Why?

Just curious as I have taken my kindle into the bog every day since I got it - I don't intend to drop it down the pan any more than I would a 'real' book....

- I did tread on it once, but no damage occurred ...

Regarding newspapers, it is arguable that subscriptions via e-book readers could sustain, rather than 'kill off' the newspaper industry - although, in my opinion the price point needs to be lower before I would prefer a 'proper' subscription, rather than a (free) rss style one via the likes of calibre.

Has anyone bought an e-reader and then decided they just prefer real books?

I notice the BBC website has an article on them in the magazine section and the writer plus all the people leaving negative comments have not actually used one.

I am an avid reader and love books but I am totally converted to e-books on my Kindle. I really can't imagine anyone who is a reader not loving them.

Nice and informative, and they only blow away everything else in your opinion. Its not a fact.

I like the idea of a Kindle or something similar, and it could be absolutely fantastic on holiday - no need to cart around a bunch of books, just one slim bit of electronics. Thats also its failing - I'd have no problems whatsoever in leaving a book by the side of my towel/lounger/whatever by the beach. But a Kindle? Not a chance, its incredibly nickable.

That is actually a very good point! I have noted with the Kindle that it is frighteningly easy to buy books etc using the Kindle Store from the Kindle itself. It is one click and it there is no security at all.

There is also no password protection anywhere so if it does get stolen someone could spend a lot of money very very quickly and you have no chance of stopping them until you get Amazon to close down your account. I wouldn't leave it lying around!
Then again I guess it is like keeping an eye on your purse and mobile phone on holiday....

Apparently Amazon are (or have been) unwilling to "block" a stolen or lost Kindle, even though they should have that capability.

Its not a show stopper by any means, but its something to bear in mind.

I just wish I had a need for an e-reader, rather than just wanting one as its a damn cool gadget! I've been trying like mad to rationalise my gadget buying, I'm down to 2 phones, 2 laptops, 1 SLR, 1 compact camera, 1 iPod, and one gym MP3 player. Shuffle died (not replaced), iPod Touch died (not replaced), got rid of 1 camcorder, 1 compact camera ..... must repeat the mantra "do not need an e-reader, do not need an e-reader"

I read a few classics that I downloaded as text files. I much prefer it to real books. I don't have a kindle, I read them via my GP2X and have some on my DS. Having white text on a black screen is so much better than black text on a white page.

Don't know if this is useful for kindle owners but here's a great place to get free classic ebooks.

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Me like you! Ebook reader all the way.

I saw that article too. I don't get articles like that. Full of 'old' and 'classic' scriptures. Of course ebooks/ereaders aren't going to replace those, everything has it's place. There are 'nice' books one may want to keep and that's just fine.

But for regular reading, novels, text books etc. my ebook reader (Sony 505) is unbeatable. My wife bought it for me in April 2008 and I've used it everyday since. Travelling with bulky and heavy books is a thing of the past.

Just an update on my Kindle experience. The battery life seems to just go on and on and on so I can't see it being a problem.

I have now also popped a few audio books on the Kindle to check out the quality. I have to say the built in speakers are excellent. Far superior to my Blackberry which always sounds tinny.

The only downside is if the book title is too long then you miss out on the last part which can be crucial if it is the chapter number! After playing with different fields I have realised that if I change the Title in advanced property settings whilst it is connected to my computer then I can edit it to a smaller title so it all fits on. I tried endless different fields until I found the one that works!

Sounds great Gooby

Something to bear in mind when looking at Kindles on ebay!!!

White text on a black screen is better than black text on a white page? Thats why every darned book out there is black paper with white text ... oh wait ....

Each to their own though - I always tended to prefer green screen terminal style setups for coding. Running multiple high def monitors just doesn't seem anywhere near as good these days

Books are printed, so it's cheaper to have black ink on white paper.

On a backlit LCD screen it is often "easier" on the eyes to have white text on black than reading black text on a bright white screen.

Can a Kindle change it's text and background colours?

No, black text only.

However the kindle uses an E Ink display, rather than backlit LCD. I find this an extremely 'natural' display to read because there is no bright background & it is legible at any angle.

Give me a book any day. If I drop it it won't break. If I lose it it's not the end of the world as I can buy another copy. It can start conversations when someone sees the cover and says "I've read that - isn't it good?" Books smell and feel nicer too. For me, e-books and e-readers are a fix for a problem that was never there to start with.

How about if you want to read out of copyright classic books? They are widely available for free on the internet. Try picking up the complete works of Shakespeare or Dickens for free in a book shop.

That's certainly a fix for a problem that was there.

Can't say I've ever wanted to do that, but if I wanted to read them I'd buy them as books rather than see if I could get a free copy from somewhere. BTW A book being "out of copyright" isn't a "problem" - it just means it can be made available in the public domain, e.g. published online and made freely available. Your argument is akin to saying that a book being cheaper in one shop than another is a "problem".

I'm not sure if you are concentrating on 'problems', rather than benefits?

I like books, too - but I'm off abroad in a couple of hours & I'll be taking my Kindle with me.

On it I have The Lord of The Rings, The Lost Symbol & an anthology of old Sci-Fi stories - I wouldn't like to try & fit all those in my hand luggage as 'real' books?

- that wasn't a 'problem' before the Kindle existed, I would have taken fewer books, but it is a benefit to me now, as I can have a wider choice of reading matter while travelling

When I went on holiday in August last year I took 11 books with me, some of which were around 600 pages long, the shortest about 400. The books filled about a quarter of my suitcase, and weighed quite a bit obviously. Despite this, I didn't mind at all. I love books, including the whole smell & feeling of them which some people scoff at. If I'd had a Kindle or some other e-book reader then yes, my bag would have been lighter, but I'd rather have "proper" books any day.

You'll probably say this is just focusing on problems, but what the hell. If I have a paperback and I drop it, it won't break. If I spill a drink onto a paperback or drop it into the pool, I'll leave it to dry for an hour or so and it's not the end of the world (and I won't have lost the rest of my reading matter for the trip). I don't get upset if I get suntan lotion-covered fingerprints on a paperback. I'll happily leave a paperback on my sunbed when I nip off to the bar or the loo, but I'd guard an e-reader with my life. I must also say that although some have commented that you can easily carry, say, the complete works of Shakespeare on an e-reader so you can just switch from book to book or cross-reference things, well, I've never had the urge to do that at all, but thanks.

You like e-readers. Great. Well done. I don't, and prefer "old fashioned" books, which I can pass onto a friend when I've finished with them, give to a charity shop, or put on my shelf and treasure forever. It's hard to do that with a PDF.

Nasalhair

I was exactly like you and all of those thoughts went through my head too. But - as soon as I tried an e-reader I realised just how brilliant it was.

You take care of your mobile phone and your wallet? So treat the e-reader the same.

Space IS a big issue when travelling and it isn't just for holidays. If I am on a business trip even for a day I can easily get through a couple of books. So I have my laptop, my work papers my handbag and have to somehow squeeze in a couple of books too. Now I pop my Kindle in my handbag and I don't need to worry.

If I manage to read everything on my Kindle I can turn on the wireless and download a book, magazine or newspaper in just 1 minute.

I love the look, feel, smell of books. I never thought I would be seduced by the latest gadget as I never have thought of myself as materialistic but I LOVE my Kindle.

I know they aren't for everyone but if you are a reader (and it certainly looks like you are) then please at least try it. You can get a Kindle and send it back within 30 days if you don't like it. At least that way you have tried it!

What makes you think I haven't tried one? Seems to me that you've made an assumption. For the record I HAVE tried e-readers and I just don't like them and can't see the appeal. You like yours though, so great - but I'm sticking with "real" books. I'm an avid reader, and a collector of books, and as handy as an e-reader may be I prefer to stick a paperback (maybe two) into my bag or my pocket, and a dozen or so when I go on holiday. I've already explained my reasons.

I probably assumed that because I did post the question about anyone having an e-reader but not liking it once they got it. As you have never mentioned it I don't think I was unreasonable in my assumption. I was genuinely trying to help you with a recommendation to try one. If you have and you don't like it fair enough - but I think your reasons you explained earlier would have had more impact if you had actually stated you had tried an e-reader!
On the plus side too you will no doubt be considerably fitter and have bigger muscles than me with all those books you will be lugging around

I like both 'proper' books & also my kindle.

However, I wonder if your 'suitcase' experience involved air travel - it would have possibly been unlikely to have been 'hand luggage' - which could have meant you were denied access to your books from the point of check in, during the flight & only resolved at baggage claim.

- during my recent flight to Barcelona & back I could read 'all' my books in the departure lounge & during the flight, because my kindle fitted easily in my hand luggage.

- no-one is saying you 'have' to buy an e-book reader, but to have a credible opinion for 'not liking' them, I think you should have a stronger argument than the one presented??

I have had a Sony PRS 505 and now own the PRS 600.

The touch screen has reduced the contrast and increased the glare, but is still a great product. I use mine mostly in the gym. I hate exercising, but I need to do it. reading takes my mind of it, though I still do cardio at a high rate (the amount I sweat would make you gasp It works for me - which is the main point really.
A traditional book is not as effective as the pages turn on their own when not held down and the font is often too small when on a cross trainer. Being able to alter the font size is fantastic!

However, for academic work (students etc) I cannot see them being much use. When referencing multiple documents it need to be real books or multiple files open on a PC.

About DRM, libraries can use this to 'lend' books for a certain period. This is done by them buying licencies for a number of books (rather like they would buy a number of physical books). No reason why this could not be extended to home users lending books to friends for a period of time. Disabling the true owners view while enabling the borrowers view for say 3 weeks.
However ePub DRM can be broken, so why bother in the first place!

Make the original content cheap enough and 90% of people will pay for the ease of finding and downloading....... it is all about user experience!!

I used to think very much like you. I adore "real" books and can quite happily spend half a day in a second hand book shop - much to the disgust of my family!

I'm beginning to think about a kindle though. Not to replace the "ownership" of books, I don't think I would ever want to do that, but to replace the everyday paperbacks of which I seem to consume dozens every month.
I do like the idea of being able to download a genre of book I'm in the mood for, exactly when I want to read it without waiting a couple of days for delivery, particularly if I'm away from home.
I also like the idea of reducing my excess baggage somewhat every time I travel!

I'm still undecided, I'd be interested to know exactly what it is you didn't like about using an ereader...is it just the lack of feel of a proper book, or are there any specific problems I should be taking into account when deciding? Aside from the security/safety ones you've mentioned that go with owning an expensive piece of kit of course. Are there problems with the actual uasge of the ereader?

This is what pushed me over the edge to getting one in the end. I love books. I really don't like getting rid of books and my house was becoming overwhelmed.