That is a pretty awesome feature. I have to say I was not aware of that on Kindle. Of course I only speak English fluently, and i know very little Spanish and French, so it wouldn't really have a use for me, but that is awesome for a lot of people.
Yeah, it's pretty much a main reason, many of my friends buy Kindle... that and the cost efficiency...
Isn't there already a degree of DRM attached to e-books? I know some do not have that at all and other i'm sure do.Do you really own the material at that point or are you just paying for "access?"
There is DRM, yes. it's very easy to remove if one were to pursue that vision. You own the material. I can go onto my Kindle and take the book off of it and move it around to where ever I want.
Also to play devils advocate - what happens if the publishers or the developers of the apps and software decide to take away your ability to use the reader or the digital books themselves?
An e-reader is its own device--you don't log into a service to use it. Therefore, you can use the device on or offline (perhaps never connect to the internet with it). You can upload any book you'd like to your device (as long as it can be read by your device's file format--which are very easy to convert back and forth with). There is nothing about it that locks you into a service where you'll be worried about losing all of your books.
Goodreads.com sort of defends against your argument of "Also, you can't really have your book collection out for someone to say "Hey, I like that book too!" or some conversation thing like that."
I have a sister in the printing industry. The "green revolution" does not apply to creating books.
18-29
Honestly, I have this internal debate with myself regarding physical books and e-books. I have a sister in the printing industry and another sister that advocates strongly against e-readers just because she prefers physical books, so my mind can never lay at rest.
For me:
Pros of an e-reader
- Lightweight
- Mobility
- Saves a ton of bookshelf space
- Most of the time, costs less than physical
- Back-lighting (not harmful to your eyes)
- Accessible dictionary/wiki
- Allows the usage of highlights and quick references to them
- Tells you how much time left in the chapter based on the speed of your reading
Cons of an e-reader
- May not give you the feeling of owning a book, although you do
- Relies on battery (although batteries tend to last weeks on a single charge)
- Technical issues may occur (haven't experience anything with my Kindle Paperwhite but there's a possibility)
- No new book smell
- No physical spacial reference to how far along the book you are; you rely on a % or page count
I don't think I need to advise anyone regarding pros and cons of a physical book...that's a little condescending :P
Age group: 18-29
I think I have probably more ebooks now because a friend of mine gave me her whole library as a present, plus I downloaded a whole bunch of free classics (some Sherlock Holmes stories, Jules Verne, etc.).
I own a Kindle 4th Gen (the grey one, not the black updated version) which I bought about 2 years ago. As of today I rather grab my Kindle if I want to read, rather than buying a paperback copy because of the following reasons (+ some generall advantages I see in ebooks):
- more convenient to buy from home (usually I go to Amazon and download the book I want)
- easier access to samples (yes, there are also samples for physical books online but I prefer reading them on my Kindle as if it was the whole book)
- dictionary function (a HUGE plus for me as a person whos native language is not English and especially with books written using a certain jargon - e.g. Lair of the White Worm, which takes place in 1860 and uses the times style of language)
- I can potentially carry my whole library with me
- I can give my books to friends even if I'm currently reading them
- they don't wear out and won't be damaged (well, unless there's some damage to the file itself)
I will probably keep buying physical books. One reason being because I prefer paperback comics over digital ones. Another reason being that I like to put them on a shelf in display them if they are particularly good looking.
And I will probably buy a tablet for reading too (and watching movies and light webbrowsing) because text input is a nightmare on the Kindle 4th Gen (on-screen keyboard with arrow-navigation) and I find the web browser (which is still a beta feature) rather inconvenient to use, especially if I want to read articles. Truth be told, I could just look them up on my desktop PC, convert them into ebooks and transfer them to my Kindle....but it would be much easier to just look them up in a good web browser on a tablet or use one of those many, many rss-apps.
I'm 19.
Definitely more digital books than physical, although I used to have a fairly extensive collection of physical books for someone my age.
Digital all the way, dude. Cheaper, takes up way less space, and you don't have to cut down any trees. It's also way more convenient to be able to carry around hundreds of books with you. Really nice for when you get to the end of a book and want to read something else. Just browse your library and get going, instead of having to wait until you get home.
I'm 30+
I for one hope that paper books are here to stay, and dread the day that they are replaced by e-books. If they are replaced then the sense of adventure in "finding" (sometimes by chance) a good read, will be forgotten, and replaced by the emptiness of a open search menu. There is nothing digital, that can replace the smell of a book store or a library, the smell of the pages within the books, the feel of the cover, the weight of the book itself as you hold it in your hands. Its something that an e-reader just cant replace. However; it is hard for real books to compete with the volume of books, that can be loaded up and taken with you on an e-reader. An with that, e-readers can't be beaten. It is amazing at how many books todays e-readers can store within their memory. An that does make it nice for long trips where multiple books are needed. But with all of its conveniences it does not replace the sensation of a real book in the hand. Not to mention that I have never heard of anyone complaining about eye strain from looking at letters on a piece of paper versus, a back light screen causing eye sore and fatigue from screen brightness. Also while the e-book does do a great job of allowing the user to carry so many books at one time, there is threat of not being able to read any of the information due to the dreaded "sun glare". Another problem that just does not happen with paper books.
From a students point of view, and e-book is amazing. The level of interactivity that you can get from an e-book is unparalleled with anything else you can buy. Its as simple as copy and paste for note taking, or with another swipe of the finger you have instant highlights for studying. The ability for finding definitions within the text is unprecedented and irreplaceable. Text search within each document has become the modern day index search and is invaluable for quick referencing back for information. However, the down fall to the e-book, is the inability to have several different books open at the same time, and being able to quickly reference between them for information when doing research or preparing for a test or paper. Having to wait for the e-reader to close one book and then open the other (and hopefully not having the thing crash) just takes way to much time, versus having two different books laying on a table and being able to eye ball between the two without having to wait for load times is irreplaceable.
I think both.
We had 8-track, tapes, CDs, mp3s, MTV (Muchmusic if you are in canada), and Digital Radio. And regular radio is still here. I hear my local station on work speakers at a minute level but STILL.
Some mediums are here to stay.
18-29, vastly more E-books than physical. Does prefer physical books for the reading experience. Prefer e-books for the convenience and weight.
29 years old. I'm fairly certain I own more paper books than ebooks. I would say about 75-100 ebooks, and roughly 700~1000 hard copies.
I prefer traditional books, and they are much more usable than ebooks, to me at least. Of course, that's subjective! For any kind of serious scholarly tradition, though, paper is irreplaceable. However, outside of libraries ebooks should probably be encouraged to help the environment. At the end of the day it is the knowledge, and its transmission, that's important. The medium of embodiment is hardly an issue, and should always concede to more important concerns, such as ecological ones.
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This, this is a nice necro.
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i need a good ebook reader lol i have downloaded ebooks i would like to read on something other than adobe reader. and maybe a great app for my phone.
30-40 age group
I have vastly more ebooks than paper. I prefer paper. Paper will not die nor should it.
Just a guess, I would estimate my ebook collection in the 2,500 book range. My paper book collection is maybe 75.
30-44 age
150 physical books of favorite authors.
3K+ digital, those because of space and wife reclaiming the back room. I do admit it is amazing to hold hundreds of books on my phone and reading what I want based on whim is nice.
18-29
It entirely depends
Books I own, C
Books I have access due to my brother and other family members, A
I find it easier to justify bringing a small kindle with me on long trips. Instead of one large, or many small, books.
18 - 29 age group.
A.) More paper books than digital
It entirely depends on the task that I need said book for. If it's for research, a project, a class, or a technical manual, a digital copy hands down is the way to go thanks to convenience factors like search tools and easy access to multiple manuals without needing to keep the physical versions around. If it's for the story, I'll actually lean towards audiobooks if they're well done, as I often find more stories to be better from a listening stand point than a reading stand point, especially if it's a story where I feel somehow invested or am already a fan of the series. Audiobooks also now act more as radioplays, so I find that they have far more to offer from a listeners perspective. If it's an older novel, or one that doesn't have an audiobook, then I'll read the physical variant. Cover art is also a big deal. I'm much more inclined to get a physical book if the cover is aesthetically beautiful or interesting.
Coming from an author, I'd much rather consumers read whatever form they feel most comfortable in, rather than trying to force one or the other. Cost can also be a factor, as the majority of Ebooks are cheaper than their physical variant, and a cheap Kindle (presuming you have Amazon Prime) could lead to an increase in reading for those on a busy schedule.
Eh, not really a time sensitive subject.
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