Cheap e-book readers discussion

stphnstevey wrote: »

What size is the screen? Presume not eink? Can you read PDF's?

Screen sizes vary, but tend to be on the small size - you are correct, not e-ink, but readable - I believe calibre can do the pdf conversion - I have never tried

As I say, not for everyone, but worth a look even if only to decide it is not for you - the full size kindles are without doubt better, but equally more expensive

Seconding StumpyPumpy, and explaining why the Kindle is so cheap...

There are two kinds of ebooks:

1) Free, or public domain ebooks.
These are books that are copyright free, often because of their age. You can find them on various websites, most notably Project Gutenberg and Google Books. They generally come in DRM free ePub format and pretty much all eReaders can read these, although some (like the Kindle) may require them to be converted with software (like Calibre).

2) Copyrighted books.
This covers pretty much all current popular books.
If you have a Kindle you can ONLY GET THESE FROM AMAZON. That's why the Kindle is so cheap. It uses a closed proprietary format for its DRM books to tie you into buying books from Amazon, much like a cheap printer subsidised by the expensive ink cartridges you have to buy later.
If you have a different eReader, like the Sony Reader, you can get your copyrighted books from PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE EXCEPT AMAZON, including UK libraries for free:) - you do have to register at the library. Generally these books also use the open standard ePub format, but with DRM applied this time. The Kindle can't use these, and they can't be converted.


Well, OK, it is possible to strip out the copy protecting DRM from an ePub eBook and convert it, but it's a lot more fiddly and it's illegal.

So if you're happy being tied into Amazon for all your new books, go ahead and get a Kindle - Amazon do have a wide range of titles - but just be aware of the limitation. Also, imagine if everyone just got Kindles. Amazon would corner the market and could charge what they liked for books. Also they could completely control and track everyone's purchases. In the past they have revoked permissions to certain eBooks and just remotely wiped them from people's Kindles, although they've said they won't do it again .

Footnote: The above is my understanding of the market after various research. If any factual points above are wrong I am happy to be corrected. In the end I bought my wife a Sony PRS650 Reader (touch screen). It cost quite a bit more than a Kindle but she loves it and downloads and requests library books regularly.

Clowance wrote: »

Dont get too excited, my library only offers 100 ebooks. No novels at all no agatha christie, some poetry(?!!) some autobiography and some of those misery autobiography stuff. What are they thinking!

Obviously, for any public library, the number of books, "e" or otherwise will vary, but mine has a range that goes from non-fiction such as "iPods for Dummies" and Rough Guides, to novels by authors like Margaret Atwood, Kathy Reichs and Jo Nesbo. There is no Agatha Christie, but a couple of her works are freely available on Project Gutenberg anyway. Libraries only have a limited budget to spend, so you can hardly expect them to duplicate overnight in electronic format the contents of their shelves that have been acquired over many years, but as long as the public make use of the eBooks, their collections are only going to get larger.

As a side note for Kindle owners - I noticed when I looked at "The Mysterious Affair at Stiles" on www.gutenberg.org that they had it in "kindle" format. I've no idea of how much of their stock is now available like this, but it is another free option for those worried about trying to convert from non-compatible formats.

stphnstevey wrote: »

As per HUKD thread, doesn't support PDF

With reagdrs to Librarys - can you just register with any library, even if not in your area?

As far as I am aware, you can only register with libraries in the borough in which you are resident.