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First forum post for me, so excuse me if it's in a wrong section or anything.
Hello everyone, ever since I started going to university, I've been spending a lot of time on the tram etc, to the point where it's getting really boring to waste like 3 hours a day on it with just listening to music. I am a pretty big fan of reading, however I need to carry a lot of books around for school already, so paper versions of big books ain't realy ideal. Because of this I started to think about getting myself an Ebook reader, point is just that I know absolutely nobody that has one, so I tought I'd ask about experiences here. I would only use it for reading, so Ipad and similar stuff are out of the question. just looking for a nice one that is about 200 euros tops
In short, if you have an Ebook reader, do you enjoy using it, or is it a waste of money getting one? Additional information like what type it is, and where you get your Ebooks would be a real big bonus too ofcourse.
thanks a lot in advance
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I have a Kindle third generation (wifi, no 3G) and I enjoy it a lot. But what kind of ebook reader you want depends on how you use it. The kindle has no good pdf support, but for reading books it is imo way better than the sony (which has pdf support, but sadly a touchscreen).
There are tons and tons of reviews at mobileread.com, but like I said it really depends on how and what you are reading. For the kindle there are already thousands of books available so if you enjoy reading, but don't mind not having fancy stuff like surfing around etc. the kindle might be right for you. Keep in mind that almost all books at Amazon have a kindle version now, but only in english (books in foreign languages are almost non-existing).
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Honestly the ipod actually may have an application as far as E-book readers go I use my ipod touch as an e-book reader while I listen to music on it and you could get one on ebay or craiglist for about the same price youd get a kindle for (and it has more functionality).
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I've used a 3rd generation Kindle for a few hours. It was great. The e-ink display is easy on the eyes, but has tens of milliseconds of delay at page transitions. You need an external light source with the Kindle as well. PDF reading works really well. The battery life is long, but the CPU is as slow as a Protoss reaver and web browsing sucks with the current firmware.
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Thanks for the answers so far. I don't mind reading in english, I'm used to that. How much does a book normally cost to get on kindle? And is there any way to use my .pdf books on a kindle or not? since zealot says it's easy, but rflcrx says the support sucks.
Thanks a lot for the advice so far tough! really helpfull
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On February 13 2011 23:37 Zealotdriver wrote:
PDF reading works really well.
No, the kindle is unable to resize pdfs, meaning you need to scroll in both directions. PDFs with picture texts or pure pictures are even worse.
Oh and no, anything that doesn't use e-ink (any kind of pad) cannot be compared to a real ebook reader.
On February 13 2011 23:44 horste wrote:
Thanks for the answers so far. I don't mind reading in english, I'm used to that. How much does a book normally cost to get on kindle? And is there any way to use my .pdf books on a kindle or not? since zealot says it's easy, but rflcrx says the support sucks.
Thanks a lot for the advice so far tough! really helpfull
See: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b/ref=sa_menu_kbo3?ie=UTF8&node=1286228011 for cost (it usually is ~5$ cheaper than a hardcover).
It does support pdf but not good. It takes too long to load and you need to scroll. You can however convert every pdf to mobi/pcr (kindle native format), either by using the amazon service (you mail it to your own kindle email address) which does a decent job, or you can do it with third party software (I do it that way to have a better result (pictures/format etc.) but it takes longer (but I think it is worth it if I convert huge books).
You can download the software at mobileread.com and test it yourself (open the pcr/mobi file with a software reader like ybook).
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I don't think it is a waste of money, you will never have to buy a book as pretty much every book is online for free. I have a Sony, My brother a kindle, and my sister a Kobo. Any one who says its easier to read a book on one over the other probably has never tried the others because there is almost no difference. The Sony is by far the easiest to download your own books for free because yo don't have to convert anything, where the others ones usually have a step or two more. I have about 1600 books and I have not payed for a single one.
But it is different for every person, I go through periods where I will use it everyday and don't touch it for a month at a time. The main use I have is going to the science library at school and they will put your text books on my Sony for me and have it auto delete after 2 weeks.
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I have an ebook reader, but I would have bought a Nook if it was available in my country. And do not buy a non-e-ink screen e-reader. If you have a smartphone, you can probably download a ereader app, which is free. E-ink screens read much better though. Also, for free ebooks, go to projectgutenberg.com, there are lots of them there.
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On February 13 2011 23:47 Wesso wrote:
I have an ebook reader, but I would have bought a Nook if it was available in my country. And do not buy a non-e-ink screen e-reader. If you have a smartphone, you can probably download a ereader app, which is free. E-ink screens read much better though. Also, for free ebooks, go to projectgutenberg.com, there are lots of them there.
That is a good site but for the most part just classic books.
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I own a Kindle 3 and it fully supports .pdf since version 2. You can check the Kindle prices here: Kindle Store, there are also tons of free e-books around and amazon regularly offers free kindle e-books aswell. The nook would be a good alternative but as far as i know it isn't supported in belgium. And please for the sake of your eyes don't use anything with a LCD(read ipad/ipod) as ebook reader.
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I have a Kindle 3 as well and I really like it. I can read for hours on the screen, much longer than I can sit infront of a monitor. Battery time is great and I use Caliber to convert/transfer everything over just fine even though it doesn't support epub.
If your intentions are strictly to read ebooks nothing beats a Kindle or another e-ink reader, but it's really admittedly weak for anything else
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Frankly, i think the Kindle 3 is strictly better than the pre-color Nooks - it's smaller, faster, has better battery life, and really doesn't lack any functionality. However, the Nook color adds several extra capabilities that make it a compelling alternative. Kindle and Nook are both well designed devices - at the end of the day which is better depends on what you want your reader to do. I own a Kindle 3, but I know people who have a Nook color, and they're both great devices at doing what they're designed to do.
The Kindle 3 is a single function device - it reads books, and does so with awesome battery life, fast page refreshes, and not much else. It can do some other things (like browse the internet), but not that well, and it never sacrifices its core functionality in order to fit in other capabilities.
The Nook Color is a diet ipad. It can read books, but since it has a full color screen it has a worse battery life and more glare than the kindle. However, you can use it to browse the internet easily, watch movies, and do almost anything you'd expect an ipad to do - minus the apps.
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Also, don't freak out too much about formats. The Kindle is a bit more restrictive, but it's not so bad it's insurmountable. It can read txt files, meaning that if you have an ebook in another format you can pretty easily just copy paste it into something it can read.
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Ebook readers really are for that purpose. I have a kindle and it is great. I wouldnt recommend ebook readers that do not have the e-ink display as it is really like staring at a computer screen. I dont really care much for color displays since I just read text-heavy books most of the time.
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Australia281 Posts
I have a kindle. I really like it. I actually read faster on a kindle than with a book. It may lead you to buying way more books though as it is super easy.
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I have a sony PRS-600. It's really good and cheap. I got one used for 130$ and it's actually great really awesome.
Could play mp3'd too. Really solid aluminum frame. Screen could have some glare since it's coating is whatever.
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I have a Kindle and I love it. I've heard the Nook is decent too. Never had a problem with the Kindle personally and plenty of books to get on it 
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Why do you guys buy books? Can't you just convert to epub through different programs (IE: Calibre)??
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Too bad we all have to work with budget restrictions. The upcoming iPad 2 *could* be a very good reader, I think.
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On February 13 2011 23:56 zyax wrote:
I own a Kindle 3 and it fully supports .pdf since version 2.
no, it doesn't *sigh*
And yeah, people should really stop say that an Ipad can be a ebook reader, because it can't.
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i really like the kindle i think its by far the most superior e-reader out there atm.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.loopygadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Sony-PRS-600-Reader-Touch-Edition-silver-black.jpg)
