Slightly off topic - Ebooks

[Edward Ned Harvey]

> I like the idea of getting an ebook reader, but am concerned about the
> proprietary format these new devices seem to use.  My concern stems
> mainly
> from the idea that if I buy an ebook on, say the iPad, I would not be
> able
> to move the book to my Linux computer, a Kindle or any other type of
> device.
> 
> I've done some googling on this topic, but there does not seem to be
> tons of
> information about this formatting question.
> 
> Does anyone have thoughts on this?

I recently went through this whole exercise, had the same concerns as you,
and eventually bought one.  So I am a new kindle owner since about a month
ago, and I use it every day.

You're right.  If you buy a book on amazon, it can only be read on a kindle.
If you buy a book from borders, it can only be read on a Sony.  If you buy a
book from Barnes 'n Noble, it can only be read on a Nook.

However, Amazon makes a PC and Mac version of Kindle.  So you can move your
book from a physical kindle to a PC or mac soft kindle (but not linux) and
vice versa.  Barnes & Noble makes a PC and Mac version of Nook.  Borders, I
don't know.

But there are lots of free and public domain books that can be read on any
of these readers.  Anything you find on Gutenberg for example ... Dracula,
1984, Shakespeare, etc.  All the classics are there.  But not Harry Potter,
not the Twilight series, not any current copyrighted materials.

If you don't care about copyrighted, modern materials, just choose your
favorite reader.  (My favorite was the Sony Touch.)  If you do care about
copyrighted materials, you've got to make your decision based on which
bookseller has the books you care about, and what prices they are, and how
much you like their store.  For the books I want, I found Amazon was the
only location that had them all, and even for books that were available in
more than one bookstore, amazon's prices were far lower.

I found I liked the amazon store much better than the borders store, because
amazon makes it so easy to view a preview of the book ... selected pages
from selected chapters and so on.

I don't consider the iPad to be an option, but I am biased.  As far as I'm
concerned, e-Ink, small size, and lightweight are the only reasons to get an
e-reader instead of using your laptop.  This means ... I charged up my
kindle once at the beginning of January, and finally recharged it yesterday
even though I didn't need to.  I don't know what book sources are compatible
with iPad.  The glowing screen, IMHO, is not good for serious hours of
continuous reading, and you can't use it outdoors in the sunlight on a
summer afternoon.  And the iPad weighs twice as much as the kindle.  The
kindle is just barely light enough to hold it up and read it for hours
without discomfort.  But of course, do what you like.

PS.  Comparing the Kindle, Nook, Sony, and Sony Touch ... The only one that
doesn't have a built-in dictionary is the base-model-Sony.  I didn't expect
this before I bought one, but I find the built-in dictionary to be
enormously useful.  A surprise bonus.

Also, if you get the kindle, it comes with an unlimited data plan included
in the price, and a ridiculously slow and limited web browser ... which is
good enough for Wikipedia, if you want to learn something more about
something you're reading.  I think the Nook also has the data plan, but I'm
not sure.  And I'm quite sure the Sony does not.