Kindle vs Other E-Book Gidgets.

[CocoChanel]

Does anyone have a Kindle or another E-Book Device they use?
If so how do you like them and which do you prefer?

[Chupacabras]

There is no reader out there that can compare itself to the Kindle. B&N has one coming out but its library will be nowhere near as robust as Amazons.

For text only, books can't compete either. You'll "hear" people talk about the tactile sensation of handling a book but I'd rather have a little piece of metal and plastic that can be held in one hand any day. Factor in that your entire library is now searchable and has a built in dictionary,encyclopedia and even saves your last read page for you and there's no reason not to get one... unless you don't read enough to justify the cost. I can't even imagine buying that new Stephen King book in hardcover, but will happily buy it for my Kindle.

[CocoChanel]

Thank you! How is the read out loud feature? Is the voice weird?

[Chupacabras]

Sort of weird. A real guy transcribed every word so the the transitions between words can be a little crisp but it's perfectly understandable. Nowhere near what a book on tape would be (and why most Kindle owners didn't understand why the industry was so against the voice option). There are youtube video demonstrations if you want to hear for yourself.

[CocoChanel]

I do Can you link?

[Chupacabras]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28i8-h73fss"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]

[CocoChanel]

Okay it's a bit robotic but like you said... understandable. I think I want to buy a Kindle for me, my man and my mother. I just want to make sure I'm making a good choice.

[Lipp]

Myself I don't think I'll get into it for a long time.

Reading on screens becomes a real eye-sore, regardless of whether it's on the PC or Iphone, so I always print out long passages that need to be read.
Unless they have a low-brightness high-contrast screen display on the kindle I dont see how it would be any difference.

[CocoChanel]

It doesn't look like it's those type of screens. From pictures it looks like it is easy on the eyes. Can someone who has one shed some light on that? How is the screen?

[Gribble]

I read voraciously. I like the smell of books, the pulpy feel of the paper. I like having shelves stuffed with the works of great minds.

Likewise, screens make my eyes hurt. I've been known to pick up a good book in the evening and not put it down until dawn. I think my eyes would bug out of my skull if I did that with an E-Book reader.

[lovesjoyajm]

I read voraciously. I like the smell of books, the pulpy feel of the paper. I like having a shelves stuffed with the works of great minds.

Seriously. I feel good seeing a shelf of books I've read and adding to it. I applaud the conservation of paper and all, but... not really.

[IndiReloaded]

Not until epaper gets better. I have a pdf reader on my itouch I use, but only if desperate. The iphone/touch are not very good for reading, neither is a laptop really. If I have to do serious editing, I print and make notes.

[AdminOnline]

Check out Nook , an android-based ebook reader, by Barnes and Noble.

I like the design of it and some of it's features.

[url]http://www.droidpage.com/nook/13-nook-android-powered-e-book-reader.html[/url]

[Gribble]

I think my opinion of the Kindle will change when they get around to lowering the price. At $260 I'd rather just go out and by a netbook for not much more. As far as E-Book readers go, the Kindle is the best and it does have some interesting features. I'd definitely be happy to open one up on Christmas. Though I'd probably use it mainly for news and light reading while on the go.

[Chupacabras]

E-ink is unlike any other display, it's high contrast with no backlight so there's no eyestrain. Page flips take longer than they would on other display types, but you get used to hitting the next page button a few words from the end of the page (so there's effectively no pause in your reading).

The basic screen technology is mostly the same between all the vendors; Sony makes a reader that's sold in big electronics stores and while I wouldn't recommend one vs. the Kindle, it's an easy way of seeing what these displays look like in person.