Opinions? I won't listen but I'm sure everyone will still give them.
Personally, I like books, and I'll continue to buy them. But I'm going to do some travel, and I want an e-reader for that.
I decided on the Sony PRS-650, but as Harveys and JBhifi don't stock them, Darwin doesn't have any. On top of this, Sony website is all backordered and shit so they won't give me one.
So only fuckers with a myers or a david jones can buy them, or maybe people with real angus and robertsons/Borders, for the moment anyway, till they go out of business. Shitballs!
The biggest problem with E-readers is the cost. Add "00 extra and you can pick yourself up a low of the line Apple Ipad, or one of the new Android based tablets that are coming out this year.
Now you have to answer the following questions: 1) When was the last time you where outside reading a book in direct sunlight? 2) When was the last time you where reading a book at night time?
For me, when the decision came to getting a E-Reader I asked myself those questions and the answer was mostly I do reading indoors or near direct sunlight but not outside in the open (where E-readers) really work well.
The biggest problem with E-Readers is for the similar price range you can have so much more functionality for very little investment.
Formats? Consider if you go down the E-Reader path you will be vendor locked into their store, e-reader format, copy right, drm and a whole lot of other shit. And its very common for outside the mainstream books that formating and picture problems will occure. For this reason I went with PDF as the standard for reading books and have never looked back.
So, you have the following E-Readers 1) Vender lock in 2) All-most the same price as Apple Ipad, or Tablet's out on the market HP 3) Advantages of E-Ink when in direct sunlight (when was the last time you where in direct sunlight reading a book?) 4) Format restrictions, cannot up and move the format to another E-reader 5) Limit functionality, and you will leave it on the shelf collecting dust.
Get yourself a Ipad, Galaxy Tab or any there other touch devices coming out this year. There saved you $200
wtf even suggest anything with an LCD for? there's no comparison. Harb, I bought my wife a PRS-600 for Christmas and she's gone through maybe 2 dozen books on it since. She loves it. I've sat and read stuff to her from that as well and have found it really good on the eye - unlike reading from this LCD screen right now.
eInk is flat out BETTER than LCD when reading text - sunlight or not (to argue against chad's stupid: when was the last time you read a book in the dark?). I think the PRS 650 has a toggle backlight as well so you CAN read it in an unlit room if you're that kind of tard.
if you want to read comics - sure go with a galaxy tab or ipad. but if you want quality book reading - there's no contest, gotta be an eInk display.
edit: forgot to mention, we've had no issues with vendor lock-in with the PRS-600. Bought an ebook from Amazon the other day and the Sony software on the computer ported it onto the reader DRM and all.
I sell a pile (JB Hifi) but to be honest it looks like the Kindle comes out on top, and is cheap as. I have never seen one so I don't really know - just going on what I've heard. Given they're "the original" e-reader I'd say they're pretty tip-top.
Quote from grandinferno;394554: Given they're "the original" e-reader I'd say they're pretty tip-top. E-Readers been around a lot longer than than the kindle. I had one from Franklin in the 2000/2001ish. Sony was first to market with a E-Ink based reader in 2004 the kindle was available until 2007.
Also been look at a return to e-books as my habit has been getting expensive on the space. TheSony devices do look like the best ones to get just based on inbuilt file support.
a) I don't want to buy from the states b) Kindle doesn't do ePub which is rapidly becoming default. c) Sony is shiny. Shiny Shiny Shiny. d) Sony has SDcard slot, which I want.
Point of this thread is, I want, but can't have. Angry.
Want, can't have. Fucken.
edit: during my travails of hunting this shit down, I discovered that Amazon kindle allows free unlimited 3g access in Australia, allegedly this is done via roaming data charges, for this reason, all books sold to Australian IPs on Amazon are +30%. That's enough reason not to get a kindle.
Also explains why I thought ebooks costed the same as tree books, which is SILLY.
I'm going to Singapore April 1st; and spending (quite) a few hours in Sim Lim Square, Harb. If you haven't sorted it out by then, let me know. I will buy you one and post it back (it's on my way to the UK).
I've typically said "definitely go for e-ink over LCD if you're a session reader", but I don't think that will hold true for too much longer. Many people seem to be of the opinion that reading off of an LCD, even for extended periods and in low light environments, does not strain your eyes as you might expect it would. Although many people now work on computers all day, so that's likely the reason for the lack of problems using one for big sessions.
The only problem with the iPad is the resolution, which is truly shit. When tablets start being manufactured with "retina" resolution screens, I'm not sure I'd expect anyone to keep buying e-ink devices (unless that technology makes a huge leap forward, too).
The future aside, right now the price is obviously a big factor, especially when you want it for a single purpose and you're paying "50 for a device versus $600+.
colour eInk displays using the new Triton screens will be hitting the market mid-year - though I wouldn't shell out for one just yet, they'll handle mags and comics no troubles.
I have the PRS-650, great device with no faults, and for me the stylus doodling entry is great for highlighting and going back to important info in the brew books i store in them. Has an SD card reader along with the Mem Stick Pro socket. Only minor niggling issue is the recharging, if you have a pc or a mac, will charge fine from them, but using supplied cable with the majority of USB chargers will yield frustration and no dice. I got mine from the sony store direct, id recomend getting the leather cover with inbuilt light as well for it. Never used another ereader but on comparison to a ipad, its a hellava lot lighter and easier to wield. Id put the order in through the sony store, create a sony style account first, allows much easier tracking of your goods.
Bought one of the Cobolt eBook Readers from Sams Warehouse last friday week for $79. I must say it seems to compare well with the more expensive ones with 9 hours on a full charge. It does about half a dozen book formats - pity it doesn't do .lit though. Also does Pics, Music and Movies. Does do DRM as well.
Read 5 books so far and am very happy with it. Especially happy not to have to shell out several hundred dollars for one.
As for e-ink lasting weeks, well - I don't think it's worth the extra cash at the moment. Of course I haven't actually seen one, but i'm really happy with the cobolt right now.
Quote from Aegis;394566: colour eInk displays using the new Triton screens will be hitting the market mid-year - though I wouldn't shell out for one just yet, they'll handle mags and comics no troubles.
Static magazines and comics, sure. But nobody wants those anymore. I'm talking about interactive editions of both; embedded in video and animated presentations, interactive elements, pans and zooms from cell to cell in comics etc.
The draw time on e-ink is still far too slow for any of the above.
Quote from rec;394569: Static magazines and comics, sure. But nobody wants those anymore. I'm talking about interactive editions of both; embedded in video and animated presentations, interactive elements, pans and zooms from cell to cell in comics etc.
the majority of eMags I've seen that actually use video only use it in adverts. As for pans and zooms from cell to cell in comics, I really can't think of anything more annoying (short of having chad read it out to you) =)
To clarify a point I made in my first post, the reason I want this device is for travel. So battery life is a key ingredient. Yes tablets etc etc. Different purposes blah blah.
I need something to read books on, for a long period of time. Nothing else compares except for carrying around 8 kg of actual dead tree.
E-ink displays have travel reading hands down. Until buses/trains/planes come with USB recharging sockets on every seat. Which I can see happening in the not too distant future.
Quote from Aegis;394571: the majority of eMags I've seen that actually use video only use it in adverts. As for pans and zooms from cell to cell in comics, I really can't think of anything more annoying (short of having chad read it out to you) =)
You clearly haven't checked out many e-mags on an iPad, then. Go have a look at Wired, PC Authority, APC, T3, VIV, Project etc. etc.
And it's more than strictly "video"; it's motion covers, animated presentations, interactive 3D views of places and products, and so much more.
As for pans and zooms in comics; it's brilliant. I won't go back to reading my digital comics page-by-page. But of course that's a matter of preference.
mrs had a kindle, its cool but its functionality is limited to what its for, reading books, mags, etc. battery life is tip top though,it will go for a week or so without needing a charge. she got a leather case for it with a flip out light so reading can be done int he dark with no issues.
a ipad on the other hand is a few hundred more, but you have better web browsers, games, skpye, email and other things that might interest you on travel. battery life is as you said limited.
personally i think the price of ebooks are far to high, especially for the books i read (mainly books to help me learn IT things). and there is no way to sell them off when done. although i think you can rent ebooks on some formats but i dont know what pricing is like.
Quote from rec;394575: You clearly haven't checked out many e-mags on an iPad, then. Go have a look at Wired, PC Authority, APC, T3, VIV, Project etc. etc.
And it's more than strictly "video"; it's motion covers, animated presentations, interactive 3D views of places and products, and so much more.
As for pans and zooms in comics; it's brilliant. I won't go back to reading my digital comics page-by-page. But of course that's a matter of preference.
I will have a look, but that'll require reading magazines - which i just don't do nowadays: can't see the point of issue-based information releases anymore.
I know most of the details and facts magazines are reporting on by the time I'm reading them, but that's not why I read them. It's everything beyond the information itself.
Most of what is found online is disposable. Sure it's great for knowing first, but there are few online publications that deliver the same fleshed out editorial content that a good magazine does.
And now it's also about the experience. Thanks to those aforementioned interactive features, it's far more engaging and interesting than any website.
You don't want a backlit screen for reading, unless you hate your eyes. Otherwise in that case I recommend a fork.
With magazines having interactive and video media, I don't see that being mainstream outside of magazine hype for a while yet. It'd increase production costs, time and the murder rate of men of whom their missus works in the magazine industry.
Quote from Aegis;394582: mmm not convinced. But I'll give Wired or T3's emag a shot just to be sure.
Convincing you was never my intention - I don't actually care what you read, or don't.
I'm just explaining my opinion on the pros of new media, and subsequent cons of e-ink screens. And basing that on having actually spent a good amount of time with the subject matter. As opposed to not, and having a strong opinion anyway. ;)
well... clearly you DO care or you wouldn't have devoted so many posts to it :P
but fucking hell, not gonna bother with this shit - 500mb for one magazine? i have a fair idea of what's going to be in it - ie: nothing that hasn't already been seen on the net media-wise: so from that I will assume I DO have a decent knowledge of the subject matter, thanks. So yeah. Not interested still. Even I can read faster than presentations, videos of products are things I only care about when I'm sitting down to buy something (if then), animated graphs are slow, and audio overlays are just plain distracting. call me again when that's all resolved, by which time I expect eInk to have hit 60hz + colour at the least.
PS: Project website made me feel like i should buy sanitary napkins - maybe it's the background looking like a tiled kitchen splash back? not sure. but it's disturbing.
I didn't say you don't have knowledge with the subject matter (digital magazines), I said you haven't spent a good amount of time with it. And since you haven't even downloaded a magazine (because 500mb is a big deal in Darwin), that statement remains true.
None of your "issues" will be resolved, as they're not issues, they're your preference in relation to digesting media. Although I've never heard any audio overlays, or seen animated graphs - I guess this comes back to you having not actually read through any of those interactive mags. ;)
Also; when I said check out Project, I meant the digital mag, not the digital mag's website. Checking out the website of a magazine doesn't count towards "a good amount of time" with the subject matter.
give me an example of something in one of these digital mags that i wont have seen done elsewhere before - otherwise accept that I have had just as much exposure to the 'new media' contents of them as you have. :P
Motion covers and pages, gyro controlled features, dynamic orientation options, live polls and shout-boxes, innovative interaction processes (left-right for articles, up-down for pages within) + nifty gestures (to do things such as hide/show foreground elements better look at the background, bringing up tertiary information and references, or skip between sections etc.), touch-controlled 360 degree and panoramic photos, embedded galleries, dynamic quizzes, local and streaming video...
Yes; of course you've seen most of the technologies before, if not all. But it's the cohesive, complimentary collaboration of them in such a format, on such a device, that makes it such a compelling experience.
But, again, this would be hard to appreciate having not spent any real time reading them. At least Grab Project and have a thorough look through, exploring the features while you go. It's a reasonable showcase of what you might see across a range of popular interactive mags. If you still think it's stupid, fantastic; at least you'll have formed a first-hand opinion on what I'm talking about.
As you might have guessed, I think it's great. It has got me buying magazines again (and comics for that matter).
I was more concerned with obtaining the unobtainable, so no. I was looking at covers on ebay for like "2, don't have a light, but they're also $50 cheaper than the cover with a light
Bought an eBook Reader from Sam's warehouse last month for $79. Talk about cheap. Have been using it for hours each day since. Does txt/pdf/epub & one or two more formats. Runs for 9 hours on a charge with a backlit LCD that has 5 lighting levels and can view and zoom in vertical or horizontal viewing mode. Also displays pictures, plays music and videos. Has MicroSD slot & headphone jack.
I've had a Sony PRS-505 for about 2 years now, bought while on holiday in the States. Cost about AUD $350, but at the time Kindle weren't shipping to Aus, and the two models sold locally (through Angus and Robertson) cost $500-$800+
I prefer ebooks over real books, and over reading on an LCD screen. I can't compare it with other models, but if I were buying a new one, I'd consider going to the Kindle route given how freaking cheap they've become. I'd still prefer a Sony though. I don't really know how the market is now, won't really care until I need to replace my e-reader. Two years ago though the Sony was far superior to the Kindle in that it played more formats (specifically PDFs), better memory expansion slot features etc.
Space Cadet, if your e-reader plays video, is it really an e-reader, or just a tablet?
I got a Kindle last week and been pretty impressed by it!
Don't think formats supported should be what determines what what to buy, I'd be more concerned about price, size and battery life. I use calibre to manage my books, finds covers, comments and pretty much every other detail and can convert your books to any format in a couple of clicks.
Have great leather cases available for them which effortlessly connect to the kindle and use it's battery to power the light!
ahh so kindle can handle books you may .. aquire from sources other than Amazon then?? as that was one of my biggest reasons for prefering the Sonys - the very openness of their offerings.
No Kindle can't do this but for the price difference I can justify the small effort it takes for me to convert it with a free program called Calibre. Basically calibre is to books what MyMovies is to movies, I tell it where the downloaded books are and it updates all the info author, comments, date etc for me and moves it to wherever I decide my book dir is. This is fantastic for me as I have a very technology illiterate brother-in-law who likes all the books I read so I can connect any e-reader device to my computer and select any or all my books and upload it to his reader through Calibre. It's so easy to convert books that all I have to do is box select them and press 1 button...
Picked up a kindle from dickies the other day. You can drop PDFs straight onto it. Having now used it I would highly recommend Calibre for managing your ebook collection. BTW when Acquiring Ebooks for the kindle the recommend format is mobi.
For reading Eink is hands down better than TFT or LCD displays. I've been reading mine over the past couple of days after uploading all my books onto it using Calibre like morge. Though I wouldn't recommend it for technical books. Yes you can read them, though you have to read the PDF in landscape mode on the device. Highly recommend it for books, but for anything technical that requires drawings, diagrams, illustration its still better to get the book or read it on the computer.
Over-all happy I sold my HP Touchpad and got the Kindle instead.
I just use my DSiXL with DSLibris ^_^ It's awesome. I use it on my DSi as well but the slight increase in screen size to the XL makes a world of difference on eye strain. Been reading the Discworld Series (I am determined to finish it coz it's awesome)
My wife's iPad arrived last night (bought from that Kogan site the other day). Anyway she opened one of her eBooks on it to compare with her Sony PRS600 eReader. She took one look at it and asked "what kind of retard would read like this!?"
So i showed her Chad's post on page one of this thread =)
in other news, i'm enjoying my Kindle - thanks to the apps Harb pointed out, it has no issues with any of my ebooks. And simple conversion to epub has fixed formatting problems in some of the books my wife is reading on her Sony.
rootkit, good work on Discworld - Pratchett truly is a literary god. Hope you've been watching the BSkyB adaptations of his work - they're fairly decent efforts :)
My post was targeted when the E-Readers where close to $350. It's only after the price drop do they become the better option over netbook or tablets. Yes for readering they're a better solution, but at the high price point and limited functionality, then a tablet is a better option with a much larger rang of functionality.
Now they're the same price, I would recommend a ereader over a tablet for reading, and mobility. Tablet still if you just want to browse the web well watching telle, they're too god damn heavy to hold for any extended period of time.
god fucking damn. apple needs to change their motto from 'Think Different' to 'Think Retarded'. seriously. if you like apple products now, you are so gay you use a mirror so you can see cocks entering your arse.
how the FUCK do you get CBR files onto them when it wont just let you add any old file through itunes, nor will it let you drag them over via explorer...
pala came through with the answer - there's a spastic requirement to navigate through a heap of nested shit to find an upload area specific to the CBR reader. because apparently apple, the effective inventors of drag-n-drop, FORGOT about that as a viable method for moving shit around.
WARNING (Kindle 3 screen is very pressure sensitive will break easy!)
Got back from a trip, and had some time to kick back and read on the kindle during the long flights. Had a blast with the Kindle and would have to say its a step above the other E-ink readers on the market. Over 2 had no problems with the device other than it breaking near the end of the trip when getting it out of the backpack, screen had some weird artifacts on it. Extra reading on the net revealed that E-Ink displays are very sensitive to pressure, so anyone else getting a kindle this Xmas I would recommend getting a leather case to protect the screen.
Other than that, Amazon is shipping me a new Kindle 3, and can't wait till it gets here.
Quote from chad;404458: Had a blast with the Kindle and would have to say its a step above the other E-ink readers on the market
Based on what experience?
Having tried the new kindle sans keyboard, I have to say it's nothing special. My biggest irritation was with the organisation of books, very quickly becomes unmanageable.
My prs-650 is still a much nicer machine to use, but the new sony readers are even nicer. The build quality is down, plastic instead of aluminium, but they run android and as such the interface is a lot better, and apparently they're selling for $99 in the states. I don't think the sony ebook store is running in australia, but theres plenty of stores selling epubs.
Can't say for other readers, but the only reason I can see for buying a kindle because they're cheaper, and the ease of buying things from amazon store.
As for e-ink screens being fragile, I would expect you not to know that, because it's blatantly obvious.
Quote from Harbinger;404462: Based on what experience?
Having tried the new kindle sans keyboard, I have to say it's nothing special. My biggest irritation was with the organisation of books, very quickly becomes unmanageable.
yeah, fucking hate the book management on my Kindle. And I only have a few books on there at a time.
I also still hate that Amazon retains the capacity to delete my shit without asking if it's connected to their whispernet at all. Doesn't matter how good the device becomes, that feature will always make it second-rate to anything else on the market not made by Apple.