Dear Jan,
Just a quick reply. During a meeting yesterday, I learned that there is a
new electronic reader (similar to a Kindle) which has been developed by a
Japanese firm, which has a coloured screen and is interactive with Internet.
It has been developed by a Japanese company and was demonstrated at the
Frankfurt International Book Fair last month. I will try to find out more
about it and if possible will post a HIT.
Kind regards,
Helen Boelens,
ENSIL Foundation (European Network for School Libraries and Information
Literacy)
Netherlands.
hboelens@ensil-online.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan Cole" <n2books@CABLEONE.NET>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 12:42 AM
Subject: Hit: (So Far): Kindle vs Nook vs Sony
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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