eReaders

[fire_storm]

Without more consumer protection guarantees I'll never buy one. If Amazon can remotely erase books after purchase then I can't make any purchase from them with any sense of ownership. I'll pass on it personally. I still purchase books on a regular basis and will continue to do so. I can see where it may be a good idea from a student perspective with textbooks.

 

That's another thing that bothers me is the fact that almost all the readers use DRM and your really not buying anything your just buying the right to read it and that right can be taken away at anytime like amazon did.

 

It means you can't share or barrow books anymore. It also opens the door to abusive digital licensing practices. Like for example in a college environment sure its nice just to carry around 1 light ereader instead of 3-4 text books. But when your done with the class you can't sell the book back to get a little of your money back like regular paper books and you obviously can't share any books with anyone unless you give them your ereader. You obviously can't buy them used so it means you have to pay full price for every book you buy instead of paying a cheaper price with used books.

[WhenKittensATK]

The reader is just the device. There are other ways to get books that they can't remove

 

I'm not a fan of Kindle, that fact that you have to pay to transfer your own documents is BS.

[Jump4h]

I feel like the technology is great. I am currently in high school so I don't really need one. I will surely buy one when I need to read many books at the same time.

[WhenKittensATK]

There are some programs going around that let users with eReaders to check out books from their libraries in the building or online to their eReaders.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/ebooks-...ing-about-your/

 

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/25/sony-an...edition-reader/

 

MSI is planning reveal their Tegra eReader next year.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/msi-wor...eader-for-2010/

Edited October 27, 2009 by Krazyxazn

[Verran]

I voted "I think it is a cool concept, but not compelling enough to buy."

 

I think it's something with real promise but it's not something I have a strong desire to adopt early. First of all, I think the prices are too high on the readers, but also on the media too. Just like with Steam, if I'm missing out on the physical product (which to me holds significant collector value), I shouldn't be paying anywhere near full price. Yet most of the time it seems like you still do. I also want to wait out the whole DRM thing. If I'm buying something, I want to know that it's mine and right now I certainly wouldn't feel that way about an eReader title (as a generalization).

 

I just can't justify it even existing. Read books people. Everything is so digitalized these days, leave the books alone.

Can't justify it even existing? That seems a rather strong argument.

[IVIYTH0S]

But when your done with the class you can't sell the book back to get a little of your money back like regular paper books and you obviously can't share any books with anyone unless you give them your ereader. You obviously can't buy them used so it means you have to pay full price for every book you buy instead of paying a cheaper price with used books.

But the prices should be so low that it wouldn't cost much to just own it, see real school books are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO overpriced that you sell them to make back some of your extorted money. Prices for the digital books should be very low since there are no physical aspects to it. I'd keep all my books if they didn't take up any space, and if I wasn't outright raped for their retail value.

[RimX]

Well I said that I use them on my phone. I have the Kindle iPhone app and the Barnes and Noble eBook Reader iPhone app. But to be honest I barely use them. I still prefer paper books, mainly be cause I can let other people borrow and read them after I finish. But I also think that it is a really cool concept, the eReaders themselves and I use the kindle app sometimes, maybe if I got more into the habit of using it more it would stick, one great thing about it is being able to read a sample, and it's a decent sized sample, at least thats for the kindle, not sure if B&N offers a similar thing where you can read a sample. But anyways, like I said I have both apps, but I barely use them.

[fire_storm]

But the prices should be so low that it wouldn't cost much to just own it, see real school books are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO overpriced that you sell them to make back some of your extorted money. Prices for the digital books should be very low since there are no physical aspects to it. I'd keep all my books if they didn't take up any space, and if I wasn't outright raped for their retail value.

 

I've looked at a lot of different books on Amazon and have found that the savings of buying a kindle edition book vs buying the paper edition is not really that big most of the time you only save 5$-10$ dollars or less. I guess if your comparing a college book store to the kindle books prices yes there is a savings there but pretty much anything is cheaper then a college book store who are scam artists. But when you compare the kindle price book price vs another online retailer the difference is not so much.

 

I don't think the cost of paper is driving the cost up I think its retailers charging way over suggested retail prices thats doing it. The way I look at it ereaders are new so that's why the price is a bit lower on books because otherwise no one would switch. Once everyone eventually switches to Ebooks and they become the normal way of reading books prices will just go up and the books will probably cost the same as the paper versions once did. Plus the fact you have to deal with the hassles of DRM like I've said before. Sure there are ways around DRM but its only a matter of time before publishers catch on to the fact that there loosing money because of piracy and pass out new regulations which we have seen in the past done before like (music, movies, software) which will ultimately hurt the consumer and cost you more time and money.

[IVIYTH0S]

I've looked at a lot of different books on Amazon and have found that the savings of buying a kindle edition book vs buying the paper edition is not really that big most of the time you only save 5$-10$ dollars or less. I guess if your comparing a college book store to the kindle books prices yes there is a savings there but pretty much anything is cheaper then a college book store who are scam artists. But when you compare the kindle price book price vs another online retailer the difference is not so much.

 

I don't think the cost of paper is driving the cost up I think its retailers charging way over suggested retail prices thats doing it. The way I look at it ereaders are new so that's why the price is a bit lower on books because otherwise no one would switch. Once everyone eventually switches to Ebooks and they become the normal way of reading books prices will just go up and the books will probably cost the same as the paper versions once did. Plus the fact you have to deal with the hassles of DRM like I've said before. Sure there are ways around DRM but its only a matter of time before publishers catch on to the fact that there loosing money because of piracy and pass out new regulations which we have seen in the past done before like (music, movies, software) which will ultimately hurt the consumer and cost you more time and money.

Good points, I sure wouldn't buy one until I could move my book files around freely. Those college book sellers are scum, plain and simple. God bless www.booksprice.com (I feel bad for people who actually buy books new)

Edited October 28, 2009 by IVIYTH0S

[Compxpert]

yeah but if you had a ereader it wouldn't be online

I'm surprised you didn't get my poitn about reading it on line... I said 'Paper FTW' which means I like reading a physical document.... Online manga < Not printing it out... so I hate reading it online because its not on paper < buys his manga.

[IVIYTH0S]

I'm surprised you didn't get my poitn about reading it on line... I said 'Paper FTW' which means I like reading a physical document.... Online manga < Not printing it out... so I hate reading it online because its not on paper < buys his manga.

I'm saying that the ereader with a manga file would be full of win though. I can't deal with manga off of a computer screen either and having to click the next page (on top of me liking anime far more than manga too )

[Compxpert]

I'm saying that the ereader with a manga file would be full of win though. I can't deal with manga off of a computer screen either and having to click the next page (on top of me liking anime far more than manga too )

That's not even my problem with it... for me since its not in a physical form I can't get as absorbed into it as I could a physical book. Me and eReaders would never work but I admit an eReader managa > PC through webbrowser.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Compxpert