Ebooks

[campbell]

Come on, let's move away from the scrapping! Ebooks, who uses/refuses and why?
I'm on my second kobo, the original one broke under warranty, but was outdated so kobo replaced it foc with the newer kobo touch, which I've been using for about 2 years now. I love it, it's always with me, so when I'm waiting for something I can have a read.

I'm considering upgrading to a backlit version so I can read in bed without having a light on. Anyone got any experience of this? I'd rather stick with kobo, I've invested in a lot of books over the years and don't want to lose them...

Anyone use a tablet? I prefer a dedicated reader as the battery lasts for about 3 weeks, rather than 3 hours...

[Anne]

I bought a kindle when they first came out, we used to spend quite a few weeks on the continent and had to carry lots of paperbacks to keep us going. My husband is a bit of a technophobe and scoffed at my penchant for gadgets, but I lent him mine just once, showed him how to adjust the print to suit his ageing eyes, and he was hooked. He still can't put books on himself since he relies on me for all that sort of thing, but neither of us would ever go back to print.

Our eldest daughter on the other hand, refuses to have anything to do with them, preferring to hold her books - horses for courses. Our younger daughter has the backlit book because she likes to read in bed, something which has never attracted me. I like to sleep in bed

[campbell]

Yep, it's the fact that I can go on holiday with 4 unread books taking up no space at all that attracted me in the first place.

Part of me wishes I'd gone kindle instead, they let you lend books to friends now, plus they have more offers...

I'm surprised your daughter is against them, I have the app on my phone and synch it regularly, so even when I'm at work or something I can have a read on my refs.

[Anne]

She has hundreds of books in her home, all catalogued like a library, if she lends one out you have to sign for is

[campbell]

I'm a bit like that with CD's, not as bad as I used to be. I'm anti mp3 though, unless you bought the CD first and ripped it. Pure download of music is wrong!

[Craig72]

Aug 28, 2014 18:50:48 GMT campbell said:

I'm a bit like that with CD's, not as bad as I used to be. I'm anti mp3 though, unless you bought the CD first and ripped it. Pure download of music is wrong!

Why do you say downloading music is wrong Campbell? If you pay for it, it's the say as buying a CD.

PS. I have a Nook, which is backlit and I love it.

Craig.

[campbell]

I mean it's wrong to me, I can't articulate it with the process.

When I was younger I'd skip college on a Monday morning and go to a little record shop in Chester called penny lane records, I'd spend hours flicking through the lp's, I'd buy one and rush home and copy it to tape so I could play it in the car (dad's car...). I resisted CD's for a long time, I loved the crackling on an lp.

Now I love the quality of a CD. I don't like downloading as I like the physical process of going to a shop and flicking through the CD's and buying one. Now I rush home and rip it so it's on the phone, but for me the buzz is being in the shop, holding it and reading the inside cover.

I occasionally download from Amazon, but only if it's an album that they send the CD out for

[Ratae]

Hmmm...I used to have my doubts whether those ebooks would catch on, I am however pleasantly surprised at how many older people are using them. Several times I've been on a bus and seen some old dear reading an ebook.

Jazus.... even ex wifey (number 1) has bought herself one.

[Deleted]

OK you experts - which do you recommend ?
Remember I'm a pensioner, so cost is an issue.
Thanks

[Deleted]

I should add that I'm an avid reader and love books.
I also support our local library and once a month my wife and I deliver library books to the elderly housebound readers who can no longer visit the library.
So I wonder whether I might be doing the library a disservice if I was to go the 'ebook route'.

[campbell]

Most libraries do ebooks now too, nowhere near the same stock, but they're slowly updating. It's free too and they expire after 3 weeks.

As for choice? Go to Tesco, they do the main ones and try them in your hand to see how they feel. Kobo have got the most recently advanced paper white and e ink, but when the gadget show reviewed them at the end of last year they loved the nook. Kindle is the first, and as above they let you share your books with friends, which kobo currently does not.

I'd get a backlit too, just in case. They're currently trading for about £80 to £100, compared to my unlit kobo touch which is about £50 in whsmiths.

On a techy note, the screen on a dedicated reader doesn't give a headache, which I think using a tablet might do after prolonged use as the reader doesn't refresh the screen. It's hard to describe without looking. Personally I wouldn't be without it now... And there are thousands of free books available too.

[Anne]

I have no knowledge of other e books, but I do know that Amazon do a lot of free books, and a lot more costing less than £1. Not at all sure these can be put on anything but a kindle, so worth bearing in mind when reckoning up the cost. I have investigated many new authors for free, if I like them enough I will then buy other books by them

[Anne]

Alan, nothing to say you can't do both, I borrow from my daughter's real 'library' but I don't find holding a real book as comfortable and easy as the kindle, just turn the page with the flick of a thumb and don't have to hold the book in two hands to stop it closing

[Deleted]

Thanks both of you. Excellent advice.

[nob]

Mrs has a Kindle, nearly 400 books on it, she read the Jackie Collins series while on holiday some series about a lothario.