A Thread About: Digital Books

[Deleted]

So...I used to have a lot of books, this was a while ago...moving house used to be such a massive pain. At one time in my life I moved quite frequently (just after Uni, shared places etc)...so the books, although loved, were a big pain in the arse...and I became quite ruthless in getting rid of "stuff" before a move.

These days, I still have a lot of books...but they're all digital; I carry my library wherever I go.

I'll only consider buying a paper book if there really is no other option...and I really, *really* want it immediately...

I have friends who hate digital books because they don't get the tactile sensation etc...I love them because I have them all in my pocket - what do you guys feel about the whole thing?

[Defengar]

I love my Kindle. I love the fact i can carry all my book with me and how all the books are SOOOOO MUCH CHEAPER than real ones. I do miss the "feel" of real book ssometimes though. But since im not going to buy ebook copies of books i already have real copies of, i can still read real ones when i want.

[Marise]

I enjoy both. I still buy books, although generally only used (yay for Powells books) and if they're cheaper than on kindle. I like to soak in the tub and read and that's one place I don't like to take Kindle and prefer a regular book.

[Deleted]

I love my Kindle. I love the fact i can carry all my book with me and how all the books are SOOOOO MUCH CHEAPER than real ones. I do miss the "feel" of real book ssometimes though. But since im not going to buy ebook copies of books i already have real copies of, i can still read real ones when i want.

My friend has a kindle and swears by it. I have an iPad...much preferring the kindle software to iBooks, they really do have the digital book reading thing covered.

If you don't mind me asking - where do you do most of your reading? Are you a commuter and read on the train/bus and such...do you use your kindle quite happily at home too? The reason I ask is that my friend gets the train to work and the kindle is just perfect there I'm told - my iPad is good for around the house...but I've found reading whilst commuting to be less good because of the really glossy screen...sometimes it's been next to useless.

---------- Post added 2011-07-22 at 09:59 PM ----------

I love my Kindle. I love the fact i can carry all my book with me and how all the books are SOOOOO MUCH CHEAPER than real ones. I do miss the "feel" of real book ssometimes though. But since im not going to buy ebook copies of books i already have real copies of, i can still read real ones when i want.

I envy you!

I love the idea of reading in a bath with a nice glass of wine...unfortunately, I'm messy; everything goes in the bath eventually...and if by some miracle the book makes it without a soapy baptism - I'll drop it down the toilet...or it'll catch on fire.

[scandalis]

I have an IPAD and thats what i use for my digital books and i got to tell you I love them. I used to carry my books when commuting to work and it was just something else i had to bring along. When i got my IPAD while yes it was something else i had to bring along it is the almost same weight as a hardcover book but i could do more than just read on it. I love the ease behind the digital books, at first i thought i wouldnt like it and it took some time to get used to reading on a screen instead of paper but once i did i fell in love and can never look back.

@ Haggety, I had the same problem for a while but i turned the contrast down on the IPAD and it fixed the issue for me.

[Melodi]

I dislike digital books or having to read extensively online (articles for research and for class when I was at college). For starters, it just hurts my eyes after a while staring at Adobe reader files. That, and I don't have a laptop anymore so I can't move around or be more comfortable while doing research or take it with me.

I like having the actual book or print out because I can then mark pages or at least sticky tab them for easy use or highlight if need be. I can take it wherever I go and do what I want to it within reason and it also helps me visualize for tests or other things what exact page that information was on. It's a bit harder to do that with a digital copy.

Also, while I have looked into a Nook or even something like an iPad (already have an iPhone so I feel the iPad is useless to me effectively) I just can't justify spending all that money on those devices when I already have a desktop that can do effectively the same thing. That and books are cheaper in their original format and I don't have to buy the device then pay to download the book. Also, unless I physically lose the book (which never happens) or my place catches on fire, I will always have it. Electronics are known for being buggy and inconvenient at the the worst times. With an actual hardcopy, I don't have to worry about losing my stuff as much.

Granted, I'm not in school anymore but I will be going back for my Master's relatively soon.

[Deleted]

I have an IPAD and thats what i use for my digital books and i got to tell you I love them. I used to carry my books when commuting to work and it was just something else i had to bring along. When i got my IPAD while yes it was something else i had to bring along it is the almost same weight as a hardcover book but i could do more than just read on it. I love the ease behind the digital books, at first i thought i wouldnt like it and it took some time to get used to reading on a screen instead of paper but once i did i fell in love and can never look back.

@ Haggety, I had the same problem for a while but i turned the contrast down on the IPAD and it fixed the issue for me.

Ah! Thanks for the tip! Y'know, I think you might be right - I just turned the contrast down and it makes it so much easier on the eyes.

I think you make a good point about carrying your books - some really thick books, I've loved...but had to almost shoehorn in to my work bag to make them fit...and then it dislocated my shoulder :-)

That's an interesting point isn't it...my iPad...it'll always have the same shape and size...it's the same thing that goes in to and out of my bag - in fact, I bought my bag and it had to have space for my pad...whereas paper books, different shapes and sizes...it might fit, it might not...

[Marise]

Melodi, I also cannot read for long on the computer or Ipad (haven't tried nook but with the backlighting I suspect I would have similar issues). The kindle screen isn't backlit so it does not bother me at all; it's remarkably similar to reading a book actually. You can bookmark, highlight, etc. on all of the devices I believe. That said I wouldn't use them for studying either, I always used regular text books in college. I'm not even sure to what extent scholarly material is available on them to be honest, I should look into it sometime.

One thing that's really nice though is all the free classics you can get. Obviously you can get them on your PC too, but like I said earlier I can't read on it for very long.

[Deleted]

I'm a software developer...all of my technical books come from online from various online book repositories - it's amazing really...this includes research papers and everything, so there's a massive amount of material to be had.

Something I absolutely *love* about the iPad kindle app - you can touch a word...and various dictionary/encyclopaedia/wiki links and references will appear at the bottom of the screen...

[noteworthynerd]

I absolutely love buying and reading books on my iPad, if I never had to buy another book printed on paper, it would be too soon.

Here's a great example of why I love digital books: It dawned on me a couple of days ago that Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects had been released. I was at work when I found out, and I work 30-45 minutes away from the nearest book store. Luckily, I have an iPhone, so I whipped it out and checked the iBooks store to see if it was available. Fortunately, it was! I sneaked away on my lunch break to the library (free wifi!) and downloaded it, read during my downtime, and then transferred it to my iPad.

Not to mention, like the OP has pointed out, I can have what would be several hundred pounds of paper books stored on my 2lb iPad.

[koodledrum]

I'm kinda the same with reading as i am with music, i know i can get the "digital" stuff, but there's something just awesome about actually reading a book as opposed to a digital representation thereof, that being said i am thinking about a Kindle given my lack of space factors - don't really wanna wind up like my Dad who's study was crammed with books on various subject he was studying.

[Jenzali]

The kindle is amazing because it's like reading a book - it arranges the ink on a non-backlit screen so it does not hurt your eyes at all. It helps me go to sleep more easily when I read my kindle just beforehand.

[Wynnyelle]

My Kindle is really helpful and convenient, but it just isn't the same. I don't really read books that often anymore unless I'm getting them from the library. But the ones I buy, I get for my Kindle. It's kind of sad that even books are becoming outdated now, but I guess that's how technology is now. =)

[StarNewsTOR]

I my kindle, it makes me happy. Me being happy = good.

[Arog]

I can easily say that buying a Kindle was one of the best purchases I have made. I can read it in any light setting with out hurting my eyes, books are usually at least half the cost of it's physical counter part and I can get any book i want instantly.

[Deleted]

Ooooh, that's a total winner isn' it....seeing a book you'd like....click...done....you're reading.

---------- Post added 2011-07-23 at 09:45 AM ----------

My Kindle is really helpful and convenient, but it just isn't the same. I don't really read books that often anymore unless I'm getting them from the library. But the ones I buy, I get for my Kindle. It's kind of sad that even books are becoming outdated now, but I guess that's how technology is now. =)

That's a really interesting observation wynnyelle - is a book a collection of words...or is a book a collection of words on paper?

[Deleted]

I used to be heavily anti e-book for a long time. Also swearing by real books, claiming the screen hurts my eyes, finding digital books a blasphemy to the art of the printed word, all those excuses.
I also used to carry at least one book with me so I'd have something to read while commuting, so I'd have this GIGANTIC handbag. This resulted in time in severe neck pain, when my father saw me dump the anniversary edition of the LOTR trilogy from my bag he went "right, I'm getting you an e-book." and ordered me a Kindle.

I can easily say it's the best gift I've ever gotten. The screen is easy to read, it actually feels easier on the eyes than a physical book. I have my library with me in my, now much smaller, handbag. Wherever I am if I run out of books I can connect to whispernet and get new material.
I've been devouring free classics from Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) as well.
It's small, it's light, the battery lasts seemingly forever (seriously, I first thought it ran on happy rays or something), in it's leather case it looks classy and because it's clearly a book, not being bright and flashy like an ipad, I won't get mugged for it either.

[Deleted]

I've being considering an e-reader, but I think I'll wait a bit for them to develop further... since I'd pay about €400,- for a decent sized one with a stylus. Bit much... still.

[Disenchanted]

I'm one of those hopeless (call me what you will: romantic, traditionalist, nostalgic) who much prefers having an actual book. I bought my wife a Nook a while back and she loves it.

Which turned out to be fortunate for me when A Dance with Dragons came out. Somehow, not a single store in my area managed to have the book on order, much less in stock the day it came out. I was so confident there would be copies available, I didn't bother ordering one off Amazon. My loving wife offered to let me use her Nook so I could begin reading immediately while I waited for an Amazon shipment. She was still reading A Feast for Crows, so she took my copy of that book in the meantime.

I have to say, it wasn't a bad experience. It did not strain my eyes. I could even read in the dark. And I was done reading before my hardcover arrived.

That said, I still prefer a nice thick book. Yes, it is a bit of a tactile experience. But my book doesn't run out of battery life before I'm done reading (I tend to power read). I also have to "turn the page" half as often. And if I lost or broke a nook, there goes my whole library. Outside of theft or fire, that's not likely to happen with my books.