Saturday, March 20, 2010

Discussion: eReaders

Did you hear that? That was my eBook cherry. I finally did it. I read my very first eBook!

I had finished reading The Secret Year and I didn't have any other books with me. I was waiting for The Hubby to get off work and had nothing else to read. *GASP* I know. So I went through my iTouch, looked through my Kindle App and decided to try out Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian (it was a free Kindle download some time ago). I got really into the book and before I knew it, I had forgotten that I was reading an eBook. Amazing, really.

I really like the convenience of reading practically anywhere. My iTouch is very convenient and I take it with me everywhere. I have many eBooks on my B&N App, Stanza App and Kindle App but I never really had the urge to read an eBook. Now that I have given it a shot, I like it.

I never thought I'd say this, but I really want an eReader now. I've been chit-chatting with Fiction Vixen and she just makes me want one even more! I want the real deal; not just my small iTouch but a normal sized reader with the e-ink. I have my eyes on the Kindle 2 and I might check out the Nook. I'm going to ask for one for my birthday. Wishful thinking.

 

Do you have an eReader? If so, which one? Pros? Cons? Do you still buy actual books? If you don't have one, are you thinking about getting one? I'd like to hear your thoughts...Let's discuss!

About Brianna: Supermom by day, naughty reader by night. Addicted to chocolate, Twitter, her iPad, her Kindle, and 99¢ Kindle deals. You can follow Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

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33 comments:

  1. oooooh i love a good cherry poppin! :D

    I am obviously partial to the Kindle, its perfect in just about every way IMO. But, make sure you check out my handy chart to compare features:
    http://www.kindlevixen.com/archives/911

    If you liked reading on the itouch, you would love a Kindle.... its so much nicer! Yeah! come on over to the dark side... you know you want to!

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  2. I was just googling for a comparison chart! I'm definitely going to check out your link.

    How much do Kidneys go for nowadays...?

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  3. I'm actually very interested in this conversation. I'm also getting an eReader for my birthday (which isn't until May), but I don't know if I really want to wait that long. Have you seen anything comparing the Sony with the nook and the kindle?

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  4. My bday is in June and I don't think I can wait that long either!

    Kaydence, check out that link in Kindle Vixen's comment above. Great comparable chart between Kindle, 2 Sony eReaders and the Nook. For me, it's still between the Kindle 2 and the Nook.

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  5. I had this discussion a few days ago on my blog. I want to read so many books on ebooks, but I don't want to overload my computers. After a few comments, I found the kindle will be more ideal for me it being wireless, now I can't wait until my birthday..
    Hope you get what you want.

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  6. Laurie - I hope you get one for your bday too!! (going to check out your post now.)

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  7. Back before my blog was hijacked and I had to start all over, I had actually done a review of both the Kindle 2 and the nook. Both have great and every different features, so it depends on you. A. Do you like the idea of digging into the "Innards" and changing things like screen savers? B. Or do you not care? A. Do you like the Iphone, using app this and app that with the touch? B. Or do you prefer the 12 digits on a dial pad so you have a feel for it? A. Are you more interested in having wireless service in your house so you can copy things from your computer and go straight online there, or B. Do you like the freedom to read anywhere using AT&T download (which seems everywhere with the kindle, which is funny cuz my phone sure doesn't pick up everywhere.)

    These are important questions for the enjoyment of your reading experience. If you chose mostly A's, then I'd bet you'd be happier with the Nook. IF you choose mostly B's, you'd probably be happier with the Kindle 2. I'm all for the kindle 2, but really, as a power reader and using the device entirely as a book, it probably wouldn't matter to me in the long run. I find the kindle convenient in every case except browsing amazon. I don't like their web interface and usually make my purchases using my PC.

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  8. I have a Sony eReader and it is ok. I have just this evening purchased a Kindle 2. The Sony is ok and I have had no problems with it other than the fact that the font sometimes not big enough. There are a lot of the features on the Kindle that I like, bigger screen, larger fonts and I like the fact that I can get newspapers and magazines and you can not do that with the Sony.. I spent quite a bit of time researching the Kindle. Good luck with whatever you choose.

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  9. I have downloaded many free e-books onto my Mac computer in PDF, actually won a couple of really good reads from Lexi Ryan and have an entire notebook of short e-novellas printed out that were free e-read PDF downloads from different authors.
    I will still not buy an e-reader rather than taking a book with me simply because it is not at this point a "necessity" rather than a "convenience" for me to use. However that said I can see where people who work away from home, who have to take their children to places where there is downtime, where you travel and need more than one book and cannot overload your bag with only books and no clothes will use their e-reader constantly... I will at some point in the future get one simply because of my eyes and reading a small print book is starting to cause more strain as my eyes age, the convenience at that point of different font size and back lighting will be wonderfully comfortable reading..

    Nice to see you "Popped your e-read cherry" and are enjoying yourself, a whole new world just opened up!!!!

    jackie b central texas

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  10. Um....congratulations? Not really sure what one is supposed to say about the whole ebook cherry popping. *snicker*

    Anyway, I'd recommend playing with both the Kindle and nook if at all possible. Know anyone with an ereader they're willing to let you borrow? I have a good friend that let me borrow her nook, and while I can see the appeal, an ereader just isn't for me. Did a post on my experience a few days ago, and I've come across other bloggers who have discussed their Kindle experiences. Maybe do a google search?

    Good luck with whatever you decide! And....congrats!

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  11. I have a Kindle and love it. I was using the Kindle app on my iPhone for months and finally decided to get an actual eReader. My eyes thanked me :) I also have the Sony Touch which I like but it’s had a few issues and their tech support stinks. All the freebies for the Kindle make it worth it IMO. I have a huge library of books and only actually purchased a handful.

    One thing I do love about the Sony is the ability to highlight parts of the ebook and take notes. I don’t know if that is an option on the Nook and if it is on the Kindle I haven’t discovered how to do it.

    I know a few Nook users and they all seem very happy with their purchase. If you’re a library user you might consider the Nook if your library allows you to “borrow” ebooks.

    I didn’t expect to enjoy reading an ebook either. Now I’m reading more ebooks than paper books.

    Good luck with your decision.

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  12. I live outside the US which, IMO, makes Kindle the less appealing choice, ebook reader-wise (you need some unlocked wireless spot around to use the built-in wireless, the price for books is higher than if I lived in the US, no freebies, etc.), thus I got my hands on a shiny Sony Touch 600, which I absolutely love. I particularly love the fact that I can upload *many* different formats on it. And the touch screen feature is awesome.
    I still buy some paper books, but I'll probably be more 'selective' as to which I'll get in 'hardware' vs those I'll buy in 'software'.
    In any case, have fun with whichever ereader you pick!

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  13. Teresa - I like both! LOL

    CelticLady - Ooooh, I look forward to a Kindle review from you :D

    Jackie - I thought I'd never get an eReader. I was against it. But now that I've discovered the convenience (and I love gadgets!), I want one.

    Alexia561 - LOL!!! I'm going to check out your post. I don't know anyone who has a K2 or a nook. A nook I could check out at a B&N but you can't check out a K2 unless you know someone who has one. That's a downer. I do have a co-worker who has a Sony eReader (not sure which one but it was one of the lower end ones that costs about $250) and she doesn't like it. I tried buying her an eBook and I don't like the Sony Store. You were lucky to have a friend that let you borrow their Nook. I don't know if I would be that generous...LOL

    Mama - you have 2 eReaders? I am green with envy! I believe the K2 does have the ability to highlight and take notes. At least that's what I think Fiction Vixen told me.....I do like the library feature and the Lend a Friend a book feature on Nook.

    Christine - I think if I do get an eReader, I'd be selective on which paper books I get too.

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  14. --One thing I do love about the Sony is the ability to highlight parts of the ebook and take notes. I don’t know if that is an option on the Nook and if it is on the Kindle I haven’t discovered how to do it.------
    ----------------------------------------

    Yep you can highlight, bookmark, and take notes with a Kindle. I know how to do it on my K1 but it may be different on the K2 so u probably want to check your manual rather than use my instructions lol.

    You can also change screensavers/fonts/etc with the Kindle but it does mean doing a hack... worth it to me. I have all my hot men on my kindle as screensavers LOL

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  15. The Sony was a gift and the Kindle I bought on my own. I signed up for Audible and they had a special going so I was able to get $100 off the price. If not for the discount I don’t think I would have splurged.

    The owners manual that came with my Kindle is very small. I’ll have to play with it tomorrow and see if I can figure out how to use the note and highlighting features. I’m a gadget junkie but not very tech savvy. Not what you’d usually expect to go together LOL

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  16. Mama - to do it on my K 1 I have to use my scroll wheel (i think you have a joystick) to go up to the line i want to highlight or make a note, push it down so it clicks and up pops a window that lets me look up words in the dictionary, highlight, or make notes. It may be the same on yours!

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  17. I have a Nook and I LOVE it. I originally thought about getting a kindle but after I compared the nook to the kindle the nook was the better buy. If you read a LOT of books I recommend the Nook because it is upgradeable...add a new memory card and your good to go.

    I fiddled around with a kindle that a friend of mine owns and I found it harder to navigate and learn...It took me a whole 10 minutes to figure out how to use my Nook when I brought it home. Plus, if you have a Barnes and Noble near you, can actually go to the store and pick one up. I'm not sure you can do that with the Kindle.

    I like the shopping app on the nook better also. Where Kindle has over 450,000 titles to choose from, when I was shopping on my nook the other day I had over a MILLION titles to choose from....I downloaded the brand new released book The Body Finder on my Nook for $1.99.

    So that's my two cents worth. I never thought I would enjoy being an e-book reader but I'm really glad I made the investment....By getting my nook I have already saved several HUNDRED dollars on well known titles. Have a great day!

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  18. I'm going to post a review of the Nook on monday or tuesday on my blog.

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  19. I have the Kindle 2 and I love it. My only problem is the PDF thing. It loads them on there but the font is really small and you can't adjust the size. I have to convert them which works great except that it does something funky. Every few pages it has the title of the book and a little info about it and a couple of the pages have fewer words than others. But those books I get for free from authors to review so I really shouldn't complain.

    Does anyone else read slower on their ereader?

    Stephanie G
    sgradel(at)gmail(dot)com

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  20. Jamie - I can't wait to read your review on the Nook :)

    Stephanie - Fiction Vixen has a great post on how to convert PDFs to a Kindle-friendly format. Here's the link: http://www.fictionvixen.com/2009/11/converting-pdf-files-for-kindle.html

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  21. Stephanie, yes, I do read slower on an ereader than I do a book. I'm not sure why that is. I think it's because there's less on each page, because you can adjust the font. Once I tried the largest font and that slowed me down alot, so I'm pretty sure that's the reason.

    At the same time, it's more enjoyable, because I don't have to rub my eyes alot. :D

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  22. You know how I feel about ereaders and my Kindle. I hope you are able to get a reader, I know you'll love it.

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  23. I have a Kindle 1. I hardly ever use it now because I get so many ARCs to review. I also find myself buying the actual books instead because we're on a budget and I can resell them used. :( Can't do that with ebooks. I also love sharing my books and I can't do that with the Kindle version. I know, I know. But I promise, I used to use it for every book I read!

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  24. Thanks for sending me that link on conversion. I've tried mobi pocket before but it didn't work for me but I'll try the other one.

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  25. oh! Nook can claim over a million titles because it adds in the free books on google domain, etc. Amazon JUST opened their own free book store that also includes all the free classics/google books. So now you can get them easily on both devices :)

    I don't know if you have seen this site: http://ireaderreview.com/ tons of good info :)

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  26. @ Tiffany Thank you! I figured out to highlight and take notes this morning. It’s much easier to highlight on the Kindle 2 than the Sony. It does have the joystick. I’m sure it’s capable of much more than I’ve actually used it for.

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  27. I'm doing research too. My momtrends writer loved the nook. I'd like to also do reviews of the kindle.

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  28. The big ereaders are still to expensive for me. I will stick to my iPod Touch for the time being. Besides, I can't beat free! If you decide what you get, do a review of it!

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  29. Melissa - How much do you read on your iTouch? I like it because it's small and really convenient but I would like an actual eReader for the bigger screen.

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  30. I love my Nook!! I have not experienced a Kindle, though, so I can't compare. It's so handy and I love being able to take it wherever and it doesn't take up much room!! I get a lot of galleys from netgalley.com, too, which is awesome!! I still get regular books, but the e-reader is VERY handy! Just email me if you have any questions on the Nook!!!
    js1997@gmail.com
    Jennifer

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  31. I just posted my review of the Barnes and Noble Nook. If you want to read it the link is:

    http://thebookjunkiesbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/03/barnes-and-noble-nook-review.html

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  32. I love, LOVE my nook. The biggest deciding factor for me was the proprietary file type that the Kindle uses. Basically, Kindles only work with the eBook files that they sell. So if you ever decide to switch eReaders way in the future, and decide to pick something else that's not Amazon supported, you'll lose your entire eBook library. The nook/B&N (and I think the Sony eReader, but I'm not sure) use a file type that's supported across all types of eReaders. So I were to switch away from a nook, I could keep all my eBooks. For me that was the main reason I went with a nook.

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