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.