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What I want in an E-reader

In defence of books over electric toys; I just wish to point out that you pay for a proper book; ONCE!
It does not need recharging and a book employs a lovely accessory a book marker; lovely.
My books never put up my electric bill which in this day and age of the power of corporations gives the little man a victory, every time he reads them!
 
Roxbrough said:
I do not believe I said I want to sniff and not read? What I said was 'If I got an electric one, it would have to 'feel' like paper and 'smell' like paper. Otherwise it is an electric toy, not a book.'

I added it was my personal opinon.

I do read all books I buy and have a tactile and olfactory sensation whilst doing so, something which electric toys cannot achieve. That is not an opinon, with the technology at it's current level, it is in point of fact, reality.
Having said that if other electric toy readers wish to ignore reality and imagine that they do, then they have more imagination than me and good luck to them.
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Whatever. I still think the value of a book is in the words, and how those words come have little or nothing to do with smell or feel BECAUSE no-one in their right mind buys a blank book just to sniff and feel. You buy a book for the words it contains. Therefore stop being ridiculously prejudiced against an electronic device just because it doesn't 'feel' the same as a book. It has the same words in it, and ultimately that is what counts.
 
Roxbrough said:
I do read all books I buy and have a tactile and olfactory sensation whilst doing so, something which electric toys cannot achieve. That is not an opinon, with the technology at it's current level, it is in point of fact, reality.
Having said that if other electric toy readers wish to ignore reality and imagine that they do, then they have more imagination than me and good luck to them.
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I think we can all agree that what's really important in a book is the content and not it's material...
Then again, for you, the difference between a paper-book and an e-book might be the same as the difference between playing 1p shooters and going out there with a gun yourself. Bad example, but it's a matter of sensory experience.

I don't know if this is something to love or hate about e-readers (or just personal devices in general), but I will always know when someone has touched my e-reader because they'll get their greasy fingerprints all over the screen. This makes me feel so obsessive; I have to sanitize my things constantly. Is it just me?
 
Interesting debate going on in here.

For the most part I have to agree with Meadow, however I do think Roxbrough has a valid point too.

I love my Kindle but there is something special about reading an actual physical book. For example, if I read my favorite book on my Kindle and then read the exact same book in paperback (or hardback) I would get more enjoyment out of reading the physical book... it's hard to explain but for me it's more about the overall experience of reading something: the feel, the smell, the turning of the pages. Yes it would be the same book, the same words, the same story-line etc. but I find reading books in physical form so much more enjoyable than reading something on a screen, regardless of how good the device you're reading it on is.

In this day and age everything is very computer/phone/tablet driven and for me reading is one of life's pleasures and after spending all day sitting in front of a computer at work, sometimes turning the pages of a book (rather than simply pressing a button) makes all the difference.

Saying that I would never give up my Kindle, but likewise I would never stop buying or borrowing physical books.
 
I find that I don't get more out of reading a "real" book over reading something on my Kindle. The words don't mean more nor do they effect me differently and I enjoy both the same. I agree that its the words themselves, the way they are written, the stories they tell that matter not how or where I read them.

I will also say that as a person with mild dyslexia having an e-reader has helped me read. Being able to control the font size and the number of words on the page has helped me so much. It has helped with the speed of my reading and comprehension. I am not rereading sections any more.
 
Dmitri Dmitriev said:
I think we can all agree that what's really important in a book is the content and not it's material...
Then again, for you, the difference between a paper-book and an e-book might be the same as the difference between playing 1p shooters and going out there with a gun yourself. Bad example, but it's a matter of sensory experience.

I don't know if this is something to love or hate about e-readers (or just personal devices in general), but I will always know when someone has touched my e-reader because they'll get their greasy fingerprints all over the screen. This makes me feel so obsessive; I have to sanitize my things constantly. Is it just me?
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I'm the one putting my greasy finger prints on my own screen LOL. I read while eating ... bliss! Good food and a good book can't be beaten for sheer happiness. And I don't have to worry about my lunch getting in the pages!

Karen C said:
Interesting debate going on in here.

For the most part I have to agree with Meadow, however I do think Roxbrough has a valid point too.

I love my Kindle but there is something special about reading an actual physical book. For example, if I read my favorite book on my Kindle and then read the exact same book in paperback (or hardback) I would get more enjoyment out of reading the physical book... it's hard to explain but for me it's more about the overall experience of reading something: the feel, the smell, the turning of the pages. Yes it would be the same book, the same words, the same story-line etc. but I find reading books in physical form so much more enjoyable than reading something on a screen, regardless of how good the device you're reading it on is.

In this day and age everything is very computer/phone/tablet driven and for me reading is one of life's pleasures and after spending all day sitting in front of a computer at work, sometimes turning the pages of a book (rather than simply pressing a button) makes all the difference.

Saying that I would never give up my Kindle, but likewise I would never stop buying or borrowing physical books.
Click to expand...

There are some books like coffee table books that just aren't the same in electronic format. And I just can't really get into reading magazines electronically either. Ditto for comics although I know there are more than a few avid readers of electronic comics on this forum alone. But these preferences do not make me disrespect those who can and do read these things in electronic format. And when I can I will also have an extensive 'real' book library, which will give me great joy. However in the meantime my e-reader has made books available to me in a way that would otherwise be totally impossible. If I was so ridiculously attached to a physical book I would just depriving myself of the joy of reading.

It did take some period of adjustment when I first got a reader and I didn't entirely like it at first, but because I wanted to read more than I wanted to be a stick-in-the-mud about it, I persevered and now I'm very grateful that I did. I love my e-book and although I have a few moans about features that I want, I wouldn't give it up for love or money.
 
Oh yeah, I don't think reading a book on an e-reader takes anything away from that book. If a book is enjoyable, I'm going to enjoy reading it regardless of whether I'm reading it on an e-reader, a desktop computer or in physical form but I can understand where people are coming from when they say they prefer reading an actual book over reading it on an e-reader. What I don't like (and it can really annoy me sometimes) is when people get on their high horse about e-readers when they've never actually used one. And yes, I admit, I did used to be one of those 'I'm never getting an e-reader' types!

One massive positive point with regards to e-readers is the fact that books don't take up physical room. That to me is a definite bonus. Plus I also love the fact that when you decide to buy a book, you press a couple of buttons and it's there instantly. You don't have to go anywhere or have to wait for it to be delivered. Perfect!
 
Apologies if I recycle points already made in this thread, but the longer I use ereaders the more I'm aware of their advantages and disadvantages.

The biggest advantages IMO:
Stacks and stacks of books with me everywhere.

Dictionaries in multiple languages.

Privacy - no more answering about my reading from those who seem to always have the same bland opinions.
 
My e-reader hs to be comfortable to hold when reading.
My nice crispy hardbacks come with nice spines, but the bottom of the spine (the foot?), where it rests on my finger when I'm holding the book, is sharp. It would be nice if after 500 years of bookbinding, the binders could round that to prevent it from trying to cut my finger off.
So my ereader has to be comfortable to hold. So there! :D
 
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