BookTalk.org

I'm sure we've had this discussion before, but curious as to peoples' experience with reading on an iPad. I've never owned a Kindle or iPad, considering buying the next one to come out. (New iPad with sharper display expected on March 7 I believe)

Even though I'd like to have the e-ink screen of the Kindle, I still think I'm leaning toward the iPad.

I've got a Kindle, and have no problems with the image on screen. Is it like computers, where they keep bringing out 'improved' versions, which actually are pretty much the same as the old ones?

heledd wrote:I've got a Kindle, and have no problems with the image on screen. Is it like computers, where they keep bringing out 'improved' versions, which actually are pretty much the same as the old ones?

Well, it's not as bad textbooks, for example. They do actually make improvements.

I find the percentage annoying. Why can't they just give a page number. What does it mean when you have read 5% of a book? It depends on how long the book is, and I don't know at the outset. Also, if you make notes, it gives a location number, but no chapter, so you have to scroll through all the notes. I'd rather stuff like that was addressed. I have two Kindles now, after my partner passed away. One is about two years older, but there does not seem to be much difference. I Pads I have no experience with

FWIW i read on ipad, android tablet, large plasma, large lcd in a variety of formats ebooks pdfs mobi etc etc and they all seem to work fine.

i just launched whatever was in ibooks on my ipad and it has page number, copy and paste text etc etc

if i came across a function i needed that it didnt have i'd just find an app that does.

in my experience if theres something you want, you can get it.

Another thought: As I look at titles on Amazon.com, often the Kindle version is only slightly cheaper than the print version. Even though it's convenient to have the Kindle version, and print books take up space, it seems hard to justify the cost. I'm sure I'll get over that as I move toward using ebooks.

I used to be a traditionalist when it comes to books ("I'll stick with print books till I die!") Now I think the transition will come sooner than I thought.

Dexter wrote:often the Kindle version is only slightly cheaper than the print version.

yeah i think the sneaky bastards were hoping you wouldn't notice that

My wife has an iPad and loves to read on it. The iPad has a lot of things going for it. You can buy apps, watch movies, and it's fairly easy to copy PDFs to it. Myself, I'm sticking with real books. I have a fairly large library and I like to look through the shelves to find something to read. I also have many out of print or otherwise obscure books that haven't been published in e-format yet and probably never will. Right now I'm reading a speculative fiction anthology called Dangerous Visions, published in 1972. Soon, I'll be reading The Will of Zeus by Stringfellow Barr, a history of Greece that was published in 1961 and is currently out of print (but available through places like ABEBooks). I have another great book, The Folklore of Birds by Edward Armstrong, also out of print. I would bet the vast majority of scholarly books are not available in Kindle versions. I just looked up Harold Bloom and I see none of his titles are available in e-books. So although I can see reading some genre fiction on the iPad or Kindle, I'd find it annoying that so many great books will likely not make the conversion. The worst scenario I can imagine is for people to have their reading selection dictated by what's available in electronic format. Anyway, for me it's just not going to happen. I'd suggest listing the last 10 books you've read and see if they are available in e-format.

I was considering getting an ipad or kindle until a friend of mine (who for some unknown reason has both) told me: "You don't just like reading. You love books". And I think that's the essence of it. I find going into a bookstore and taking a book into my hand, turning the pages, looking at the fonts (is this called fontling it?), the illustrations (if any), smelling it, feeling the cover (slick, grainy, etc), guessing the weight of the paper used, homing in on the first couple of lines...etc, etc. etc a VERY sensual experience. (Does this mean I need professional help?). My friend went on to say an e-reader is a bit like sex without the foreplay, if I may quote her. On the other hand, I travel a lot and like the idea of newspapers, magazines and guidebooks on something a little less weighty. (I also have a recurring nightmare of getting to the best part in the book, discovering my batteries need recharged and finding out there's a power outage).

I do love real books, too, and had to give away all my grandfathers travel books that I had read and re-read as a child. But when I came out here, there was no way all my books could come with me. So they were given to someone who appreciated them, and now I depend on my Kindle, and tourists who bring out paperbacks.