Ebooks vs. Real Books

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Replies

  • Jen32285
    Jen32285 Posts: 281 Member
    I prefer to have the actual book.
  • volleypc
    volleypc Posts: 134 Member
    My sister asked me if I wanted a kindle for Chistmas two years ago and I said no way. I was stuck on a detail with work for a couple of months and decided to try the Kindle. I LOVE it. I have two bookshelves filled with books and was running out of room. About once a week I visit www.ereaderiq.com an browse their free books. I have probably 1000 books on my kindle now and I do not have to worry about where I am going to put them. I receive my magazine subscriptions via the kindle as well. There are a few reference type books that I prefer the hardcopy, but for most everything else.. the Kindle is the way to go.
  • Artemis726
    Artemis726 Posts: 587 Member
    I am a total book worm, and I love my Kindle for pleasure reading. It's perfect for me, because I have kids and pets and things get ruined far too easily. My Kindle has it's place, in a case and up on a shelf away from harm. In that way- it has been awesome. Plus- there is always room for the Kindle- not so much with a boatload of books.

    However- I have to say that I'm not a big fan of research/informational books on the Kindle. It's hard to navigate to a specific chapter, hard to make notes, and just not as handy for me- so I choose to get books like that in print.
  • DieVixen
    DieVixen Posts: 790 Member
    For me a person that does not care about the smell or feel of a real book the kindle was a life saver. My bank account also thanks me. I read A LOT,and the money im paying for books has gone down dramaticly. I have never lost charge while reading,I have droped it stepped on it,sat on it still works great. I havent bought a real book outside of cookbooks in a year and am so happy. I hate the look of books cluttering up my house,I hate that most used bookstores ive been to all the books smell bad,or have questionable stains all through the pages ( i once found a booger on a page) I will not say e readers are better in every way,but for me it is better
  • ♥Amy♥
    ♥Amy♥ Posts: 714 Member
    I use the Kindle app on my iPhone to read and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I always have a book/books with me wherever I am and am able to read a lot more than if I had to remember to carry a book around with me. I also love the fact that I haven't had to pay for one book since getting my iPhone (last July). Every book that I have read/have in my Kindle app are free ones off of Amazon. :)
  • CrazyGraciegirl
    CrazyGraciegirl Posts: 227
    I like both. I've read a few pages of one when I bored, but it was so incredibly BRIGHT! :sad: Though I'd rather have a printed book. I'm online/on electronics for most of my entire day.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Silver -- While no dictator can burn an e-reader, a dictator CAN reach into it with his own technology and erase it. And he can do that to every single e-reader that has that book on it in a matter of seconds.

    Which is one more reason those things scare me.

    all you have to do is turn off wifi, 3g....and the Dear Leader wont be able to touch your stuff.


    ebooks are better in every way i'll never buy a paper book again.

    And when you turn them back on to download a new one?

    And when only five copies remain on e-readers in the entire world, how will you pass them on to later generations? It isn't that easy.

    I'm glad you like your e-reader but I vehemently disagree that "they're better in every way."

    i guess i'm not worried that a dictator is going to take over my country. :) and if by magic they did i would know not to turn it on to buy a new book. but to even worry about something like that is silly.

    When e-books were new, there was a copyright issue with a book released. Without warning, every person who downloaded that book had it wiped off his or her e-reader. So, it's actually already happened, though in a less sinister fashion.

    There's also going to be a record of every book you ever purchased for your e-reader. I never say never about anything. I'll keep my hard copy books.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
    I like both. I've read a few pages of one when I bored, but it was so incredibly BRIGHT! :sad: Though I'd rather have a printed book. I'm online/on electronics for most of my entire day.

    you were using some back lit reader. if you get the Kindle e ink reader its just like looking at paper. its not back lit.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
    Silver -- While no dictator can burn an e-reader, a dictator CAN reach into it with his own technology and erase it. And he can do that to every single e-reader that has that book on it in a matter of seconds.

    Which is one more reason those things scare me.

    all you have to do is turn off wifi, 3g....and the Dear Leader wont be able to touch your stuff.


    ebooks are better in every way i'll never buy a paper book again.

    And when you turn them back on to download a new one?

    And when only five copies remain on e-readers in the entire world, how will you pass them on to later generations? It isn't that easy.

    I'm glad you like your e-reader but I vehemently disagree that "they're better in every way."

    i guess i'm not worried that a dictator is going to take over my country. :) and if by magic they did i would know not to turn it on to buy a new book. but to even worry about something like that is silly.

    When e-books were new, there was a copyright issue with a book released. Without warning, every person who downloaded that book had it wiped off his or her e-reader. So, it's actually already happened, though in a less sinister fashion.

    There's also going to be a record of every book you ever purchased for your e-reader. I never say never about anything. I'll keep my hard copy books.

    who cares if amazon or Barnes and Noble has a record of every book i purchase? im glad they do because it helps them suggest new books to me. i hope you are keeping all your music on vinyl. if the Dear Leader wants to get rid of it he'll just wipe all your MP3s.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    Real books all the way!! Besides last I heard chicks dig scars on guys. How am I supposed to get a paper cut that turns into a manly scar with a ebook?! :huh:
  • DieVixen
    DieVixen Posts: 790 Member
    Silver -- While no dictator can burn an e-reader, a dictator CAN reach into it with his own technology and erase it. And he can do that to every single e-reader that has that book on it in a matter of seconds.

    Which is one more reason those things scare me.

    all you have to do is turn off wifi, 3g....and the Dear Leader wont be able to touch your stuff.


    ebooks are better in every way i'll never buy a paper book again.

    And when you turn them back on to download a new one?

    And when only five copies remain on e-readers in the entire world, how will you pass them on to later generations? It isn't that easy.

    I'm glad you like your e-reader but I vehemently disagree that "they're better in every way."

    i guess i'm not worried that a dictator is going to take over my country. :) and if by magic they did i would know not to turn it on to buy a new book. but to even worry about something like that is silly.

    When e-books were new, there was a copyright issue with a book released. Without warning, every person who downloaded that book had it wiped off his or her e-reader. So, it's actually already happened, though in a less sinister fashion.

    There's also going to be a record of every book you ever purchased for your e-reader. I never say never about anything. I'll keep my hard copy books.

    who cares if amazon or Barnes and Noble has a record of every book i purchase? im glad they do because it helps them suggest new books to me. i hope you are keeping all your music on vinyl. if the Dear Leader wants to get rid of it he'll just wipe all your MP3s.

    :laugh:
  • DieVixen
    DieVixen Posts: 790 Member
    Real books all the way!! Besides last I heard chicks dig scars on guys. How am I supposed to get a paper cut that turns into a manly scar with a ebook?! :huh:

    I got a card board cut opening the box :laugh:
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    My Kindle is indispensable. I read a few books a week (less when I'm bogged down with law school readings), and unless a book is really long (maybe 400+ pages), I usually get through it in one or two sittings. The closest bookstore requires me to spend 45 minutes taking the train into NYC and bookstores generally have a limited selection (can't stock everything if you need the actual physical space) and usually don't have what I'm looking for. If I had to order a hard copy, it would take weeks and I'd have to pay for shipping. On the Kindle, I can get what I want and instantly (and usually for a lower price).
  • CountryDevil
    CountryDevil Posts: 819 Member
    Real books will survive but the ebook market is growing stronger and stronger. Nook and Kindle have apps for the computer, phones, and tablets so you can read you books on anything. The only problem I have with e-readers is using them for reference materials. There is nothing faster than flipping through a book scanning for the information you need.

    I have to agree with you on this. Nothing will ever replace printed books, but with technology in general it will be a never ending forward momentum to make things easier and simpler.

    However, I only partly agree with you on the reference materials. As a computer engineer and programmer, I have hundreds of printed technical reference books and manuals that I use all the time. I recently have been updating my library of books but when I replace a book with an updated version, I get it as an eBook format when I can because you "can" search them easier getting to the information that you need. Additionally, when I am on the go and mobile for my job ( and I am quite a bit) I have my reference books with me on my tablet when I need them.

    To each is their own I guess. I just find it easier with the eBook option now days.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I prefer real books, you can stuff them in a bag, borrow them, lend them, drop them

    Drop a kindle, see what happens
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    I am very against not having a paper book with covers.

    Then I got an iPad.

    Okay, so I'm very against BUYING ebooks... but renting them is awesome. I can read in bed while my husband is sleeping without a light on. This is cool.

    Then I found a sample of an absolutely hilarious book. And last night it happened - I made my first ebook purchase. For $12.99.

    Mentally it's difficult for me to spend that kind of money on something that isn't something I can't physically hold, but so far it was worth it. But I really hope real books don't go away. There's something magical about them.
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
    I like real books because they don't require a power source.
  • DieVixen
    DieVixen Posts: 790 Member
    I prefer real books, you can stuff them in a bag, borrow them, lend them, drop them

    Drop a kindle, see what happens


    I have many times,still works fine. And if it broke now it already paid for itself a long time ago.
  • cclark1203
    cclark1203 Posts: 244 Member
    I think as our kids grow, they are so technologically driven, we will see more ebooks and less real books, except for maybe classics.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
    I looooove my Kindle. Absolutely love it. I read All. The. Time. My books were taking up sooooo much space in our house (and I HATE to give away books, even onces that I don't like!) that I finally bought the Kindle. I was skeptical at first, but love it. When I really love a book, I'll go out and buy a copy of it. My husband just recently bought a Kindle for the same reason. He hasn't said one way or the other if he likes his yet. I still don't think e-readers will ever take the place completely of books, though. Sure, e-readers are easy, but there will always be people who like the book in their hands. And schools that rely on books. And libraries that won't replace all of their books with e-books. I'd hate to imagine a world with ONLY e-books...
  • ActiveGuy81
    ActiveGuy81 Posts: 705 Member
    Ebooks are easier for me cause I have them on my phone and can read during breaks, lunch or while waiting at dr. etc. Not as bulky as real books and the pages don't turn from the wind. And the power topic is not an issue if you are responsible enough to charge it.
  • KMS5308
    KMS5308 Posts: 9
    I love real books. Especially when I would go to a yard sale and get the for $.10. But for Christmas I got a Nook Color and I am in LOVE! I read a lot. I love to read. And if we go away some where I have all of my books in my hands. And I can also use it like a laptop for the internet and games and such :)
  • savetheteaboy
    savetheteaboy Posts: 12 Member
    I'm like most people here I love my kindle but nothing beats the feel of a real book that being said it's much nicer to read longer books on my kindle as it's easier to hold and I can just get comfy reading it plus I'm going off to uni this september and as much as I'd love to take all my books they would fill the car so having a kindle means that I can take my favourite books with me :D Of course when it comes to textbooks I prefer the hard copies as it makes scanning easier.
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    for tech books that i use for reference, ebooks win. for novels, i greatly prefer dead trees.
  • hugthefish
    hugthefish Posts: 33
    People have been using books since the Library of Alexandria over 2000 years ago (though those were papyrus scrolls, not books, but still paper hard copies). Unlike all the other transient technology which has only been around for a century at the most (I'm talking mostly music CD's and stuff like that, I guess). Books will never be completely obsolete. What would we do with all of the books that already exist? Burn them? No, I don't think so. Ebooks are nice for traveling, and convenient in other small ways, but real books with win out in the end. After all, a real book never runs out of battery. :)
  • BG10708
    BG10708 Posts: 91 Member
    I agree with those who say that an e-reader doesn't work well for reference material or magazines but for everything else - I just LOVE my Kindle.
  • scotslass
    scotslass Posts: 317
    I like both, but I'm sad and love the smell of new and old books and you don't get that with the Kindle :-)
  • frootcat
    frootcat Posts: 194 Member
    I love my Nook tablet! Since college I've been a library girl rather than a book-buying girl, but I'm pretty bad about returning them on time (I consider it to be my charitable contribution to the library...heh). I love that I can dl books from the library and after 2 weeks they simply disappear! I wish there were a little more selection, but there are still tons of things I haven't read that ARE available so it's not a big deal. Sooner or later the libraries and publishers will come up with a workable model.

    I also love it for using on the treadmill. Bump up the font size a bit, connect to Pandora, and I'm good for an hour+ :)
  • darkknightfan
    darkknightfan Posts: 396 Member
    Im a bit of both .. Ill get the ebook copy of the book from whatever outlet offers the cheapest price. Read the book and if I like it ill go out and drop the $30-50 for the hard cover physcial book .. Just something about owning the "real deal" and seeing a FULL bookshelf is kinda comforting.. Technology can / does and WILL change .. What happens if the e-readers go the way of the CD and the floppy disk .. Physical books have no technological limitations and dont go obsolete and will STILL be on my bookshelf long after my Nook has died
  • springgrl
    springgrl Posts: 168 Member
    I am a tech geek but I still like real books for 2 reasons:

    1. Cost: I mostly buy used books but even the new books I buy tend to be less than the typical 9.99 that e-books cost.

    2. Ownership: When I buy a book and read it, I can then decide to keep it, donate it, or sell it. When you buy an e-book, you can keep it as long as the vendor lets you. You don't own the book. You just bought the ability to read the book for a time period of someone else's choosing. There have already been well publicized incidents of Amazon or other vendors taking books off of users' e-reader that they paid for. You have no hope of donating or selling the book at any time.
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