E-reader, here I come …

• Posted in About Books

Well, I have finally decided to break down and get an e-reader. Hello, twenty-first century. Jennifer is finally here. LOL.

I know, I know, I’m a little late to the party since e-readers have exploded in popularity in the last few years. But hey, better late than never, right? Plus, I think it’s kind of ironic that I’ve done some e-publishing with the Bigtime series, and I don’t actually have an e-reader myself. So I have decided to treat myself to an e-reader for Christmas.

Why? Well, for a couple of reasons. Mainly because it seems like there are more and more e-books and e-stories that I want to read, especially when it comes to prequels, 99-cent stories, and things like that authors are doing to tie-in with their books. I have e-book reading apps on my computer, but I never actually sit and read on the computer because it’s just not as comfortable as curling up on the couch with a book. And hopefully, this will also help eliminate some of the books and clutter from my house.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m probably always going to like paper books better, especially when it comes to actually going to a bookstore/library and browsing through all the titles. Nothing’s ever going to replace that for me. But the convenience and portability of an e-reader has a lot of appeal to me.

Right now, I’m leaning toward getting a Kindle Fire, just because I want something that will let me read e-books and surf the web. That’s really all I plan on using it for. No apps, no games, nothing like that simply because I never seem to have time for stuff like that. Plus, with the $199 price I don’t feel like that’s too much for me to invest in case I don’t like it. Although I am going to look at the reviews for the Fire over the next few weeks before making a final decision.

I’m also considering the NOOK Tablet, but at $249, it is a little more than the Fire. I also wonder if I order the Fire whether or not I will get it in time for Christmas, since it looks like they are filling orders on a first-come, first-serve basis, but that’s not a big deal to me.

What about you guys? If you have an e-reader, what kind do you have? What do you like/not like about it? If you don’t have an e-reader, are you planning to get one?

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53 Responses to “E-reader, here I come …”

  1. Liz says:

    I’m in the exact same place; I’ve finally decided to get an e-reader for christmas because the laptop is a pain in the butt to read on. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between tablet and e-ink. For the tablet I think I’d go with the new B&N tablet because it has a larger, and expandable memory, and better hardware than the Fire. But for e-ink I can’t decide between the nook touch and the kindle touch. And I really can’t make up my mind which category to go for…

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      I would say the most important factors for me are the web surfing, what the e-ink looks like, and how easy it is to read. I want to do some more research before I make a final decision.

    • Cristina says:

      So I had a Kindle . . . but once I got my iPad, I never looked at it again . . . and that netbook and iPod touch? haven’t used them either – I eliminated 3 devices with the acquisition of the iPad.

      If you are looking for a straight reading device, the Kindle is excellent – especially if you read in the sun (which I never do – being fair skinned)
      However, as soon as you want to do anything else, the Kindle isn’t so great – and neither are the other reading devices.

      The iPad lets me do my e-mail (and I can forward (POP) mail from different accounts to it); I can do work productivity stuff like MS Word, Excel and powerpoint, I can engage in an online meeting (GoTOMeeting, etc.), I can watch movies, listen to music, play games, surf the web and READ.

      If you travel and fear getting stuck in airports with nothing to do, this is a great device.

      So the price is high . . . but you can get a refurbished iPad at a lesser expense. The iPad 3 is rumored to be out this spring, so the iPad 2 price will be dropping.

      The AT&T connection (optional) is $30/month. It’s good enough that I don’t maintain a separate Internet connection at home.

      Your local public library might be circulating or have devices on hand. Suggest you give them a call and see if they have a device that you can play with.

      Have fun.

      • Jennifer Estep says:

        That’s a good tip about the library. I hadn’t thought of that, but I believe they have Nooks you can borrow.

        One of my friends has an iPad which she really likes. It looks like a cool device, but like you said, it is more expensive.

  2. Susan Helene Gottfried says:

    I went Nook, the new one with the e-ink and touchscreen. E-ink was absolutely necessary; I get migraines from staring at backlit screens for too long and made the jump to a Nook because I was actively avoiding reading all the ebooks I’ve got.

    I went B&N over Amazon ’cause B&N doesn’t have the proprietary format like Kindle, although Amazon is changing that with the Fire, and because I’m not an Amazon fan overall.

  3. Hope says:

    This is going to be a big Christmas for e-readers. My sister is getting me a Nook Special Touch (yay, sister!), and I might get one for her if she tries it and likes it. At $99, it feels like a safer experiment to me than spending $199 on something I’m not sure I’ll use expect for the kind of e-offers you mention. The flickering with page turns on Kindles worried me a little about eye strain when I tried them in Best Buy. The Nook has the best memory / processing right now among e-readers, with expandable memory. The cnet reviews were helpful. https://cnet.co/rSG2BL

    My laptop is so lightweight now that I take it with me when I want to use the Internet away from my desk, though friends with iPhones love using the Internet on the go. If I want an audio book, I’d listen on my iPod, and so the lack of sound doesn’t trouble me too much… especially for $99. That my sister is going to pay. -grin- But if I wanted sound, and Internet, Fire would probably be the way I’d go, too. Decisions, decisions.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Cool. I hope you enjoy the Nook you’re getting. Sound doesn’t even really matter that much to me. Like I said, I just want something I can read and surf the web on.

  4. Hope says:

    Heh, Nook “Simple” Touch not special touch: sounds apt for reading romance novels, either way. I think I’ll just refer to it as a Nook here on out.

  5. Julia @ Rex Robot Reviews says:

    I have the regular Kindle 3, that I got last year for Christmas. But I also preordered the Kindle Fire. I like the regular Kindle (which you can get for $79) just because it is e-ink and it is easy on the eyes and no glare when you read outside. And I’m super excited to add the Kindle Fire to my little collection so that I have something tiny to read on AND surf the web. I can’t wait for it to get hereeeee!

  6. Brigid Kemmerer says:

    I have a second generation Kindle (with the e-ink technology), and I love it. I actually just gave it to my mother, because my husband has pre-ordered the Kindle Fire. We also have an iPad and a Xoom tablet, so there’s no shortage of electronic devices around here.

    Personally, I prefer reading on the Kindle to reading on a tablet (including the Kindle Fire), because there’s no glare. You can genuinely read it anywhere you have a light source, and the new Kindle covers have a light built into them.

    Then again, you have no web access. (Well, you do, but it’s crap.)

    I love my e-reader, and I’m sure you’ll love having one, too. I’ve stopped buying physical books altogether since getting one. Even when I browse in a bookstore, I’ll buy the book on my Kindle.

    Good luck! You’ll have to let me know what you end up going with.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Interesting. I am way behind when it comes to technology. I’m probably the only person who just uses their cell phone to make calls. LOL.

      I don’t know that I’ll stop buying paper books, but I will probably only buy the ones I want on my keeper shelf. We shall see …

  7. kaara says:

    I love my e-reader for the convenience of having so many different books available to me.
    My e-reader is a small cheap one from target, i love it! it fits easily into my handbag and its simple to charge and i can still read it as it charges which you can not do with kindle.
    I read mostly at night and with my e-reader i dont need an additional light source to be able to use my e-reader which i know you need with kindle. My cheap little e-reader takes a micro sd card and to date i have over 25,000 books on my e-reader, and i haven’t got any of the books stored on the internal memory.

    I know for myself that i love my no name brand cheap little e-reader. I personally cant stand how hard it is to download anything on to a kindle and how you need to sit under a light to be able to use it.
    I strongly suggest having a look at them before buying.

  8. Jenny says:

    YAY!!! I was very anti-ereader for a while, I thought nothing would ever be better for me than a paper book, and while I still prefer paper books, the ease of acquiring books on my ereader is pretty addicting:) I have a Kindle and it’s really nice to just go to the Kindle store and push a button and then plant my rear end on the couch and enjoy. Can’t wait to see what you finally end up with and how you like it!

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      That is one thing I’m worried about — how much my bill would be when you can just click and boom! The book is right there without having to go to the store. LOL.

  9. evening-green says:

    I have looked at different eReaders for a while now and I’ll finally get mine some time this month.
    I’m getting the new Sony Reader Wi-Fi (“PRS-T1”) because I wanted something with e-ink as well as touch-display and it supports Epub-format. Like the name suggests you can browse the web with it as long as there’s Wi-Fi, but it’s got e-ink, so it’s not the same as using a tablet for surfing the web, but since I’m more interested in reading books on it that’s perfectly fine with me.
    I should mention though that we’ve got an iPad at home for that stuff, but as lovely as it is it’s not an eReader. I mean it’s fine for occasional reading but ultimately I have to have something less straining on the eyes, even if the graphics won’t look as fantastic since there’s no color and animations on eReaders.
    My second eReader choice would have been the Kindle or Kindle Touch.

  10. Jennifer L Eastep says:

    For the person on the go, I would recommend something like what I have. I bought the Samsung Replenish “Smart Phone” that has a built in E-reader.. While the Screen is a bit small, the text is big enough to read comfortably. Downloading your favorite books is simple (just downloaded “Tangled Threads” on mine) Having an e-reader on my phone is wonderful because I do not have a lot of free time, so I can enjoy my favorite books while waiting for my kids to get out of school, at doctors appointments or anywhere I have a few minutes to spare. Oh and the thing comes with 3 books already on it (at least mine did) Great expectations, Pride and Prejudice, and Alice’s Adventures came with my phone. So you are set up and ready to go as soon as you power up..

  11. Barbara Elness says:

    I just got a Kindle for my birthday. I may eventually go for a Kindle Fire, but I figured I would see how I liked the regular Kindle first. So far, I really like it. It’s easy to download books, easy to hold, small enough to fit in my purse, altogether a great fit for what I want it to do.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      That’s a good idea too — trying out the regular Kindle first. And yes, I definitely want something that is purse-size and fairly lightweight. I have enough stuff in my purse already!

  12. KJ says:

    For long duration reading, nothing beats e-ink for me. I own two tablets, a 1st gen iPad and an Asus Transformer, a few laptops, a few cellphones/mobile devices, all of which I completely H_A_T_E trying to read anything more than maybe an article or normal length blog post on. For books or short stories, I much prefer my old small amazon kindle. I have seen both the amazon and nook touches and they both look awesome, so I don’t think you can go wrong there, depending on where your book collections are located.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Everyone seems to prefer the e-ink. I don’t really have any e-book collections yet (except for a few stories/books on my computer), which is something else I probably need to think about before I decide anything.

  13. Louise says:

    I’m on my second Kindle. I had a 2nd generation that I loved but my daughter “made the words go away” when she landed on it (silly me for leaving it on my bed). I now have a 3rd generation Kindle. I love it. It’s lightweight (a huge must for my decrepit wrists), the e-ink technology is awesome. I have bad eyesight too so I keep the text size kicked up. My first Kindle had Whispernet so I loved the “always connected” feature. Now I have the wireless-only version as it was much cheaper (and now a year later they are considerably less expensive). I am getting an iPad today (hubby’s 10-year work anniversary gift, they already bought him one for “testing their website”). 😀 I don’t think that I’ll be using the iPad for e-book reading though. It’s larger, heavier, and the screen isn’t quite as nice for reading; there’s a bit of a glare. In my opinion, the e-ink technology of the Kindle is superior. And yes, it is awesome for reading in sunlight (not something I do much of anymore but the times I have I’ve been thankful for no glare). And all of the other pluses mentioned: great for travel (hello practically everyone at an airport these days has an e-reader or iPad-like device), holds LOTS of books, I love the search feature both of my complete library (on device and archive on Amazon’s servers) and within the books (especially when sometimes I just want to read a certain scene – kitchen scene of Spirit Dances, anyone?)

    And you can get some really cool skins for the Kindle (check out Moira Rogers’ cool custom Wilder skin). 😀

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Oh, yes. I need something lightweight for my wrists too. LOL.

      I hadn’t thought about the accessories, but that’s something else I’ll need to look into.

  14. MaryEllen says:

    I have a regular kindle – I am ambivalent about the Kindle Fire, the regular one actually feels like reading a book. I don’t like the lack of 3g as well, you don’t realize how annoying WiFi is til you have to deal with it.

    I’d heartily recommend the kindle over the Nook though, because the experience is so much better.

    The weird thing about me tho – I read most of my kindle books on my blackberry. Also, LOL, the captcha code is almost a dirty word. /win!

  15. Rev. Bob says:

    I picked up an original Kobo unit (now called Kobo Wi Fi) very cheaply when Borders was closing, and while it has certain drawbacks, I’m quite happy with it. For one thing, it has an SDHC slot, which makes sideloading a snap – very useful for my Baen library. Secondly, a firmware update came out that transitioned it (and my library) from the Borders site to the fundamental KoboBooks site – so I’m not tied to a dead company.

    It’s got Wi-fi and a companion iPhone/iPod touch app, so I can read my stuff on any of three different devices automagically. The e-ink screen is very nice in daylight, as I learned when the power went out after some tornado activity in April. (I read outside for a full day without being a bit concerned about recharging.)

    The main disadvantage is the lack of a touch screen; using the 4-way control to enter text on the onscreen keyboard gets really tiresome. (The newer Kobo Touch unit fixes that.) PDF support could be better as well; that’s primarily a function of low resolution, few (16) shades of gray, and small screen size. However, when it comes to actually reading ebooks – the main feature – I’m very pleased.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Interesting. I have to admit that I’m pretty clueless when it comes to all the software and the various programs/formats/etc. the different readers feature.

  16. Anna says:

    I have a Nook Touch. Love it! I like having a B&N representative available to me if I need technical support. I chose this over the Kindle because, at the time, Nook allowed library lending.

    I also want to get a Kindle Touch for Christmas so I can download my Kindle books and get library books. There’s also the flexibility of lending books to Kindle people. (Many friends have a Kindle.)

    At this time, I think of ereaders as bookshelves. So choose the one that works best for your needs. They seem very much the same in my honest opinion. Anyway, there are so many good books available for $2.99 in ebook format only. I wish more publishers would adjust their prices. It’s hard to justify purchasing an ebook for the same price as the mass paperback.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      One of the reasons I want an e-reader is so I can read some of the tie-ins and extras authors are doing for their various series. I have a few of those downloaded on my computer, but I never seem to have the time or inclination to read them there.

  17. Melissa (Books and Things) says:

    Can I snicker? 😉

    I snicker because you were the reason I got a Sony pocket ereader. Now, I also have a Kindle (see what a monster you created? lol) and I do like it better than the Sony. I also like both screens with eink which makes it easier to read than the iPad, but for surfing I don’t think any of the ereaders have it over the iPad in that direction. So, I guess it is what is important to you. What format you prefer.

    Congrats on your new ereader… whatever you get! 🙂

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Really? Well, I’m flattered. 😉 Hope you are enjoying my books on your e-reader.

      Most folks seem to like the e-ink better. I think iPads are cool, but I don’t know that I need one of those right now. We’ll see what I get …

  18. Liza says:

    I only got my kindle last year. I absolutely love it and was even thinking about getting a Nook too before my library allowed kindles to borrow books too. I have a coupon for the Nook touch for $79 right now. Might buy it while it is at such great price(B&N sent me an email to my old borders rewards account).

  19. Sabrina Garcia says:

    I was really reticent about getting an e-reader as well because I also love the feel of real books….. but finally purchased one for my birthday a few months ago. I got the Nook color and absolutely love it!!!!! I chose the color touch because I also wanted web access and have more options of what I can do with it. Although its true its not great to read in the sun (which I dont do often) its great to read in low light (or no light); which has been heaven sent for me so I can squeeze in a few more chapters without bothering my husband!!! And I can also randomly pop in to some of my fave sites like Facebook, Goodreads or to read different Blogs such as yours ;-). Also with the Nook I can purchase from all the small indie publishers without having to worry about changing format. And the last thing that sold me was to be able to access library books as well (which I think Kindle will be starting soon).
    Regardless I think its a great move; like you said its a great space saver an just extremely convenient!!

  20. Barbara Elness says:

    I just got a Kindle for my birthday and I love it so far. I may get a Kindle Fire at some point, but I want to see how it goes with the Kindle first. I think it’s going to be easy to get used to using, it’s small, fits in my purse, is easy to hold and easy to read on, so it definitely fits my needs. I’ll still read print books, but it’s nice to have this option.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      I agree. I think just having the option would be cool, and I like the idea of being able to take the e-reader with me and not worrying about finishing a book and having nothing else to read.

  21. Art Ferman says:

    I have an ipad and love it but I wish it had more memory or was expandable. My battery life is not as great as with the kindle (10 hours vs. 1 month) so you might consider that as well. Amazon’s 3G system of downloads is available in most countries so a plus to availability of books while traveling. eReaders cannot be beat if you do any traveling so highly recommended for that as well (weight and bulk).

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Battery life is something else I need to take into account. And yes, I imagine e-readers are quite convenient if you travel a lot. You never have to worry about running out of books to read.

  22. Kate P says:

    So, as an owner of a Kobo (mentioned above as being available at Borders, but also elsewhere) and previously, a Sony (before there even were Kindles!) and an iPad I’m going to add my 2 cents!

    So I’m one of those people who has to have all the latest tech, and I bought my Sony e-reader really early on. I loved reading on it. People asked a lot if I missed the paper books, but when you’re reading on the e-reader, it doesn’t occur to you that you’re missing out on anything. If you’re reading a good book that is!

    The Kobo was great too, and it’s even better now that it has wireless and multiple colors. And the iPad…while excellent for lots and lots of things, is not exactly geared toward reading like a dedicated e-reader.

    If I were to go buy an e-reader today, I would buy the plain ol’ Kindle with 3G. You never have to worry about a connection because of the 3G (which is included), you get the e-ink screen (I’m going to say here that I spend all day looking at a computer as a tech geek, and sometimes, the last thing I want to do is go home and stare at another bright screen, so the e-ink is great), you can either get one with a keyboard or a touch screen, depending on what kind of interface you like better, and last but not least, the Kindle has apps for pretty much any device you own. So if you have a smart phone, you can read your books on your phone. Or you can even read them in a computer browser if you’d like! Plus the new lending feature (which obviously is too new to make a judgment on, but looks cool) is a great addition.

    The only concern I ever had about the Kindle was that if you lose your Kindle, or want a new e-reader, you’re pretty much stuck with the Kindle, because of Amazon’s file format being exclusive to their devices. So, your library isn’t very transferable. But, they’re so cheap these days that it almost isn’t as important as it was when I was considering buying one.

    Anyways, good luck! Sorry such a long analysis which I’m sure includes everything said above! 🙂

    • Kate P says:

      And I forgot! Battery life is key. It is way way longer on e-ink devices than others. If I spend a bunch of time on my iPad on one day, I need to charge it, where if I was reading on my Kobo, it probably gets charged once every two weeks or so. If that.

  23. Dale says:

    I used to be leery of e-readers, but decided to give one a try when my girlfriend couldn’t think of anything else to get me a couple of Christmases ago. Since I got it, I haven’t bought another paperback.
    One of the things I like about my e-reader is how you can re-size the font. I work under magnification all day in my job, and my eyes are pretty fatigued by the time I get home. Being able to enlarge the print for easier reading has made a huge difference for me. With printed books, you are limited to whatever size font is there, and if your eyes are tired it’s too bad.
    On the matter of being able to transfer e-books because of differing formats for different readers, I’ve found that a program called Calibre is excellent at reformatting an e-book into other formats. I had some short stories that I’d written and filed on my computer as .lit to be able to be read in Microsoft Reader, and I was able to convert to be read as epubs for my Sony reader.
    Once you get the hang of all that your e-reader will do, as well as a good conversion program to make transferring formats a breeze, you’ll love it how easy it is to organize and read on it.

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      I’m with you on the font sizes. By the time I’m done working for the day, I want something that is easy for my eyes to read. I think it will be cool to make the font as big as I want.

  24. Jess says:

    I love my NOOK, I can put anything on it. I’ve had it for about a year now and it is one of my favorite electronics. I like that I am not limited to 1 retailer, while I do get most of my e-books from B&N, I can also get e-books from my local indie bookshop. The NOOK supports a bunch of different publishing formats. The other things I like about it is that I can put music on it (I have yet to do that), the battery is replaceable for when it inevitably no longer charges (something like 5yrs from now) and that it has expandable memory. B&N also keep your library backed up on a server so you can add and remove books as you like.

    Jess
    PS I did a research paper on e-readers before I bought mine.

  25. Lan-Dinh says:

    I was a book snob. Not only were physical books a must, but I definitely preferred hard cover. I loved the feel of books in my hand. Last Christmas I got a Nook Color and I never looked back. I have 9 new hardcover books sitting dusty in a stack on my desk. I find it nearly impossible to read regular books now.

    I love the color nook because I love to read in bed at night and I like the backlit display. In the summertime, however, I wanted to read outside in the sun and it was not good for that. So I bought myself the Nook 2nd edition and absolutely loved that too. I find that I use the Nook eInk during the day and then switch to the Nook color at night. Yes – the eInk is much easier on the eyes. Now that it gets dark so early, I find myself using the Nook color more. I love them both and if I had to give up one or the other I’m not sure which I would choose. I’ve bought 5 Nooks as gifts this year alone.

    Also, I love the B&N site and the ability to buy books at other sites like fictionwise and allromanceebooks because they usually have great deals. It is wonderful to be able to lend and borrow books through the nook-lendable program and I have made friends on goodreads that I lend with daily.

    Because of the lending program, I’m actually considering buying a kindle (not sure if it would be a fire or eInk model) in order to lend with my goodreads friends who do not have Nooks.

    The one negative I discovered is that I am now spending WAY too much on books. I have hundreds of unread books on my Nook. When I bought physical books I would buy one, read it, buy another…with eBooks, I will buy a bunch at a time because it’s so easy. And seeing a shelf of icons in my ereader is not as significant to me as seeing a stack of unread books sitting in my house. So yeah….I’m developing something of an addiction.

    Hope that helps! Yes – I play music on mine also. I use the pandora app. Great feature when I’m soaking in the tub and want to stop reading for a second and close my eyes….*sigh*

    • Jennifer Estep says:

      Thanks for the information. I worry about that too — buying books and then not having enough time to read them. At least with paper books, I can see them sitting in the corner as a reminder that I need to read them. I’ll probably try to whittle down my TBR pile a little more before I get an e-reader. We shall see …

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