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Kindle is OK

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Re: Kindle is OK

#11

Post by angstrom »

jmelloy wrote: post #9
jordanroher wrote: post #5

Very seriously considering a Kindle, but all my eBooks are non-DRM ePUBs. I know Amazon has a feature to get your existing files on the Kindle, but has anyone tried to import ePUBs? Do they transfer 1:1 to Amazon's format?

The nook support ePUB.

This is one of those things that surprises me about technology people that push openness. I won't buy a Kindle until it supports ePub as a default format. Amazon went out of their way to create a proprietary format for a reason: lock-in. There are plenty of official ways to convert to AZW, but the format is owned by Amazon and can change breaking any of the unofficial ways to convert back.

Re: Kindle is OK

#12

Post by maw »

When I read on tech blogs that Kindle is a goner, I think these people must not read very much.

Yeah, pretty much. It is snobby and rude to say it that way, but being snobby and rude myself I'm fine with that.

In fairness, while e-ink devices offer what I believe is the best reading experience in the present for texts read linearly, they're less pleasant when used to read texts where you're likely to bounce around: technical texts, books with lots of footnotes, and even omnibus editions of linearly read texts. Then again, this looks to be true of the iPad as well. The faster and more colorful screen was used to make a chintzier experience, classy the way casinos are classy, which they aren't, not a better reader.

Re: Kindle is OK

#13

Post by [deleted] »

angstrom wrote: post #11
jmelloy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The nook support ePUB.

This is one of those things that surprises me about technology people that push openness. I won't buy a Kindle until it supports ePub as a default format. Amazon went out of their way to create a proprietary format for a reason: lock-in. There are plenty of official ways to convert to AZW, but the format is owned by Amazon and can change breaking any of the unofficial ways to convert back.

[deleted]

Re: Kindle is OK

#14

Post by brilliant »

far33d wrote: post #8

Rough anecdotal polling from my experience on the Boston-area commuter rail in from the suburbs: I see more iPhones than Kindles, but way more Kindles than iPads. People on iPhones are often playing games, not reading. Kindles are surprisingly popular with older women. I suspect it's because it does its one task really well and is much less technically intimidating for non-savvy users. I own one and use it periodical…

Go to the park or beach. You won't see too many people using tablets or phones with backlit screens because they don't work in sunlight.

Re: Kindle is OK

#15

Post by hugh3 »

jmelloy wrote: post #9
jordanroher wrote: post #5

Very seriously considering a Kindle, but all my eBooks are non-DRM ePUBs. I know Amazon has a feature to get your existing files on the Kindle, but has anyone tried to import ePUBs? Do they transfer 1:1 to Amazon's format?

The nook support ePUB.

Thanks, I've been trying to decide between Kindle and Nook on the assumption that I'll mostly read Project Gutenberg books anyway. So you're saying that Nook would be better for me?

Re: Kindle is OK

#16

Post by pilif »

Three reasons why I personally think the Kindle is superior to the iPad as a reading device:

1) It's lighter and smaller and thus easier on your hands to hold it. My hands begin to hurt after holding the iPad for more than two hours. Reading is something I can do for hours without interruption.

2) I thought that an advantage of the ipad would be that I can read with the lights already out. I was wrong - staring at the illuminated screen quickly hurts my eyes in an otherwise dark room. Interesting: Watching videos is no problem, but reading apparently is something I use my eyes differently than watching a movie.

3) The distraction factor is huge if reading your mail, hacker news or google reader is just a small home button press away. I can't. get. any. serious. reading. done.

For me, reading a book is an activity I'm doing for hours at a time if I finally find time. Then, being distracted, having to carry a heavy device or hurting my eyes all are not optimal solutions.

Hence, if I'm reading, Kindle is my device.

Re: Kindle is OK

#17

Post by ojbyrne »

maw wrote: post #12

When I read on tech blogs that Kindle is a goner, I think these people must not read very much. Yeah, pretty much. It is snobby and rude to say it that way, but being snobby and rude myself I'm fine with that. In fairness, while e-ink devices offer what I believe is the best reading experience in the present for texts read linearly, they're less pleasant when used to read texts where you're likely to bounce around: t…

If you read the article that Dave links to, it's pretty obvious that the author doesn't read very much, because he clearly can't write.

Re: Kindle is OK

#19

Post by joshfinnie »

hugh3 wrote: post #15
jmelloy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The nook support ePUB.

Thanks, I've been trying to decide between Kindle and Nook on the assumption that I'll mostly read Project Gutenberg books anyway. So you're saying that Nook would be better for me?

The nook works perfectely well with the Project Gutenberg books. I recently found this fact out and downloaded over 50 books and they are all nicely sitting on my nook now. The only drawback is that they are seperated from your purchased books and are found only in the My Documents section of the nook. (I do not know if this is a rule, but I haven't found a way around it.) I would have liked to see them right along side my purchased books.
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