I'm hearing a lot about friends and family who have recently starting using Kindle (or Nook or iPod touch with iBook or iPad with iBook, or some other e-reader system), and I'm starting to really consider the pros and cons of getting such a device.
Cons:
They're kind of pricey
You have to buy books to read on them
Borrowing books to read on them can be tricky (not all libraries lend in all formats)
It's not like holding a book (the feel of turning pages, the smell of the paper, being able to find something you just read or pop ahead briefly are challenging)
Compared to how many books are available in print (millions? billions?), there is a rather limited amount of books available for these devices (I believe it might go to hundreds of thousands)
Pros:
They're cool (any kind of new technology is exciting and attractive to me)
They're portable
You can download several books for free
You have access to several books at a time, whereas with a physical book, you'd typically only bring one or just a few with you anywhere at one time.
I recently found out that Amazon.com has a large number of books available for download for the Kindle system for free. Further, I found that Kindle offers programs not only for that specific device, but also for the iPad, for PC computers, and for other devices as well. So I downloaded Kindle for PC the other day. I've obtained about six free books from Amazon so far, and I've been reading one of those books for the past couple of days. It's kind of a pain to have to have my computer to read from, but it's a great way, I think, to at least get a feel for that method of reading. I don't think I'll ever completely give up physical books--my love for them is simply too great. But I think this is something I'll consider more and more over the next few months. It might be something I want to consider getting at some point. (And from there, of course, I'd have to really think about which device to go with: Kindle, Nook, iPad or iPod Touch, etc.)
Fun experiment!
About Me
- trayceetee
- I grew up in Small Town, Nebraska, feeling sheltered by the 'safety' of it all. When I moved to Big City, Nebraska, I felt like the world was my oyster. However, I soon felt like there was much more for me Out There... I moved to Chicago, thinking I was done with this 'little' state. It took living in a true big city to realize that Lincoln is just an oversized small town... and it's where I belong! I'm blessed to have a wonderful husband who understands me and all my oddities. My kids are young enough to still think I'm cool. Beyond that, who cares, right?
2 comments:
Below is the link to a very interesting article that scored thousands of e-reader and tablet customer reviews and shows what is important to the customers and how these devices compare. This may help your readers to make a right choice for their needs.
http://tinyurl.com/amp4ereader
Thanks, Gregory! That's some good information, and it's presented in a very clear manner. I appreciate that--have already passed the link on to a friend who was truly in the market for one of the e-readers. Once I run into some money, I'll refer back to this, as well!
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