How do you guys feel about Ebooks? I have to admit, I am not a fan. My parents gave me a nook for Christmas in 2010, and I think I've used it a total of five times. I was traveling a lot at that point and they thought it would be useful, so it was a nice sentiment. But...wow, I just really don't like it. I don't want to stare at a screen while I'm reading! I love the smell and feel of paper and ink. I like book bindings and jackets, the act of turning a page, choosing a physical bookmark. I almost always throw a book into whatever bag I'm carrying as a "just in case", as over the years there have been too many occasions where I found myself thinking, "I wish I had a book right now." Everyone kept telling me that Ebooks are convenient for that sort of thing, but I never found the original to be a hassle. When I tried taking it around I was worried about it getting scratched or bumped, and then never wanted to read on it, so I just ended up reading less. I like keeping my electronic gadgets at a minimum, and not having to travel with another charger or consider what happens if it all somehow gets lost or stolen. I unpacked my box of books today and saw it sitting there, sadly unused. I guess I might just give it away. I will say, I get the appeal of its convenience in saving space and ease of access to a huge variety of things to read. One of my friends wrote in a letter to me, "I broke down and bought a kindle. The temptation of having a thousand books at my fingertips was too big to resist!" Now that's an angle I can respect. It's just not for me though, so I will stick to perusing the literal bookshelves.
Check out Maurice Sendak's thoughts on Ebooks. I'm inclined to agree with him, haha. That entire interview he did with Colbert was really great - look it up!
I dunno about the Nook, but my experience with the Kindle has been great.
ReplyDeleteWorries about battery life and staring-at-a-screen are not feelings I've had with this little nugget of a device. For the former, it has a battery life of over a month, and that's been about what I've encountered. Bonus points in that you can charge it with any mini-USB to USB, which, if you're around humans, someone is bound to have (I think I have three cables that can charge my Kindle, not counting the one that came with it, e.g. camera, phone, and Jambox charger cable).
As for the screen issue, my first thoughts about e-ink were, "Whoa, this looks like paper." Or, at least, the thin plastic you sometimes find on devices that mimic what it'd look like turned on while it's all packaged up and on display. It never feels like a "screen" to me (it doesn't glow), and actually tastes crisper than its truly paper counterpart.
Oh, and as for worrying about damage, just don't. Stop it! Again, I don't know about the Nook, but the Kindle Touch I picked up was a mere $100, and all of the books on it are mirrored on the cloud, so you're only running the risk of having to shell out another $100 if you do some *real*, feature-damning damage. But I don't typically read and hang-glide, so I don't think it's an issue so much as perspective: yes, it's fancy technology and worth more than any one of your books, but it's also *just* $100.
I suppose the closest I've come to be annoying at its device-iness is that the screen gets smudgy after extended use, but that's what I've got my sleeve for.
/preachy