E-Books, anyone have one?

[Whitestar]

I am looking at an ebook reader, kindle, or perhaps a sony. I see they are now offering them at Walmart, anyone have one that they can share information on them? Are the books really $9.99 a download? That really seems high to me, I was thinking they would be more like the I-tune downloads for songs. Would love to hear from anyone having one. I love to read & this just seems like the perfect thing to take out in the backyard when I lay in the hammock or on the cruise ships ( we cruise every 6 months) instead of the 5-6 books I end up carrying with me. Thanks...Debbie

 

[Sonya]

I have an ebookwise, it was $99, much cheaper than the kindle, but doesn't have wi-fi...however you can connect via phone line for free. The books range from just a couple dollars to $10, depending on how new they are. The average cost is around $4-5 for something that is not a "new release". I really like it, you can read at night and make the text size larger. I do not know however if you can get your books from any site or just thier site, I only use thiers.

 

[Sonya]

was just looking at a best buy ad...they have the Nook for sale...its $149 and has wi-fi....the 3G version is $199...its by barnes & noble...looks pretty nice from the pic.

 

[Flying minis]

I am looking at an ebook reader, kindle, or perhaps a sony. I see they are now offering them at Walmart, anyone have one that they can share information on them? Are the books really $9.99 a download? That really seems high to me, I was thinking they would be more like the I-tune downloads for songs. Would love to hear from anyone having one. I love to read & this just seems like the perfect thing to take out in the backyard when I lay in the hammock or on the cruise ships ( we cruise every 6 months) instead of the 5-6 books I end up carrying with me. Thanks...Debbie

I have the kindle - have had it for about 2 years now. I love it! I travel a lot for my job, and used to carry multiple books with me, now I just take the kindle. The prices of books varies, as someone else said. What I've found is this - if you're a person who borrows books, reads them once and returns, this is not a good deal. If you're a person who tends to buy books, and or likes to read them over and over this is a great deal. It really depends on your situation. I haven't really looked at the others - the biggest thing though to look at is not the reader, but the library it can pull from. The one problem I have with the kindle is it can only use AMazon books (that's not totally true, you can get other books on it, but you have to go through Amazon, and it's kind of a pain). Other readers take all formats - but most won't take the Amazon format. So research the types of books you read, and see who has the best library available for them. For me, if I want a book that I can't get on my kindle, I just download it to my laptop since that always travels with me also.

 

[sfmini]

One thing, the readers are all black and white so any photos would not show in color.

I use ebooks and audio books all the time and use my iTouch. It is more versatile since you can use apps and get online to the web.

Eventually I will get an iPad to replace the iTouch and netbook. My library does loan ebooks and audiobooks for two weeks at a time so that is an option for you.

The problem I see with Kindle and the others is that they are proprietary and you can only buy from their sites. With my iTouch I can get books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audiobooks.com, and my library. Much more versatile. Same would go for the iPad.

 

[PetVetCanuck]

I am looking at an ebook reader, kindle, or perhaps a sony. I see they are now offering them at Walmart, anyone have one that they can share information on them? Are the books really $9.99 a download? That really seems high to me, I was thinking they would be more like the I-tune downloads for songs. Would love to hear from anyone having one. I love to read & this just seems like the perfect thing to take out in the backyard when I lay in the hammock or on the cruise ships ( we cruise every 6 months) instead of the 5-6 books I end up carrying with me. Thanks...Debbie

I have a Sony PRS-300, that I purchased for a great price on ebay after everyone was running out to get the new Kindles, Ipads, etc. It's nothing fancy, but I love the 'paper quality' versus some of the pricier models. I have vision problems and require larger font sizes to read, which our small local library doesn't often have. The ereader is so much nicer to use then my laptop!

The new releases are a bit pricey, but once they come off the best seller list they come down in price pretty quickly. The only downside I've found is that I can no longer lend a great book to a friend

A great site to research ereaders is Mobile Read at http://www.mobileread.com/ . The forums are excellent and full of great advice!

Hope this helps!

Cathy

 

[targetsmom]

We have a Nook from Barnes & Noble, so not proprietary and we can get e-books anywhere. Some are free but I do notice that the new releases are cheaper as hardcover books through my book club. I do like the large font option on the Nook, but admit I am not a big fan. My hubby loves it, but I prefer to turn real pages. So I buy from a book club, the local Barnes & Noble, or use the library. I think it is handy for travel, but if we go somewhere together Gary downloads the books HE wants to read, and I bring paperbacks.

 

[wingnut]

We have a Nook from Barnes & Noble, so not proprietary and we can get e-books anywhere. Some are free but I do notice that the new releases are cheaper as hardcover books through my book club. I do like the large font option on the Nook, but admit I am not a big fan. My hubby loves it, but I prefer to turn real pages. So I buy from a book club, the local Barnes & Noble, or use the library. I think it is handy for travel, but if we go somewhere together Gary downloads the books HE wants to read, and I bring paperbacks.

If I were to break down and buy one, I'd buy the Nook because of the flexibility to use more books from other sources than just B&N.

That said, I have a Blackberry Storm phone and use the B&N free eReader download. I use this as my "backup book" option. I like having something to read with me. I like it because I can read in bed at night with no lights on (which the hubby likes too!). I'm the type to have multiple books going at once because I usually have one on my Blackberry, one in audio format on my MP3 player and sometimes a "real" book at the house for sitting on the porch in my rocker after feeding the horses in the evening

Book prices vary. Sometimes you can find specials for under $10. Sometimes, new releases are more expensive. I've been told that the publisher has the most control over cost as opposed to the retailer (i.e., B&N and Amazon).

For some, the Kindle and Nook are the coolest thing since sliced bread. I haven't been convinced just yet.

 

[rcfarm]

Hi

I had ordered a Kindle, but after reading this I cancelled. I want a e book where I can , buy off other sites. Thant said, is the ipad the only one?

Thanks