It bothers me...

[suddenlynaked]

that I want a kindle. The last thing I want to see in the world is the general acceptance of "licensing" books. As a copyright holder, and one who has studied and continues to study it pretty extensively, I've come to believe that we've let copyright and other forms of intellectual "property" go too far. The Kindle may do for books what the music

Comments

[suddenlynaked]

Multiple formats would be nice. Another VHS / betamax war, oh boy.

One thing I realized on top of all that, is that I had an easy way to convert my substantial library of cds into mp3s. Not gonna happen with the paperbacks. And I re-read a fair amount.

[mholmesiv]

Well, if it makes you feel better, I just finished writing an app that strips the DRM off Kindle books. Combined with the Calibre ebook conversion software, I can turn books Laura buys for her Kindle into books for my and Kris's Sony

[suddenlynaked]

Wow! Clearly I'm out WAY of the loop - that's excellent! Just like music, you can't stop the signal...

[stardragan]

I'm with you on the feel of a book thing. Plus you don't have to worry if the batteries are charged or not.

I think the biggest thing I miss about LPs is the wonderful cover art. You can do the same with a CD but doesn't have the impact. Occasionally it is nice to put an LP on the old turn table and listen the old fashioned waay.

[ferlonda]

I think the Kindle and other reading devices like it are a nice idea... but for me could never replace an actual book. If nothing else for ease of reading while in the bathtub, but also because a screen is just not a page and it's hard on the eyes after a while.

I do like the idea of it as a storage device for text- but my laptop already does that so I'm not sure what the benefit would be.

No, I guess I'm too old fashioned to want one. I like books. But I wouldn't hold it against you if you got one and I'd be interested and want to see how it works! :)

[mholmesiv]

Have you actually used a Kindle or other eInk device? The screen isn't hard on the eyes at all. Contrast is better than newspaper print, and it's 150dpi, about twice as good as dot matrix and about half the quality of laser printing.

I've been pretty much exclusively using my Sony Reader for about 3 years now, and it's very easy on the eyes. You just can't beat carrying all your books for vacation in your pocket.

A number of folks use ziploc bags for reading in the bath :) As a shower only person, that limitation doesn't bother me at all.

[ferlonda]

I have not tried a Kindle- and if I get the opportunity, I will. I do love the idea of having all the text of the books I love in one handy device, that's for sure! But... it's still not an actual book, which is okay- it's not meant to be, is it!

I hadn't thought of the ziplock baggie idea- that's a good one. Actually, I may start doing that with my laptop when I travel just for prevention's sake.

[lisakit]

For people who have issues with screens it is hard on the eyes. It's not just text size (so far there isn't one that does text large enough for me, though granted vision as bad as mine is rare), but the light bends differently on screen formats and my eyes tire much more quickly. Also, after working on a computer all (or most of the) day the last thing I want is more screen exposure, even TV.

Additionally, pushing more buttons or trying to use a damn stylus is hard on my arthritic hands. The larger motions of turning a page are easier.

Yah, these are small things, but there's alot that goes into the enjoyment of books and even small annoyances can affect that in a big way.

I'm not saying the format is a bad thing, just that it doesn't work for everyone. And I really hope they keep paper books around.

[mouser]

At some point they're going to allow you to buy both the paper and ebook format together for only a bit more.

No, you can't load the ebook unless you loan the device.

Many of the free ones are crap. Some aren't. Reading the ones with the highest customer review, it looks like many people are using them as "beach books"

I've a reader for my iTouch - I've only bought one book but I've d/l several free one. I read mostly on that lately.

I'll stick to the free libraries with other readers for now...

[wildwoosi]

I didn't realize they made you pay a service fee- what for? That alone would stop me from buying the device.