E Book reader recommendations

kaigei

Searched information on the site to see a few post about E-Book readers from last year and earlier this year. I am looking at getting an E Book reader possibly a Kindle or Nook to carry with me when I am away form the office rather than carry books. Any one using an E Book reader for study?

What are your pros and cons?
What reader are you using?
Do you have the 3G package with it?
Had to have the reader serviced since you had it?
Do you support e book readers at work?
What format are you using for your books PDF, EPUB,PDB or others

Thank you in Advance for your input and comments

networker050184

I'd be interested in some up to date input also. I'm thinking about getting the old lady one since shes always reading a book.

msteinhilber

I have a Kindle DX which does all I need. I couldn't see going with a smaller device for use with tech related PDF books, they just don't display well enough to tolerate IMO but are fine for me on the DX 99% of the time. Now if you buy the tech books from the Kindle store that's a different story, they will display well on the smaller ones since they are in Kindle format.

I bought mine only to use while away from home, I carry enough around everywhere I go that even a single thicker book is really going overboard. When I'm at home I prefer the real deal if possible. It's great having a library of reference material with me though, has come in handy from time to time to lookup things I hadn't had to do in a while.

Mine includes Amazon's free Whispernet (Sprint's EVDO network). Some Kindles, the 2's I believe, operate on AT&T's network if I recall. It's been fine for me anytime I've had to use it which usually has been to download book samples, some free literature, or the occasional Kindle book I purchase - 90% of my reading though is from PDF's though. I also like having access to the Kindle app for my phone, iPod, and PC in case I want to look at any of the Kindle books I have purchased on another device.

Haven't had any problems with it, and not something that we specifically support at the office - really no reason to as nobody in our industry would benefit from it except for leisure. Since it can function as a USB storage device, depending on your organizations policies you or your users might not be able to do anything with it connected to a PC.

dynamik

Keep in mind the Kindle 3 is coming out shortly. Google it to see some previews; I believe it'll be down to $139 (without wireless). I'm personally still holding out for a cheaper DX. I'd go with a regular Kindle for standard paperbacks, but I don't think my tech books will display as I want them to on such a small device.

Just kidding. Get an iPad.

tbgree00

I have both a Nook and an iPad with the B&N Nook app.

Barnes and Noble has been releasing free ebooks of their Classics series. Sure they're books you can get on Google Books free but they are formatted for the nook and have over 50 pages of background, timelines, and foot notes that really help me understand and appreciate the classics. Currently my library sits at 89 book. I've purchased 5 of those and the rest have been free.

For an e-ink device page turning seems pretty decent. It is a little annoying when you have to wake up the touch screen to follow a link to a foot note then wake it back up to go back where you were reading. That is really the only issue I've had with it as a recreational reading device. No physical problems. I keep it in a leather case so I can use a book light. It has the 3G package and has been very handy. I've used it to download a sample of a book I heard a review of on Fresh Air. I could have easily written that down though.

I think the biggest disappointment with it is technical PDFs. They're either way too small to read but are formatted well or they are readable but the tables and pictures aren't right. It's delightful as a reading device but not a study tool.

The iPad has software for every reader. It is great for technical PDFs and displays them perfectly in pretty close to full size. Reading a book is a bit painful for me, I get eye strain pretty easily. I also use the nook for a few hours before bed to unwind so the bright screen doesn't work for me in that regard. It's also a few hundred dollars more. This is the wifi only iPad. I regret that I didn't spring for the 3G but I'm making it work.

edit: If I had it to do over I would have skipped the nook and just bought the iPad and stuck with paper books for relaxation. The nook is a good experience but for the money the iPad is a better study tool.

msteinhilber

dynamik wrote: »

Just kidding. Get an iPad.

I'd have an iPad if I didn't have the DX. My boss has one, and it would compliment my Books24x7 subscription nicely. I do prefer the screen, for reading text that is, on the Kindle better but I'd be willing to sacrifice that for more resources at my disposal.

chrisone

Ipad, hands down! I bought the regular 16gb no 3G, and with the jailbroken iphone, i tether my ipad to my iphone 4. Great Experience!

RTmarc

I can't comment on the others but avoid the Nook if you're wanting to use it for technical books. It's painfully slow, keen to lock-ups, and if you want technical diagrams to display properly you'll have to drop the font size down so small you'll almost need a magnifying glass to read the text.

That being said, it does just fine for standard books.

networker050184

I think the iPad would be massive over kill just to read some books on.

dynamik

networker050184 wrote: »

I think the iPad would be massive over kill just to read some books on.

I agree. I was just kidding. I'd prefer to not read on an LCD, and I'd need longer battery life while traveling.

Devilsbane

networker050184 wrote: »

I think the iPad would be massive over kill just to read some books on.

agreed.


I used to think that ebook readers were worthless, but I'm actually considering one. Just like msteinhilber said, never hurts to carry a library in your pocket.

Mike-Mike

i plan on buying the new Kindle for my lady on her birthday

tiersten

I ordered a 3G Kindle 3 and it hopefully should arrive at the end of the week. I figured the price difference from the 3G+WiFi kindle and the WiFi only Kindle is small enough that the benefit of having nearly worldwide access is worth it.

If you wait long enough, I'd expect the Kindle to drop to around $99 but that will be a while still since it is only being released this Friday.

You can get a Kindle app for Android, iPhone/iPod/iPad and PC/Mac as well so you'll be able to read your books everywhere.

Devilsbane

msteinhilber wrote: »

Mine includes Amazon's free Whispernet (Sprint's EVDO network). Some Kindles, the 2's I believe, operate on AT&T's network if I recall.

Sprint gives access to their network for free??

tiersten

Devilsbane wrote: »

Sprint gives access to their network for free??

Kindle 3G access is included in the purchase price and doesn't require a sub. In certain countries you get free web access whilst others are just limited to kindle store + wikipedia etc...

You can't use it to tether your laptop before anybody asks. You're connected to Amazon's Kindle network and the proxy servers they've got only allow web. I guess you could try weird tricks with SSH running on SSL ports tho. Worldwide free SSH mmm...

Devilsbane

$379 is pretty steep. Amazon.com: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works…
You say its worth it?

tiersten

Devilsbane wrote: »

$379 is pretty steep. Amazon.com: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works…
You say its worth it?

I ordered the small Kindle 3 which is $189 for 3G+WiFi.

pitviper

I couldn't live without my iPad - I installed GoodReader and loaded it up with technical PDFs(I have a TON), iSSH, and some net tools and I barely even take out my laptop now (I carry them both in the same bag).

Nothing like having what once was a 400lb physical library at your finger tips (and search-able)!

pitviper

Plus, with a device that is strictly an eBook reader I wouldn't be able to do a port scan on the "Bolt" bus while it's stuck next to me in traffic on I-95

arwes

There's apparently going to be a Nook 2.0 released sometime this year (it's a rumor, but the same rumor mentioned the wifi only Nook which was correct). I like the Nook since it supports the Overdrive stuff at public libraries, but as others have said I'm not crazy about it for PDFs. Hopefully this next iteration will be a little better at dealing with those.

Speaking of e-readers, I'm going on a long trip to North Carolina next week and one of our board members is letting me borrow his Kindle (he got an ipad and never uses the Kindle now). I guess if I want to load up some PDFs to read, do I just hook it up and drag 'n drop?

sambuca69

What about the "rumored" 7 inch iPad that is supposed to come out by Xmas? That might be just right.

DevilWAH

So what reader can support pdf and txt files ?

I have loads of ebooks in PDF and txt format. + of course all the cisco documents.

I been thinking of getting a reader for ages but it always has seemed you need on to read this and one to read that!!!

any ideas would a kindel do ?

Claymoore

Devilsbane wrote: »

$379 is pretty steep. Amazon.com: Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works…
You say its worth it?

Yes, it is. The wife and I got Kindles last year and both of us really like them. I travel often and I would much rather carry a Kindle DX than one or two tech books. The PDF support was improved with the latest update and the addition of 'collections' makes it easier to organize all the tech books.

I look for books in Kindle format before I consider a physical copy. I was sitting on the balcony of my hotel last night trying to read a large book one-handed while I enjoyed a cigar and a microbrew with the other. As I struggled with keeping the book open without creasing the spine, I kept thinking it would be so much easier if that book were on my Kindle instead. I read the deployment chapters in the Win 7 resource kit on my Kindle rather than wrestle with an 1800 page book. With Kindle apps for other devices, I can sync my progress on the Kindle purchases between my Droid, my laptop and my DX. The battery lasts for a couple of weeks with the wireless disabled and the e-ink is readable in bright sunlight.

I'm sure I'll pick up an Android tablet eventually, but it still won't replace my Kindle for pure reading.

nrs

I can pretty much only echo what the others have said.

I had no interest in getting an e-reader until I started really stepping up my studying for certifications last year. Trying to fit even one technical book in my bag with my work laptop and all of the other daily carry stuff was tough. We all got the smaller kindles as a year end bonus and I suddenly became very interested in compacting all of my books into one small device.

I'd say I worked on trying to make the Kindle usable for me for about 3 months. ALL of the technical books I have are in PDF format and the Kindle just doesn't do very well with them. Possibly the larger Kindle DX would be better but the smaller screen and the limited functionality with PDFs just left me frustrated. I also spent a lot of time trying to convert my PDFs to a better format but could never get it quite right.

I got an iPad about a month ago and it's one of the best purchases I've made towards studying. Goodreader does excellent with PDFs and there are some decent iphone / ipad apps to help you study as well. If you use training videos at all (TrainSignal, CBT Nuggets, etc) the iPad is AWESOME for watching these. The screen is big enough that you can see whats going on. I get pretty good battery life out of mine - and depending mainly on how much time I spend watching videos I can easily go the better part of a week without having to charge. Plus I'm so used to charging my iphone every night - it's not too much of a stretch to charge up the iPad. The best part of the iPad is that it is backlit - so unlike the Kindle I don't have to fiddle around with an external book light to read in bed. I just turn the brightness all the way down and use Goodreaders night mode. It's perfect.

Peibol

Ipad.

I have one, works great. Add the kindle app, and voila!!

I'm waiting ofr Safari books to finish their app for the Ipad so i can use my safaribooks subscription on it, yay.

If you dont want to spend that amount on money, go with the Kindle don't even bother with the Nook.

Remember, last month for the 1st time in Amazon history they sold more ebooks than "traditional" books.

RTmarc

tiersten wrote: »

Kindle 3G access is included in the purchase price and doesn't require a sub. In certain countries you get free web access whilst others are just limited to kindle store + wikipedia etc...

You can't use it to tether your laptop before anybody asks. You're connected to Amazon's Kindle network and the proxy servers they've got only allow web. I guess you could try weird tricks with SSH running on SSL ports tho. Worldwide free SSH mmm...

Similarly, you get AT&T access with the Nook

Nobylspoon

For novels I use my Sony 505, awesome device. However, for any tech reading I use my HP Touchsmart TM2 tablet. I read my Safari Books Online material, PDFs, Kindle editions, etc. I love being able to highlight and take notes in my etextbooks, then switch to OneNote and take notes during lectures. Cost twice as much as an iPad but does 10x as much as one.

tiersten

You need to answer some questions first.

If you want to read it outside then you're going to want eInk.
If you get eyestrain with LCDs then again, eInk.
If you want colour and a fast refresh then LCD.
Long battery life? eInk.
Something that does more than books and basic web? LCD.
Do you want to read PDFs? Large eInk like Kindle DX or LCD.

Factor in how much you want to spend on this and you should come up with a vague idea of what you want.

jamesstill

Peibol wrote: »

Ipad.

I have one, works great. Add the kindle app, and voila!!

I'm waiting ofr Safari books to finish their app for the Ipad so i can use my safaribooks subscription on it, yay.

If you dont want to spend that amount on money, go with the Kindle don't even bother with the Nook.

Remember, last month for the 1st time in Amazon history they sold more ebooks than "traditional" books.

Apparently if you log into the web interface for Safari books using safari , you can click an html button at the top of the page and it'll work fine on the iPad.

Personally I love the iPad for ebooks and everything else. Battery life is very good (10 hours of video is true!), and I'm never far from a USB port for charging.

I don't have a massive library of ebooks, but the ones I do have are easier to carry this way than as hernia enducing masses.

I don't read enoguh textbooks to make the safari subscription worthwhile (yet), but it does look very tempting. If they allowed downloading to their own app for use in poor / no reception areas I'd be very tempted.

Do you have any more info on when an app may be released?

James

Bokeh

And according to reports, Best Buy is gearing up for a whole slew of tablet computers for "Black Friday" in just a few months. Some will be Win 7, others running Android and Linux.

Local-IT-Dude

How does the Ipad work in direct sunlight? I'm quite impressed that the Kindle has no issues.