What is the Point of Kindle/eBooks?

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FranOnTheEdge

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E-Books & Kindle seems to be taking over the world, now back when it first came out I heard that Amazon could take your books away from you if the publisher went bust.

Not something that can happen with a paperback or hardback.
Not unless they jimmy the door and filtch them from your bookshelves.

I've seen their current advert - can't avoid it, unfortunately - and the very idea of reading on any kind of screen makes me cringe, I get enough headaches from the PC, thanks.

I hate not being able to flick through pages.

I'd hate something like that to hit me in the eye as I begin to drop off to sleep - and how the heck would you have two or three books open at once to refer back and forth?

And how can you put little coloured sticky notes on various pages?

The screen may be big compared to other handheld devices, but compared to a book it's tiny. In order to get even a paperback's page content onto one screen, you'd need the text to be too small for me to read it.

....I have a really nasty feeling that this is going to be the inevitable future that I will go to my grave being the grumpy old woman grumbling about.

.... however I can also see a point in the future where my own work finally makes it to publication only to find that it's on Kindle only....

No, I haven't got one, so probably eveything I've said is just rubbish, but I've vented some angst, so that's good.

ggg

What do you think?

Is the future already here?

Are books doomed?
 

mccardey

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I have a love/hate relationship with my kindle. I travel a lot, and it's terrific to be able to pack a kindle full of books. On the other hand, when I really, really love a book, I bite it. (Yeah, I know, Doctor. I don't know why. Since I was about four years old...) And I'm here to tell you that biting a kindle is singularly unrewarding.
 

Alwaysinspired

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I didn't like the Kindle, so I bought a Nook Color. I absolutely love it. While I do love holding a book in my hands, I realized that eBooks are indeed taking over the world and I needed to get with the program. The fact that I can download a book from B&N from the comfort of my home and have that book arrive instantly amazes me. I also live in a small home and was running out of space for traditional books. I still buy them occasionally, but not like I used to.
 

mirandashell

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Can you back up what is on your Kindle/ebook? Computers always break at some point.
 

BenPanced

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Barnes & Noble keeps your library online so you can download items anytime you need to. I had to do a system reload on my nook once and after reinstalling the system software and rebooting, it automatically went out to my B&N account through its wi-fi connection and pulled everything back in.
 

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On the other hand, when I really, really love a book, I bite it. (Yeah, I know, Doctor. I don't know why. Since I was about four years old...)
I have the same inclination with really cute things - babies, puppies, hamsters...

I resist, but I'm not sure that erases the evil of the urge and nets out to my being a decent human being.




As for ebooks, I absolutely love my Nook ereader. The e-ink is nothing like reading on a computer and my favorite part is that if I hear of a good book, I can buy it instantly - no remembering required. I can also download samples to browse before buying so it's like having a bookstore in my purse.

Still love bookstores and paper books, but my Nook is one of my prized possessions.
 

kuwisdelu

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Can you back up what is on your Kindle/ebook? Computers always break at some point.

I don't have a Kindle, but I read using iBooks on my iPad. Anytime I buy anything on the iPad, it's also automatically downloaded to my laptop and iPhone.

My only problem with ebooks remains the DRM and the Amazon vs. ePub format wars.
 

DancingMaenid

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I have a Kindle and really like it. I don't like it as well as reading from a physical book, but it does have its uses. For me, the big advantage is space. I have limited room right now, and would have run out of space by now if I only bought physical books.

Selection is a huge advantage. The Kindle allows me to buy short stories, novellas, and anthologies that wouldn't be sold in bookstores near me, and that sometimes aren't even released as physical books at all. I like that ebooks have made novellas more marketable.

I've seen their current advert - can't avoid it, unfortunately - and the very idea of reading on any kind of screen makes me cringe, I get enough headaches from the PC, thanks.

The Kindle uses "e-paper" technology that is supposed to be easier on the eyes and more akin to reading actual paper, so it's not exactly like reading on a PC.

Nothing wrong with not wanting to read off a screen, though. That's perfectly understandable.

I'd hate something like that to hit me in the eye as I begin to drop off to sleep - and how the heck would you have two or three books open at once to refer back and forth?

Your first point is a disadvantage for me. I don't want to fall asleep with my Kindle since I don't want to damage it or have my cat do something to it while I sleep. I don't usually fall asleep while reading, though, so taking a moment to put my Kindle in my nightstand drawer isn't a huge deal.

And how can you put little coloured sticky notes on various pages?

I believe you can make notes and place digital bookmarks on the Kindle. You can also highlight things, I think. I haven't done this myself, though.

The screen may be big compared to other handheld devices, but compared to a book it's tiny. In order to get even a paperback's page content onto one screen, you'd need the text to be too small for me to read it.

I haven't really found this to be a disadvantage, or noticed much of a difference when it comes to most things. The only problem I have is that since there aren't page numbers and those numbers won't match up to a physical copy, it's hard to use ebooks for school.

I don't think books are doomed anytime too soon. As for the Kindle, it's a tool, not a replacement. It, like all e-readers, has its disadvantages. But it also has advantages. There are still books where I'll prefer to get a physical copy, but for other things, the Kindle has served me well.

I remember when the iPod came out. I didn't see any reason to get one when I had my CDs. Then I got one, and now I find my digital music collection much more enjoyable and practical. Sometimes your feelings change.

I don't think ebooks are the same, in that I don't think they'll replace physical books very soon. There are still too many advantages to paper copies. But ebooks can be handy.

For example, I love that my Kindle comes with dictionaries. Those books are huge and heavy. My Kindle is light, and I can search for the word I want.

ETA: As for the backing up thing, I've had no problem keeping my Kindle ebooks saved on my computer. I don't connect my Kindle via wi-fi; I use the USB cable, which requires me to have my purchases saved on my computer.
 
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mirandashell

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What if you don't have a laptop or an iPhone?

Can you back it yourself onto a seperate flipdesk?
 

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What if you don't have a laptop or an iPhone?

Can you back it yourself onto a seperate flipdesk?
Not with a Nook. All your purchases are backed up with them, but I suppose if they went out of business, I have no idea what would happen to my digital library.
 

kuwisdelu

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What if you don't have a laptop or an iPhone?

Can you back it yourself onto a seperate flipdesk?

With iBooks and the iBookstore at least, if you have any kind of computer running iTunes, you can backup to that computer, and from there copy the files to a flash drive or whatever. I doubt Apple will be going out of business anytime soon, though, so I'm fine with the iCloud for my own purposes.

As always, the problem is the DRM. Anything from iBooks can only be read in iBooks, anything from Amazon can only be read on Kindle software, anything from B&N only on Nook software, etc.
 

mirandashell

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Hmmmm... that does put me off getting one. When you have a book, you know it's on the shelf and it's yours. You're not dependent on someone else holding it for you.
 

kuwisdelu

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Hmmmm... that does put me off getting one. When you have a book, you know it's on the shelf and it's yours. You're not dependent on someone else holding it for you.

As far as that goes, I'd worry more over DRM than backup options.
 

Soccer Mom

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I love my Kindle. Just checked it and I have 375 ebooks on it. That's a whole library on one little device. And they dont automatically take your books if a publisher goes under. I have stuff from the now defunct Aspen Mountain Press and it's still on my reader.

The text isn't tiny. You can size it however you want which is a win for me. I don't see well and make my text the size of a large print book but without a giant, expensive book to carry around.

If you don't want one, don't get one. They still make print books. I think you're panicking over nothing.
 
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mirandashell

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Yeah, I see what you mean.

But we had the same thing with computers, didn't we?

I guess it will work itself out eventually.
 

mirandashell

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If you don't want one, don't get one. They still make print books. I think you're panicking over nothing.

Who says I'm panicking? Bit rude.


I'm just asking a question. I question all new products before I buy one. Just to make sure I'm making an informed decision.

That's normally considered an intelligent action.

Obviously, in your case it's not.

Edit: Just realised you might be speaking to the OP and not me. Soccer Mom, it's always a good idea to quote the bit you're answering.

And yeah, it was still a little bit rude......
 
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Matera the Mad

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Screen reading can be made much more bearable by using decent fonts and zooming webpages or docs to a comfortable font size. If width of window can be changed to shorten line length, that helps a lot. Your browser will let you specify what font is default and whether or not web pages can go against your wishes. And you can adjust brightness and contrast settings of your monitor to east eyestrain. PDF is often impossible, only extracting the text can make most of them readable. Reading ebooks on a computer usually sucks. E-readers have a different kind of screen, not so glary.
 
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I'm in the market for a Kindle, and will be soon and when it comes to ebook format, yep, you guessed it -- I mostly read smut.

I buy from AllRomance or direct from the publishers which means I have a copy of the ebook saved on my computer. Easy to copy from that onto the ereader.

But, if I were to buy a book directly from Amazon.co.uk and have it sent to my Kindle, could I then copy the file from my Kindle to my computer, as a back up?
 

Jersey Chick

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I just ordered a basic Kindle. It's my first foray into e-reader territory. I don't know how I'll like it vs print books, but I decided I needed one when I spent half a day at the car dealership and finished my book with another 2 hours left to wait. I got a few weird looks when I just flipped back to the beginning of the book and started re-reading (it was our own Stacia Kane's City of Ghosts, :D)

I had a bunch of ebooks on my old laptop and lost them when it died. **sigh**. :(
 

Sarah Madara

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I prefer paper books in general, especially now that Kindle prices are not much better in some cases. However, I love my Kindle because I am in love with the sample feature. I almost never buy a book without downloading a sample to my Kindle first. Especially with the romances and UF I read, I have pretty specific tastes and the Kindle lets me sample different authors and find the ones I want to read with a few clicks on my computer. LOVE LOVE LOVE the samples.

I do not find notes on the Kindle convenient to enter, and I hate "flipping" through pages - it is very, very slow compared to paper. Also, I have a sort of visual memory, where if I remember a good line in a book I can usually find it just by flipping pages and I'll recognize the right page when I get to it. No similar experience on Kindle. I have to use search feature, which often gives too many hits or takes too long to process.
 

PeteDutcher

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What if you don't have a laptop or an iPhone?

Can you back it yourself onto a seperate flipdesk?

If you mean can you backup your books, the answer is yes on a nook. It takes a 32 gb memory card...and you can always switch out cards to store more.

Kindle ONLY backs up to the Cloud...and to your PC I think.

I prefer Nook for one reason...Kindle does not take a MicroSD card to expand memory. You can only back up to the cloud (online) for free IF you purchased from Amazon.

And I already have 4,000 books in my collection.
 

PeteDutcher

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I prefer paper books in general, especially now that Kindle prices are not much better in some cases. However, I love my Kindle because I am in love with the sample feature. I almost never buy a book without downloading a sample to my Kindle first. Especially with the romances and UF I read, I have pretty specific tastes and the Kindle lets me sample different authors and find the ones I want to read with a few clicks on my computer. LOVE LOVE LOVE the samples.

I do not find notes on the Kindle convenient to enter, and I hate "flipping" through pages - it is very, very slow compared to paper. Also, I have a sort of visual memory, where if I remember a good line in a book I can usually find it just by flipping pages and I'll recognize the right page when I get to it. No similar experience on Kindle. I have to use search feature, which often gives too many hits or takes too long to process.

I (think) Nook lets you highlight text and attach notes to it.
 
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