Using a Kindle

[Jesse11]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book. To me, all of the advertised advantages appear to be just clutching at straws - "In the time it takes you to read this review you can download an entire book"????? So what???
The only possible advantage I can think of might be for large unwieldy text books for students.
I never felt over the years that my reading was in any way hampered by having to do it from a pesky old book.

 

[Killie]

Storage space.

Quite simply this is the number one reason I use my kindle.

I don't have room for the vast numbers of books I read to be stored at home. I could sell them after reading paperbacks etc. but I like to always have access to the books I bought. I really miss now having some of the older books I have previously gotten rid of to free up space.

Plus when I used to go on any beach type holiday I could read 10 books in 2 weeks without an issue. My wife hated me filling the luggage up with books.

Also, the comment about being able to download is quite good if you are away from a shop etc. but want to pick up something new to read. I don't do it myself as I have WiFi so am usually either near a shop or at home anyway but I know my sister has used her G3 one for that purpose whilst on a cruise during a stop at a port.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I'm getting one for Christmas and the storage space is the issue for me too. My house is full of books; they're in the sitting room, study, bedroom, attic and garage, even though I give away lots of them when I'm done. I'll probably continue to buy second-hand books in used shops but will buy new ones for the Kindle when going abroad or the like.

I don't read e-books but have read my brother's Kindle and it's really, really like reading a normal book; that as much as anything else persuaded me that I wanted one.

 

[timothy]

now which kindle are we talking about the fire or any of them in general?

I have a nook but I asked for a kindle for christmass. all so for those who love comics you can read digital comics now to.

 

[Christopher]

Plus I assume e-readers like the Kindle and Nook are searchable, which is a lot handier than skimming through hundreds of pages trying to track down a reference in a novel (since novels rarely have indexes).

 

[bfollowell]

Don't forget being able to search a book for a particular word or phrase. Try doing that in a timely manner with a paper book. There are lots of reasons people enjoy reading on an ereader, the few mentioned here only scratching the surface.

The point is, don't worry about not getting it. There's nothing to "get". We don't care that you like to hold a physical book in your hands and there's no reason for anyone to care why those of us with ereaders like them so much. The main thing is the reading. Pick whichever medium appeals to you and enjoy a good book.

There may not be a direct analogy but this is along the same lines as those vinyl lovers that couldn't understand why some music lovers were switching CDs or why some movie buffs were switching from VHS to DVD. It's just a different medium.

- Byron

^
It looks like Christopher and I were thinking along the same lines. He was just a little quicker on the draw than I was.

 

[Corran Horn]

For me, storage space. That, and making a notation of a historical point, name, or something else such that I can look up more information about it later. Sure, I could have done this with a physical book but the kindle just makes it easier.

 

[Claudia]

For a long time I was opposed to e-readers, but when pricing dropped to lower than 100 euros I ordered a kindle - and I don't want to go without it anymore. Just the possibility to have several books in one device, to be able to download free texts (I really am into fanfiction, and, fortunately, the authors often allow to download it) and copy them on the kindle via calibre and to be able to read them offline during a long night-shift...

BTW, I have the Kindle 4 without keyboard, and I deactivated the w-lan because I copy the texts via my computer. I don't make any comments in my books, so I don't need any more than the virtual keyboard. The only real criticism I have is that I can't read on the Kindle as long in poor light conditions as I could with a book, but that's not really a problem.

 

[Christopher]

The only real criticism I have is that I can't read on the Kindle as long in poor light conditions as I could with a book...

Why is that? Is the contrast between the "ink" and the "page" less pronounced or something?

I thought that some "digital paper" readers had backlights you could turn on when needed.

 

[Relayer1]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book.

No.

Edit -

On second thoughts, yes, they release stuff electronically that isn't coming out as a book anytime soon, so I'll probably end up getting one, but I resent it. I was, however, the same with switching from records to CD's.

I will continue to buy books where possible - I have a collectors mentality and yes, pretty much every room in my house is full of them.

There you go - another good reason - Kindles are less of a fire hazzard !

 

[bfollowell]

The only real criticism I have is that I can't read on the Kindle as long in poor light conditions as I could with a book...

Why is that? Is the contrast between the "ink" and the "page" less pronounced or something?

I thought that some "digital paper" readers had backlights you could turn on when needed.

No, I'm not aware of any eink ereaders that have a backlight. I don't think the technologies are compatible. The only ereaders I'm aware of that have backlights are the lcd type, which most seem to agree aren't nearly as good for long term reading and usually can't be read very well at all outside on a sunny day. The eink ereaders look the most like real paper but, like a paper book, have the problem of not being able to be read in poor light though you have no problem reading them outside. Most ereaders have any number of lighted covers that help with the reading in the dark issue that the eink ereaders have.

- Byron

 

[Queen Mab]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book.

Books cost money, ebooks can not.

 

[BrotherBenny]

You can get book lights that attach to the Kindle so you can read in poor light conditions. I found my Kindle 3 (3G + WiFi) to be invaluable for the commute I had to work before the office moved. I can also read in the car when we go on long drives since my wife does all the driving.

I might upgrade at some point if I have the money to a touchscreen but it's not imperative.

 

[bfollowell]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book.

Books cost money, ebooks can not.

Huh?

Other than public domain titles, I haven't seen very many free ebooks. Certainly not many newer, popular titles. Unless you're promoting thievery & piracy, of course, in which case I don't think that's a very good selling point for an ereader.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Perhaps I'm a bit of Luddite (I've been called worse) but can anyone actually give me a good reason why anyone would want to read a book on one of these, as opposed to just reading from a book.

Books cost money, ebooks can not.

Huh?

Other than public domain titles, I haven't seen very many free ebooks. Certainly not many newer, popular titles. Unless you're promoting thievery & piracy, of course, in which case I don't think that's a very good selling point for an ereader.

Pixel of Ink and Ereader (or eBook) News Today both offer digests with free eBook offers daily, some of which I take advantage of. No, the big name books aren't free, and as you say, I hope no one is thinking of piracy.

 

[label]

So many reasons that the Kindle(and Nook) make for wonderful readers.......
1. Portability - if you go on vacation, traveling or just read a lot you can have the next 50 books you might want to read loaded up and with you at all times.
2. Easy reading experience - My favorite experience is a brand new full sized hardback and I still buy those for a couple authors, but reading on a Kindle is a much better experience than reading on paperback, especially if the novel is more than 400 pages long. Even at or under 400 pages, it's easier and a better experience to read on a Kindle.
3. Dictionary look up. It's stupidly simple to look up a word that you may not know exactly what it means.......click on the word, get a brief definition. If you want more, click on the enter button and get a full breakdown of the word
4. Searching for certain text as mentioned by Christopher above.....
5. Social aspects like quoting/highlighting/sharing passages in the book
6. Read the same book on many different devices at once. For Example. Start a book on your Kindle. Find yourself at the doctors office waiting to get in, use the Kindle reading app on our IPhone or Android to continue reading and then pick up where you were automatically synced by Amazon on your Kindle at home.

There are seriously a bunch more reasons I've found over the years, but seriously, make the switch for $79, read a half dozen books or so on your kindle and see if you like it. My guess is you'll be just like everyone else I've ever talked to and loved it after they gave it a chance.

Me personally, I've read all my life (41 years old) and as much as I love books, you couldn't pay me to go back to dead tree books after using my Kindle for a couple years now.

 

[RoJoHen]

It's simply a convenience thing. I have a Nook, but I still do most of my reading from actual books. But if, say, I'm going out of town for a few days and I can't decide what book to take with me, I can bring my Nook, which has many different titles already stored on it. Or I can browse and download a new book if I want to read something different. It's certainly not necessary to have an e-Reader, but in can be more convenient depending on your lifestyle.

 

[T'Ressa Dax]

Storage space, as stated above. And ebooks usually cost less.
it's easier to search through one or several books at once, or stop, go look something up in the dictionary or play a game and still come back to the book right where you left off.
For me, the adjustable font size was also important. Especially for Star Trek books, which lately for some reason seem to be using smaller and fainter text. I showed one to my mom for her opinion once, and she said it was hard to read even with her reading glasses. My vision's even worse than hers.
With my Kindle, I can read comfortably without practically rubbing my nose on the pages or having to move a magnifying glass every time I turned a page. I don't even need to rely on very bright lights to be able to read comfortably anymore.

The last time I took a trip, I had my Kindle with me which took up less space than the two or three novels I might otherwise have been carrying. Didn't even have to worry about forgetting where I left off if I had to stop reading in a hurry.

 

[sonak]

storage space, convenience, portability, environmental friendliness, the reasons go on and on...


the only drawback is I find that if I'm reading non-fiction for information/educational purposes, I don't absorb the content as easily as I do from a physical book.

 

[Kemaiku]

Plus I assume e-readers like the Kindle and Nook are searchable, which is a lot handier than skimming through hundreds of pages trying to track down a reference in a novel (since novels rarely have indexes).

Kindles have the ability to search books for words, phrases, page or 'location' numbers, insert notes, download notes, look up any word on the page in one of two in built dictionaries and the ability to add more.

Being a Kindle owner myself I highly recommend it, the newer models are improved even over the 'keyboard' version I bought in 2009 and cheaper too, look for a bargin on the new slimmer £89 2011 model closer to Christmas.