Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tech / Books E-Books: Now With Touching!
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Moreover—and this is really smart—the new Sony Reader will partner with independent bookstores to sell e-books and it will have "a feature called Library Finder that will allow users to borrow e-books from their local libraries, for free." The Kindle will never have that one. But the real question is: Why just local libraries? Well, the obvious answer is: Because if you could borrow e-books from every library, there wouldn't be much need to buy books anymore. But someone's gonna do it, and then you'll have the rough equivalent of state-sanctioned book piracy.
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4
I already check out e-books from the library on my touchscreen laptop.
I'm still looking forward to a lighter weight e-reader, but the tech is already there.
I'm still looking forward to a lighter weight e-reader, but the tech is already there.
5
Instead of getting fancier, I wish they'd get cheaper. I'd love to have one, but I'm not spending $300 for the device and $10-$20 per book.
6
The touchscreen is really a tradeoff. It's cleaner and more versatile, but if it's like current touchscreen e-readers, the thicker screen undermines the e-inks eye-friendliness and makes it more like reading from a laptop screen. I'd prefer the G3 without the touchscreen. In fact I'd prefer it so much that I wouldn't buy one of these.
7
it's not every public library because you don't pay to have an account at every library. contrary to popular belief, public libraries aren't free. they're (generally) subscription services funded by taxes. the more your areas taxes support your libraries, the more ebooks they can afford for you to check out for "free".....i'm sure unless you're faculty, staff, or a student, you won't be putting any uw libraries ebooks on your sony reader for "free".....
8
The SPL only has a small percentage of books on e-books. You can't switch them onto your iPhone, and last I knew, you could only read them on a reader that was mac-incompatible. Needless to say, I only checked out one book that way, and it was one I could read at work, and was work related, sort of. Looked like work anyway. I also could only read it for a few weeks.
Book piracy isn't going anywhere. I don't steal books, but I have bought very few in years either. I spend about $30 a year in fines at the library and wait until it's my turn if it's popular. E-books would help the wait-time, but only if they worked on my device(s).
Book piracy isn't going anywhere. I don't steal books, but I have bought very few in years either. I spend about $30 a year in fines at the library and wait until it's my turn if it's popular. E-books would help the wait-time, but only if they worked on my device(s).
10
Drool, I love my Sony ereader 505... I dont really need the wireless capability, which is highly overrated in my opinion... I am just as likely to have my laptop open while I am watching the Daily Show, hear an author I like, buy her book and pull it onto my ereader...
and as to the price of the book, I am usually in the 7 to 9 dollar range, the most expensive one I bought was 18 bucks.
and as to the price of the book, I am usually in the 7 to 9 dollar range, the most expensive one I bought was 18 bucks.
11
I'm convinced that somewhere, somehow, e-readers have a future.
I'm equally convinced that nothing currently being offered will sway me away from olde fashioned dead-tree books.
To succeed in the long run, e-readers need:
(1) A universal accessible, and transferable format.
(2) Much better screens.
(3) A much lower price point. At current prices for both the device and the the e-books, this will only appeal to relatively well-healed geeks, not the general reading public.
Keep working on it.
I'm equally convinced that nothing currently being offered will sway me away from olde fashioned dead-tree books.
To succeed in the long run, e-readers need:
(1) A universal accessible, and transferable format.
(2) Much better screens.
(3) A much lower price point. At current prices for both the device and the the e-books, this will only appeal to relatively well-healed geeks, not the general reading public.
Keep working on it.
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