Ebooks, part I: Ebook as object.

[bradamant]

So, after occasionally expressing skepticism about ebooks, I've finally got one: the Sony 505 (not the 700, on which the touchscreen reportedly renders the screen hard to read, defeating the purpose, and not the Kindle, since I'm already schlepping around two QWERTY keyboards, thanks

Comments

[ernunnos]

Say, that's pretty cool. Almost too bad I'm boycotting Sony. Looks like they really nailed the interface, and those epaper screens do look nice.

[bradamant]

I just can't seem to quit Sony. And this is coming from someone who owned not one, but two Minidisc players (admittedly, one of them I bought used from damonbradl).

[bradamant]

Happily, the ebook screen is really different from an LCD screen. I described the technology in one of the earlier posts, but basically, it consumes *no* power except when you're turning the page. The pixels of the E-ink stay as they are until you turn the page, with no flickering at all. I could see how the iPhone is fine for reading in short bursts (like I read the paper on my Blackberry when I'm waiting in line) but for really sitting down and reading a whole book, this screen is miles and miles better.

Have you bought a bunch of books in a particular format or do you mostly read free stuff?

[dneecie]

I just downloaded ebook reader software on my iPhone just to test it out, and it seems pretty neat. Definitely not as nice as the dedicated ebook readers, but useful for short bursts of reading like you said.
If I was more of an avid reader and get more accustomed to the ebook format, I would definitely consider switching. All-in-all, very neat!
I don't know if you saw, but there was an article in the Times the other day about this.
http://tinyurl.com/8mg4gu

[erica_jo]

When I was still dating C I ended up in the midst of an argument he had with his sister about kindle. She wanted to buy one to bring on a trip they were taking to France and he opposed this -- vehemently. He claimed that ebooks were going to ruin reading, books, and literature. It was a classic example of how when you fight with your siblings its never really about what it appears to be about.

[sarastro_us]

I've read entire books on my iPhone using the Project Gutenberg links app Bookz and it worked just fine for me. Though most of my reading was in short bursts, like you said, occasionally I'd go for longer, with no ill effects. The other advantage of an ebook reader on your phone is that you don't have to worry about lugging another gadget along with you when you go out, and that it's always in your pocket when you have an unexpectedly long wait for the bus, or some such thing.

I'm not a big fan of the Kindle, having played around with one for a bit. The transition between screens gave me a screaming headache. I've never seen the Sony, but the electronic paper technology seems similar. The other thing that's kept me away from this type of reader is their poor handling of PDFs with unusual formatting and non-text elements.