The ereader thread

[EOJ]

I'm currently trying to decide between the Kindle 3 and the Kobo wifi. The former is $140 and the latter is $100. I like the simplicity of the kobo wifi, and the fact it reads epub without the need for a converter. It also has page numbers on all files.

Kindle 3 finally adds page numbers, but you can only see them when you press the menu button, and they're not in many of the Kindle ebooks yet. Really stupid. I'm old fashioned, I like having page numbers on the page I'm reading. There's a reason why books come with them!

Anyone have one of these? What are your thoughts on the products?

[brentsg]

I'd go Kindle for sure.

Page numbers become so arbitrary when you scale the fonts to make them comfortable.

[EOJ]

I've been reading good things about the Kobo wifi too. I guess I'm hoping someone with one of those will chime in.

And page numbers are a big deal to me, particularly if I ever need to cite something. I've fiddled around with my mom's Kindle 2, and I was unimpressed, and the lack of page numbers bugged the hell out of me.

In the new kindle, even if you scale the fonts, the page numbers don't change, BTW. That's a good thing, but the lack of page numbers in every kindle book + the lack of an option to constantly display the page numbers is disappointing to me.

[brentsg]

That's cool, I haven't played with a Kindle 3.. just the 2.

I usually read on my iPad b/c I read in the dark almost always.  In the light though, the Kindle would be better.

I wasn't thinking about your need to cite something.

[xris]

I am completely addicted to my kindle, and haven't read this much since I worked at a library as a teenager.
It works beautifully for fiction, terrible for reference. So, it is going to depend on what you are going to do with it. You are able to take 'screenshots' with it, not in the manual, but info can be found on the web, which can be tranfered to your pc. The screen handles pictures rather well, along with a couple formats. PDF's don't work very well on it, but Calibre is a must have for easy conversion to a suitable format. With that, you can take any text you get your hands on and slap it on there. It will not have the chapter markers however, and you will have to place bookmarks manually. Lacks hyper link functionality, and navigation within a document is a bitch. But, if you are just reading something straight through, page by page, the thing is an absolute dream.
Works well as a manga reader as well, once they are converted to mobi, but it does take up allot of space. It's not like you are going to really be able to store a whole lot, and it takes about the same time to DL, convert, and place, as it does to read it on line. Works well for a short-ish series that you must simply always have a copy of around.

[fuse]

I have a Kindle 3 and love it to bits; can understand the frustrations around referencing etc, but for a casual read it's perfect - feels so comfortable to hold and is very easy on the eye.

My biggest issue by far is the store itself and general e-book availability. As an example, currently there is not a single Haruki Murakami book available in electronic format in the UK, which is both annoying and ridiculous.

Another plus point to mention actually, Amazon's customer service if your Kindle gets damaged is fantastic. I hit a button on their site and they had someone call me instantly, who was very helpful and agreed to get a new one in the post to me the following day, and have someone come pick up the old one from my work address at the same time. Superb service.

[xris]

I had to make a couple of calls to customer service when I first got my kindle. I found them to be very helpful with me, understanding, and were able to fix the couple problems I had quickly.
Once you know how to convert and transfer different formats to your kindle, availability is really a question of ethics. Rare and out of print books are readily available on the internet, is many cases it's proven the only way to get some books at all. Really, if I'm overpaying for something out of print, and buying it used, does any of the money go to the publisher or author? In a way I really would have to encourage new, less popular authors to distribute digitally, and promote their work. That's what I'm still buying. I understand how difficult it is to work as a writer, and I am willing to spend a few dollars on your stuff. I'm going to keep paying for current work by active authors, and even some decent re-releases. But, for the rest, I would like to think that the author would be happy that I was reading, and enjoying their work.
Sometimes being patient works out also, amazon adds allot of books, and authors are seeing higher profits on the kindle. Some authors that have the rights to their older works are self releasing it, pricing may vary.
It's moral question even for myself, but truth be told I am ecstatic to have been able to get my hands on books I have been looking for for a long time.