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QOTW: What do you think of e-book readers?

by Parm Mann on 1 August 2014, 16:30

Tags: Barnes & Noble, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Sony (NYSE:SNE)

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E-book readers are fantastic examples of modern gadgetry, aren't they? All your favourite books in one place, no screen glare even in bright sunlight, a battery that lasts for weeks on end, and now subscriptions that offer access to hundreds of thousands of books for a set monthly fee.

It's hard to believe that almost seven years have passed since Amazon launched its first-generation Kindle, and the hardware has matured considerably since then, but are consumers as bowled over as they're made out to be? Personally, I think the devices are great at what they do, but I never quite got used to my own Kindle and still prefer to keep actual books.

But let's hear it from you: what do you think of e-book readers? Whether you're a fan or a critic, share your reasons for or against using the comments facility below.

 

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HEXUS Forums :: 31 Comments

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I own 3, two now deceased (nook simple touch, kindle 1st gen the angular one), Onyx Boox M96 remaining. I'm fine with where e-ink tech is going though I'd like a higher resolution of course, what I'm not fine with is the supporting software. Someone apparently decided that an eink device can only be an ebook reader and must have no other function, which is just ridiculous, here I am doing the bulk of my reading on websites like this one so why not have a device that can load web pages nicely. The OBM96 was meant to be that and probably is the best option but even that isn't just an android device with e-ink because the ROM is a bit messed up. *ugh*
… have they kindled your interest, …
Oh, groan. :D

What do I think? Superb modern use of technology. Great devices, by and large well-implemented.

Do they replace actual books? Not really, and certainly not entirely.

I love books, the physical feel, even the smell. And I have a LOT, hardback and paperback, fiction and non-fiction, dirt cheap and quite valuable, common as muck and pretty rare.

And no, an e-reader doesn't replace that. But it's one hell of a convenience to have as well. So yes, I have one. More than one, actually. And I wouldn't want to be without, now. We haven't stopped buying printed books though, even if we have slowed down a bit.
reading novels,stories, fine. But when you try to read educational books or serious stuff, you need random page flipping, taking notes etc. I know all this things are supported by ebook readers but flipping through the pages physically is lot faster.
Kindle installed on my 2013 Nexus 7 is just about perfect as I can always relax with a book when other Nexus work is done–and the Nexus screen is about as good as you could wish for
Picked up a Nook last year in one of the many deals that were on at the time. It's a very nice piece of kit that I don't use as much as I should. I just wish the technology would advance to a point where it could replace the displays on phones, just for how much better they are in sunlight.