E-book Reader Vs Physcial Text book

StussyNzStussyNz Member Posts: 177
Hey guys,

Just wondering on your views on using E-books on E-readers against physical text books.
I realise that you could save quite a lot of $ by purchasing an E-Reader and then downloading E-books. Could anyone reccomend a good E-Reader which they are using at the moment?

Also, for you that are fans of the physical text books could anyone recommend any good places within New Zealand which sell Cert text books cheap?

Cheers.
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Comments

  • NetworkVeteranNetworkVeteran Member Posts: 2,338 ■■■■■■■■□□
    StussyNz wrote: »
    I realise that you could save quite a lot of $ by purchasing an E-Reader and then downloading E-books. Could anyone reccomend a good E-Reader which they are using at the moment?
    I'm using a Kindle and my girlfriend has a Nook. Both are fine products. I was initially attracted to the cheaper books, but the biggest benefit to me has been having a technical library at my fingertips whenever and wherever I am. It makes getting in a bit of extra studying much easier and more convenient. I chunked most of my paper library a couple years back; almost everything was so out-of-date as to be useless.
  • StussyNzStussyNz Member Posts: 177
    Tottally understand where you are coming from, and have looked over actually investing in a kindle. I know of someone who actually has one but has experienced formating issues within PDF documents, do you experience the same problem?
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    StussyNz wrote: »
    Tottally understand where you are coming from, and have looked over actually investing in a kindle. I know of someone who actually has one but has experienced formating issues within PDF documents, do you experience the same problem?

    I have a kindle and found it to be excellent for novels but poor for technical documents. Main issues were poor formatting and the screen being way too small for my eyes. I much prefer the functionality you get with tech books on an ipad etc but the screens usually hurt my eyes if i use it too much...hence, i am still purchasing paper based books.
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  • JayTheCrackerJayTheCracker Member Posts: 169
    Waiting for 10inch or 9inch kindle paperwhite...
    bigger screen means better... cos,,, i can't even read well on my 7 inch tablet... 6-inch readers? No, thanks!

    i don't wanna buy a DX which is an old device ><
  • pumbaa_gpumbaa_g Member Posts: 353
    Call me traditional but I just like the feel of a new book :) makes me want to study :D but depends on budget, sometimes E-Reader/Mobi format is plain cheaper so no option. Try for second hand books you may catch a lucky break
    [h=1]“An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.” [/h]
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Waiting for 10inch or 9inch kindle paperwhite...
    bigger screen means better... cos,,, i can't even read well on my 7 inch tablet... 6-inch readers? No, thanks!

    i don't wanna buy a DX which is an old device ><

    I agree, an e-ink 10 inch device would be better for reading imo. The DX is years old now. I am not sure if they will be updating it. However, when i was in the UK, it cost just as much as an ipad nearly due to shipping and taxes from the US. Not sure if that has changed.
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  • StussyNzStussyNz Member Posts: 177
    The only problem with purchasing Physical text books is the added costs and the hastle of selling them after using or finding a place to store them!
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    StussyNz wrote: »
    The only problem with purchasing Physical text books is the added costs and the hastle of selling them after using or finding a place to store them!

    I totally agree. If your eyes can handle the glare of a LCD screen then i would go the 10 inch screen route with something like an ipad etc.
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  • jibbajabbajibbajabba Member Posts: 4,317 ■■■■■■■■□□
    It's a weird one .. I got a Kindle and get bored when reading, while I am fine with physical books - no idea why ...
    My own knowledge base made public: http://open902.com :p
  • MrXpertMrXpert Member Posts: 586 ■■■□□□□□□□
    of late I have been reading pdf books using my PC rather than physical ones but this is because it is easier especially when trying to configure stuff and read at same time. Text books generally tend to be big and bulky affairs.

    For novels having a real book is by far the better option in my opinion. The way I see it if I buy a novel then it is one I want to keep forever on my book shelf.
    I'm an Xpert at nothing apart from remembering useless information that nobody else cares about.
  • dalesdales Member Posts: 225
    jibbajabba wrote: »
    It's a weird one .. I got a Kindle and get bored when reading, while I am fine with physical books - no idea why ...

    I'm in kinda the same boat, I've got a kindle dx and the kindle app on my xoom both are really good. but the one downside to them is you can't flick through them like you might a book, which when I have a spare few minutes is what I tend to do and stop on a chapter that perks my interest on that day at that point in time (fickle me).

    So I have noticed that I tend to take my kindle or xoom to work for reading but also if I'm studying something buy the physical as well so I can flick when I'm at home.
    Kind Regards
    Dale Scriven

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  • VAHokie56VAHokie56 Member Posts: 783
    jibbajabba wrote: »
    It's a weird one .. I got a Kindle and get bored when reading, while I am fine with physical books - no idea why ...


    Agree with this as well. I have the Kindle Fire and I am trash trying to read on that but when I have a book in my lap I have buddhist monk style focus. Also the cursed kindle fire has way to much other crap on it that can distract you...now a days it lives in my throne room and I only use it for draw me something lol icon_rolleyes.gif
    .ιlι..ιlι.
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  • dave330idave330i Member Posts: 2,091 ■■■■■■■■■■
    StussyNz wrote: »
    The only problem with purchasing Physical text books is the added costs and the hastle of selling them after using or finding a place to store them!

    Why sell them? They're a great source of reference. I keep all mine at work.

    As others have mentioned. I found formatting problems with e-book. My order of preference is physical, e-book, pdf.
    2018 Certification Goals: Maybe VMware Sales Cert
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  • BokehBokeh Member Posts: 1,636 ■■■■■■■□□□
    I have both Kindle DX and Ipad2. Both are good for reading. The IPad gets more use as I can look up items on the web quickly. Another issue is with dab (dead tree book) you usually get some sort of additional software to use, where the ebook versions you do not.
  • Moe 0101Moe 0101 Member Posts: 22 ■□□□□□□□□□
    I have an ipad and a nook color. Both are great products, but it seems as when I am reading on a tablet or e-reader I just get bored and distracted. For myself, studying from a physical book I have better results. I do take the pdf which normally comes with my books are put them on my devices and "re-read"/ "re-fresh" the material on them.

    If you are looking to buy books you can also do Amazon used, very cheap and they normally have everything. The e-ink is great but the response time is just to slow for me. A 10inch would be great also.
  • ajs1976ajs1976 Member Posts: 1,945 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I prefer physical books, but the benifits of the kindle fire are starting to win.
    Andy

    2020 Goals: 0 of 2 courses complete, 0 of 2 exams complete
  • VAHokie56VAHokie56 Member Posts: 783
    Moe 0101 wrote: »
    I have an ipad and a nook color. Both are great products, but it seems as when I am reading on a tablet or e-reader I just get bored and distracted. For myself, studying from a physical book I have better results. I do take the pdf which normally comes with my books are put them on my devices and "re-read"/ "re-fresh" the material on them.

    If you are looking to buy books you can also do Amazon used, very cheap and they normally have everything. The e-ink is great but the response time is just to slow for me. A 10inch would be great also.

    +1 I never pay full price I just ordered a Cisco press book off amazon yesterday that was new for $63 (hardback) but I got it used for $23 [h=1][/h]
    .ιlι..ιlι.
    CISCO
    "A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish" - Ty Webb
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  • cyberguyprcyberguypr Mod Posts: 6,928 Mod
    After trying a few devices I settled with an iPad. I have a 45 min train ride each way so this helps me maximize study time. Having said that, I also tend to float towards physical books. I usually get my main resource as a hard copy an supplemental ones as digital.

    And +1 on buying used. I try to do this most of the time but sometimes nothing beats the feeling of a brand new, unadulterated and untouched publication.
  • ptilsenptilsen Member Posts: 2,835 ■■■■■■■■■■
    I'm only in my second semester at this school, but I haven't yet seen any real savings with ebooks. Many of my books were not available as ebooks, and others were significantly more expensive than a used textbook. I ended up going with a digital rental for one class even though it was more expensive than the physical rental. The only advantage is that I can carry my iPad instead of an enormous textbook, and that I obviously can't damage the digital rental and lose money returning it.

    There are some quirks with the CafeScribe app, but overall I would say I would greatly prefer ebooks to physical textbooks if they were actually cheaper.
    Working B.S., Computer Science
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  • tpatt100tpatt100 Member Posts: 2,991 ■■■■■■■■■□
    I would not think of replacing tradition university books with an e-reader. Mostly because it seems like you cannot get them in Kindle format, I can for WGU but that school uses a lot of traditional IT books.

    The one big reason I "prefer" Kindle is mostly the service and the application. I make notes/highlights and it syncs across all my devices. If I forget a book at work I can still access the material plus notes I made anywhere else if I need to.
  • QordQord Member Posts: 632 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I love my Kindle, but it has its limitations. Tech manual PDF's render not-good, but regular books are great. I prefer real textbooks (new or used), but for classes that use non-traditional "texts" like novels and non-fiction, the Kindle wins.

    But beyond all that, there's something very refreshing (not the best word choice?) about the smell of book-binding glue. That "new book" scent is unbeatable!!!
  • SirbloodySirbloody Member Posts: 112
    I travel a lot so I love reading all my eBooks on my iPad. I would rather not have the extra weight of all my books with me if I am doing a small commute for the day.
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  • Patel128Patel128 Member Posts: 339
    Right now I normally like to have the paper book, but I have been on the fence on getting a kindle and doing eBooks. The only thing that is holding me back is that everyone says technical books look terrible.
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  • Carl_S_901Carl_S_901 Member Posts: 105
    I use Kindle App for iPad 2 and have purchased all my certification books and read them on this platform.

    Also, I get intimidated by big technical books in print format as I talk about in this blog post.

    Regarding textbooks:

    In the last few semesters of college I have managed to get eBook versions for 8/15 of my classes. It would have been 9/15 but the Accounting book was just so bad in eBook format that I had to swap it out for the printed version in a binder. Sadly, the college textbook market is a total racket and you have to spend big money for bad books. icon_sad.gif
    Carl S.

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  • Carl_S_901Carl_S_901 Member Posts: 105
    On another note ...

    I'm sure I am the only one, but I think an iPad with and 8.5" x 11" screen would be an awesome eReader. :)
    Carl S.

    Check out my personal certification journey blog
    http://carlscertjourney.wordpress.com/
  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    If i have a desk to hand, real book and a pad of paper and pen are best.

    sitting on a train or 20min at lunch. Ebook is great :)

    I general find for a subject I will have 3 or 4 physical books and a copy of one or two on my kindle.
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
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  • DevilWAHDevilWAH Member Posts: 2,997 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Patel128 wrote: »
    Right now I normally like to have the paper book, but I have been on the fence on getting a kindle and doing eBooks. The only thing that is holding me back is that everyone says technical books look terrible.

    They do, and often there are more pages in an ebook so text relating to a digram that in the printed version is on the same page, is on seperate pages in ebooks. espicaly with the small format ereaders such as the kindle
    • If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein
    • An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties. It means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming.
  • HypntickHypntick Member Posts: 1,451 ■■■■■■□□□□
    A mix of physical books and a Nook Color with Cyanogen 7 on there. Haven't run into any issues with formatting myself so far.
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  • MickQMickQ Member Posts: 628 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Physical books for pretty much everywhere. People tend to leave me alone when they see a nice thick text.
    I like to carry pdfs of the technical books on a mobile device for handy reference, if required.
  • SteveLordSteveLord Member Posts: 1,717
    As with any other digital distributions, you don't really own eBooks. Bought my wife a Kindle in Feb for her birthday and she has barely touched it. Oh well, I was hero of the day for about 15 minutes.
    WGU B.S.IT - 9/1/2015 >>> ???
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