Comments on: To buy or not to buy the Kindle 2 http://www.elearningservice.com/blog/2009/02/25/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-the-kindle-2/ for librarians and library organizations Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:44:56 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jacque http://www.elearningservice.com/blog/2009/02/25/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-the-kindle-2/comment-page-1/#comment-7893 Jacque Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:44:56 +0000 http://www.elearningservice.com/?p=2096#comment-7893 Chris, I own a Sony Reader Touch Edition which allows me to read DRM-protected ePUB and Adobe PDF format books from my library. I read nearly a book a day so you can understand why I don't buy them. There are definitely issues with the Sony Reader, but I have learned to make it work for me and I love being able to set the type to a size that does not strain my eyes. I'm reading fiction so I don't worry about not having color or good graphics which might be an issue for some books. I think the choice of ereader really depends on what is important to the individual. I know Kindle users want that instant wireless access, something that is not really important to me since I don't travel a lot these days. Good luck finding a reader that works for you. Jacque Chris, I own a Sony Reader Touch Edition which allows me to read DRM-protected ePUB and Adobe PDF format books from my library. I read nearly a book a day so you can understand why I don’t buy them. There are definitely issues with the Sony Reader, but I have learned to make it work for me and I love being able to set the type to a size that does not strain my eyes. I’m reading fiction so I don’t worry about not having color or good graphics which might be an issue for some books. I think the choice of ereader really depends on what is important to the individual. I know Kindle users want that instant wireless access, something that is not really important to me since I don’t travel a lot these days.
Good luck finding a reader that works for you.
Jacque

]]> By: Chris Robbo http://www.elearningservice.com/blog/2009/02/25/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-the-kindle-2/comment-page-1/#comment-7892 Chris Robbo Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:59:25 +0000 http://www.elearningservice.com/?p=2096#comment-7892 I travel 3 hours a day and have decided I just need to get an E-Book reader, especially when I saw the price on the Kindle 2 was a lot more reasonable. Having looked into this long and hard I can tell you some more reasons not to buy a Kindle: No ePub, LBR, or MOBI formats in any shape or form, no memory expansion, and rather limited functionality about how I can get my Gb's of E-Books onto a Kindle. Conversion programmes? It's illegal to convert E-Book files with DRM to any other format, so good luck finding some decent software that does that... and I'm finding even good conversion software for non-DRM E-Books doesn't always do such a great job. The problem is, good E-Book readers that don't try to limit you to Amazon's propriatary AZW format aren't cheap. ASUS have been promising "the cheapest E-Book reader on the market" for nearly a year now. They'd better hurry up because if they don't beat the Apple iPad to market I may just have to buy one of those: After all the expected price of the iPad is only a little more than the BeBook but with tons more functionality. ASUS are also promising a book like version with dual colour touch screens as well. I wish they'd hurry up, I'm getting sick of lugging these dead tree books around with me... One thing seems likely though, if Asus and Apple both manage to get their products on the market in the next two months and at the prices promised then the price of good E-Book readers like the BeBook should plummet. Chris. I travel 3 hours a day and have decided I just need to get an E-Book reader, especially when I saw the price on the Kindle 2 was a lot more reasonable. Having looked into this long and hard I can tell you some more reasons not to buy a Kindle: No ePub, LBR, or MOBI formats in any shape or form, no memory expansion, and rather limited functionality about how I can get my Gb’s of E-Books onto a Kindle. Conversion programmes? It’s illegal to convert E-Book files with DRM to any other format, so good luck finding some decent software that does that… and I’m finding even good conversion software for non-DRM E-Books doesn’t always do such a great job.

The problem is, good E-Book readers that don’t try to limit you to Amazon’s propriatary AZW format aren’t cheap. ASUS have been promising “the cheapest E-Book reader on the market” for nearly a year now. They’d better hurry up because if they don’t beat the Apple iPad to market I may just have to buy one of those: After all the expected price of the iPad is only a little more than the BeBook but with tons more functionality.

ASUS are also promising a book like version with dual colour touch screens as well.

I wish they’d hurry up, I’m getting sick of lugging these dead tree books around with me… One thing seems likely though, if Asus and Apple both manage to get their products on the market in the next two months and at the prices promised then the price of good E-Book readers like the BeBook should plummet.

Chris.

]]> By: elizabeth roemisch http://www.elearningservice.com/blog/2009/02/25/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-the-kindle-2/comment-page-1/#comment-7880 elizabeth roemisch Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:59:57 +0000 http://www.elearningservice.com/?p=2096#comment-7880 i am typing this comment using my kindle 2 which i got for free so i may be biased but i love my kindle. i wish it showed images for websites, true and the text to speech is robotic but it is fantastic. i dont like buying books either but with most classics etc you can get them free. the fact is i have 44 kindle books and only paid for 4 of them, with out illegal downloading. i am typing this comment using my kindle 2 which i got for free so i may be biased but i love my kindle. i wish it showed images for websites, true and the text to speech is robotic but it is fantastic. i dont like buying books either but with most classics etc you can get them free. the fact is i have 44 kindle books and only paid for 4 of them, with out illegal downloading.

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