I am also a fan of the "old fashioned" book, and I never thought I would want an e-reader. Last Christmas my wife bought me a Kindle, the simplest one (I had decided to give it a try once I saw the screens.) I really like it, and I am glad I went with the cheap one. I am thinking the screen on mine is a little different than the fancier ones (Kindle Fire, etc.) It seems the tablets and things that double as an e-reader have higher gloss screens. I also wouldn't like a backlit screen. I have problems staring at a computer screen in a dark room, seems to trigger migraines for me. Now I search the public library's website in my area, and download books from there. It beats paying for them online, and is easier to do from home rather than going to the city and physically checking out a book. When I built my house, I built a small library. It contains plenty of books already. If I read a book that I feel was outstanding or that I might read again, I will not hesitate to buy the physical copy to have on one of my bookshelves.
I much prefer paper books, and I think the majority of serious readers do as well. e-Readers are an eco-friendly alternative, but you can't replace the feeling of turning a page or the smell of paper, and they're both, in my opinion, extremely important in the experience of reading.
Most books will eventually be read on an e-reader. But just as there is a resurgance in records for music there will always be a place for paper books. Personally if I really like a book I want to have it hard copy. If it's just for reference or I'm not sure I'll get an e-copy. I just read them on my phone. I have good eye-sight so I'm sure that doesn't work for most people.
I believe it will when the society becomes even more frugal, since I have thousands upon thousands of pirated books, while in real life I might struggle with buying a decent novel. (Sixteen year-old student) Also, one needs no light since the screen is luminescent, and the only possible problem would be the weight, since tablet tends to be heavier than a medium-sized book. Mostly yes.
My reader, even with a leather cover, weighs less than most of my books. It certainly is less burdensome than carrying a half dozen books in my luggage! But I also like books with paper pages and a binding. The look, feel, and smell of a real book is irreplaceable.
I don't own any type of E-Reader yet, though I'm sure I will at some point in the future. I have concerns about the eye strain, traditional books are much softer and easier on the eyes than staring into a lit screen
Proper e-readers have a passive screen - no light, no eye strain. But you still need a lamp or the sun.
As did I, but they are well designed and, as idle said, there is no backlight at all. The screen technology is very clever and passive. I've found it no different than reading from paper. The added benefit is that you can change the font and size to suit whatever is most comfortable.
The other benefit of an e-ink reader (as opposed to the newer backlit tablet style) is that the battery life is phenomenal. One charge will last most of the week on my 1st generation Nook. I use it at lease 1-2 hours per day with the wi-fi constantly on. When I've taken it to the beach one charge lasted for a good twenty hours (that was with the wi-fi off since there was none to be connected to). I've cleared a ton of clutter from my shelves by donating the mass market paperbacks I had that were just collecting dust. This allows more space to show case my prize possessions (one of which is a leather bound copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy).
My kindles (we have three in this house) turn themselves off after ten minutes or so of no activity. Saves the battery! In typical use, I recharge mine every two weeks or so.
I will say I do love my kindle, even if I don't really use it very much. The thing is really well built, and intuitive. And because you can an entire library on something smaller than a tablet. My only real complaint is that a lot of the time, especially with free poetry collections, the formatting sucks gopher balls. But I've heard that this is becoming rarer with new releases.
I've never had any kind of e-reader, though I've read parts of books online on my computer. Though I suppose that is far from the same thing. Anyway, as many others have said in this thread I doubt that an electronic device can ever provide me with the same feeling as holding a proper hard cover book in my hands. I would personally never replace my books with a e-reader, though I must agree with whoever said that they can be useful for easy discovering good books which later can be bought for real. Instead of the need to go to the library to return a boring book, you can sit at home and just download another one with a touch of your finger. And as when you find a really good one, Amazon (or another website from which physical book copies can be bought) is never to far away. The only really bad disadvantages I can see with having physical copies of books is that I'm running out of walls to put shelves on, and that books are terrible creations when you move to another house...
I love my bookshelves filled with all my old treasured books. But now, it's mainly the aesthetic of it. I rarely pull anything off them anymore. I read most of the time on my Iphone or Ipad. With dropbox as well, I have hundreds and hundreds of books at my disposal anytime I want, anywhere I am. I travel a lot and find I am reading double compared to the days when I had to lug around paper books. It's so easy to read ebooks and I'm disappointed when a title isn't available in ebook format.
I do not think it will ever replace them. It may become very popularized, but never replace. Ipods still haven't completely replaced CD's in their entirety. I personally can't stand e-readers just because I do not read well from screens. Good ol' fashion paper is the only way I can personally read, and their are a huge market of people that agree. On the flip-side, there is a huge market of people that support e-readers. E-readers will continue to gain popularity, but never replace books. There are, and will continue to be, too many people who prefer books.
That's always been the case. In the 1800s rich folk could buy books by the meter in order to decorate studies or libraries. Many people keep their books for the look, and not the reading. Once they've read it it sits on the shelf for the next 20 years doing nothing, except for the occassional favourites.
For Christmas I got a Kindle Fire and aside from not being able to categorize anything, I love it. My friends may sniff at it, but the sheer convenience of having all my favorites with me at all times if a blessing; no more lugging around Harry Potter when I travel, unable to decide which one I want to bring, and everything else besides. All the freebies are another plus.
I've got a kobo reader and I use it for 3 primary reasons: 1) an easy way to bring a number of books with me at times when I need them, i.e. flights, long journeys. 2) an easy way to get free books as any books out of copyright may be offered for free, i.e. right now i'm reading huckleberry finn and have books such as Jane Eyre and Persuasion and Journey to the centre of the earth to enjoy 3) some readers allow pdf files to be accessed in the same way as you'd read any story. As a result I store first drafts on my reader and read them any time i like to get back into my 'zone'. Additionally, my father has slight eye problems, mostly from a lifetime of looking at computer screens, but when we were looking at some e-readers, he was surprised at finding it easier to read those than normal books. No fear though, i love traditional books too. My greatest joy comes from browsing through a secondhand bookstore, breathing in the musty hue and seeing a sea of spines with their own stories of their origins, and the colours of their pages.
There has been a lot of talk on the blog sites this past week about Barnes and Noble's holiday performance numbers and the general consensus is that they are in trouble. It might not happen this year, but they are apparently headed the way of Borders. I don't think that an e-reader can replace the attachement I have to physical books, though I do love my Kindle, but there may come a time when we don't really have a choice. If smaller, independent book sellers are all that will be left, how much incentive is that for the publishing companies to continue to produce physical print editions? I don't ask this rhetorically, I truly don't know. I have this fear that not too far down the road, the art of printing may become a lost one.
I hope not, though I love my Nook. There are so many free or low cost books I can find for it, but that doesn't stop me from going to the library or the half price book store and getting paper/hard back books whenever I can. I will always buy physical books for as long as I can, but there are just some books easier and cheaper to get on my Nook. I read more than I ever did now that I have a Nook and I was a big reader before.
