Netbooks are alright for secondary or tertiary computers, I wouldn't use one as an ereader, the landscape format doesn't bode well for comfortable reading on any of the apps.

EDIT: I read more on that one and its an embedded copy of Windows with a 300 MHz processor and 128 MB of RAM and 2 GB flash built-in. Not really a computer I'd want to use for anything. ;-) Heck, the Kindle doubles all of those specs and it only reads books!

I made the assumption that you could use it in portrait mode as well.  When I read things on my laptop, I usually switch it to portrait mode.

Decided we are getting a second Kindle for Christmas. Of course Mrs. 005 is getting the new one and I'm taking her old one, as that is our usual custom with gadgets (I had to beg for the iPhone 4). ;-)

Got a Nook Wi-fi for the wife for Christmas.  Thought briefly about the Nook Color but I think she'll prefer the E-Ink display on the regular Nook, plus it was cheaper.

She seems cautiously optimistic about the gift, although we haven't had time to play around with it yet.

My wife got the Kindle 3 from her mom. It's so much smaller, lighter, and faster than my Kindle 2. Oh well, at least we won't fight over it anymore... I kind of like the size/weight of the 2, feels more substantial.

What I don't like is that there's no easy way to change the names of the books. I bought all of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and they are named as followed:

The Gunslinger: (The Dark Tower #1)(Revised Edition)
The Drawing of the Three: (The Dark Tower #2)
The Waste Lands: (The Dark Tower #3)(Revised Edition)
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
Dark Tower V, The
Dark Tower VI, The
Dark Tower VII, The (v. 7)

Drives me batty.


Let us know how she likes the nook.

You can't do that on a computer and then transfer them over? That would annoy the hell out of me.

If you really want to get the full "Dark Tower" experience you really should read as many King novels as you can...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King_works_related_to_The_Dark_Tower_series

I would specifically suggest you read hearts in atlantis before reading the Dark Tower 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearts_In_Atlantis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_Through_the_Keyhole

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, I've read a lot of his other stuff. I'm aware of all of the connections. Heck, the Kindle-exclusive "UR" ties into the Tower!

Johnny Ringo said:

You can't do that on a computer and then transfer them over? That would annoy the hell out of me.

There's a program that can do it, but when I loaded "The Gunslinger" none of the parenthetical phrases were visible, so even if I renamed it "Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger", I'm pretty sure it would have been labelled "Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger: (The Dark Tower #1)(Revised Edition)"

Also Books 5-7 show the artist that did some illustrations as co-author. I blame the publisher, as the first 3 or 4 were with his old publisher and are fairly well labelled.

TV's Frink said:

She seems cautiously optimistic about the gift, although we haven't had time to play around with it yet.

Your mom has had time to play around with it.

...

...

My god, I'm the only one left!

I was given a Kobo Touch for Christmas as a joint present from my sister and mum.

It was kind of ironic as the better half was tiring of his Kindle and I was thinking about using it to download recipe books.

The machine itself is rather well made and all but the firmware must have been written by a nest of twits.

If you load more than one book at a time it just freezes up and has to be jump started.

It also doesn't accept folders so that means loading the core ebook file directly into memory of the thing which can't be done as a batch process remember now I have RSI of the fingers and wrist crawling it's way up into my shoulder and keeping me awake at night.

Meanwhile the Kindle still works.

I'm still not sure what use I'm going to get from my poor bedazzled machine.

I hardly go anywhere and I have loads of paper books if the reading urge does come upon me.

The browser is useful though as I can look up recipes etc from the web and being small and battery powered it's less likely to be a hinderance in the kitchen or the lab.

I'll read something on my Kindle, then stop and not read anything for a long time. Not the Kindle's fault though. I just don't take the time to read much. Going to try to more this year (which is what I said last year).

Being something of a Luddite, I try not to own any technology that was invented after the 90s.

I suppose one day I might spring for a tablet, and if I do it would probably be a future Amazon Kindle Fire. I think they are working on a 9" or 10" model for maybe the end of this year. That would be sweet.

Most reviews liked the Kindle Fire but lamented some lacking features such as a camera or other browser/interface capabilities. I think that after another generation or two the Kindle Fire could stand toe to toe with the iPad.

My smartphone has a big enough screen to make reading reasonable, and yet it fits into the palm of my hand...and it makes phone calls.  And it cost 1 cent.  Boo-ya!

That was the price they were when he was a boy.

And he has very big hands.

greenpenguino said:

And he has very big hands.

I was very slow to jump on board, regularly spouting the purity of the actual book.  I'm still a huge fan of actual books and will always prefer them - period.

That said;  I got a tablet several months ago - not for reading, but for accessing the internet while traveling (great for dinner reservations, theater tickets, and online boarding passes).  It had the Kindle app on it, so I gave it a test drive. 

As an avid reader every night, after the Fam is tucked in and sawing logs, I thought it might be less intrusive than my book light.  I have to say, it took a night or two to adjust, but I read for hours now before putting it away and going to sleep.  No exaggeration, I read for maybe two or three hours every night - more than before.  In fact, the last six books I read were all Kindle versions (three Star Wars, one fiction, and two non-fiction).  Just started Allegiance two nights ago and I'm absolutely loving it (updates in the EU thread soon).

Still prefer an actual book, but very much a fan of Kindle.  In the end, it's the story that's most important, not the medium.  If I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep, I just grab it off the night stand and read some more.  No more getting up and causing the dogs to stir, which thereby wakes my wife.  I just quietly continue reading - and with much less light in the room.