E-Book

Careful_with_that_Axe

Am umbling and ahhbling about treating myself to one of these.

Anybody familiar with them? Anyone think they're any good?

Marty_J

I take it you mean an eBook reader (i.e. something you display eBooks on)?

isofa

As in Sony Reader or the Kindle from Amazon?

My thoughts, the technology is too immature, most ebooks readers use proprietary formats for new books, so you are locked in to their partner/book store, so at a later stage you might end up with a library that can't be read for the standardise format in the future.

I'd rather read a paperback!

However still an interesting concept

Domokun

Ebook readers are a new technology, and therefore expensive. The Sony PSP will 'read' ebooks, and will cost you half as much, and allow you to play games, read email wirelessly, and has a colour screen, at the expense of battery life unfortunately.

Ebook on PsP details here:
http://pandora.tcs.tulane.edu/blogs/clay/index.cfm/2006/2/19/Reading-eBooks-on-Your-PSP

Prices here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handheld-Console-Memory-Battery-Headphones/dp/B0002S9JAM

Careful_with_that_Axe

isofa wrote: »

As in Sony Reader or the Kindle from Amazon?

My thoughts, the technology is too immature, most ebooks readers use proprietary formats for new books, so you are locked in to their partner/book store, so at a later stage you might end up with a library that can't be read for the standardise format in the future.

I'd rather read a paperback!

However still an interesting concept

That is my fear that it'll end up being a Betamax vs VHS war at sometime in the future and I'll possibly end up with another redudant gadget.

The E-Book reader is retailing at £199 in Waterstones at the mo and seems to be selling like hotcakes.

I, too, prefer a "proper" book, but if I was able to buy ebooks in future, I would ensure bedroom space for the future. Tis currently full of books of all shapes and sizes.

Marty_J

You could buy an awful lot of books with £199.

I'd be inclined to wait until the technology moves on a bit.

Dime_Bar

Ebooks can be read on most handheld devices including smartphones and pdas depending on the format. I would suggest that reading on a bright backlite screen would be no fun at all which would rule out most pdas, smartphones and the PSP. However something like a Palm Z21 is great for trying them out, its a greyscale lcd display so easy on the eye and can be picked up for less than £10 on ebay, I got mine last year brand new of the bay for £12.

If you really enjoyed it you could then invest.

Dreamnine

They're a complete waste of money. I can download and read books on my mobile for nothing.. I can change the display and font too, so it's easier on the eye.