I like the Kindle because it's as easy to read as a book, and it's lighter than most paperbacks. It's great for traveling because you only need to bring one device and you can have as many books at your disposal as you want. Plus no one has any idea what you're reading, and I like to dip into some really cheesy YA. I just wish I didn't need to have a whole device for only one thing. That doesn't make much sense when you think about all the physical books it can replace, so maybe I've gotten spoiled with multi-tasking electronics. Another downside: I want to be able to buy e-books from any vendor and view them on my device, so I hate that the Kindle will only allow you to read books from Amazon. Those damn corporate monsters!
My other e-reader is my iPad. I happened to be in the market for a netbook when Apple introduced the iPad. It had most of the items on my wish list: a word-processing system (in the form of a Pages app); lightweight; Internet connectivity; and e-reading capabilities. The items it didn't have, well, I decided I could live without them. If any technology gurus are reading this, I also wanted the ability to save my documents to some kind of hard drive and an e-reader that could switch from backlit to e-ink technology (which is easier on the eyes, literally). Plus I wanted a Web-cam, but of course the iPad2 has that. (Should've waited for version 2!) While I like my iPad, I also wish it was a little lighter, and again I hate reading on a backlit screen, especially after staring at the computer all day.
I should be happy with either the Kindle or the iPad, but as you can see, each has its pluses and minuses. So what about physical books? I still prefer them when the subject matter requires a lot of photos and illustrations, when the book is a little work of art in and of itself, and when it promises to be a favorite. Yes, I still want to feel like I own my favorite books.
In my world, there's room for books of all different varieties of books in my life?
What about you? Are you team real-book or team e-book?
I am planning on putting some audio books on my iphone. I like that I can use it to multi-task. I don't understand having the ipad and the iphone though... my sister-in-law has both. I guess it's like having several types of shoes (?)... different ones for different occasions... and now i have gone off topic...
ReplyDeleteI guess I will have an iPad and an iPhone soon, which kind of annoys me. The iPad is bigger obviously, so you can easily watch movies and read books on it. V2 has a Web-cam so you can Skpe. I don't personally need both. I think knowing what I know now, I'd prefer a netbook and a Kindle and possibly an iPhone (on which you can download the Kindle app). But right now I am reading blogs in bed on my iPad. I just bought an audiobook recently too! I love the idea of listening to dtories about spies while I clean the bathroom, but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI started using the Google Books app. I bought an e book through them and now I can read on my phone while driving or taking a shower.
ReplyDeleteHey Bess- that Jared-guy is funny. You should marry him or something.
ReplyDeleteI love my new iPad . . . And I love that I can read ebooks on it. I'm an avid reader, but not an avid buyer of books. In the last year, my city's library system started adding ebooks. That's how I read Impossible. I checked it out, downloaded it, and started reading it within 5 minutes. You can't do that with a paper book! (Then it drops off my device in a week.) I find that I finish books faster when they're on my iPad. Maybe because it goes with me more places. However, until my library gets more ebooks, I'll still be reading the paper ones.
ReplyDeleteI am still undecided about which device to buy. I read mainly in English but never use a dictionary - I make up the meaning of the words that I don't understand. The Sony Reader has got a tactile dictionary. You just touch the word and here it comes the Oxford Dictionary definition! I've seen it working with my own eyes and my own fingers!
ReplyDeleteDoes any of the others got this app for illiterates? Am I going to spoil my dreamed English with that?
:) I had this same discusion with my hubs the other day because he is a big computer geek and very pro not using actual books. I love books- I love having the paper between my hands and flipping through the pages.. I just love having my nose tucked into a real life book. I went to Asia a few months ago for a whole month and I took about 7 books- and I don't think I will ever do that again. I think maybe take 1-2 then when I run out use my Ipad- because packing light is so much more a priority. I buy a lot of used books or go to the library- which are still cheaper then buying them on an ebook- unless its a ebook free one. :)
ReplyDeleteDid you hear Amazon is coming out with a new Tablet?
Wait - Christina, please tell me what you're using to download library books - it isn't your iPad, is it? If it is please tell me your library.
ReplyDeleteI think the Barnes and Noble nook is the closest thing to offering e-ink technology and some basic web-browsing using an LED screen.
But the reason I wanted to comment on this post is that for me, the eBook vs. real book difference comes more from the type of book than where I'll be reading it (at home vs traveling). I find eBooks to be plenty sufficient for much plot-driven fiction that I can read through once and absorb. But, if I'm reading something highly literary, or challenging, where I need to do a lot of re-reading, I'm still not a fan of ereaders. I know there is note-taking and highlighting and all of that, but my brain is not yet capable of absorbing eBooks in the same way it can the printed ones. Maybe someday.
I agree with much of what has already been said, but here's my take on the debate. If I had to choose one or the other I would still choose my real books. I sincerely hope that taking up e-reading doesn't take my physical books into the world of record stores, where only hobbyists really care about them. Are we already at that point? I like my Kindle very much, and use it often. Like Christina, I think I read books faster on my Kindle. I also find it is easier to read on the treadmill. Nothing can replace the feel or smell of a paper book though. Love that.
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