Amazon's Kindle

[rov1200]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this book reader?

[piggynose]

no pages to turn, or book marker to lose

[Mosaic]

I haven't tried one because I don't fancy it, and it was only watching the clever lady on the Georgians at Home programme that made me realise why. It reminds me of a slate. Now a slate is very useful for many things, but the beauty of 'real' reading is that you can 'look around' a page, or several pages, without having your view restricted to the little window povided by a kindle. i suppose if you are simply reading text it might be OK, but if you want to refer to illustrations / diagrams I think that the visual break between thinking you want the diagram, then zooming into, would affect concentration. I think its early days for these devices, and I know I can buy an truckload of books for the cost of one kindle.

[saxy_jag]

It's cheaper than the Sony, it has a bigger capacity and the books are cheaper to download - free in some cases. The 3G version also has wif-fi so that you download directly to it (with Sony, you have to download via a PC).

On the down side, the major library suppliers seem to be going with Sony, so if that's how you get most of your books, then perhaps the Kindle wouldn't be such a good idea.

The Sony one (or compatible ones) and their books are more widely available.

In general, an eBook reader will never be a proper substitute for a real, paper book, especially when it comes to children's books and those lovely picture books we all like to have around the house. But if you travel or have limited space for book storage, then you can have up to around 3500 books taking up less space and weight than a single paperback. Plus your 'books' will always remain in pristine condition and there's no danger of lending them out and not getting them back again.

I did actually roughly cost out that at an average £8 per paperback novel, I'd spend around £32 per month (£364 per year) if I bought them all new. At around half that or less for eBooks, and at around £150-£160 for the average eBook reader, it could pay for itsself in less than a couple of years, sooner if you read more than the three or four books per month I currently read.

It'll also save on a few trees.

[jno]

Mosaic, I'm not going to hunt around iPlayer for the programme to check, but wasn't that an iPad rather than a Kindle? (I'm not sure how much difference it makes to your argument.)

[Plugging Awa]

There's a really interesting piece in today's Daily Telegraph about the advantages of the Kindle by someone who thought she'd be hard to win over. Can't say I'd want one but she makes a good case for it.

[Count-A-Strong]

It only weighs around a quarter of one book but stores hundreds. Useful if you're going on holiday. Don't fancy one myself.

[Prudie]

Stores 1000s actually and I agree CAS just the the fact that you don't have to pack books is a great advantage.

[boxtops]

I don't fancy the holding of it, it looks very dispassionate compared with holding a real paper book - a book is friendly and tactile, there's no bendiness in a Kindle.

[Count-A-Strong]

A bit like the difference between a vibrator and the real thing


I'll get me coat.

[ethandron]

i have a cousin who has MS and she finds it wonderful as it's so much lighter and easier to read. am contemplating getting one to save taking a heavy bag of books when we go away on extended trips abroad.

[joggerjayne]

Advantage ...

You can carry around lots of books of your choice, on one handy device.

Disadvantage ...

The Kindle will, eventually, destroy the book publishing and book shop industry (the whole Borders chain has already gone out of business) so, within a few years, our choice of new books coming onto the market will be limited to those books that can be sold en masse to the Kindle market ... ie. holiday reading.

[boxtops]

That's the only time I think I'd consider one - travelling. Half a dozen paperbacks that we usually take on our hols are pretty heavy!

[Famous5]

Books can be passed around friends or bought/sold at charity shops so being helpful

[Mosaic]

Jno you are probably correct. I'm being lazy and using the brand name as a generic term - like a biro?

JJ - worrying about the effect on the publishing industry....the world turns. The publishing industry never worried about me!

[saxy_jag]

Interesting point, Jayne, and one I was having on a writing forum a couple of weeks ago. I really like the look of eReaders and am hoping to treat myself for Xmas (hence I've done all the costing and research) and, like a lot people, I was initially reticent. I have gradually been won over, not the least because of the saving both to my bank balance and to the environment.

I can't see ebooks taking over completely, though, at least not in my lifetime. I believe there's room for both in this world, especially where the younger generation is concerned. Kids need to know what a book is and be familiar with the concept before they fully appreciate the idea of a virtual book. Plus there is still so much 'old-knowledge' in book form that hasn't yet been digitised.

And I fail to see how any group of littlies can possibly have a storytime without a proper book.

[ludwig]

Major disadvantage - compared to reading a real book, it's sh1t.

[rov1200]

A colour book reader might be more readable as well as showing some pictures.

[ChuckFickens]

Biggest disadvantage is...

You buy the Ebook but you don't own it. Amazon can remove it at anytime they want to (need to) and you are left without the book you purchased.

[anagram]

I was given a Sony ebook reader last Christmas and I love it. At first I thought it would be good for holidays etc but that I would mainly stick with paperbacks. Now 12 months on and I rarely read paperbacks any more.
The best gift ever!

[modeller]

It may be a stupid comment but I notice that a selling point is the fact that they can hold 3500 books . I don't know much about them but I have seen the cost of downloading a book is about £4 if that is true it would cost £14k to make full use of its capacity.
I've obviously got something wrong could someone enlighten me. ?