Posted on 08/15/2010 10:15:27 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The trend was confirmed by Apple Inc.'s iPad, but I need to be more adept at spotting the trend when it is beginning and in the wild.
I missed the signals, twice. You look to the public-at-large to spot trends, not to pundits.
Two examples come to mind. First, I was on a flight to Michigan around the time of the first Kindle announcement and was roaming the aisle of the jet when I saw one of the flight attendants reading off of an e-reader, which turned out to be the Sony device.
I asked her how she liked it and had to listen to endless raves. She loved to read. The reader had a ton of her books and she could picks and choose what she wanted based on her mood. It worked great. It was lightweight. She went on and on.
Then I find a friend of mine -- who is not even much of a reader -- with a Kindle. All he could do was talk about how great it was.
This sort of public review should not be ignored. These are not tech geeks who buy everything and think anything with a transistor in it is God's gift to mankind. These are real people.
So the e-reader is here to stay in one form or another.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
To keep up on electronic reading, go to mobileread and Teleread.
Discussions can get pretty heated.
Thanks for the tip.
Is Sony gonna do anything in this game?
I regularly download books that are beyond their copyright dates, which you can get off the web for free. I have quite a collection that I carry on my thumbdrive and my laptop hard drive.
I don’t like to do serious reading on a laptop, though, so I typically print a few pages at a time and read them that way.
I’d like to find an e-reader that was more comfortable than my laptop, that I could transfer files to (including word files, pdf files, and so on). I want to back up my files on my computer and maybe on a thumb drive.
That seems to be a problem with certain e-readers. The Apple apparently doesn’t have a drive port (true?). Amazon apparently limits you to their protocol. But if I find the right thing I’m in.
I am think the Sony has some capability to work with a laptop and Windows.
I am thinking the Sony has some capability to work with a laptop and Windows.
I use the Kindle and B&N e-reader on my iphone and have ordered a new Kindle. Must be popular as there is a wait for it! Never thought I’d prefer these to paper books!
The Kindle is EASILY the most versatile. First, there’s the WhisperNet cellular connection (it’s free) that lets you buy any of a bazillion books from almost anywhere in about a minute. Then there’s the fact that Amazon provides free Kindle apps for iPhone, Blackberry, PC, and Mac, all of which beautifully access your Kindle library. Finally, it’s uber-easy to transfer DOC/PDF/etc. to your Kindle; just email the file to your Kindle email address as an attachment, and it shows up on your Kindle almost instantly.
I’m a big reader who strongly resisted e-readers because I’ve always loved the feel and smell of books, but a couple days with a Kindle converted me into an enthusiastic user. I strongly recommend it.
MM
Sony is trying to get back into the game, it is the Sony Touch and Pocket products that are sold through Borders.
Apparently there is an update to the product line coming soon:
http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/08/12/new-sony-reader-ebook-devices-coming-soon/
Thanks...
A few Kindle-related links that may be helpful to you. It’s actually pretty flexible in converting formats.
Amazon Kindle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#File_formats
Comparison of e-book readers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers
Free Book Collections:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_85650291_15?ie=UTF8&node=2245146011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0C5J27PKPXFG3GDBPQHM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1271837542&pf_rd_i=1286228011
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We’ve just ordered a Kindle and can’t wait to get it. I’m a moderate reader and more into junk fiction but my husband is an AVID reader. I’m looking forward to him going nuts with the stacks and piles of texts available to him.
Of course there will be books that he needs/wants hard copies of but soon I’ll be smiling instead of cringing when he walks through the door with armfuls of virtual books. :)
Is this Kindle for you or your husband?
I’ve been thinking of buying a 2nd one for him, since we can’t both read one device at the same time.
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It’s a his and hers gift for now. I’m an early bird and he’s a night owl so we’ll see how it works out and if we do like the device. I have a sneaking suspicion that it’ll primarily be a his Kindle tho. :)
If we do like it I can see getting a second so that we can have separate accounts for “sharing” books with family and friends who have similar interests.
The iPad has several apps which you can use to read books in various formats. More importantly, you can load books (including Gutenberg Project books) wirelessly to the iPad from your computer.
When they are waterproof and sufficiently shock resistant to use in a bathtub or sauna, I’ll be interested.
Not until.
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