Kindle vs. E-Reader?

[Alayne]

I know, I know. I am a book reader. A lover of all things fiction and hardcover and papery. But I am tempted and seduced by these fancy-shmancy electronic reading devices! Before the rotton food starts flying in my general direction, let me explain...

I'm thinking of purchasing either a Kindle or a Sony E-Reader and I'd like to know if anyone else has one, which they prefer, how well they work, and anything else you may have heard. I said I'm just THINKING, stop with the tomatos and corn already!!! I am not betraying my bookcase, or the number of books I still wish to buy, I'm just thinking that for those books that are not as integral to my collection, I could download them instead of actually buying them, thus preserving the small amount of space left on my bookcases. Ugh, it's so hard to think of any book that I would rather download than have to own!!!

Don't judge me. I haven't purchased yet. And you know you want one.

[Jim Roberts]

Guys a question,

Do any of you listen to audiobooks, i would rather sit and have a book read to me especially a good narrator, rather than read myself, does anyone know the best device to listen to audiobooks on.

[Bella G]

I would say that e-reader is preferable to Kindle, because Kindle is still bound to Amazon.com. But I may very well change my mind in the future.. :-P

Im a frequent ebook-reader, and for that purpose I often use my HP mini. And even if Kindle would be easier and open for more common usage in the future, I don´t adopt well to new-tech until Im kind of forced to.

My blog

[Michael Evans]

The Kindle is not necessarily bound to Amazon. I've downloaded several books from other sites and was able to load them into the Kindle without a problem. You just need to be watchful of formats. Kindle does not do PDF, and conversion of PDF to a Kindle-approved format is tricky.

[Christy Pinheiro]

I haven't bought a Kindle yet-- I think they're ugly (tan, blah). I am waiting for the Apple Tablet that is going to come out in 2010. But I might invest in a Kindle anyway-- you can get refurbished ones for about $145. I am getting my self-publishing guide, The Step By Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit formatted for the Kindle in November by eBook Architects. The conversion will cost $200, and that includes linking to the index.

I'd like to see what the "Kindle" version of the book looks like. I'm going to sell it for less than 1/3 the cover price, too, $4.99. It worked for Morris Rosenthal-- he published a really popular book on POD publishing and sold the Kindle edition for $2-- it's currently #1 on Amazon in the writing catagory. That's impressive.

The Publishing Maven

[William Bentrim]

I still read on my pda. It is great for trips, the back lighting works well when in dark spots and the battery life is great. The screen size isn't as nice as the readers but I own it and it also surfs, emails, has word & excell and I have a keyboard for it. So as much as I am a gadget guy, I would look at a pda or a netbook before a reader.

[Rick]

I would love to have the money to spend on one. My choice would probably go to the Nook. I've just got personal issues with Sony, and Amazon to me seems a little limited. Nothing could ever replace the physical feeling of holding a book in your hands, and turning the page. However...

My wife is constantly annoyed by the amount of space my books continue to take up. While some (Star Wars Books/Terry Brooks) are something I wouldn't part with, others I'd gladly trade in for electronic editions. I think it would be very nice to have my entire library in one hand-held device. My wife would be happy, because of all the space saved. She doesn't worry so much about the spending, but more about the space I think.

[Jeanie Fritzsche]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ

Change is hard! I think this video helps put the debate into perspective!

[blanchard]

I'm not thinking of, I've just ordered the kindle. Tired of dragging along airports all those books last summer, sort of desperate each time I consider my overflowering shelves, wondering where I'm going to put the last 10 books I managed to acquire. I hope I'll be abble to sort which ones I absolutely have to have because I'm going to read them again and again - which means paper - and which ones I'll probably never "open" twice.
I know you have to take the "material" part into account (going from rolls to codex meant a new way of accessing to the texts AND the thinking) but what is most important is READ the book and never mind the prop.
So : no rotten food from this side.

[drey]

I so want an e-Reader. I had my heart set on the Kindle, when it comes down in price, is available in color, and has touchscreen technology. And now the nook's out, and I feel the need to go hunt one down so I can play with it (no, my local B&N doesn't have one... yet).

Don't get me wrong. I love books. Real books. But this last trip I took (40+ hours traveling one way) made me wish I already had an e-Reader. I brought 4 books along with me, and had 'em read before I was even 30% done with my trip. I'd packed 3 more, and those were done before I got anywhere close to home. Plus, lugging all these dang books--they're HEAVY!! *sigh*

So. No judging here. Just lots of wishing... =)

[Pandora Moon]

Don't worry Alayne there will be no tomato or corn throwing from here! ;) As I would love an e-reader too but two things need to happen maybe three before I'll buy one

1. it needs to come out in colour e-ink as what's the point in making the covers look good if they all look the same in black & white
2. stop the resident restrictions! if I can get a Charmed book legally in the UK in a bookstore then how come I can't buy it for an e-reader?
3. as a bonus it would be nice if was a way of putting the books you already own in paper form onto an e-reader without having to pay for it like when I add music from my CDs onto iTunes for instance

[Linda]

I'm just waiting for the prices to come down. I'd like to be able to try both the Kindle and Nook, but I'm not sure where you could go to do that!

[Alayne]

I've heard you can't try the Kindle before you buy because it's Amazon and they're only online. So unless you know someone with a Kindle, you're taking a shot. But the Nook is due to be released on November 30th and Barnes & Noble should have them in stores to check out before you buy. I think that's what I'm going to do. Wait and check it out before I make a decision. But thanks to everyone for your answers!