Happenstance Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 With the new Kindle being released at the end of the month ive been tempted to get one so I wanted to see if anyone else has or has used a Kindle or any other e-reader device and if so what do you think of them? I used to read a lot of books but over the years I just find it harder and harder to keep my attention. Im hoping the novelty of an e-reader plus the ease of keeping a book collection on there might help me get back to reading a lot.
Dan_Dare Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I fucking hate these things. The idea of reducing a collection of books to tect files on an ugly ass PDA is just awful. Where's a aesthetic pleasure? the sense of ownership? hell, where's the desire to not look at a goddamn screen for a while? Eurrgh.
S.C.G Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I can see the appeal... 1000's of books all in one place saves a hell of a lot of space but at the same time just... no... would feel kinda wrong as you're not really turning a page, sure they could have a page-turning animation but it's not quite the same is it? Plus if you have everything on an electronic device I think you just lose all the charm that comes with reading a physical book and it might just turn you off reading after a while, then again I may be wrong and for some people it might encourage them to read more which is obviously a good thing. But personally... other than the space-saving element I can't see it being 'sold' to me.
Happenstance Posted August 9, 2010 Author Posted August 9, 2010 Yeah see for me reading is just reading. I dont care about page turning or having the physical book there, id just like to be able to read the story in the easiest way possible.
Dan_Dare Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I don't know why'd you'd want thousands of books in one device anyway. It's not like thousands of songs that last 4 minutes and you pick from at random- books take weeks to read and you only read one at a time.
Happenstance Posted August 9, 2010 Author Posted August 9, 2010 Just for simplicity and ease. Plus I very much doubt that i'll have thousands of books on there. If I go on holiday I can have more than one book on there and it takes up very little room.
Daft Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I was so dismissive but then I saw one. I love them. I'm going to buy the new 3G Kindle before university. The E-ink is amazing. I couldn't believe the screen was on, I thought it was a dummy unit with a cardboard screen. I'd rather read books, to be honest, but I read so many .pdfs for my degree that to save myself from reading of a bloody computer screen, I am sold. Also, I usually take about 10 books on holiday - this would be a life saver. You can take notes on them as well, so I'm pretty sorted. Plus, there are so many out of copyright books, it comes with an insane amount of free book tied to it.
Cube Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I also think that these devices are just plain wrong. A book is a book, not a screen.
Happenstance Posted August 9, 2010 Author Posted August 9, 2010 I have to admit, im suprised at how many people seem to be against it. To me its just a progression in technology and as it doesnt change the content of the books then its perfectly fine.
Daft Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I also think that these devices are just plain wrong. A book is a book, not a screen. What's that got to do with it? Not to mention, an E-ink screen is nothing like a normal screen.
Cube Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 What's that got to do with it? I can't explain why, but the whole concept just doesn't seem right.
Pit-Jr Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Ive danced around the idea of getting one. Its basically your own personal bookstore, making hard to find books readily available. Definately not a bad idea! Although for the price of the machine itself, i could buy enough books to last me a lifetime. Verdict: No sale!
Daft Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Ive danced around the idea of getting one. Its basically your own personal bookstore, making hard to find books readily available. Definately not a bad idea! Although for the price of the machine itself, i could buy enough books to last me a lifetime. Verdict: No sale! 10 to 15 books would last you a lifetime?
Pit-Jr Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Honestly, yeah probably. I see the beauty for a heavy reader but i simply dont have the time to absorb myself in entire books like i used to.
Jimbob Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Even though the idea of having hundreds of books in the palm of my hand sounds excellent, i won't be making a purchase. Nothing really beats holding the physical book in your hand(s) and reading it page by page. I'm not against the idea, it just doesn't sound like it is for me.
Will Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I really like them, if I didn't already have my iPad I'd probably get the new one. E-ink really is great, but i don't read enough for the iPad screen to bother me too much when reading on it. Considering the price, selection of books and the sheer amount of space they save i really think they're a great idea.
Dan_Dare Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Since when was owning books a waste of space? Fuck this.
Will Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Since when was owning books a waste of space? Fuck this. Never. But given the choice I'd rather they took up no space than lots of space.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I'm with Dan on this one. I like owning the physical material, so owning CDs, DVDs, and books themselves. There's just something really satisfying about turning the page and seeing what lies on the other side. The physical side of things is important to me, not to mention that books smell incredible. Of course, this is still very useful. Not all people think the same way that we do. There's no doubt that this is very practical. In fact, if you were on the move quite often, then this object would be very ideal. Saves you carrying around your collection of books from place to place. I can see why people would want it.
Daft Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Since when was owning books a waste of space? Fuck this. Since materialism became more important that ideas. Since when did you need to own a book to enjoy it? I'm all for getting rid of physical media as soon as accessibility is sorted out. There is absolutely no need for it. People get hung up on it. I think it is a real problem. It's why I use Spotify and why I rent virtually all my films and games.
The fish Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 I had a go with one whilst Interailing, and I'm a convert - I want one, badly. They're awesome! Also, free 3G everywhere = win.
Sheikah Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 (edited) Since materialism became more important that ideas. Since when did you need to own a book to enjoy it? I'm all for getting rid of physical media as soon as accessibility is sorted out. There is absolutely no need for it. People get hung up on it. I think it is a real problem. It's why I use Spotify and why I rent virtually all my films and games. Yeah, it's inevitable progression and the people dead set against it here sound like pensioners with a dislike of the internet and mp3 players. But I will say that I'm currently not too strongly for most digital games/films since download speeds aren't so great. Although I will say that Dan clearly hasn't seen a kindle to call its screen a crappy ass PDA. It's very good, and nothing like an LCD screen. Edited August 9, 2010 by Sheikah
Daft Posted August 9, 2010 Posted August 9, 2010 Yeah, I totally agree with issues like download speeds and such. That's definitely why I'd stick with LoveFilm over anything like OnLive until the infrastructure (and T&Cs) were up to scratch.
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