's definitely a superior device for novels.
But just as my smart phone has largely replaced my camera and GPS and iPod, despite being a somewhat poorer device for those dedicated functions, so the iPad is the "better" option for me, because it's also a viable "all in one" device for web browsing, email, light business work, etc..
One-device convenience and "good enough" eBook functionality trumps a better dedicated device sufficiently often to make the decision easy.
But just as my smart phone has largely replaced my camera and GPS and iPod, despite being a somewhat poorer device for those dedicated functions, so the iPad is the "better" option for me, because it's also a viable "all in one" device for web browsing, email, light business work, etc..
One-device convenience and "good enough" eBook functionality trumps a better dedicated device sufficiently often to make the decision easy.
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I recently picked up a Kobo Glo and it's a really solid e-reader. I love it and it sounds like it's a solid competitor to the Kindle Paperwhite.
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I had (have?) a fairly large collection of dead-trees, and wasn't interested in an e-reader...
Wife bought the Kindle 3 when it came out (she liked her sister's Kindle 2). I used it once, and by the end of the book, was hooked. However, it was too big - keyboard was used once, and that was to enter the WEP for wifi.
Bought the Nook Simple Touch for myself when it came out - love it. Need physical buttons for page turning, hate that Amazon went "pure touch".
Bought my wife a Nexus 7 (reading in bed), and she was initially using both, but now just the Nexus though she prefers e-Ink, she doesn't like going back and forth... so our 8-year-old has been using the Kindle and has already finished the Harry Potters on it.
If I had to replace it, I'd simply get a "glow" model - would have to be Nook as I need the buttons.
Wife bought the Kindle 3 when it came out (she liked her sister's Kindle 2). I used it once, and by the end of the book, was hooked. However, it was too big - keyboard was used once, and that was to enter the WEP for wifi.
Bought the Nook Simple Touch for myself when it came out - love it. Need physical buttons for page turning, hate that Amazon went "pure touch".
Bought my wife a Nexus 7 (reading in bed), and she was initially using both, but now just the Nexus though she prefers e-Ink, she doesn't like going back and forth... so our 8-year-old has been using the Kindle and has already finished the Harry Potters on it.
If I had to replace it, I'd simply get a "glow" model - would have to be Nook as I need the buttons.
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I use a Kindle 3 primarily. My smartphone works alright for reading short articles and bits of websites, but for extended reading like a book I prefer the e-ink screen. The only thing I don't like about the Kindle for reading is that its screen is too small for some PDF files.
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Do you consider PDF files as "ebooks", even if they're not books? Usually, I read scientific documents on my iPad. I haven't tried an e-reader recently. My first exposure to them was in 2007 and it was very difficult to zoom and scroll in a PDF document at the time. Based on glancing over at my girlfriend's Nook, it seems that the slow refresh rates still persist.
So, I read on my iPad. When I do read for fun I seem to end up with print versions that I borrow from people, or buy in hardcopy (because they're cheaper than e-book versions... who would have thought).
So, I read on my iPad. When I do read for fun I seem to end up with print versions that I borrow from people, or buy in hardcopy (because they're cheaper than e-book versions... who would have thought).
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I hate reading on my iPad because it is too easy to stop and play games or surf the net instead. So I am thinking of getting a dedicated reader that can't access the Internet.
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E-ink Kindle and I LOVE it. I don't need any thing else but the reader so I don't need all that other tablet stuff. Just give me the words and nothing else please. I love having ten books at my finger tips as I am a very fast reader.
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seattlecs":3rxy94ic said:
1. There are ways around that.
2. The current prices are the result of Apple trying to collude with publishers to raise prices. That got slapped down recently by the FTC so prices should be coming down again.
I couldn't find the most recent article but here is one:
16 states join DoJ in suing Apple, e-book publishers over alleged price fixing
It’s ok to just enjoy the experience of reading paper books.
If you like books better there is no reason to use an eReader.
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iPad, gen 1. I'm likely to replace it with a new iPad sooner or later, depending on the purported forthcoming models. In any case, I'll be sticking with the 10" screen.
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seattlecs":yfiesolc said:
Your (1) is one of the reasons I've avoided the Kindle and other proprietary closed systems. My current ereader is a Sony and all of my books are stored not only on the ereader but backed up on other media. My paid content is from vendors that let me download the file to my PC rather than offering me the "convenience" of storing my purchases in their clouds and then rummaging through my device whenever I connect. Neither Sony nor any other company has control over my content.
Your (2) misses the cornucopia of free content that's available. There are tens of thousands (or more?) free ebooks on sites like manybooks.net, works whose copyright has expired. You can find well-known classics and obscure gems by authors like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Robert Louis Stevenson. There are also contemporary authors who release their works in a free (or voluntary donation) format, such as Cory Doctorow. I probably have 20 years of reading material (as a heavy reader) right now that didn't cost me a penny, thus freeing up my paid reading budget for ebooks that I really want or to support the "freebie" authors whom I enjoy.
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I use my nook color.
the only down side is the software selection sucks, and barnes and noble sometimes misses (or never gets) books in a given series. the software though is really annoying. I am tempted to root it and install a full android but the results are usually mixed.
My full thought is to wait a little longer and get a nexus 7 or it's predecessor. I like the 7" form factor, and having a mixed computing environment is useful.
10" tablets have a place. they are better for doing larger tasks, and I can even see a new for 15" or so for group work. but for one person reading or surfing the web 7" is far more convent.
If only the nook color had a decent email and web browsers stock.
the only down side is the software selection sucks, and barnes and noble sometimes misses (or never gets) books in a given series. the software though is really annoying. I am tempted to root it and install a full android but the results are usually mixed.
My full thought is to wait a little longer and get a nexus 7 or it's predecessor. I like the 7" form factor, and having a mixed computing environment is useful.
10" tablets have a place. they are better for doing larger tasks, and I can even see a new for 15" or so for group work. but for one person reading or surfing the web 7" is far more convent.
If only the nook color had a decent email and web browsers stock.
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Kindle e-ink that whispersyncs between itself and the Kindle software on my Android phone.
No one beats Amazon in the sync'ing department.
No one beats Amazon in the sync'ing department.
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I've gotten to the point where I just refer to my Kindle Touch as my book. Before I caved and purchased my first Kindle I tried reading e-books on my phone, but I'd look up to find spots in my eyes. Something about reading tiny words on a backlit screen with that level of concentration does bad things to my eyes.
The Kindle is my all purpose boredom solution. I never mind long waits as long as I have it on hand. I really don't get how people of means can still be bored in this day and age.
The Kindle is my all purpose boredom solution. I never mind long waits as long as I have it on hand. I really don't get how people of means can still be bored in this day and age.
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I have a Kindle 3G (Not sure the generation, but it has a keyboard). Bought my father a touchscreen wi-fi enabled Kobo.
I will say that the ability to e-mail myself books, the on-demand dictionary, its remarkable robust design and construction, the change of font and size on-demand and the clear, readable display are reasons I will not go back to paper books for the majority of my reading. Being a former English teacher, I have a fair love of and appreciation for the printed and written word, but I love reading on my side in bed, something that I find torturously impossible with paper books because of the spines and size.
I was initially hesitant to purchase one, but took the dive, and do not regret it in any way. E-readers are amazing, and I think everyone should have one.
I will say that the ability to e-mail myself books, the on-demand dictionary, its remarkable robust design and construction, the change of font and size on-demand and the clear, readable display are reasons I will not go back to paper books for the majority of my reading. Being a former English teacher, I have a fair love of and appreciation for the printed and written word, but I love reading on my side in bed, something that I find torturously impossible with paper books because of the spines and size.
I was initially hesitant to purchase one, but took the dive, and do not regret it in any way. E-readers are amazing, and I think everyone should have one.
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I only purchase DRM free epubs, and so because of the lack of restrictions, I am free to read on more than one device. I read on my Nexus 7 as my primary reader, and my Kobo Touch as my secondary. I chose Android Tablet in the poll since it's my primary, but the poll really should have the ability to choose multiple devices.
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