Electronic Book "readers" eg, Kindle Sony & Nook
 

I have posted this on another forum but though I would also post it here incase any of you have any experience with these readers. Do any of you use these electronic readers when you travel? Any opinions on better or worse or if they are worth the hassle of carrying yet another electronic gaget when you travel??? I do not carry a lap top when travelling. I know the Nook isn't out yet so don't expect any reviews of this! Thanks in advance! J

Take a look at this recent discussion:
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...-old-books.cfm

jules39,
I can't answer your question but Santa is bringing me a Kindle and I am very excited about traveling with just this one "book".

I seriously adore my Sony Reader. I've had it for almost 2 years now and have well over 200 books on it (I have an SD card in for extra space, it holds around 150 without the SD card). I save files of travel info as pdf's and save them to the book for when I travel. Need a chart of bus schedules, opening times, phone numbers, etc? I have it in my book.

It's about the same size as a very thin paperback and is very, very easy to read. It's not backlit like a computer screen so it doesn't make your eyes tired, even after hours of reading. They advertise that one batter charge will last around 7,500 page turns and that sounds about right to me. Even reading as much as I do (and I read constantly) it lasts around a week or so. When I travel I take a wall charger for it and it's no problem. I charge it the night before each long flight and I'm good to go for the flights and a few days after.

I've never had a problem finding the books I want. I carry mine in my purse every day and in my daybag when I travel. If someone is going to break one, it's going to be me (constant use, I'm not careful with keeping it in comfortable temperatures or anything like that, I drop it, etc) and it's held up fine.

I don't find it to be any hassle when traveling, the exact opposite actually. I have a charger for my book (it also plays MP3's and displays photos in black and white) and sometimes a charger for a cell phone. If I didn't have the book, I'd likely have an IPod for music and it's charger so no extra chargers to carry really. In packing my digital book, I don't pack 10+ paperbacks that I either have to carry all over or leave during my trip (and I hate giving up any of my books, even those from a thrift shop). I basically trade an MP3 player charger for the book charger (similar size, shape, weight) and I trade the one digital book for tons of paperbacks.

I chose the Sony at the same time the original Kindle had really just started. The Kindle wasn't right for me because I don't mind waiting to get back to my computer to download books and at that time (and maybe still currently) you couldn't download Kindle books outside of the US. I didn't like the way the Kindle looked, it didn't look comfortable. The Sony fits in my hands exactly like a paperback book would if you creased the heck out of the spine and folded it back. I leave mine in the cover it came with to protect it and so that it's easier to hold.

It's also a good little conversation starter. Quite a few people will see me reading and ask if it's "one of those Kindle things".


Basically I adore my Sony digital book and would never go back to paper books (other than travel related books for the color pictures). If you're the type who wants to get newspapers or magazines, the Kindle might be better for you than the Sony. The Kindle may be able to download in Europe now as well as in the US, but I really don't know how much they've expanded their "Whispernet" for downloading. I got the Sony with the intent of trying it and seeing how I liked it for a week or so and then returning it if I didn't like it. The Kindle was back ordered at that point and I loved the Sony so much I cancelled the order on the Kindle. My goal was to try both in person and return the one I didn't like.

If it's worth the cost, Sony vs Kindle vs Nook, etc is all dependent on you and your usage. The Sony works best for me but someone with different sized hands and/or different needs may strongly prefer the Kindle.

Good luck and have fun deciding! :)

If you know anyone who's written a book, had it published, and seen it go to Kindle, ask them if they get any royalties from the electronic version. Chances are good they don't.

Just sayin' - KNOW there will be some finger-waggers who say "so what" or "I like my Kindle, tough noogies on authors who didn't cut a deal" or something like that. But just reminding you, just for the record, that Sony, Kindle, etc. have so far either avoided royalties by uploading things no longer in copyright (fair enough) and by cutting deals with publishers instead of authors (not so fair). The only authors benefitting from the current eBook arrangements are the ones who sell their books directly to Kindle - only to find no editing, poor reproduction, and almost no marketing. Things change daily, but it's something to be aware of. Kindles and Sony readers may be convenient, but it's the distribution system you might want to notice as well.

<<<If you know anyone who's written a book, had it published, and seen it go to Kindle, ask them if they get any royalties from the electronic version. Chances are good they don't.>>>

Not so, according to this OpEd piece.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/opinion/25blount.html

iowamom I don't know how I didn't find that topic when I searched!!! Thanks so much for the link. Feel like a dingbat for asking this on this forum now!!! But do appreciate the responses. Thanks all J

jules39,
Please don't feel like a dingbat! I'm enjoying both threads and can't wait to touch my new baby on Christmas day! I also ordered, er, my husband ordered a cover and light for me, too.

sf7307 - Blount, the author of that article, has a "dog in this fight" as head of Authors' Guild, which struck a controversial "deal" on this issue. Many authors are refusing to sign off on that deal or have resigned from the Authors' Guild because it doesn't really protect authors in a meaningful way. I'll try to find the article that explains their standpoint and post it here.

... and btw, that deal was signed after he published that article.

"Basically I adore my Sony digital book and would never go back to paper books (other than travel related books for the color pictures)"

That's what it would take for me to get one, have DK books with full color photos, able to zoom into any map.

Have the Sony Reader and it is great. The wife likes it even more than I do.

I don't think I've ever met anyone that wasn't happy with their eBook reader. A few have complaints about this or that, but nobody that was sorry that they go it. Think about it, you have hundreds of books in something that is about half the size of a magazine.

As to which one to choose, I would suggest going to a site like cnet and reading the reviews and specs and determining what is or is not important to you.

Iowa Readhead said just about everything I was thinking - thanks for saving me the time typing it all out :)

The first trip I took after gettng my SonyReader and I was sold (got it last June). Really convinient. It would be nice to have the wireles download feature, but it isn't too difficult to stock up on books before a trip.

The charger doesn't take up much space, so that isn't a problem.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like you all love the one you have!! So on another site somewhere that if I have a Kindle I can only buy books from Amazon, if I have Nook only from B&N etc?? Do I have that correct? If so then I guess if I get one I should look at the one supported by where I mostly Buy books??? Do I have that right? Just trying to decide if I should put one on my Christmas list or not!! Thanks again. J

jules39: You have it sort of right. The Sony Reader and the Nook (I think) are a bit more open than the Kindle. For the most part, with the Kindle you are locked into the Amazon store.

With the Sony Reader and the Kindle (again, I think), you can buy books from anyone that sells them in the ePub format, which is an emerging standard. At some point, this should mean that you have more options. Indeed, I've read that the BN store will go to ePub in the future. For now, though, the reality is that Sony, Amazon, and BN are the biggest players and you will almost certainly use the store tied to your player the most.

For now, though, I don't believe there is a lot of difference between the stores in terms of price or selection.

Well if these things are going to be useful for a trip, shouldn't they have travel books, with the ability to display those color photos and maps?

In fact, it would be nice to have interactive maps from those books, like calculating how to get from point A to point B on a metro.

<i>Well if these things are going to be useful for a trip, shouldn't they have travel books, with the ability to display those color photos and maps?</i>

Well, I'm sure they are coming. But why would the lack of this preclude them from being useful? If you bring books other than travel guides, then these will cut down on your load. A Kindle + Travel Guide will take up less space than 2 Novels + Travel Guide.

On a 1 or 2 week trip, which is typical for me at least, the most books I'd want to read are travel books.

I've found Web access is more important than reading anything long-form. Of course, there are people who want to lounge at the beach or by a pool so an eReader would be great for that.

Kindle's selection of travel books is poor and more costly than the discounted regular travel books.

Maybe Amazon thinks Kindle is better suited to text-centric long-form books, rather than a reference text in which people will jump around reading a few paragraphs at a time and consulting pictures and maps, looking at the index, etc.

That and maybe publishers like DK, Fodors, etc. haven't bought into the idea yet.

I've handled the Sony reader in a local bookshop and I'm quite impressed. But on reflection, I was taken by the view someone expressed, that visual cues have a lot of effect when you're browsing, whether for new books or books you remember, and this gives them all the same appearance.

Plus, I'm not sure what the range of available ebooks is like: it seems as though new books are being priced at somewhere near the full print price, and a rather variable mix of out-of-copyright books is available more or less free - but it seems to me the real opportunity here is to revive access to the back catalogue of books that are out of print but still in copyright. Where does one look? How does one browse?

Patrick - I'm not sure that this really changes how you shop for books. Nothing is stopping you from wandering around the bookstore and noting the books that interest you. Indeed, with a Kindle or nook, you can just download as walk around the bookstore.

As to the range of books, I would remember that this is still in its infancy. I think the range of bestsellers is pretty good, but it will take a while for back catalogs to begin filling in.

travelgourment,

The Kindle does *not* handle the ePub format. Amazon may in the future, but who knows. You can buy software to convert ePub to mobi.

Sony *does* handle the ePub format.

Patrick,

For ePub books:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.epubbooks.com/

http://ebookstore.sony.com/google-eb...20Million_Rt_1

Also Google books - not all are ePub though. Check for the download button in the top right.

Plus you may be able to borrow ePub books from your local library.

nstevey - I mistyped Kindle, when I meant nook. Sorry for the confusion.

The Sony reader holds 150 books without an additional SD card? My Kindle dx holds 3,500 books. That's quite a disparity.

<i>The Sony reader holds 150 books without an additional SD card? My Kindle dx holds 3,500 books. That's quite a disparity.</i>

It is simply a difference in how the readers are designed to work. The Sony Reader is meant to use in conjunction with your computer, so endless storage is less essential than with the Kindle, which is intended for more stand-alone use.

Personally, I think both hold more than enough books for most uses and that the real decision point is whether you value having the stand-alone option or not.

>> the real decision point is whether you value having the stand-alone option or not.<<

= whether you want to carry the whole library all the time, or decide at various points what books you want to have with you.

Thanks for the links nstevey, I will investigate. I'm not sure this will be my Christmas present to me, but it's a possibility.

The Sony PRS-300 and Kindle DX are 2 different beasts. The DX costs $300 more and has a larger footprint than a PRS-300.

Trickiewoo, how many books do you need though? For most people 150 books is probably a few years supply at least. After a certain point more space is simply more space and not an important judgement tool. I filled it in less than a year (again, remember I'm a book freak), but with a 2GB SD card it's no big deal and I have tons of space again. I think the books through Sony are a couple MB's each, so a 2GB card will last for quite awhile.

As for shopping for books, now instead of using Amazon.com or BN.com to find books I want as they come out, I use Sony's website and download them instead of a trip to the store. I still see the covers, both on the website and on the book.

For Sony, the books are organized on the website just like any online bookstore. You can sort by category, new arrivals, bargain books, author, title, subject, etc. You can sort within categories as well. I.e. Romance - Contemporary Romance and New Arrivals.

I know Sony has quite a few Frommers guides available and there are some Rick Steves guides. There are quite a few travel books that aren't from the big travel names as well. The format is still easiest for reading from beginning to end, but you can punch in page numbers and skip around if you don't want to just flip page by page.

As the digital readers are just recently really getting into the general public, the makers are still working out kinks and working in new ideas. As more people start handling the digital readers and requesting changes (a blue tinted screen available for those who need it, color display, travel books, web access, interactive maps, etc) they'll make changes. There's always a new version in the works. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next handful of years they go towards something like a smartphone, only instead of phone and web access, it will be a book with web access.

For now, the way the digital readers are set up currently, if web access is more important to you, then a mini computer or smart phone is probably better for your usage than a digital reader. For someone like me, a digital book is a travel lifesaver. On a trip to Europe, I'll likely read 4-5 novels just getting there. I travel alone so I read at meals as I people watch, and I often read for a bit before bed. If I join a bus tour, I read on the longer drives. In the past, I've packed about 10-12 novels and often had to buy more books for the trip home. On my last trip, I couldn't figure out what I was missing because I had so much space left in my suitcase. :)

Has anyone used the PRS-600, the touch screen version of the Sony Reader? I'm just about to purchase one, and I'm trying to decide between the 300 and the 600. As I'm in Canada, the Kindle is not an option for me.
Thanks

The amazon kindle storefront for book is similarly set up to search by bestsellers, categories, etc. You can further refine your search within broad categories. It's handy (for me) not to involve the computer for recreational reading, although I have downloaded very many books from project guttenberg, which as you know are transcribed into .txt format and must be downloaded via computer to kindle. Since I do quite a bit of academic work I need vast libraries of books at my disposal, many, if not most, of which I have got at no charge. I need the available works of all the Romantic poets, for example. A Sony reader would not begin to store what I need. Now, I certainly do not need to have access to all of it all the time. But having different DS cards for different genres of literature is simply not as convenient for me as having it all in one place. I do extensive notation and bib. notes on the kindle. The <<keyboard>> is not great, in fact it is the weak link of the device, but I have finally mastered using it for notes. I look forward to an updated dx with better keyboard functionality. The minute one comes out I will buy it and give my current kindle dx to my aunt (who is waiting eagerly). My two previous versions went to the children, who love them.

So I guess it depends upon how you want to use your device. I have about 1500 books on my dx already and have no doubt I will fill it up within a twelvemonth. A casual reader would be well served by the Sony's smaller capacity, but again, the ability to download a book wherever you are is, to me, invaluable.

adding to nstevey, the footprint is indeed a concern. However, if you could see my <<real>> library, with thousands of books taking up space, aircon, trees and petroleum transportation, you would understand that the kindle is a massive improvement in that area. (smile)

adding to nstevey, the footprint is indeed a concern. However, if you could see my <<real>> library, with thousands of books taking up space, aircon, trees and petroleum transportation, you would understand that the kindle is a massive improvement in that area. (smile)

and again with the <<cold fusion>> doubling of my posts. Bewildered and apologetic, the peke.

and again with the <<cold fusion>> doubling of my posts. Bewildered and apologetic, the peke.

lam67 - the PRS-600 is a nice reader with an excellent design and plentiful features, BUUUUUT, the screen suffers from contrast and glare issues due to the extra pane of glass needed for the touch-screen functionality. I can't tell you whether it will be a problem for you, but it is there.

I would try to find a place that has them on display before deciding.

I played around with Kindle and Stanza apps. on my iPhone.

Downloaded a lot of Gutenberg classics for free to the Stanza app. The same works were not in the Amazon store.

Well I remember one, a DH Lawrence book, free on Stanza, about $10 on the Kindle store.

I'm opening up to the idea of a reader but I still think people would prefer a multifunction device which can also browse the web and play video as well. Consolidating all those functions result in fewer devices to carry, especially when you travel.

But content availability and flexibility (multiple sources, easy downloading of public domain works or being able to borrow content) are also obviously important factors.

Scrb, the problem with adding features is the screen. The screen of a computer or cell phone is backlit. The screen of the digital readers is not. I don't know how if the screen can be altered to allow web usage, video and other applications without changing, and back lighting, the screen. A major part of why your eyes get tired after using a computer all day is because of the back lighting.

You can get all of the Gutenberg Project books free on the Sony I think.

Hmm, I haven't tried using an E-ink screen so I'm not sure of the difference.

Obviously most of us are used to looking at backlit screens most of the work day.

Besides eye strain, you don't get the battery life with backlit screens that you would with E-ink screens. But really, I don't mind plugging in.

A lot of people travel with laptops so the eReader would be a good complement or extra weight (not much but everything adds up).

Maybe OLED will be a good compromise.

Lots of great information on this thread. I have been really interested in the Kindle but didn't want to be wedded to Amazon. I will look into the Sony and the ePub options.

We bought my father a Kindle for his 89th birthday and he loves it. My mother is jealous.

<<<Besides eye strain, you don't get the battery life with backlit screens that you would with E-ink screens. But really, I don't mind plugging in.>>>

I hadn't thought about the possibility of a multi-function device (so I could read, watch movies and surf the web on one, instead of an ebook reader plus my netbook). I think the biggest problem would be battery life. Watching video drains the battery of my netbook far far faster than surfing the web or reading emails or drafting word documents does. And having the backlight on drains it even faster.