I wonder if the success of the eBook is going to be tied to a dedicated physical platform. On the one hand, buying and carrying yet another device in the today's age is going against the flow, but putting books for regular use on a phone's screen is more like putting a phone in a camera than a camera in a phone. At least at the size of phone I'm willing to carry, since I like a physical keyboard.
Actually not needing validation right now, but thank you.
Buffy ,'Lies My Parents Told Me'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
§ ita § - Dec 11, 2009 8:46:10 am PST #10618 of 28370
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Jessica - Dec 11, 2009 8:53:15 am PST #10619 of 28370
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
On the one hand, buying and carrying yet another device in the today's age is going against the flow
OTOH, a book is already a separate "device," so you're not adding, you're replacing.
§ ita § - Dec 11, 2009 9:05:17 am PST #10620 of 28370
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
OTOH, a book is already a separate "device," so you're not adding, you're replacing.
In the case of an ebook, the bulk of the add-weight is up front cost. But in the age of consolidation, yet another thing to charge and another piece of relatively delicate electronics that needs to be carried around and removed to pass through airport security--it's more fraught than the paperback I used to jam in my pocket, or even the hardcover I can leave lying in my car without worrying someone's going to break in and steal it.
Fred Pete - Dec 11, 2009 9:10:32 am PST #10621 of 28370
Ann, that's a ferret.
a book is already a separate "device," so you're not adding, you're replacing.
Or even condensing, if (like me) you tend to read several books at once, and you like to carry all of them with you when you go somewhere. I expect it to be particularly useful on vacation, where I can carry half a dozen books or one device the sixe of a 300-page or so trade paperback.
Jessica - Dec 11, 2009 9:12:25 am PST #10622 of 28370
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
The most appealing thing about an e-reader to me is the ability to wirelessly buy books with it, so if you're traveling and you run out of books, you can just buy more!
§ ita § - Dec 11, 2009 9:16:37 am PST #10623 of 28370
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
if you're traveling and you run out of books, you can just buy more!
I don't travel domestically enough for that to appeal to me. You can't even do iTunes in Jamaica. I'd be surprised if I could buy Kindle books.
At least with individual books there's no DRM and resale issue. I don't currently keep most of the books I read unless they're gifts--I keep the reference and coffee table tomes, as well as favourite series, preferably in hardcover.
An ereader could change that, because there's no storage impact. For me it's not even about portability. I don't really have space at home.
Strix - Dec 11, 2009 9:16:38 am PST #10624 of 28370
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
I use eReader on my itouch and it is fine. I like that it flips to vertical or horizontal and the flipping part is fun. You can change the font and screen colors to suit your eyes and...well, it's awesome.
My sister's getting a Kindle for Xmas, and she want's gift certificates so she can buy books for it. Easy Xmas present.
Kathy A - Dec 11, 2009 9:22:14 am PST #10625 of 28370
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
One of the cool things about the Nook is that, if you're already in a B&N store, you can sample all of their ebooks for free before buying one.
§ ita § - Dec 11, 2009 9:24:22 am PST #10626 of 28370
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
if you're already in a B&N store, you can sample all of their ebooks for free
Does that also mean you can park your ass in the coffee store and read to your heart's content without having to mess with physical inventory? I mean, can you sample the whole thing?
Kathy A - Dec 11, 2009 9:41:58 am PST #10627 of 28370
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
Yep!
ETA: magazines and newspapers, too, at least those that are available for download, which isn't too many right now, but they are adding more all the time.