Researching E-Readers

I’ve been on a kick researching e-readers for the last week or so.  I had the rather brilliant, if I do say so myself, epiphany that an e-reader (the kind that allows you to highlight and make notes on files) would be ideal for my boss, as 95% of the articles she reads are in PDF anyway and it would keep her from losing things, as well as help tame the massive pile of paper in her office.  She was jazzed about the prospect, so I set off on research.

I didn’t know a whole lot about them on the front end other than the smattering I periodically hear on Twitter or what Pot mentions about her Sony.  I’ve been really reluctant to hop on the ebook train because, well, I like my dead tree books.  But I have to admit that a few weeks ago when I ran out of shelf space for said dead tree books, I was thinking that being able to store a lot of them all on one slim device would be kind of handy.  And as I’ve been researching more about them, I suspect I’m going to succumb.  There are plenty of positives aside from physical storage space.  The ability to take multiple books with you anywhere without needing a huge bag.  Being able to check books out from the library and not waste any gas having to go there to pick them up and return them.  The ability to turn the page with one finger (which I am finding more and more appealing as it frees up the other hand for other things like puppy cuddling).  Pot said she wished she’d had one of these when she was nursing for that reason.

I had a chat with a friend last week who has a Kindle 2 and she sang its praises.  She said she reads so much more now because she can take it anywhere, as well as sync it up with her iPhone (hello…wouldn’t it be nice to be entertained while stuck in line at Walmart?).  I knew there were reader capabilities on the iPhone, and I’ve already made the decision to succumb to that when my contract comes up for renewal in February.   Then we’ll see.

Of all the readers I looked at, the Nook appeals to me most.  It’s more reasonably priced and views multiple formats.  Of course I have yet to find a definitive YES answer to whether or not the Nook will read ebooks from the library.  They keep saying “it will read the specified formats”, and the library does check out books in those formats, but really, I don’t want to spend $259 plus the cost of a case on something that I don’t know FOR SURE will read the library’s books from Overdrive.  If you happen to know, do let me know.  More than likely I’ll put a reader on my Christmas list for 2010.  This year I’m far more interested in getting new cookware.

5 thoughts on “Researching E-Readers

  1. I love my Sony but I’d never give up my books. In fact, when I can, I get both of the favorites. There is nothing like the real deal, but e-books have a convenience that just works for this day in time. And dammit, they are cool! haha

  2. That’s so funny — I just started talking to my husband about an e-book reader as a Christmas present. Great minds think alike!

    NPI word counts for this weekend:
    10/24 – 569
    10/25 – 586
    today – 1002

  3. I know that I will be getting an e-reader one day. The greenie within loves the idea of paperless books, plus I’m one of nature’s geeks and I love my new gizmos.

    But I’m still debating. Nook and Kindle are both “tied” to a single distribution chain, and I have a kind of natural allergy to the oligopoly business model. Sony is sounding attractive, but then there are those persistent rumours of an Apple e-reader, and I do love my Apple devices. Speaking of oligopolies … sigh.

    What a hypocrite! See, this is why I can’t make decisions … 😉

Leave a Reply to Crystal Posey Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.