E-book readers: Can someone fill me in?

[Usarka]

I found a dirty scab that someone decided to leave sandwiched between the pages of a library book that I'm reading so am thinking of preserving my Hep-A free status and looking at an e-reader.

Any info or advice What's a good one, which ones can we get in NZ, where do you buy books, where's the best selection & price for books, can i get free books etc.

Probably not after anything super flash - good reading quality is the most important feature followed by cost and availability of books.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I found a dirty scab that someone decided to leave sandwiched between the pages of a library book that I'm reading so am thinking of preserving my Hep-A free status and looking at an e-reader.

Any info or advice What's a good one, which ones can we get in NZ, where do you buy books, where's the best selection & price for books, can i get free books etc.

Probably not after anything super flash - good reading quality is the most important feature followed by cost and availability of books.

you can try them at Borders and Whitcoulls (same co of course)

I dont like them: they are too small and I sort of have to squint a bit to read them.

I have thought about trying a tablet computer. decent size, and it would make the inevitable demise of print magazines easier to deal with.

[Usarka]

Yeah I can see the appeal in a tablet except for cost and portability. I often chuck a book in the backpac and chill out waiting for a bus, having a coffee, waiting 30 mins for a GP etc.

Are e-books brand specific or do they work on all readers (including tablets)?

[Usarka]

I've just been looking online for books on my bookshelf and come to the conclusion that getting an ebook reader is a dumb idea.

Of the six random books I chose off my bookshelf, I only found 2 available on line. One of them would cost $16.99 while the real version is $21.99.

I'd might as well buy a real book that's actually available and that I can keep, see, lend, burn, eat, wipe arse with etc.


Or am i missing something......

[Big Dave]

Or am i missing something......

Yes.

[Usarka]

Yes.

Share bro.

I can understand making use of a device like an iPad if you already have one or if you're going to use it for other things. But after my brief research this morning I can't see any cost/benefit analysis coming out in favour of purchasing an ebook reader for the primary purpose of reading books.

[Latte]

I find it harder to read books via the ipad. The type/font/size etc all seem the same , or close enough, but I just find myself not being able to "get into" the book, I have to actively "think" about the mechanics of reading (word, line etc). Where with a real book I forget I'm reading and the page turning etc is all subconscious.

Might be just time to get used to it, the Mrs has taken to it and can churn out books just as quick as the real thing, but it's taking a lot longer for me.

The ipad tries to give it a book feel, you actively turn the page (swipe the screen, the page looks like it flick over to the next etc). I have tried others that are more basic, and they are worse to use as it feels like reading a book in notepad.

YMMV

[geoffc]

If you want a e-reader I would highly recommend the Kindle from Amazon.com. My wife wanted access to e-books & laptops or even ipads are not as easy on the eye to read as e-ink technology that the Kindle has. So I purchased the wifi version of Kindle not the 3G one. My wife loves it. Recommend leather cover with light when you buy it. Good extra.
You can load up to 3500 books at any one time on your Kindle. E-books are a lot cheaper than paper backs & you have about 750000 titles available to choose from.
Many titles are free, heaps are only $1.
The Kindle arrived from Amazon (USA) to my front door 4 days after I bought it! So quickly, amazing really. They cost $139 US so with our dollar so strong they are not too bad pricewise.
You can alter the print size, lots of other features too. Send me a message if you want more info. Cheers

[Spuds1234]

There are lots of books online if you know where to look. Some will need converting from a format that is incompatible with the device you buy to a format that the device can read. And there is software out there that does this.

So dont let the cost of e-books be a problem because with a little bit of pissing about your away laughing.

[Usarka]

If you want a e-reader I would highly recommend the Kindle from Amazon.com.

Cheers bro. I didn't realise you could purchase from them, all the barnes and nobles, WHS Smiths etc don't seem to let you buy from NZ. Was kind of put of Amazon when they "took back" copies of books people had purchased a couple of years ago though.

$8.42 USD for a book is a lot more pallatable than $16.99 NZD though.

PS: not epub compatable, I'm happy to pay for content but want to take it with me when my device gets dropped in a margarita and I decide to get a Sony (for example).

PS2: Auckland library does ebook lending via epub format which doesn't work on the kindle.

PS3: Is a gaming console not an ebook reader.

[Big Dave]

iPad2 - It's just nice. I got the Pad in a leather book that works as a stand as well.
Reading and touching the backlit screen is...just nice. Is it dot dot dot? - no, probably not. But it's nice. You should see national geographic on it. Or the NBA where the game highlights play in hi def on the page of your book - or the BBC or even the Harold.
I can work on it too. My gig translates to pad. Not all do. And I've got Lebowski and Strangelove on iTunes.

The best selling books are not available in NZ - Good selection of classics, but bit of a dud for popular fiction.

The kindle has squillions of fans and great reviews online.

[Usarka]

I definitely do see the appeal with iPads. But at the moment I can't justify the $800+. My PC, work laptop, PS3, iPhone, wireless internets, home theater and LCD TV do everything that I need. A little less conveniently maybe, but ticks all the other boxes.

I don't want to spend $800 to read books and get extra features, I just want to read without encountering other peoples dried up pus.

[geoffc]

PS: not epub compatable, I'm happy to pay for content but want to take it with me when my device gets dropped in a margarita and I decide to get a Sony (for example).

PS2: Auckland library does ebook lending via epub format which doesn't work on the kindle.
r.

You can get software to convert from epub format using your computer to a format that Kindle reads. No problems there.
My wife has plenty to choose from that is free from Amazon for the time being. And they are adding to it all the time.
I found buying from Amazon easy. Make sure when you initially register with them you put +64 plus area code for your phone number eg +6434625390.
At some stage you need to put you are from New Zealand not USA region. Otherwise smooth transaction. Helped a friend buy one just this week after seeing my wife's Kindle.
Also when you buy from Amazon, the e-book purchases download to your e-reader (takes about 30 seconds) but there is a library of all your purchases at their store. That means if you purchase another e-reader later you can still download all your earlier purchases. I download to my laptop as well so I can use that when our Kindle is being used by my wife.

[Berries]

I didn't realise you could purchase from them, all the barnes and nobles, WHS Smiths etc don't seem to let you buy from NZ.

Another tip for buying from Amazon. Tried to buy a watch off them last night and got this message - We are not able to ship this item to your default shipping address which was a pain as I was looking at a 50% saving. But if you click on '10 new' or whatever you get a drop down of all the sellers and you may find some that will post to NZ.

[Smifffy]

Calibre is free software that will manage an e-book library and convert formats quite happily.

Cheers bro. I didn't realise you could purchase from them, all the barnes and nobles, WHS Smiths etc don't seem to let you buy from NZ. Was kind of put of Amazon when they "took back" copies of books people had purchased a couple of years ago though.

$8.42 USD for a book is a lot more pallatable than $16.99 NZD though.

PS: not epub compatable, I'm happy to pay for content but want to take it with me when my device gets dropped in a margarita and I decide to get a Sony (for example).

PS2: Auckland library does ebook lending via epub format which doesn't work on the kindle.

PS3: Is a gaming console not an ebook reader.