Borders to Sell Digital Readers

[Bonegavel]

linky

We've discussed these devices before and it seems most of us agree that is a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist (IOW, paper books are sweet).

However, some day this is going to be the way (I'm thinking something along the lines of the tech from Minority Report) we get our reading material.

I will gladly adopt this technology if the screen doesn't hurt my eyes. If I can give up my newspaper in favor of a web site, I can give up a paper book in favor of a digital copy. I love going to the bookstore (a weekly journey for my Daughter and me) but I've also come to like Amazon which bypasses that experience entirely.

I will wait and see what kind of selection they offer before I plunk down my money (aside from the eyestrain thing), but if they start digitizing everything (especially older, hard to find stuff) I think I will jump on this like FOFCers to a Hot or Not™ Poll.

[Franklinnoble]

Eh... I really like my paper books. No battery required.

[DaddyTorgo]

i would love to say i'd be all for this, and realistically i would moving forward, but unless/until they offer a way to get FREELY (or for say $1 a book) copies of any book that you have in paper format I think my use of it would be limited, although i'd certainly like it for new titles its lack of use for old titles would hurt.

also...how would they handle say..."lost files" ? Like say i bought a book but then my media that it was on was corrupted or something. do i just lose the book? or do i have like a serial # or something so i can get another copy? That would worry me. I mean the same problem exists with paper...I can theoretically trash a paper book, but it's lot harder to destroy or misplace a paper book then it is for digital media to become corrupted.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I can theoretically trash a paper book, but it's lot harder to destroy or misplace a paper book then it is for digital media to become corrupted.

Yea, I thought that too, then the last time I had the stomach flu I kinda puked on the book I was reading. Book 3 of the Three Kingdoms. All said, it probably cost less to replace that book, 20 dollars for a new one off of Amazon.com if I recall correct, than it would have cost to replace a digital reader if the same thing had happened.

[Marc Vaughan]

For me digital readers will never take off, even when I've downloaded a book in digital form I have to print it out to read it ...

Not entirely sure why, but I can't get sucked in in the same way reading something electronically that I can reading a physical book - partially I think because I read in the weirdest positions and places (ie. lying on my back with feet in the air and children on chest watching tv is a fairly common pose) and partially because its easier on the eyes to read a book than something on a screen ...

Finally its much easier to flick back and forth in a physical book than on a screen and you can turn page edges over to mark places in a book much more easily than a computer

[Flame Eater]

My wife used to have an eBook; that format went away.

Then she bought a pocket PC, and downloads a lot of reading material. The PC's small and easy to handle. She loves it. I'm still a paper book guy myself.

[terpkristin]

I have always read ebooks on my Palm or PPC. I use all the variations of book, ebook, paperback, hardcover...

I do like the light weight of the ebook (i.e. i can carry thousands of pages with no extra weight on my back) but the cost of the stupid Sony ebook reader is going to make it completely not worth it. Not as a dedicated device, anyway.

/tk

[ISiddiqui]

i would love to say i'd be all for this, and realistically i would moving forward, but unless/until they offer a way to get FREELY (or for say $1 a book) copies of any book that you have in paper format I think my use of it would be limited, although i'd certainly like it for new titles its lack of use for old titles would hurt.

http://www.gutenberg.org/

I want to see the actual price on this (and see if there are any discounts), but I would seriously love to get it .

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

For me digital readers will never take off, even when I've downloaded a book in digital form I have to print it out to read it ...

Not entirely sure why, but I can't get sucked in in the same way reading something electronically that I can reading a physical book - partially I think because I read in the weirdest positions and places (ie. lying on my back with feet in the air and children on chest watching tv is a fairly common pose) and partially because its easier on the eyes to read a book than something on a screen ...

But the difference here is that these new breeds have PPI that is double that of a monitor and is slowly approaching the PPI of actual paper (this is the reason that our monitor's cause us eye strain).

I love my books, but if these screens are as good as they say I could be tempted. It just comes down to what books are available.