Original Question:
In addition to my responsibilities as a school librarian, I am also caregiver to
several elderly relatives. After spending yet more hours in the ER and hospital
with a relative last night until early afternoon I've decided to buy myself an e
reader so I can have several books with me for the duration of these waits.
>
> My question is this:
> If I went the nook route, would I be able to download books only from Barnes and
>Noble or could I download from Amazon? Same for Kindle--do I only download from
>Amazon?
> Since I spend a lot of time in dim or dark hospital rooms, is there one with a
>light that's better than others?
> How about battery charge or replacement?
> I've read about them all but haven't found exactly what I think I need to know.
Responses: (Many asked for a HIT as they had the same questions)
I'm looking at some of the same concerns, so please post a HIT if you
find out anything useful. I have an iTouch, so I'm considering getting
the B&N and Amazon apps for it.
****************
Depending on if you have a cell phone and the type you might be able to download an
ereader. I downloaded a Kindle (no charge) for my I-Phone. You must purchase
books from Amazon but I did download a copy of a Maximum Ride book for FREE! I
believe with the Nook you have to use B&N. I always have my phone so I believe it
will work for me.
***************
I have loved my brand new Kindle for on the road/hospital/travel, but it does not
have a built in light for reading in darkened rooms and I have not yet bought one.
It amazes me how quickly the books load anywhere/anytime and I really like the
preview option where they send the first few chapters on a trial basis. Good luck!
****************************
I own a Kindle, the larger one, and bought one for similar reasons. I needed to
travel and I didn't want to truck twenty books with me. The Kindle's screen is the
size of a page and you can increase the font to your reading desire. The screen
resolution is great so that you can read it on the beach. Lighting is terrific. In
addition, it has a long battery life (literally for days) without a full charge,
unlike cell phones. The download is seamless as you may purchase from Amazon for
$9.99/book and have it delivered within a minute of order. I really love it. I
stick it in my purse or in my book bag and take it out whenever there is a lull.
Setting it up is easy--should take less than 10 minutes. Hope this info helps.
Please feel free to ask more questions if necessary.
*********************
Here's another option you might like. I subscribe to audible.com for $14 per month
and download books to my ipod shuffle. Great when working out or driving. I tend
to have to be doing something when listening though. If you knit or needlepoint it
would be perfect! Audible.com has great site and customer service (hence the shout
out for them.. : )
********************
I have one of the older Sony eReaders. I can download books from lots of places,
but have to go through a program loaded on my laptop. I like it, but it is harder
to read in dark rooms. I looked at the new ones, and they are pretty cool.
If I buy another, I will probably buy a iPod Touch, and load the Kindle
application. As I understand it, I will still be able to read all of my favorite
books that I already bought.
I'm not big on the Kindle because I'm not keen on what Amazon is doing with the
whole ebook thing.
If you like sci-fi/fantasy, I would check out www.webscriptions.net This is Baen's
ebook site and most of them are around $5, there is a 80+ book free library, and
you can download in a variety of formats.
*******
I just finished writing a chapter about the use of e-books in K-12 school libraries
and during my research I found several great resources. Among them is a website by
Terence Cavanaugh http://www.drscavanaugh.org/ebooks/ which includes a comparison
of the various e-book formats and how e-books can be used (in this case, he reviews
them for use by students in school libraries.)
From what I understand, the Nook and the Kindle are primarily "store fronts" for
B&N and Amazon--- so it would definitely depend upon your preferences in suppliers.
Here is a comparison of the two:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10379125-1.html
None of the e-readers currently have back-lighting which could be a problem for
those needing additional contrast or who might be reading in darker environments.
E-Ink is used with each program, so there's always a possibility of eye fatigue---
but it also depends upon your use of computers. Some may not experience this
fatigue.
My suggestion is that you find someone who owns one of these e-readers and try them
before you buy one. Librarians are generally your best bet---as are older adults
(who seem to be the group using / buying e-readers--- probably because of the
ability to access books immediately and increase font sizes with ease.)
I know this doesn't help much because it is very subjective to the user's taste;
however, I think we'll be wondering about which is better for a little while
longer. The Nook is still too new to figure out the "bugs" that might be
problematic and the Kindle is morphing. The Sony e-reader offers some different
options but again, there isn't a simple way to access e-books "in all formats" for
use by EVERY e-reader.
Finally, I might suggest that you investigate what your public library offers to
patrons as "free downloads" in e-books. If there is a particular model of e-reader
that is being used or promoted for downloading e-books from your public library,
this might save some extra dollars and make the e-reader that you select much more
enjoyable.
Good luck in your selection--- and keep us informed as to what you choose!
***********************
Article from Today's Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110404834.html?wpisrc=newsletter
********************************
I've been wrestling with this issue lately as well. I like the idea of an e-reader
(not exclusively -- for some situations I prefer a physical book), but haven't yet
seen one that meets all of my needs. The Kindle is too expensive and restrictive; I
don't like the heavy DRM issue and my understanding is that it doesn't support many
or perhaps any other e-book formats.
So far the best thing I've found is my iPhone. It's bright, easy to charge,
convenient. And there's a free Kindle app (the app is free, the books cost the same
as they would for the Kindle device), plus Stanza and eReader, which cover just
about all of the other widely distributed e-book formats, and Good Reader for long
PDFs. All free. I occasionally download books in various formats from public domain
repositories like Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg.
The drawback is that the screen is fairly small. The text can be scaled up, but at
some point this forces left-right scrolling to read across the page, which can be a
drag. My vision is still good (lucky, I suppose -- I'm 42 but don't wear glasses)
so it's not a major issue for me. I do have trouble with fine detail in low light,
but iPhone is backlit, so I can read it in the dark.
Don't know if that's helpful. If you weren't considering getting an iPhone before,
I don't suppose you'd be convinced. Maybe if you were on the fence.. When a good,
cross-platform device for under $200 comes on the market, I'll consider something
else. If Apple ever comes out with its rumored iPad tablet device, maybe that'll be
it. For now, it's iPhone for me. I can manage e-mail, watch movies, surf the web,
look things up, Twitter, all from one pocket device. On balance, it's pretty great.
*********************************
I've been wrestling with this issue lately as well. I like the idea of an e-reader
(not exclusively -- for some situations I prefer a physical book), but haven't yet
seen one that meets all of my needs. The Kindle is too expensive and restrictive; I
don't like the heavy DRM issue and my understanding is that it doesn't support many
or perhaps any other e-book formats.
So far the best thing I've found is my iPhone. It's bright, easy to charge,
convenient. And there's a free Kindle app (the app is free, the books cost the same
as they would for the Kindle device), plus Stanza and eReader, which cover just
about all of the other widely distributed e-book formats, and Good Reader for long
PDFs. All free. I occasionally download books in various formats from public domain
repositories like Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg.
The drawback is that the screen is fairly small. The text can be scaled up, but at
some point this forces left-right scrolling to read across the page, which can be a
drag. My vision is still good (lucky, I suppose -- I'm 42 but don't wear glasses)
so it's not a major issue for me. I do have trouble with fine detail in low light,
but iPhone is backlit, so I can read it in the dark.
Don't know if that's helpful. If you weren't considering getting an iPhone before,
I don't suppose you'd be convinced. Maybe if you were on the fence.. When a good,
cross-platform device for under $200 comes on the market, I'll consider something
else. If Apple ever comes out with its rumored iPad tablet device, maybe that'll be
it. For now, it's iPhone for me. I can manage e-mail, watch movies, surf the web,
look things up, Twitter, all from one pocket device. On balance, it's pretty great.
****************************
I've been wrestling with this issue lately as well. I like the idea of an e-reader
(not exclusively -- for some situations I prefer a physical book), but haven't yet
seen one that meets all of my needs. The Kindle is too expensive and restrictive; I
don't like the heavy DRM issue and my understanding is that it doesn't support many
or perhaps any other e-book formats.
So far the best thing I've found is my iPhone. It's bright, easy to charge,
convenient. And there's a free Kindle app (the app is free, the books cost the same
as they would for the Kindle device), plus Stanza and eReader, which cover just
about all of the other widely distributed e-book formats, and Good Reader for long
PDFs. All free. I occasionally download books in various formats from public domain
repositories like Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg.
The drawback is that the screen is fairly small. The text can be scaled up, but at
some point this forces left-right scrolling to read across the page, which can be a
drag. My vision is still good (lucky, I suppose -- I'm 42 but don't wear glasses)
so it's not a major issue for me. I do have trouble with fine detail in low light,
but iPhone is backlit, so I can read it in the dark.
Don't know if that's helpful. If you weren't considering getting an iPhone before,
I don't suppose you'd be convinced. Maybe if you were on the fence.. When a good,
cross-platform device for under $200 comes on the market, I'll consider something
else. If Apple ever comes out with its rumored iPad tablet device, maybe that'll be
it. For now, it's iPhone for me. I can manage e-mail, watch movies, surf the web,
look things up, Twitter, all from one pocket device. On balance, it's pretty great.
*****************************
I've been wrestling with this issue lately as well. I like the idea of an e-reader
(not exclusively -- for some situations I prefer a physical book), but haven't yet
seen one that meets all of my needs. The Kindle is too expensive and restrictive; I
don't like the heavy DRM issue and my understanding is that it doesn't support many
or perhaps any other e-book formats.
So far the best thing I've found is my iPhone. It's bright, easy to charge,
convenient. And there's a free Kindle app (the app is free, the books cost the same
as they would for the Kindle device), plus Stanza and eReader, which cover just
about all of the other widely distributed e-book formats, and Good Reader for long
PDFs. All free. I occasionally download books in various formats from public domain
repositories like Internet Archive and Project Gutenberg.
The drawback is that the screen is fairly small. The text can be scaled up, but at
some point this forces left-right scrolling to read across the page, which can be a
drag. My vision is still good (lucky, I suppose -- I'm 42 but don't wear glasses)
so it's not a major issue for me. I do have trouble with fine detail in low light,
but iPhone is backlit, so I can read it in the dark.
Don't know if that's helpful. If you weren't considering getting an iPhone before,
I don't suppose you'd be convinced. Maybe if you were on the fence.. When a good,
cross-platform device for under $200 comes on the market, I'll consider something
else. If Apple ever comes out with its rumored iPad tablet device, maybe that'll be
it. For now, it's iPhone for me. I can manage e-mail, watch movies, surf the web,
look things up, Twitter, all from one pocket device. On balance, it's pretty great.
Lots of information to wade through. I found the articles from the Washington Post
and the links to information helpful. I'm going to wade through all these. Sounds
like no matter what I buy there may be an improved version within a few months.
Thanks all
Jan Cole
LMS
Horace Mann Elementary
Duncan, OK
n2books@cableone.net
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