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I'm an e-book convert!

Admiral Beez

Admiral Beez

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Bought a Sony e-Reader last week, $150 at a charity auction. It's a great little machine. I'm too cheap to buy books, so I've been downloading the current best sellers from the Toronto public library site. They expire after 21 days. For classic I go to http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page. I've heard that you can get lots more free from Google Books, that'll be next.

The e-reader is great, much better than the Kobo. I already have a laptop, and the iPad was overkill, as I only want to read books.
 
Will be picking up a 16GB/Wifi iPad on Friday, not out locally (gray market expensive) so I have waited until I am in an iPad available area (Singapore in this case).

Currently working on figuring out how to write iPad applications :p Will put all my technical books on the iPad (I stopped buying books 4 years ago - only have PDFs). Will be very happy when my.safaribooksonline.com finally releases their iPad application this month - will have a complete technical library with easy access - and being able to disconnect from internet (if I am reading the functionality right).

I also will use it to consume video content when I am flying as well (better than laptop since in economy I don't always have room for laptop to be fully open :p).

C
 
beez, regarding the toronto public library, how much of its content is available in that method of delivery?
 
What's wrong with the Kobo, by the way? I'm considering getting an e-book and the Kobo seems to be a pretty good deal...
 
W. K. Lis said:
I understand that some high schools and colleges are now making e-book versions of textbooks.
Click to expand...

This is one area that can still be improved, making "open source" text books that can be distributed as eBooks - it would greatly reduce costs to students if the new technology were used in this way :p

Not to mention the interactive nature would greatly expand the ability to teach subjects - human anatomy type subjects where 2D books are .... well - the old way.
 
I've had my eReader for almost 2 years now, and I love it. While I still prefer to actually hold a book, the eReader is great for travel. I hadn't realized you could download from TPL; I'm going to check that out! There isn't a branch close to where I live. I try not to buy books unless it's something I really want to own, because they are getting expensive -- and the prices on the eReader aren't all that much less than in a traditional book store. I did download a bunch of classics for free when I first got it (it was a Sony promo at the time).

I also think the iPad is overkill; I just want to read a book. I've used the Kindle and find it less comfortable to hold and use than the eReader. I've tried the Kobo and liked it.
 
May I suggest, for anyone who has never tried it, an option that I feel is even better than ebooks. Audio books

I absolutely love them, and you can listen anywhere, especially on your daily commute.
 
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