I see people reading on it everywhere now! At Starbucks with their coffee, at the airport waiting for their flight, on the plane, on lunch breaks, and believe it or not, IN THEIR CARS while driving! Yes, I actually saw a woman in the car next to me, pulling it out of her purse and reading, up until the light turned green ... I hope she put it back in her purse after that. But really, I see people reading on it EVERYWHERE!
If you are sensing a little negativity in my tone, then it's probably because, well, I am not the biggest fan of it. I'm sorry, but I see and hear that "it's the future" everywhere and quite frankly it saddens me because there is just something so special and so original of being able to hold a book and turn the pages and having your fingerprints all over it, and, oh gosh... I can go on and on. And with how this society is growing, I just hope that books one day won't also go extinct just like so many other things have.
Yes, I agree, this little machine has a couple of very nice features on it and it's a great gadget to own for people who read a lot and don't have space to keep all of their books, and it's convenient for people who travel a lot. It uploads books in just about 60 seconds and can store hundreds of them in your library, it is super thin and very lightweight (even lighter than the average soft cover book), is has a built in PDF reader, a "read to me" application (like an audio book), it's wireless, you can look up words you don't know and it gives you the description right away, it lights up in the dark, there are no extra fees or anything like that, and oh so many more things. But I don't know... I prefer the old fashioned, holding a book, smelling the printed paper way.
Anyway... I want to hear your thoughts about it... do you own one? How do you like it?
Sincerely,
Aventura Book Worm
i prefer holding a book and reading, bookmarking pages, i get the convenience about having hundreds of book at your fingertips, but it's definitely not for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Something about a new book! Just love going to Barnes & Nobles and touching the new books. :)
ReplyDeleteI like all the free books (mostly classics) that I can download. I've also been using my Kindle for non-fiction books, particularly text books for school. It's perfect for travel. But I mostly agree with you; I don't love it. And for me it will never replace ink on paper.
ReplyDeleteFor me, there are some books that I have to have hardback copies of. Terry Brooks is one, and all the Star Wars books that come out. Others, I read once, sometimes more. I keep them around because I like the story, or there's some information to them that I want to hold on to. For those, I'd love to have an e-reader with electronic copies instead. But for those I have to have, it will always be hard copies. You can't get an e-book autographed.
ReplyDeletealthough I hate the whole 'team'-ing stuff, I am team kindle on this one.
ReplyDeletebooks are not going away, but books are very heavy and take up a lot of space. I gave all my books away to the library because everytime I would move they are a huge pain... and even though I don't move as much anymore, I feel lighter without having them. I don't own a kindle but it fits into that.
I actually think the kindle is unattractive and not likely to succeed long term, but it is a great idea and I am glad amazon introduced it. This technology will improve and you will see it trying to move closer to the printed page experience, just as 3d graphics have moved forever closer to realism versus traditional special effects.
However I can appreciate marilyns perspective too as a newer reader. What they need is a "book smell" perfume, then marilyn can spray it on her kindle.
I have a Kindle and I love it. I know how you feel, cracking open a brand new book is wonderful, and I still get a lot of my books at my local used book store, but running a book review blog where I post at least 3 books a week, I don't have time to just sit there for hours on end and read a book. I have an hour drive to work every day, so I have my Kindle read to me. I am often reading more than one book at a time, so rather than carry 3-4 books in my purse, I carry my Kindle. Also, I only download the free books, so right now I have 90 books on my Kindle that I got FOR FREE!!!!! My Kindle is practical, but, at night, when everyone is asleep, I still like to curl up with a good book :) Bottom line, don't knock it til you try it, you can have the best of both worlds, you might find you like how practical it is.
ReplyDeleteKate the Book Buff
http://www.thebookbuff.blogspot.com
I believe with the Kindle you can only get your e-books from Amazon so I don't like how it's such a monopoly. If anything I would get a Sony ebook reader as I like this company the most over kindle,ipad and sony. I've blogged a bit about ebook readers too, you can check it out at my blog: http://blowingupmymind.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteGenny
I never thought I'd give in to an e-reader, but I can't imagine life without my Kindle now! I still buy my favorite authors books if it's a series I'm addicted to and it's one I want to prominently display on my shelf at home. So I still read one actual paperback or hardcover book for every 3 or 4 e-books I read. I will never abandoned real books completely.
ReplyDeleteSome of the good things about the Kindle are easy book sharing and free downloads from sites like Amazon and anywhere else an author or publisher offers free ebooks. Also, it's like having an entire library in your purse! Great for traveling.
A downside would be that the Kindle lacks any sort of way to keep track of all of your books, they can't be put in any sort of order by author, or series, or by whether or not you've already read the book.
Genny--
ReplyDeleteThat's actually not true at all, you can download e-books from ANY e-book distributor and transfer them to your Kindle. Amazon provides you with a free email address for your kindle for just that purpose. They will convert it and email it back to you free of charge. Other programs also convert files for you, like Calibre (free down-loadable converter program), and you are able to transfer that way.
Hey!!! I saw your comment on Book Blogs!!! I am now a follower to your blog, and looking forward to future posts from you!!! Check out my blog at http://addictofromance.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on this post though, I don't think I would waste my money on a kindle, or anything really like it! I am more old fashioned, I loved reading actual books, its makes it seem more realistic for me. I have tried reading e-books on my computer and I don't care for it too much.
I have a Kindle and like that I can change the font to a larger version to help my old eyes, and that I can literally carry dozens of books with me anywhere I go in such a compact and portable device. I also like the "read to me" feature, which lets me get chores done but still keep on reading my book du jour. Before my kindle, I often chose reading over chores like laundry folding and house cleaning, but now I can get things done and still see what happens next in whatever book I am reading!
ReplyDeleteI also love real books, and have over 350 on my personal TBR (To Be Read) bookshelves, but lately I have been buying most of my books on Kindle because of it's audio capabilities.
And to comment on the idea that you can only download ebooks in Kindle format...totally not true. There are several other formats that Kindle recognizes as read-only as a direct download from your PC, or if you want it to be audio-capable, you can e-mail it as an attachment to Amazon and they will convert it for you, sometimes for a small fee but sometimes for free. The only e-book format I have not yet figured out how to convert is Adobe digitaleditions, because those books are not truly yours but are kind of an electronic rental, so converting them is not allowed. I am confident, however, that eventually someone will come up with a conversion for them, also.
I looked at the Sony e-reader and others before I bought my Kindle, and they all have good and not so good features. But if you compare the prices, which was a major motivating factor for me, the Kindle is much more affordable, and the prices of the actual e-books is pretty similar no matter where you purchase them.
I like the kindle ok.. But its annoying when trying to lay down...you have to have a reading light. I like reading on my iphone....its easier for me... And i cant wait to get my ipad!!
ReplyDeleteMargs@
http://margaretsbookstbr.blogspot.com/
I believe the kindle or other electronic reading devices will not take over most book categories. Can you imagine working on your car and instead of looking at the Haynes manual, using a kindle instead? Thats just one example of many.
ReplyDeleteAmazon has been taking a huge loss on kindle and there are issues with the publishers which I wrote about here http://abacususedbooks.com/kindle-apple-and-e-books.html
I agree with you. The concept is great, and it works amazing for some, but it just seem kind of hard to handle. I much prefer actual books, and I usually get them from the library, so it's not even and issue of saving or planet. For me, at least. And paper books don't break as easily when you drop them, and that's bound to happen if I ever get a reading device. And I just can't get past the smell of books... Ahhh...
ReplyDeleteIn defense of Kindle, the feature would be greatly helpful. And fun. It would be cool to have both the audiobook and the actual words right in front of you.
Anyways. I have Stanza and Kindle on my iPod, and I think it's actually a ton easier to use Stanza, and even then I just get the free classic books.
I agree wholeheartedly with what you said ... "quite frankly it saddens me because there is just something so special and so original of being able to hold a book and turn the pages and having your fingerprints all over it, and, oh gosh... I can go on and on"
ReplyDeleteI have been griping to my husband about Kindles. I don't own one and don't care about owning one. I'll take a good, old-fashioned book please.
Following you now from Book Blogs.
Well I am a kindle owner and I love it! I was one of those that wasn't going to get one because I love books. I own over 300 of them but I am running out of space. I love the free books and love the ability to carry my library with me no matter where I am. I think the great thing about the electronic devices is that it is opening up new ways to introduce books to people. So I am not team book or team electronic, I am team get out there and read no matter how you decide to enjoy it the most!
ReplyDelete