[Dan Driscoll]

Just to be clear, I love the concept of eReaders. I'm not a true speed reader, but I do read a lot, I read pretty fast and I buy a lot of books. I would love to use the space that my library (currently 1000+ volumes) is currently occupying for something else. Last year I had to donate over 400 books to the local public library because I had no more room for them. So a good eReader is something I am very interested in.

However, I read primarily for pleasure and I'm not willing to compromise my reading experience for convenience. When I do get an eReader it will be one the allows me to read as closely to the way I do now as possible. That means it has to display enough text or at least change pages fast enough so that I don't feel like I'm operating a device, rather than reading a book.

[roscoeiii]

I am most excited about the Notion Ink Adam. What REALLY sells me here (in addition to the camera, touchpad on the rear of the device, open Android architecture) is the Pixel Qi display. It is a modified LCD that can be either full color like a laptop screen, or can be set to a setting that allows it to be easily readable outdoors (and gives it great battery life), without the slowness of e-ink. Here are some links:

http://www.notionink.in/adamoverview.php

http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-hands-on-0969281/

Wow.

[mcullinan]

I have the Kindle, latest model. I use it for reading. B&W matte screen crisp text for easy reading. I got it mainly because I read in bed and lay on one side and with a book you always had to flip over to stay comfy. Easy on the eyes. I have an led light I use so I can read in the dark and when Im finished shut the light off and go to bed. Really a great product.. for reading books.
M

[Mike Nomad]

Given the three options, I would wait for the price drop, and get the iPad: The Stanza application is a great bit (sorry) of software (I use it on my iPod Touch): Easy controls, adjustable font size, blah blah Ginger and plenty of "free" reading...

[turkey]

Kindle doesn't support ePub or any other format with DRM, except their own AZW, of course. And non-DRM content in most other formats has to be emailed to your Kindle account and be converted before you can read it. That means almost everything you read on your Kindle has to pass through Amazon's hands. Also, Amazon has the capability to remove content from your Kindle, without your permission, and has done so in the past. Ironically, 1984 & Animal Farm were the works removed. 

If you read the quote I posted earlier, you will see that you can upload files to a Kindle using a USB cable from your computer.

Amazon has stated that they will not remove content from customer's devices in the future.

Sony has been pretty horrible in the past about proprietary technologies, copy protection, and DRM. In addition, do you remember the Sony Clie PDA? They sold them for a while and then decided to get out of the market. They completely stopped supporting them and anyone who owned one was SOL.

B&N has not been a wonderful company to deal with in the past either.

I question whether any of these devices are "open." I also question whether any of these companies is really better to deal with than the others.

The Nook supports ePub, which is the standard used by the publishing industry. So you can download content from any provider that usee the ePub format, i.e., almost every publisher that has made their catalog available digitally. That includes DRM and non-DRM protected material.

Why would you buy an ebook with DRM? DRM means it doesn't really belong to you, and you may be denied access to it at some point for various reasons.

The Sonys are the most open, they support pretty much every non-proprietary format available, with or w/o DRM.

It looks to me like the Jetbook is as open or more so.

It's hard to avoid proprietary technology when you're dealing with hardware, and especially with devices that are new enough to not yet be commodities.

[turkey]

However, I read primarily for pleasure and I'm not willing to compromise my reading experience for convenience. When I do get an eReader it will be one the allows me to read as closely to the way I do now as possible. That means it has to display enough text or at least change pages fast enough so that I don't feel like I'm operating a device, rather than reading a book.

I have been reading using various electronic devices for well over a decade. I started out using a Palm Pilot, then got an EPOC-based device called an Osaris (EPOC basically became Symbian), then a Psion Revo (also using EPOC), and then most recently a Franklin Ebookman.

Out of these only the Osaris was a bit slow at changing pages. (All have LCD screens) All of them feel like devices and not like reading a book. They're simply not books.

They _are_ perfectly acceptable methods of reading though. I think you just have to decide what's more important; the reading itself or the thing you're reading off of.

Electronic book readers aren't perfect. They do require some compromises. But so do paper books. I find that for a lot of things ebooks are a good compromise.

One of the key things for me is that you can store multiple books in the space of one book. So I can take a long a bunch of books and choose whichever one appeals to me at the moment. I never have a list of books I'm going to read and them do so in order. Actually, it's pretty rare for me to only be reading one book at a time. I usually have at least a few going at once.

[Dan Driscoll]

If you read the quote I posted earlier, you will see that you can upload files to a Kindle using a USB cable from your computer.

You're missing the point. Unless it is one of the few formats supported by the Kindle (.azw, .txt, .mp3, unprotected .mobi, etc.) you have to send it to Amazon for conversion before you can upload it using the USB connection. You cannot download a .pdf from a website, your computer or even from Amazon directly to your Kindle. You can't view an ePub file at all.

This is directly out of the Kindle User Guide, section 8.3, page 104.

Amazon has stated that they will not remove content from customer's devices in the future.

Yes, and the check is in the mail.

Actually, I believe Jeff Bezos and Amazon really mean that. However, it still bothers me a lot that they even felt the need to build that capability into the Kindle. It also means that no matter what their intentions, the capability exists and a court order trumps good intentions.

Why would you buy an ebook with DRM? DRM means it doesn't really belong to you, and you may be denied access to it at some point for various reasons.

Because if you want some books in electronic format you simply don't have any other choice. FWIW, DRM usage is decreasing, but is hasn't disappeared completely and for some types of books may never disappear. Also, DRM is determined by the copyright holder, not the publisher, distributor or retailer. So an author who is strongly in favor of IP rights may require DRM, regardless of the potential loss of electronic sales. I don't like DRM, but in some cases I may be willing to accept it.

BTW, anyone who downloads from iTunes is almost certainly "renting" DRM protected content. Anyone who accepts the Apple model is being hypocritical if they won't also accept DRM on eBooks.

For me it all boils down to choice. With the Kindle you have to buy your eBooks from Amazom, period. The Nook, Sony and some others allow you to buy from anyone. It's that simple for me and it's the same reason why I don't own any Apple products.

[ctviggen]

Apple products aren't that bad.  You don't have to download from the Apple store.  Other than a few children's videos, all my iPod content is CDs imported into iTunes.  I've not purchased a single piece of music from iTunes and likely never will. 

[turkey]

You're missing the point. Unless it is one of the few formats supported by the Kindle (.azw, .txt, .mp3, unprotected .mobi, etc.) you have to send it to Amazon for conversion before you can upload it using the USB connection. You cannot download a .pdf from a website, your computer or even from Amazon directly to your Kindle. You can't view an ePub file at all.

It's trivially easy to convert any number of formats to ones that the Kindle supports. I could even extract the text from a pdf. Graphics won't be converted, but these devices are only really good for print IMO. If you want pictures and graphics, or to view pdfs, get a netbook or an iPad.

Actually, I believe Jeff Bezos and Amazon really mean that. However, it still bothers me a lot that they even felt the need to build that capability into the Kindle. It also means that no matter what their intentions, the capability exists and a court order trumps good intentions.

Is there any proof that the Nook doesn't have that capability? How about the Sony 900?

the publisher, distributor or retailer. So an author who is strongly in favor of IP rights may require DRM, regardless of the potential loss of electronic sales. I don't like DRM, but in some cases I may be willing to accept it.

I guess I would never buy an ebook by such an author then.

By accepting DRM at all, you are supporting it. The big media companies will only get rid of it if if hurts them in the pocketbook. Otherwise they'll just figure they can shove it down our throats, and in your case they're right.

BTW, anyone who downloads from iTunes is almost certainly "renting" DRM protected content. Anyone who accepts the Apple model is being hypocritical if they won't also accept DRM on eBooks.

Who said I accept the Apple model? I don't buy anything from the iTunes store either.

[BobMajor]

A friend of mine just got an ereader which I don't think has been mentioned.
http://www.pocketbookreader.com/
It has the advantage of reading a wide variety of formats. Often you can download books in various formats and then set them up the way you want.
The latest firmware for this allows you to turn the page by just gently moving the devise in a certain way. Also the turning of pages is faster than other devices I've tried.

[TONEPUB]

As a fairly happy Kindle owner, I'm guessing if the iPad (due to arrive tomorrow or Friday) has the claimed 10 hour battery life it will be a game changer.  A Kindle DX is $479 and the basic iPad is $499.  No brainer at that point.  Plus using an iPad as a remote control for your music server will be killer.

We have already reformatted TONE to take advantage of the iBook aspect ratio and will be offering the magazine on the iTunes store as soon as we can.  The standard edition you've all been getting for free will remain free, though.  We won't change that at all.

[jtwrace]

The standard edition you've all been getting for free will remain free, though.  We won't change that at all.

Out of curiousity, how many people download your mag per issue?

[Dan Driscoll]

It's trivially easy to convert any number of formats to ones that the Kindle supports. I could even extract the text from a pdf.

Why should I jump through even one hoop with a Kindle when I can just download and read with most other devices?

I guess I would never buy an ebook by such an author then.

By accepting DRM at all, you are supporting it. The big media companies will only get rid of it if if hurts them in the pocketbook. Otherwise they'll just figure they can shove it down our throats, and in your case they're right.

There are some publications I would be willing to accept DRM on, especially if it meant lower prices and convenience. Since I recycle them after reading anyway, newspapers and magazines would definitely fall into that category. Depending on the subject and cost savings, text books would be another area where I might be willing to accept DRM.

[TONEPUB]

Out of curiousity, how many people download your mag per issue?

Just over 200,000 readers now, with a slightly higher readership in Europe/UK vs. US/Canada.  According to our Google metrics data, TONE is now read in 121 countries.  Crazy....

[Affordable$$Audio]

I think people are missing the boat on the iPad. As I've felt for some time, and finally saw it mentioned on Fox News the iPad is a content user device rather than a content creator device.

The real market that will launch the iPad and similar devices is the education textbook market. College texts cost a fortune because they are updated every year to two years. This is a huge reason why textbooks are obscenely expensive. In 5 years or so, virtually all textbooks will be electronic, with updates happening weekly. Secondly, these textbooks will be put together in a buffet style fitting of each how each professor teaches the course. Students will highlight via finger tip, and those sections will be put into a document along with appropriate images/illustrations, etc.  I have no doubt that the 2nd generation iPad will have multi-tasking, a camera, and either SD or USB.

In 7-10 years, this type of publishing will move into the k-12 market. School districts will no longer be trapped with content their teachers don't cover or stuck with a version that was decided by the politics of Texas with it's statewide adoption policy. Supplemental materials will be a reflection of both the text and the teacher rather than and/or as it stands now. Most importantly, costs will drop dramatically even with the price of the display unit.

This is a paradigm shift in the way texts are used in education, as a teacher I look forward to how this pans out.

[jtwrace]

Just over 200,000 readers now, with a slightly higher readership in Europe/UK vs. US/Canada.  According to our Google metrics data, TONE is now read in 121 countries.  Crazy....

WOW!  That's amazing.

[timind]

My wife bought a Bookman (pretty sure that's what it was) as an experiment to try the ereader a few years ago. She liked it well enough until it died. While waiting for the Kindle to come off back order she bought a small netbook and uses it almost exclusively as a reader (90%). She needed something portable for travel. This has worked well for her as she can download til her hearts content and not have to manipulate the content.
She is now looking at the ipad but it is more limited than her netbook and has nowhere near the capabilities. I don't understand why anyone would use a specialized unit when the netbook does the same thing plus.

[jtwrace]

After reading this post and much thought I purchased a Nook.  So far so good.  It's really awesome! 

[tomjtx]

I have an Ipad and 2 Kindles.

I prefer the Ipad by a wide margin.
For nighttime reading I turn the backlight low.

If you want to multitask you can easily jailbreak the Ipad, it takes 30 seconds.

However the next update should include multitasking anyway.

I will never need to travel with my laptop again which is a HUGE plus for the Ipad.

[drphoto]

My textbook for the course I took this semester was an E-book subscription. No dedicated reader, just my desktop. Some books, like my anatomy text I want to keep. Others, I'm glad to have them vanish into the ether when the subscription expires.

I agree, the Ed. market will put turbochargers on this whole concept.

I've not tried one of the pad devices, but I sort of hate reading anything lengthy on a computer monitor.