I saw the new Kindle e-reader the other day. I also went over to Barnes and Noble and played with the Nook. I have to say....they are really kinda fun to play with. That still begs the question though, would I use it? Would I get as much out of it as I do a book. Will the flipping of the computer page take me out of the fantasy? Will I miss the smell of the printed pages?
So I thought of a list of reasons to buy it, and there aren't very many:
1. The cost of an e-book is usually $3.99. The cost of print book is around $7.99. So I would save more money on the books I would buy and may in fact be able to buy more books in the long run.
2. I wouldn't have to store any of the books I buy. I also wouldn't have to find them new homes after I have read them if I don't wish to keep them. No heavy bags to drop-off to Goodwill or Half-Prices books.
3. Not having to search through bins in the basement for books as all I would have to do is pull up an index. Save me time, frustration, and energy with just a touch of a screen.
4. No carrying around 4-5 different books in my purse or car or whatever. Just one item to carry.
The list of why not? Is a bit longer, but the highlights are:
1. I would miss the ease of a book. The non-thought page turning. Not having to wait for it to turn on and find the book and the page I want. Just grab, open, and go.
2. I like the smell of a book. The paper, the ink, the dust. I don't know why. It's a thing I have.
3. The cost of a Kindle is $139...the Nook is even more than that.
4. Batteries. I don't need any batteries for my books. None. They never loose power.
So if you have an e-reader, what are your thoughts of them? Are they as great as they appear? What are your own pro's and con's. I would love to know as I still am contemplating the purchase. Esp. with Christmas right around the corner...19 days ya'll.
i have a kindle3 and i can adress some of your issues =)
ReplyDeletei LOVE my kindle, sure i like paperbacks, and i still buy the ones that i cant get on my kindle, but i dont miss them so much. the kindles ability to make the text bigger was my selling point =)
cons i can think of is they dont smell like paperbooks XD
there is no SD slot, but really who is going to fill up thier kindle with 3500 books? and all the books if you should be able to do that are archived on amazon so you never loose them if you need to make room.
Hmm.. hard to think of more cons actually =P
now on to more practicle stuff.
1. pricing - ebooks can be cheaper, case: gauntlgrym is 30.00 (!!!) in hardback, only 15.00 on kindle. most books when released are only 9.99 on kindle whereas they can be 15-17.00 hardback.
2. batteries, your kindle will not run out of battery power (meaning you wont need to change it) for probably over a year. i had my k2 for near a year and i didnt need to change the battery (you change it by sending it back to amazon) most people have had thier k1s since 2007 and no battery problems.
3. 139.00 is nothing compared to how much you can save!
4. you never know how heavy a book is until you use a kindle. (or nook.. but nooks to me are meh) i can hold the kindle with one hand easily and not put it down while i drink my tea.
5. the page turning you get used to, i actually had a paperback once after usuing a kindle for a month and i kept pushing the side of the pages waiting for the book to turn itself!
6. its not for everyone of course, but amazon has great customer service, you can buy it, try it for 30 days and return it no questions asked if you do not like it, and i even think for christmas they are extending the 30 day return to the end of january (if you buy it between now and the end of the new year)
7. Amazon customer service is tops! my charger broke for my k2, i asked them if i could use my warrenty to get a new charger.. they sent me a brand new k2! i just had to return the old one (no biggie, its free to do so)
alright ill stop rambling! and i noticed i seem biased, but most kindlers are haha. we just love our kindles.
Wow! I think I am leaning in a new direction...Thanks for the great info. Hmmmm I wonder if Santa does express.....
ReplyDeleteI have a Kindle which my husband bought for my birthday. It is wireless, cost $189. I enjoy it, and use it a lot, but would not give up reading print books for just the ebook. It's great to take places where you have to wait, like at the doctor's, or if you're taking kids to dance or hockey practice, etc. Some of the books I normally buy are cheaper, but most of the new ones are still anywhere from $9.99 to $14.99, so I don't see it as saving me a lot of money. However, all of the classic are usually free, many of the kids/YA books are much cheaper, so in the long run, it either evens out to what i would pay for a print book, or it's better.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Kindle, but I still won't give up my print books.
I love the smell of books too. It's kind of an addiction I have. lol I think an e-reader would be great for traveling and the like...but otherwise, I'm not sure it's my way of reading. :)
ReplyDelete-Lauren
I'm getting the Kindle 3G for Christmas and I can't wait! I won't stop buying print books though. If there's a series I love, then I want to own it--in the flesh? paper? Whatever, you know what I mean. But I will be able to buy more books on my Kindle because like you said, it's less expensive. Also, I run on the treadmill and read at the same time. That's probably not good for a Kindle so I'll need a print book at all times too. I think I'm meshing the electronic and the print worlds, discovering the beauty of both.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about a kindle too; however think about this. The more kindles we buy, the better chances that kindle/ebooks etc. will make REAL books obsolete and none of us writers wants that!! So I am thinking long and hard about investing in anything but a real, old fashioned book.
ReplyDelete