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Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

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Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#71

Post by phillco »

troymc wrote: post #32
johnnyn wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO, the only way for physical books to exists alongside ebooks is by bundling the ebook with the physical book, similar to movies. It baffles me why publishers haven't already done this, but then again...publishers aren't the brightest people.

Some publishers offer the ebook + physical book combo for less than buying them separately. For example, you can get the following deal on a particular book from O'Reilly: ebook: $31.99 print + ebook: $32.99 print: $29.99 Ref: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920018414.do

> ebook: $31.99

> print: $29.99

The fact the ebook costs more than the print book is just laughable. It reminds me of Ticketmaster's "delivery fee" that they charge when you print tickets at home.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#72

Post by estevez »

troymc wrote: post #36
pistacchio wrote: post #2

i got a kindle for xmas. it is amazing. however i've grown up in a house where every wall is covered by a bookshelf full of books. i love owning them, i love the fact that my father and me exchange books and than when i was a kid i could read the very same book that my father read as a child because he saved all of them. i don't want my children to grow up in a house with no books, so i intend to only read ebook of b…

Here's an idea: Sell physical placeholders that look like books, along with ebooks. You can put the placeholder "book" on your bookshelf to remind you what you own, decorate your room, and give your kids some reading ideas. The placeholder could come in a variety of smells: musty, smoky, neutral, National Geographic I-think-I'm-gonna-faint inksmell , and my personal favorite: Earl Grey.

>National Geographic I-think-I'm-gonna-faint inksmell

This thread is making me nostalgic. I was in the doctor's office with my mother the other day and I actually picked up a copy of National Geographics and sniffed it in the middle of the waiting room. I'll occasionally do it in the supermarket checkout line too. Always reminds me of pulling the first copy I got (Feb 1990) from the Christmas subscription I hounded my mom into buying for me out of its brown paper sleeve.

I don't discount how powerful the emotions elicited by the Proustian recall triggered by tactile interactions with the written word, but I just think the gains far outweigh what we'll lose. The conveniences that dominated the OP don't move me nearly as much as the idea of $10 solar-powered e-readers loaded with the equivalent of entire libraries spreading throughout places like sub-Saharan Africa or rural India (cf. mobile telephones). That kind of stuff gives me a warm fuzzy you wouldn't believe.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#73

Post by seanx »

anatoly wrote: post #20
swombat wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's how to do it: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/how-to-strip-drm-from... (I haven't tried this method, but it seems extremely straightforward)

The method offered at the post urges you to install the desktop Kindle software, and de-DRMs files from its storage. That hasn't always worked in the last year, as Amazon tried to obfuscate the key storage in the desktop versions, and there's been a kind of race between Amazon and the authors of the de-DRMing tools. I don't know what the status is now, but I want to emphasize that if you own a physical Kindle you don…

For all you ever wanted to know about removing drm: http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#74

Post by [deleted] »

jaysonelliot wrote: post #17

Anything that gets more people reading more books is a positive in my opinion, but I'm still disturbed by the idea that ebooks are acceptable alternatives to physical books overall. If the future is one of ebooks and real books coexisting, I'm all for it. But if the more likely scenario plays out, where publishers use the higher profit margins and control that come from cutting out the printers and stores, and books…

[deleted]

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#75

Post by chirayuk »

potatolicious wrote: post #63
jaysonelliot wrote: post #17

Anything that gets more people reading more books is a positive in my opinion, but I'm still disturbed by the idea that ebooks are acceptable alternatives to physical books overall. If the future is one of ebooks and real books coexisting, I'm all for it. But if the more likely scenario plays out, where publishers use the higher profit margins and control that come from cutting out the printers and stores, and books…

Even without the romanticism of reading, there's one thing I can't do with a Kindle book, that I greatly enjoy doing: Lending it to other people. It doesn't matter how many fucking awful Facebook plugins you write, there is nothing as convenient as "Have you read [X]? I have a copy, here, let me get it." Until I can lend my Kindle books to people - with no restrictions , I will continue buying physical books.

Agreed. I might have considered putting up with that if the e-books were significantly cheaper. Then, I would just buy copies for family/friends. But this isn't the case and it's just simpler to read a book and give/mail it to family/friends.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#76

Post by docgnome »

crander wrote: post #24
hyperbovine wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me three. Avoided buying a Kindle for years because I was unnerved by the idea of my book running out of batteries. In the three months since I acquired one my reading time has probably increased fivefold. The Kindle is a terrible device in so many ways--frumpy UI, 1980s-ish refresh rate, poor resolution compared to printed material--and yet still manages to be enjoyable to use. Makes me excited about the future of r…

I bought the first kindle and took it on a month long trip to Africa and re-read the Baroque Cycle on it. I jave a a few new Kindles since. I love most the platform aspect of Kindle and I rarely buy novels or computer tech books in any other form. However I grew up traveling to Powells books and living with physical books. I find that a good physical book has something that the digital version lacks. The physical for…

What do you think of the note taking on the Kindle? I've never been one to write in books so It's hard for me to say how well it works.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#77

Post by jedc »

joelhooks wrote: post #45
manojlds wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technical books are so HEAVY and I actually prefer the Kindle for them than carrying those books. Also, reading a huge technical book in say, an airport, would bring you lots of stares ( don't say you don't care about them!) Yeah it is tough to jump around and some books just cannot be read on a 6" screen ( and I doubt that the DX fares better.) but for most books I found that I am good with reading them on Kindle. T…

The DX is fantastic for tech books. Code and diagrams look great.

I specifically got the Kindle DX for manuals and other tech books, and it's been awesome. And approximately the same size/weight as an iPad...

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#78

Post by crander »

docgnome wrote: post #76
crander wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought the first kindle and took it on a month long trip to Africa and re-read the Baroque Cycle on it. I jave a a few new Kindles since. I love most the platform aspect of Kindle and I rarely buy novels or computer tech books in any other form. However I grew up traveling to Powells books and living with physical books. I find that a good physical book has something that the digital version lacks. The physical for…

What do you think of the note taking on the Kindle? I've never been one to write in books so It's hard for me to say how well it works.

It doesn't work for me at least. Part of the value of note taking is to flip through the book quickly and see the notes and then recall the most interesting parts. This seems lost.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#79

Post by jarek »

wahnfrieden wrote: post #65
potatolicious wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even without the romanticism of reading, there's one thing I can't do with a Kindle book, that I greatly enjoy doing: Lending it to other people. It doesn't matter how many fucking awful Facebook plugins you write, there is nothing as convenient as "Have you read [X]? I have a copy, here, let me get it." Until I can lend my Kindle books to people - with no restrictions , I will continue buying physical books.

To be fair, recommending a book to someone is easier now in a different way, with ebook readers. You can gift them the book or they can buy the book right there on their Kindle, without having to go to a store and locate a physical copy. This is part, though certainly not the entire appeal of being lent a book - reducing the friction of reading something you were recommended. It's just gotten more expensive to do thi…

Infinitely more expensive.

Re: Amazon Has Drastically Changed the Way I Read

#80

Post by restreitinho »

I think the most positive outcome of Kindle and other digital reading platforms is the ability you suddenly gain to carry a whole library without effort. It's just there. Also, I find the notes functionality to be a lifesaver (I love taking notes of things I read but hate to write on books, so) and overall the reading experience is just very swift.
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