Books v. E-Reader - I need help

[GeorgeG.]

The main reason I haven't switched to an e-reader is because I mainly read tech books, (ie CCNA, Windows Server) and it just seems easier to read a hard book. For me, being able to write notes in the book or place a sticky tab on the edge seems easier if I need to go back and reference something.

I've even tried to read a few PDF versions of tech books and I can't seem to retrain myself to find what works. PLUS, a lot of these books come with training software that I don't think can be installed on an e-reader....or tablets for that matter

[tex]

I'm sticking with books. I dig tech and all, but there is nothing that can replace a book and all the idiosyncrasies they come with. Plus, if a book sucks, you can take it to Half Price... Get $4 for it, then end up spending $40..... One of my favorite past times in fact.

Yup.


I'd use a e-reader for text books and the like, but for me, pleasure reading involves a physical book.

[Jose]

Over the past 14 months I've really grown to embrace my iPad for everything including using it as an e-reader. It started by viewing various news apps, than magazines, and now I've read quite a few books (somewhere around 20 or so) on it. I was a big book reader and my collection is pretty big especially after I inherited what my dad had (after he retired he was reading almost a book a week).

I've gotta admit, as much as I enjoy physically holding a book/magazine and reading it, I can't help but smile at the convenience of having it all stored on my iPad. The last few trips out of town I carried just my iPad and clothes in my backpack. Used to be I would bring my laptop (sold after having owned the iPad a few months), clothes, a book or two, and I'd always buy a magazine or two somewhere on the road to give me something different to read. I travel much lighter now a days

[jefehbk]

I can see the e-readers being better for people who travel so they don't have to lug around books as much.

some of the things that have kept me from diving into the e-reader format are as follows:

1.) once you buy an e-book, you can not resell it even if the physical book would be for a few bucks to apply towards another book(s). so if you spend $20 on an e-book you will not be able to recoup any part of that investment, correct?

2.) I frequent the library to look for books vs. buying at B&N for money saving...what are the future projections that I will be able to take an e-reader to a library and download any book that is in digital format?

3.) with e-readers can you share/transfer books from one person to the next? ex. if i have music on my computer that someone wants, I just burn to a cd and there you go...can something similar apply to eBooks?

4.) i look at B&N website at books i might want to read...in some cases the Nook version of the book is more expensive that the physical version and in some cases the Nook version is only like a few dollars cheaper than the physical book. why are the digital versions of books not cheaper since the publishers and such save money on having to print/distribute/store physical books, seems like there would be alot less overhead distributing eBooks vs the physical versions.

5.) also if i were to buy an e-reader today, what are the chances I will still be able to use it 10yrs from now and such. for example, it seems you have to buy/upgrade computers every so often when the programs/software get to complicated or advanced for your current computer setup. I still have some computer games i bought 15yrs ago that I can not get to run on my pc I guess because of programming language differences or something.

6.) if B&N or Amazon upgrade their respective e-readers like Apple has done with the Ipad and Ipad2. are the chances very good I will able to just move over the books I would currently have on the current e-reader? or do the current e-readers let you download your e-books onto and SD card or similar media for backup if your e-reader goes FUBAR?

7.) is the amazon kindle fire and B&N counterpart comparable? meaning if I owned the kindle fire and decided to sell and buy the B&N counterpart, would I lose all my current e-books or be able to move them over somehow?

[Kenny_Stang]

To reply to your questions:

I can see the e-readers being better for people who travel so they don't have to lug around books as much.

some of the things that have kept me from diving into the e-reader format are as follows:

1.) once you buy an e-book, you can not resell it even if the physical book would be for a few bucks to apply towards another book(s). so if you spend $20 on an e-book you will not be able to recoup any part of that investment, correct?

That is correct, at least with most current ebook stores such as Amazon and B&N

2.) I frequent the library to look for books vs. buying at B&N for money saving...what are the future projections that I will be able to take an e-reader to a library and download any book that is in digital format?

I haven't heard of it, but I think that would be a good idea, at least be able to read them for xx amount of days, and then it expires and you have to re-check it out or something... not sure if that is being done, but I'm guessing the answer is no

3.) with e-readers can you share/transfer books from one person to the next? ex. if i have music on my computer that someone wants, I just burn to a cd and there you go...can something similar apply to eBooks?

Yes, I think with Kindle you can currently do this, you can "lend" an ebook you purchased to a friend, and after a certain amount of time it expires, or you have a certain amount of times you can "lend" a book out

4.) i look at B&N website at books i might want to read...in some cases the Nook version of the book is more expensive that the physical version and in some cases the Nook version is only like a few dollars cheaper than the physical book. why are the digital versions of books not cheaper since the publishers and such save money on having to print/distribute/store physical books, seems like there would be alot less overhead distributing eBooks vs the physical versions.

It comes down to supply and demand, I'm sure the resellers and the publishers conducted surveys to determine how much people would pay for an ebook, and then based their pricing on it. If people wouldn't buy, then the price would drop. As it is, people will pay similar price for an ebook as they do for an actual printed copy, so they will charge the higher price.

5.) also if i were to buy an e-reader today, what are the chances I will still be able to use it 10yrs from now and such. for example, it seems you have to buy/upgrade computers every so often when the programs/software get to complicated or advanced for your current computer setup. I still have some computer games i bought 15yrs ago that I can not get to run on my pc I guess because of programming language differences or something.

Would you be able to use it? Yes, but with limited content availability and it is debatable whether it would even survive that long (especially the battery)

6.) if B&N or Amazon upgrade their respective e-readers like Apple has done with the Ipad and Ipad2. are the chances very good I will able to just move over the books I would currently have on the current e-reader? or do the current e-readers let you download your e-books onto and SD card or similar media for backup if your e-reader goes FUBAR?

Yes, your "library" would be transferable to the new device.

7.) is the amazon kindle fire and B&N counterpart comparable? meaning if I owned the kindle fire and decided to sell and buy the B&N counterpart, would I lose all my current e-books or be able to move them over somehow?

On the Nook Color and the iPad/iPod/iPhone you can download the Kindle reader and read Kindle books on many devices. I do not believe that there is a way to read B&N books on a Kindle or Apple product

[akonobi]

If you're not going to go play with one to see which you like best, at least you should read about them. The Kindle Fire is the all-around best choice IMHO.

[juiceweezl]

Even better is we can download them from the library from anywhere that has an internet connection. I think we can have 5 books out at a time.

There seems to be some misinformation floating around on this, so I'll quote myself. Yes, you can download books (as in from anywhere and not just at the library) to your e-reader with most libraries.

[CexMashean]

I didn't read the whole thread, but i saw money was mentioned at one point.
You know you can download books for free much like games and movies, right?

[ceyko]

Yeah, I just use a kindle app on my phone, desktop, laptop and iPad....and so on. At this point, I'm not into buying a dedicated reader. It's plenty easy to read on my phone.