Should I buy a Kindle?
03-02-2012, 09:43 AM
#21
I'm struggling with whether getting an e-reader, and thus committing myself to a paperless future, is a wise decision. 30 years from now, will I regret having a "library" that exists only as data in a DRM-protected cloud? There's something gratifying about holding a physical book in your hands, or stopping by Strand Books while in Manhattan and browsing the shelves for hours to discover a few new titles you would have never found otherwise.
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03-02-2012, 10:13 AM
#23
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joe did not include my one huge point about the kindle:
it does not make physical books obosolete.
If you want to buy a collector book that you want to keep around for 30 years, you still can.
it does not make physical books obosolete.
If you want to buy a collector book that you want to keep around for 30 years, you still can.
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03-02-2012, 12:09 PM
#25
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Not interested in getting a Fire. It's just a crippled tablet, IMO.
I really have no desire to abandon the Android platform for Blackberry.
I'm sure that's true. I'm just saying that I don't find using the screen on my phone to be at all distressing- it does not detract from the experience, and thus, the screen is not a compelling reason.
If we project forward a few years, and assume that there will be a "winner" and a "loser" in the e-book world (eg: VHS vs. Beta, BluRay vs HDDVD) I expect it will probably be Amazon.
2. Use a better reader app on your phone. This is what I do. I use an app called Cool Reader,[/QUOTE]I'll check it out. Though like I said, battery life is about the only issue I have now. If it improves on that front, then great.
Hmm. A whole new world of piracy for me to explore.
Well, I'm pretty sure that the aim of e-book readers (and electronic "book" delivery services) is to destroy the entire publishing industry as we know it.
Unlike a Hollywood movie, you don't really need the financial backing of a production company to "create" a book. In general, it just takes one or two people to sit down and write the thing.
What the publishing company buys you is mostly marketing, production and distribution, and I'm pretty sure that Amazon wants to take over that end of the business entirely.
I really have no desire to abandon the Android platform for Blackberry.
If we project forward a few years, and assume that there will be a "winner" and a "loser" in the e-book world (eg: VHS vs. Beta, BluRay vs HDDVD) I expect it will probably be Amazon.
2. Use a better reader app on your phone. This is what I do. I use an app called Cool Reader,[/QUOTE]I'll check it out. Though like I said, battery life is about the only issue I have now. If it improves on that front, then great.
There are ebook format converters (Here is a good one), also you can find torrents of ebooks already in kindle format.
As someone who has worked in an independent bookstore for the last six years, a store, I might mention, that, if not entirely opposed to the e-book, has some serious questions about what effect it'll have on the publishing industry and literature in general, it warms the cockles of my heart to hear you say that, Joe.
Unlike a Hollywood movie, you don't really need the financial backing of a production company to "create" a book. In general, it just takes one or two people to sit down and write the thing.
What the publishing company buys you is mostly marketing, production and distribution, and I'm pretty sure that Amazon wants to take over that end of the business entirely.
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03-02-2012, 01:38 PM
#28
Calibre is excellent at converting from one ebook format to another. PDF's can be converted although they don't always turn out the best. But, if you can find a book in either .mobi (Kindle native) or .epub (nook native) they can be cross converted without issues.
I also have a Nook and will say the kindle is definitely the better reader. The e-ink has a much better contrast and battery life is superior. Yes you can change background screens on a Nook, but did you really buy an e-reader to have cool background screens?
And as already said, you can easily defeat the DRM on purchased Kindle books. Don't let this deter you. The Kindle is awesome, case closed.
I also have a Nook and will say the kindle is definitely the better reader. The e-ink has a much better contrast and battery life is superior. Yes you can change background screens on a Nook, but did you really buy an e-reader to have cool background screens?
And as already said, you can easily defeat the DRM on purchased Kindle books. Don't let this deter you. The Kindle is awesome, case closed.
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03-02-2012, 02:23 PM
#30
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Well, I'm pretty sure that the aim of e-book readers (and electronic "book" delivery services) is to destroy the entire publishing industry as we know it.
What the publishing company buys you is mostly marketing, production and distribution, and I'm pretty sure that Amazon wants to take over that end of the business entirely.
What the publishing company buys you is mostly marketing, production and distribution, and I'm pretty sure that Amazon wants to take over that end of the business entirely.
Amazon would of course like to take over the biz entirely, but, competition will prevent that.
The cost of marketing and distribution, more economic inefficiency, is reduced by search engines, and "if you like this you will probably like this" engines.
Amazon is reducing the cost of publishing and distributing books. Some of this savings ends up in their pockets, some in the readers' pockets, and probably, some in the pockets of authors. Especially those that aren't best-selling authors.
Due to the Internet, the "Long Tail" has never before been more profitable. Niche writers/musicians/artists/producers are matched up with niche consumers/fans better than ever:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html
Due to Grooveshark and Pandora (I'm a paid subscriber to both), I discover and enjoy many more new bands/music than ever before. Bands that would have been unknown, undiscovered by niche genre fans, can now be found.
Unlike a Hollywood movie, you don't really need the financial backing of a production company to "create" a book. In general, it just takes one or two people to sit down and write the thing.
Apple Bites Into Core of School Textbook Monopoly
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/...ron-brown.html
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03-02-2012, 02:26 PM
#31
There are lots of books, and lots of book buyers, for whom the e-book will represent a more efficient step forward.
There are at least a few books, and at least a few book buyers, for whom the e-book, at least for now, remains a pale imitation of a physical book.
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03-02-2012, 03:15 PM
#33
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Like I said, I have utterly no interest in buying a larger, heavier, more expensive version of a Kindle with much poorer battery life. I already carry my ultraportable laptop when I travel, and it does just fine for all those things which make the Fire "better" than a traditional Kindle.
Also, Jason, this thread isn't a platform for you to demonstrate your superior knowledge of all economic theories known to man. My cat is smart enough to know that printing, warehousing, shipping and stocking physical, printed books is less efficient than not doing so. Thank you for not thread crapping.
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03-02-2012, 03:28 PM
#34
Joe, I have a Nook SimpleTouch, and absolutely love it.
One advantage I've found over the kindle is the nook has the ability to put files directly on the filesystem, like PDFs. from my understanding, you can't do that with the kindle. you need kindle formatted files, etc...
99 bucks, battery lasts weeks, and more convenient than carrying around even a single hard copy book... i find it allows me to read MORE, which is net positive.
One advantage I've found over the kindle is the nook has the ability to put files directly on the filesystem, like PDFs. from my understanding, you can't do that with the kindle. you need kindle formatted files, etc...
99 bucks, battery lasts weeks, and more convenient than carrying around even a single hard copy book... i find it allows me to read MORE, which is net positive.
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03-02-2012, 04:02 PM
#35
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Joe: My response wasn't directed just at you. Thanks for the bandwidth.
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03-02-2012, 07:30 PM
#37
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oh yeah the kindle sucks for picture and travel books. you think you're smart getting all your lonely planet guides on kindle and then FUUUUUUUUUU when you can't see the maps and use them like you want.
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03-04-2012, 01:13 PM
#38
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Pictee no mattee.
Now this is interesting. A hypothetical person browsing around the seedy underbelly of the torrent scene might have just located and downloaded a copy of "The Cuckoo's Egg" in epub format, which is a book that he hadn't been able to find at either Amazon's Kindle Store or B&N's Nook Store.
Said person mightn't have yet figured out how to import same into his Android's Kindle reader software, but might have found that chokeasphyxia's link to Calibre apparently supports easy importation of same into a physical Kindle device.
"How on earth did this book even wind up in electronic format" that person might ask, "and why can't I find 'Accidental Empires' or 'Fire in the Valley'?"
Now this is interesting. A hypothetical person browsing around the seedy underbelly of the torrent scene might have just located and downloaded a copy of "The Cuckoo's Egg" in epub format, which is a book that he hadn't been able to find at either Amazon's Kindle Store or B&N's Nook Store.
Said person mightn't have yet figured out how to import same into his Android's Kindle reader software, but might have found that chokeasphyxia's link to Calibre apparently supports easy importation of same into a physical Kindle device.
"How on earth did this book even wind up in electronic format" that person might ask, "and why can't I find 'Accidental Empires' or 'Fire in the Valley'?"
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03-12-2012, 02:37 PM
#40
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So I took the plunge and bought a Kindle. Cost me $45 at Best Buy after turning in a couple of gift cards I've had lying around for longer than I can remember. I got the cheapest one, which displays ads at you while in "standby" mode.
And that brings me to a rather interesting topic.
Now, I've been an Amazon.com customer since 1996, back when they only sold books, and not very many of them at that. I'll never forget what I bought first from them; it was a paperback copy of Steven Levy's "Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution." I even got one of their limited-edition "Inside of a Dog" mousepads as a free thank-you gift for being a customer in their first year of operation. This was back when mousepads actually served a useful function, mind you.
So they've had sixteen years to compile a profile on me, based upon not only my purchase history but the history of every item I have ever viewed or clicked on at their website.
I've bought a lot of science / technology / history / automotive books, a few pieces of consumer-electronics equipment, a couple of random car parts (they have the best price anywhere on 4-wire narrowband O2 sensors), a camera lens, some Cussler / Clancy / Crichton / Coontz / Grisham style paperbacks, and an electric wok. And that's just the stuff I can remember off the top of my head.
And I've used their site to look at user reviews for more stuff than I can even remember. Paint sprayers, computer hardware, ceiling fans, television sets, cordless electric drills, wort chillers, pneumatic valves, and a little gadget that you install inside your toilet tank to automatically dispense a small amount of bleach directly into the bowl with every flush.
So what is it, specifically, that makes Amazon think that I care one whit about looking at ads for NewBalance running shoes and trendy blue jeans?
C'mon, Amazon. Google is putting you to shame in terms of targeting me with ads which are somehow vaguely relevant to my interests, and you guys have at least a five year head-start on them.
And that brings me to a rather interesting topic.
Now, I've been an Amazon.com customer since 1996, back when they only sold books, and not very many of them at that. I'll never forget what I bought first from them; it was a paperback copy of Steven Levy's "Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution." I even got one of their limited-edition "Inside of a Dog" mousepads as a free thank-you gift for being a customer in their first year of operation. This was back when mousepads actually served a useful function, mind you.
So they've had sixteen years to compile a profile on me, based upon not only my purchase history but the history of every item I have ever viewed or clicked on at their website.
I've bought a lot of science / technology / history / automotive books, a few pieces of consumer-electronics equipment, a couple of random car parts (they have the best price anywhere on 4-wire narrowband O2 sensors), a camera lens, some Cussler / Clancy / Crichton / Coontz / Grisham style paperbacks, and an electric wok. And that's just the stuff I can remember off the top of my head.
And I've used their site to look at user reviews for more stuff than I can even remember. Paint sprayers, computer hardware, ceiling fans, television sets, cordless electric drills, wort chillers, pneumatic valves, and a little gadget that you install inside your toilet tank to automatically dispense a small amount of bleach directly into the bowl with every flush.
So what is it, specifically, that makes Amazon think that I care one whit about looking at ads for NewBalance running shoes and trendy blue jeans?
C'mon, Amazon. Google is putting you to shame in terms of targeting me with ads which are somehow vaguely relevant to my interests, and you guys have at least a five year head-start on them.
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