To answer your question, Ice, I've heard very, very good things about the Kindle II, and its the brand I'm planning to buy down the road. Problem is its new, and expensive as heck right now. From everything I've seen and read its well worth the money, although I'm personally waiting to pick one up until the price drops.

Dr. Jeebus wrote:

Why not just get a library card? I seriously don't understand the appeal of reading a full length novel on a tiny screen.

Easy--portability. Being able to carry most to all of your entire library in a relatively small, portable device like that is awesome. Lets you read "Hamlet" for example without carting around an entire Works of Shakespeare, for example. Now granted I'm probably one of seven people on earth who have that particular issue, but I think it still demonstrates my point.

From what I've seen, the screens aren't too bad either. They aren't harsh and annoying like a regular computer screen is, and you can zoom in on the text so its not so small. Overall, I want one too, and I'm the biggest library whore you will ever, ever find.

Syd Lexia wrote:

SoldierHawk wrote: Easy--portability. Being able to carry most to all of your entire library in a relatively small, portable device like that is awesome. 1. Books are portable enough. Especially paperbacks. 2. Why would you EVER need to carry around your entire library at once? How does that serve you in anyway? What, you started reading Needful Things, and got bored, then after a few pages, you decided to read Goblet of Fire instead, then got bored and switched to Tolkien? You should only be reading one book at a time, and thus you should never have cause to carry around more than two or three books with you. 3. The great thing about books is that they fit on a shelf or a coffee table, thus allowing you to showcase your awesome taste in authors.

1. No argument there; one book (especially a paperback as noted) is not a hassle to take anywhere.

2. For especially long trips perhaps, or like I said if the work(s) are just too damn big to be portable on their own. Personally, I often read more than one book at once; not switching back and forth a few pages at a time, but the book I'm in the mood for tonight is not necessarily the book I'll be in the mood for tomorrow night, or the next day or whatever. If one book is all you have with you due to space constraints you make due, but it *would* be nice to have everything I like to read easily accessible.

3. Agreed. I would never, ever argue that electronic readers could, would or should ever replace actual printed books. But I think they're a wonderful option, and personally I love the idea.

Optimist With Doubts wrote:

The other option would be to get one of those cheaper net book computers and use it for an e-reader sense it has a big screen and can also go on the internet.

You know the only argument I've heard against that (bearing in mind this is not from personal experience) is that the netbooks are too much like, well, computers, and are hard on your eyes after hours of staring at black-on-white text. I understand that e-readers have some sort of special background/lighting that makes it a bit easier to take. On the other hand, being able to go on the 'net *is* a plus, and some of the netbooks out now are actually cheaper than a top of the line e-reader like the Kindle II, or the new one out from Sony.


And dammit, I wish I had thought of that ipod analogy first...

Blackout wrote:

E readers lack the nifty old book smell (and the new book smell for that matter) and the thrilling experience of turning pages!

But like I said, they're not going to replace books. They're just be a convenient way to have your favorite books easily accessible while in transit or not at home.

I do think the e-textbook thing will become very, very big in the next 10-20 years, especially in high school. As we speak, the high school I work at is discussing ways to eliminate textbooks entirely, and just check out e-readers to each student with their needed textbooks preloaded onto them.

College would be a bit harder to do that with I think since its a lot less regimented and the campus book store is an institution. Book publishers will probably be against it too--if you paid for the book legit I'm sure they'd make the same obscene amount of money as if you bought it in the bookstore, but electronic files are far too easily pirated right now. And the loss those companies stand to take up the ass if people start handing out unlimited copies of their books is huge. It would be beautiful, beautiful karma, but I don't think they'll allow it without a lot of precautions in place.