E-reader....yes or no?

Aeriel

Trying to decide if I should invest in an e-reader. I love books, read all the time, but don't know if I could get into reading on the screen all the time. Anyone have one and what do you think? What models do you like?

VelociMama

I can't read on a backlit screen for long, but the basic Kindle and Nook with e-Ink is WONDERFUL for reading. So much lighter and easier to handle than a big hardback or paperback book. I love my Nook.

Most public libraries will also do "loaners" to the Kindle or Nook now. Great way to read on the cheap.

JennyLisT

I borrowed one from a friend, and I hated every second of it. Until they can make them look and smell like books, I'll stick to my books.

txlissa62

It was very easy to get used to reading on a screen. I have a Nook e-reader (not the color version), and it's just like reading on paper. You can also read it outside in bright light, unlike the ones with a backlit screen (such as an iPad or Nook Color). They now have a version with a glow-light, so you can read at night or in poor light. It shines a soft, adjustable light from the side, not from behind the screen, so it's still easy on the eyes.

I love my Nook, and use it almost every day.

heatherk0908

I have one of the earlier version of the nook and love it. It's a little on the heavy side but the new ones are lighter. To me reading on the screen isn't any different than a book page. I wouldn't want one of the ones with the shiny screen though.

gvheintz

Love my Kindle. Service was great when it got zapped by a "scanner" through the airport. (Um ... I'm not taking mine through security in the future, for the record). That said, I love that I can email pdf documents to myself and it will convert them into books for me. Also, it will read to me ... not the same as an audio book ... but ok in a pinch.

Only negative I find is you lose a bit of the sense of how big the book it. Sure, it tells you how far you've read into the book ... but that could vary wildly between a 50 and a 500 page book. Otherwise, love it.

AReasor

I have an older model Sony ereader. I didn't think I would like it, but I am totally in love. I adjusted to the screen just fine, and I love having ALL of my books just a click away anytime I want.

I have been petting the nook recently. I love the light feature on it.

ickybella

I have a kindle. I didn't want to give up real books because I like the way they feel and smell, but I'm so glad I got it! You get so many of the classics for free and it's easy to read, even in the sunlight, because of e-ink. I take mine everywhere. I might be addicted. Oh, and I've had it for two years now, with no problems. I only have to charge it every few months, even though I read almost every night.

dlegros

I have a Kindle Touch and I love it as I don't have any space for books.

I do kinda wish I had the edge buttons from the older models though.

onefournine

I just ordered one of the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite front-lit readers. They release the first week of October. I also ordered a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet to replace my first generation Kindle Fire. I love Amazon services, but they aren't for everybody.

If Apple releases an iPad mini like they are rumored to in the first half of October, I may be tempted away from the Kindle Fire HD, but probably not.

I can answer any questions you may have about Amazon services or devices.

CandyTX

I've had every Kindle version (including Fire) since the 2nd edition. Everyone in my family has both an e-ink Kindle and a Fire. The Fire is NOT good for reading unless you like LED screens. We read on the e-ink and use the Fire as a toy. I've got the new PaperWhite Kindle on pre-order.

I'm a HUGE book nerd, easily read 100 books per year, as does my husband (we don't watch TV or anything like that so it's our entertainment). My kids read a lot. I love my e-reader, so much better than having books in the house, we were starting to get ridiculous with the number of books - of course, we're very tech-happy here though. All of our movies and most of our games are also all digital and we don't have traditional cable, but use a Roku, so there ya go.

Seriously, once you go Kindle... you'll never go back

hookandy

Love my kindle, kindle app on the ipod touch is ok , but still have and buy books.

Aeriel

Thanks for the feedback so far.....I too have a huge book collection that takes up so much space, so that would be nice. I have a birthday coming up at the end of the month, so I might check into a few more of these in detail and drop a hint or two my husband, since he never knows what to buy me.

So the e-ink are good for outdoor reading? And avoid backlit screens if I do any reading outside.

jensweighingin

Kindle fire. I have no problems reading on it except in bright sunlight. I read 1/2 a book at a time that I borrow from the library on the elliptical. Soooo much easier to read than a book on the elliptical. Love that I can 'take' 10 books with me on a trip and not have to carry them all. I've read 200 books since I got it in march. Resisted until then because I 'loved' books, but wanted a cheap tablet and I don't miss them.

mensasu

I have a iPad 1, and will read on it when I am indoors and in poor light. But it is unreadable outdoors, so I got a refurbished Sony to see what I thought. I love it. The size is much better for holding and reading. We plan on getting the smaller iPad when it comes out for other reasons and I will continue to use it as a reader at times. However I think (and I want to do more research) that there are or will be readers that allow you to switch from back lit to front lit. If I can find one of those I will get it to replace the Sony and hand the Sony off to a relative.

I love to read, but found that with my arthritis I could no longer read hard copy books, even some rather large paperbacks. The ereader is light and just the right size.

Plus you can read pdf's not just ebooks. I suggest though that you make sure the ebooks you buy can be read on multiple devices. Anything I bought through iTunes is restricted to my apple devices and I believe Sony restrict it to Sony readers. I think the others do not have DRM and allow easier movement of the book across devices.

Oh and you can lend ebooks from your library!

hooperkay

one kid has kindle.... another nook.... with nook you can go into barnes and noble and read any book in store as long as you are in store. I have an avid reader with kindle, she gets book allowance and reads them for school. She loves that you can highlight word and it gives you definition. Both are worth while if you like reading. Plus you can download book at home and don't have to go to store.

gadenni34

Love my old style Nook. No problem reading the screen. Can take it anywhere with me in my purse and have lots of books to choose from when I want something to read. I still check out paper books from the library but I can also do that with my Nook. while sitting in my jammies. ;-) I love it and highly recommend them. I am a huge reader and I was mixed on it at first but I am really glad I bought it!

VelociMama

Thanks for the feedback so far.....I too have a huge book collection that takes up so much space, so that would be nice. I have a birthday coming up at the end of the month, so I might check into a few more of these in detail and drop a hint or two my husband, since he never knows what to buy me.

So the e-ink are good for outdoor reading? And avoid backlit screens if I do any reading outside.

Go to Barnes and Noble and go look at the Nooks there. That'll give you a good idea of how the screens look in person. Kindle screens are similar.

The non-e-ink readers give me eye strain after a while, so I really preferred the basic Nook.

saverys_gal

Got the Kindle keyboard when it came out-loved! Upgraded last year when Kindle Fire came out-LOVE! I love the fact that I can read and do so much more on it. Yes it is color but I find that just dimming the screen based on where I'm at makes it easy to read no matter where I go. I still have all my old paperbacks and will frequent the library for new releases-I haven't paid for a book in over a year. :drinker:

Momma_Grizz

I never thought I would like to read on an e-reader as well - but I was wrong - I love it!

I had a kobo wi-fi and kobo touch but have since moved to a Sony e-reader. None of the models I have are back-lit and look like I'm reading paper. I love being able to adjust the fonts - for when my eyes get tired and the letters need to be a wee bit bigger.

Also it's fantastic to be able to carry all my books with me anywhere I go. And with either the Kobo or Sony e-reader you can borrow library books from Canadian public libraries.

karenwill2

I have the Kindle 2. It is older but I LOVE IT! I use it all the time with everything.

opuntia

I have a Kindle and I love it. It's not like reading off a phone screen or a computer screen, because there is no backlight. It's like reading from paper, except it's actually easier than reading from paper, because the text is clearer, and the background is pale grey, so less contrast. And you don't see all the dents and grains and hairs that you see on paper - there's nothing to distract from the text. You can adjust the text too - the size, the spacing, the margins, and whether or not your want serifs on the font. And it's easier to hold than a book is - no having to keep pages open and straightening them out when you turn pages. I find I read much faster on my Kindle than I do with regular books. I actually like the fact that there are no page numbers - page numbers tend to distract me, and I start calculating how much I've read and how much I have to read and how long it's taken and will take!

It's also good for travelling - I love to read and used to take several books with me whenever I went on holiday, which can make the suitcase rather heavy! Obviously the Kindle is way lighter and you're taking thousands of books with you wherever you go. :-)

Jkmumma

I have a nook, and I LOVE it. If I had the paper book for everything I had on my nook, I would need a separate house just for books... I take it EVERYWHERE, it's more durable than books are.

Now, on top of the nook, I have shelves and shelves of books, and enjoy the feel of a book in my hands, the smell of a book, ETC, but I LOVE that I can take a library of books with me wherever I go.

kcmsmith0405

Yes! I have a Kindle and a Sony and love them both. I read so many books I had no where to keep them any longer... now they are on my computer. The Sony is wonderful - you can borrow books right from the library on it as well. My kids are both addicted to this feature. The Kindle is all Amazon only which is fine since they sell almost everything, I far prefer the Sony for the software on it and the Library borrowing feature. The new Kindle Paperwhite looks really good though and I have to admit and the price is nice. I would not every use an ipad or Kindle fire as a reader though - too much eye strain.

kdougherty12

I LOVE my old school kindle, use it all the time!!! I rent most of my kindle books through my local library on Overdrive, it's awesome, plus there are always lots of great free books available!

JoanneStone

I love my E-reader, BUT! I love books. The smell, the feel, turning pages. I have a process I go through when I get a new book. I look at the cover art, read the flaps on the inside, author bio, prologs, if there is one. I enjoy reading a BOOK. And although I do use my E-reader, I will continue to buy books, just because...

Aeriel

Love my Kindle. Service was great when it got zapped by a "scanner" through the airport. (Um ... I'm not taking mine through security in the future, for the record).

That is something to consider, as I read a lot when I travel. Was it zapped because it was "on"? I thought electronics were safe to place through scanners at security, or at least they tell you it is safe.

LupaNera

I love my books an also my e-reader. Using it mostly when travelling.

surfrgrl1

I have the iPad 2 with wifi only. I really like it. I set on the porch to read, so it's not in direct sunlight, so I can't speak to that. I use it more now than anything and hardly ever get on my computer. I added the Kindle app recently, but haven't used it yet. I am reading some books i had via the Apple app.

RunsOnEspresso

I was very anti e-readers at first. I like having a book. Then the more I went to best buy & target and played with them, the more curious I became. I got a $50 amazon gift card so I got the $79 kindle and LOVE it. I am so glad I got it. It can hold so many books. It's light weight. I can even run on the treadmill and read, unlike with books. It fits in my purse, which isn't always true for some books.

I also have the kindle app on my phone but I don't like it nearly as much. I don't like the back light. I much prefer the e-ink. It seems more like real books. I can read the kindle outside without glare while I wait for the bus. I would definitely recommend. And go to best buy and look at them, feel them etc.

RainbootsToBikinis

I absolutely adore my nooks (I have 3) I started with the original nook a couple years ago, then upgraded to the nook simple touch, and just recently upgraded again to the nook glow. I love how portable it is, ever carry around a 1,000 page book in your purse? Not fun! My local library uses overdrive to lend e-books and they have tons of books, including new best sellers!