E-Readers, Suggestions and Questions

[GB]

must we really choose between a reader that does well in bright sunlight vs. one that can be read in the dark?

in a word, yes. There is no technology yet that is able to do both.

 

[Dawgluver]

not to belabor the point, but i'm wondering about the $99 nextbook android tablet that has the backlighting feature as well as a color display. what is preventing the two leading names in ebook readers from offering these options? i truly don't understand the business about the eink. must we really choose between a reader that does well in bright sunlight vs. one that can be read in the dark?

If you are an outdoorsy/beach/pool person, you may not want backlighting. If you are reading a book outside, you really don't care if it's in color. You want to see the screen. My Ipad doesn't leave the house/office. I can read my IPad in the dark, but for a dedicated e-reader, I love my Kindle.

 

[vitauta]

i am already using my pc for kindle for nighttime reading. thing is, i end up with two sets of books - one for my daytime nook reading, and another set that i mostly read at nighttime on my little netbook. actually, it's a reasonably acceptable solution for me for now, until....

 

[Dawgluver]

i am already using my pc for kindle for nighttime reading. thing is, i end up with two sets of books - one for my daytime nook reading, and another set that i mostly read at nighttime on my little netbook. actually, it's a reasonably acceptable solution for me for now, until....

Kindle and Nook don't play nice together. They don't share.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

OK! Apparently those lamp switches are a consumable item, as the hardware store had plenty of them. I'll be able to start reading feverishly here shortly... under a bright light... without interfering with my beverage

Lamps are surprisingly easy to fix...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My kindle is charged and ready to go hang out all night at the races...I'll be reading in the dark with the cover light, walking in ovals...I think a Zombie story would be appropriate!

 

[pacanis]

That's a good point, vit.

I didn't really check into them both because; 1- netbooks were twice as much and 2- the battery life on the kindle was much better. I thought with the netbook that I would be getting a lot more than I wanted. And perhaps I would have been, but had I known that the kindle does not have backlighting...
I'm sure it will get plenty of use anyway. Especially if I get a cover for it.

 

[GB]

I just found this site that let's you lend and borrow Kindle books. I have not checked it out so I can't vouch for it, but the concept is great.

Http://Lendle.me

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That's a good point, vit.

I didn't really check into them both because; 1- netbooks were twice as much and 2- the battery life on the kindle was much better. I thought with the netbook that I would be getting a lot more than I wanted. And perhaps I would have been, but had I known that the kindle does not have backlighting...
I'm sure it will get plenty of use anyway. Especially if I get a cover for it.

Amazon has a good return policy, if you really don't like it, return it and get what you want. You don't have to like it just because we said so

 

[pacanis]

Amazon has a good return policy, if you really don't like it, return it and get what you want. You don't have to like it just because we said so

I was going to use it to prop up a table leg, just to prove Selkie wrong

Does anyone here have a netbook they read books with?
Do the pages flip as nicely? Do they tend to get as warm as a laptop?

 

[vitauta]

the ereader i now have was originally bought for my mom, who has alzheimer's but still loves to read to the tune of one or two books per week. it was becoming increasingly more difficult (and expensive) for me to provide new books for her that were to her liking. mom's tastes and preferences in reading material (and food) have lately been subject to abrupt changes and reversals, and ofttimes not so easy to anticipate or accommodate. my solution for this problem? an ereader for mom. this way,i reasoned, she would have her own vast personal library at her fingertips, problem solved. yes? but no - my mom didn't like the strange newfangled book reader. she preferred the feel of her paper books, liked turning their paper pages, and thumbing back to reread something - on page number 187...and so the nook became mine by default. but then, i nudged my mom just a little bit until she came to accept the ereader on condition: it would be used for the sole purpose of trying out free sample ebooks. this way, when mom eventually finds a sample book that interests her, i place an order for it in paperback form, and we wait for it to arrive snail mail for her next week's read. and this is how we've come to share this nook reader amicably, with fits and starts...i was saying, about that backlighting problem....

 

[vitauta]

i would like to hear from you computer savvy people about the aluratek libre ereader. it can be had, loaded w/100 classic books, for 49.99. the price is definitely "alluring" @ 50c per book. i've read about the aluratek, and watched their video presentation. now i'd like to hear about the drawbacks, they must be many and considerable. anyone?

 

[pacanis]

CNet doesn't even have a review of that one.

 

[vitauta]

CNet doesn't even have a review of that one.

thanks. good. now i know there is a cnet.

 

[pacanis]

Cnet is a great resource for reviewing many electronics. They give you their rating and the readers' rating. Just not on the reader you mentioned.
I read a good comparison there Friday on Kindles vs netbooks
They are my goto website when comparison shopping electronics.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Cnet is a great resource for reviewing many electronics. They give you their rating and the readers' rating. Just not on the reader you mentioned.
I read a good comparison there Friday on Kindles vs netbooks
They are my goto website when comparison shopping electronics.

Did you send back that pesky Kindle, yet and get what you want?

 

[pacanis]

Did you send back that pesky Kindle, yet and get what you want?

Of course not

From my 20 minute research on the subject , I have come to the conclusion that all these ereaders and netpads people have the same business strategy as the cell phone providers... there should be one device that will cover all bases, but then we would be happy with only one.

Kindle has the biggest library, cheapest books and longest lasting battery of anything (netpad) that comes remotely close in the same functions. It is light and does not get warm from being turned on. It is the iPhone of ereaders. The one others will be compared to with a strong company behind it. A netpad can read books, just like my notebook can, but that is not what they were designed to do. Of course, they do have a lit display

So Kindle it is. For now...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Of course not

From my 20 minute research on the subject , I have come to the conclusion that all these ereaders and netpads people have the same business strategy as the cell phone providers... there should be one device that will cover all bases, but then we would be happy with only one.

Kindle has the biggest library, cheapest books and longest lasting battery of anything (netpad) that comes remotely close in the same functions. It is light and does not get warm from being turned on. It is the iPhone of ereaders. The one others will be compared to with a strong company behind it. A netpad can read books, just like my notebook can, but that is not what they were designed to do. Of course, they do have a lit display

So Kindle it is. For now...

It was perfect the other night for walking in ovals and reading. Shrek brought a DTB and had to stop reading once they turned out the lights at 11:30 pm. Good thing I had a book or two with me he enjoys reading...

I even had a pocketful of batteries for his camera... I shoulda been a Boy Scout...

 

[sparrowgrass]

Vitauta--the 'classic' books on the device you mentioned are all available free on line--for any of the e-readers. Or to read on your computer, for that matter. They are out of copyright, and have been made available from a number of sources.

I saw the Barnes and Noble Nook for $69 the other day.

 

[Dawgluver]

Of course not

From my 20 minute research on the subject , I have come to the conclusion that all these ereaders and netpads people have the same business strategy as the cell phone providers... there should be one device that will cover all bases, but then we would be happy with only one.

Kindle has the biggest library, cheapest books and longest lasting battery of anything (netpad) that comes remotely close in the same functions. It is light and does not get warm from being turned on. It is the iPhone of ereaders. The one others will be compared to with a strong company behind it. A netpad can read books, just like my notebook can, but that is not what they were designed to do. Of course, they do have a lit display

So Kindle it is. For now...

Ha! A convert! (of sorts). Excellent choice, Pacanis.

Took my Kindle on a long car trip, and she behaved beautifully (of course, not while I was driving).

Nook now has color and backlighting, not something I really need, though there are Nook fans. I can use my IPad or BB when I want the backlighting, but I can't read either one in the car very easily.