I love to read! My days of reading for fun span all the way back to elementary school.
Pic by renegadesteve04
My grandmother helped me learn how to read. She often recorded me reading on a tape recorder (yes, a tape recorder) so that I could hear myself read and make improvements. The local library had reading programs over the summer and I always participated, checking out an arm full of books almost weekly.
My bookcases are now full and I have no room for new books. Since I’m running out of space, I’ve decided to entertain the thought of an eReader.
I’ve read reviews on eReaders and have even used demos at electronics stores. However, I’m still not sure what I think about eReaders.
Here are my thoughts so far:
- 1. Amazon’s Kindle is pretty cool and I like that there is such a wide variety of books to purchase. My concern is that the screen is so gray! Many people say it’s easier to read that way, but I’m not sure about that. I’m used to a touch screen, so I often found myself touching the screen and expecting something to happen when I played with the demo. That would take some getting used to.
- 2. My first impression of the Nook Color was good. It was nice to have the option to read full color magazines. I’m all about colorful things. However, I noticed that the screen was very bright and subject to a glare. The Nook Color has a touchscreen, but there seemed to be a significant lag time. Reviews on this eReader seem to be mixed.
- 3. I’m a big fan of Apple products, so you know that I’ve already checked out the iPad. I love the apps and the abundance of options for things to do besides reading books. However, it would be an extreme duplication of services since I already have a Mac and an iPhone. In addition, I could easily see myself getting distracted while reading a book with all of the extra bells and whistles. I found the iPad to have the same issue with glare that the Nook Color had. The iPad is considerably more expensive than other eReaders, so I question whether it would be worth the financial investment. PLUS, you have to pay for a data plan to get 3G. I don’t like that at all.
- 4. I’ve tried the Sony Reader, but I don’t remember it. I probably wasn’t too impressed with it…
- 5. I haven’t tried out Samsung’s Galaxy Tab yet. I think I’ll try to check into that later this week.
I’m pretty sure that I’ll eventually get an eReader. I love technology and I try to stay up to date on the latest trends. However, I can’t help but think that I would dearly miss turning the pages of a book.
Do you have an eReader? If so, which one? Do you like it? How often do you use it?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I have the Nook and the Nook Color, and I have to say the Nook Color is the best. I can never go back to the dull gray screen again. When I need to help my son with the Nook, I am always thinking of how much I just love the Nook Color. I’ve not had problems with screen glare, because you can always adjust the brightness of the screen along with the text and back ground colors. There is at times a delay in the changing of the page when you swipe to change, but I also had the same delay at times with the Nook so that doesn’t bother me too much. The benefits out way the problems with the Nook Color for me. Now I do wish the price was a bit lower, if it was I would probably get Nook Colors for the kids too.
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Thanks for your feedback! I think I’m going to have to check out the Nook Color again after adjusting the screen brightness.
I too am undecided on which eReader to purchasevfor myself. A few months ago I bought my 14 yr old the Kobe from Borders for $99; a good price. But now I hear Borders will be closing some of their stores, so I am wondering what should happen if/when she has problems with the device. Please let us know which eReader you decide to purchase as this would be a big help for me too. Thanks and keep posting your wonderful blogs.
Borders will probably continue to support the Kobe, or get another company to do it. We were in a similar situation with our product protection plan when Circuit City went out of business. I’ll definitely let you all know when I make up my mind about which e-reader to purchase. Thanks for stopping by today!
Some additional food for thought on the Nook Color is that you can get an anti-glare screen protector. We just put one on ours and it works really well. We got the Nook Color last week and it’s really easy to use. Plus, if your local library lends e-books, the Nook Color can accommodate that! We will probably each end up getting one because Hubby reads for fun a lot more than me, but tends to “hog” it lol
Good luck during your search!
Does the anti glare screen protector come in a thin adhesive sheet that you line up on the Nook? Or is it part of a case that you can buy? I have a thin adhesive sheet on my iPhone and I hate the bubbles that keep popping up on it.
Have you had problems with the wifi? I read about some problems with that and the music player. I think it’s cool that you can borrow an e-book from the library! That’s definitely a plus!
You can buy the anti-glare adhesive separately. It comes with two sheets and a microfiber cloth to clean the screen. I found we had a few bubbles, but not so many that they wouldn’t go away later or pose a problem.
Wifi hasn’t been a problem with ours. We had a software problem where it would freeze up, but the nice employee at the B&N we bought it from rebooted it one day when we came back with it, and we haven’t had a problem since!
Yeah, I like the borrowing from the library aspect, too. Every library is different, so it’s good to check ahead of time to see if they have that kind of system up.
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I have a Kindle and love it. The reason I got it was that we lived in Hawaii for 8 1/2 years and I used to read in the sun a lot. That’s right, no glare at all. My friend had the nook and saw me reading my kindle at a bench in front of our house and she said “you can read that thing in this light?” “yes ma’m, I can.” So my vote is for the Kindle, which I use almost every day.
I noticed a post talking about an anti-glare screen protector. You, and everyone reading this owe it to yourself to check out ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD. (link: http://www.zagg.com/) They are the best product on the market for iPod, iPhone, and iPad and I am sure other handheld devices. I bought one for my iPod years ago and liked it so much I bought them for my adult children. They are as advertised,… they don’t scratch and I don’t have any bubble problems, and they don’t easily come off. They practically bond to the device and after awhile you forget they are there. My daughter never used the case she bought for her iPod again after I installed the invisibleSHIELD on it, lol. My gen 2 iPod and its invisibleSHIELD still look like new, 8 years later. I often put it in my pocket with my car-keys and change.
I am looking into adding e-reader software on my Mac and that is how I happened upon your blog.
I’ll be interested to see what you decide on and the other post here.
(Sorry for sounding like a ZAGG rep above but it is one of those products that you are glad you found and tell everyone about. No need for your handheld device to become bulky with a case….. just protect it with the invisibleSHIELD. I should get paid for that line. hehehe.
I have the Sony touch and have had it for 18 months. The reason I chose it at the time is because it allows you to borrow books from the library which I do all the time and love it. The kindle does not. My friend has the Nook and 6 months ago I bought my daughter the Nook Color. The Nook Color seems to be the best of the 3. With the Nook not only can you also borrow from the library but you can lend books to other Nook owners. Very convenient. After reading off the other readers my screen seems to be very gray and is getting harder to see. I have to use a light every time I want to read it even in the day time.
. I cannot adjust the contrast either. That’s the negative for Sony. The positive that keeps me from jumping and buying a new reader is that the Sony Library has soo many good FREE books. I looked for the FREE books I downloaded on barnes & noble, Amazon & ibooks and they all charged for the books. So if anyone knows how I can copy my downloaded books to another reader I will so much appreciate that information and buy a new reader so I can see what I’m reading again. lol.