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iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 2:21:40 AM
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Alright, while not necessarily about any specific author, this topic of course covers all authors.
Digital books. What do you guys think them? I don't frequent the forums as much as I used to, but I feel like I'm the only one that ever mentions them.
I've been reading ebooks since maybe 2001, and listening to audiobooks since 2007, and I don't know the last time I've picked up an actual physical book for reading.
With the successful release of the iPad, the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Borders Kobo released to compete with the Amazon Kindle, it looks like eReaders are gaining a lot of momentum.
I myself have been keeping an eye on eReaders, since the Sony eReader... and I think the market has developed the tech enough, and parts are getting cheap enough, that I'll be getting my first device within the year. (I originally read ebooks on my Palm pilot.)
Does anyone else have any interest at all? Does anyone one else already read eBooks? Listen to audiobooks?
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
4,158
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 5:06:08 AM
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Ebooks: yes, I've had a Kindle for about three years, but I used to read on an old PocketPC before that. But, I still read a lot of physical books, as well.
Audiobooks: no. I've tried them, but a voice in my ear puts me to sleep instantly. If my eyes aren't focusing on the words or I'm not turning a page (physical or otherwise), my mind wanders terribly.
I don't talk about ebooks and ereaders anymore because conversation on the subject invariably ends in only one of three ways:
-The "I like the feel of a real book in my hands" declaration.
-The ^(Jeff Bezos|(MacMillan|Publishers))." is/are the devil" drama.
-The "DRM-free ebooks would/wouldn't lead to more piracy" lunacy.
I also don't talk much about it because the novelty has worn off years ago. I'm just reading a book... the story content delivery system is pretty much invisible to me.
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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la la la la la la
Joined:
6/18/2003
Total Posts:
7,510
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 6:22:26 AM
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I would love a Kindle, but I am going to wait until the price starts to come down.
I will never give up on physical books though, there is something wonderful about the very physical nature of them. Cheers.
"Cats and monkeys, monkeys and cats, all human life is there!" - Henry James
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It is true: Man IS the microcosm: I am my world.
Joined:
1/31/2003
Total Posts:
1,706
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 7:25:39 AM
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It doesn't really appeal to me because I don't enjoy reading off a screen. Plus I'm ignorant of everything technological.
Similarly, I like the collectable quality of books.
*fears Diapson's wrath*
"************ set itself the goal of fulfilling man’s unattainable desires, but for that very reason ignored his attainable desires. By promising man eternal life, it deprived him of temporal life, by teaching him to trust in God’s help it took away his trust in his own powers; by giving him faith in a better life in heaven, it destroyed his faith in a better life on earth and his striving to attain such a life. ************ gave man what his imagination desires, but for that very reason failed to give him what he really and truly desires."
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
4,158
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 7:55:10 AM
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*fears Diapson's wrath*
My wrath isn't easily kindled anymore. 
I still collect physical books... I'm just a lot more selective about who/what I collect. 
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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Joined:
11/9/2006
Total Posts:
90
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 8:14:05 AM
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I understand about the discussion before being about to read ebooks or physical books... and that kinda gets stale. But now, I think there's the possibility of discussion now about what do you read your ebooks on? And are you looking to switch devices?
The Kindle was always so tempting to me. I wanted that bigger screen. But the price was keeping me from it. And I hear the refresh rate could be better for page turns.
Plus I've never had a problem reading on a backlit device. I understand that some people do, but that was never a problem for me. The best thing about being able to read on my Palm was that I didn't have to get up to turn out the lights when I was ready to sleep. The lights were already off.
I played with the iPad... and it's a beautiful device... but it's just too heavy to be primarily for book reading. I'm eagerly awaiting Amazon's response to it. I'm also eagerly awaiting to see what HP's first tablet is going to be like now that they bought Palm, which means their webOS operating system that's currently on the Palm Pre.
The biggest frustration that I've had with going exclusively with ebooks (pre-Kindle) and audiobooks is that I have yet to pick up a single Malazan Book of the Fallen book.
(The drawback of being solely audiobooks lately is that I do think it's best to experience a book in text form first. I love audiobooks cause I can listen to them on my commute, doing chores, etc... but when you need to focus elsewhere, it's not as easy to find where you left off as scanning a page.)
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Joined:
3/18/2010
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266
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 8:32:21 AM
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I'd like an e-book reader but the price is still too high so not for now. I love normal paper books but they need a lot of space, and since there are no public libraries near me I always needed to buy a book to read it, sometimes having then books at home for which I didn't care at all. Could I have bought them as e-book, they wouldn't need as much space.
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It is true: Man IS the microcosm: I am my world.
Joined:
1/31/2003
Total Posts:
1,706
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 12:50:43 PM
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I still collect physical books... I'm just a lot more selective about who/what I collect.
I expected nothing less from you 
"************ set itself the goal of fulfilling man’s unattainable desires, but for that very reason ignored his attainable desires. By promising man eternal life, it deprived him of temporal life, by teaching him to trust in God’s help it took away his trust in his own powers; by giving him faith in a better life in heaven, it destroyed his faith in a better life on earth and his striving to attain such a life. ************ gave man what his imagination desires, but for that very reason failed to give him what he really and truly desires."
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Joined:
11/9/2006
Total Posts:
90
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/8/2010 11:13:48 PM
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I used to be a hardcore collector of all kinds of things. Then I went to college and found out how valuable space is.
But with that said, there are a lot of books that still haven't yet made it to audible.com, and I actually went to go to Barnes n Nobles the other week... only to find that it wasn't there anymore!
But I am excited... I expect prices on eReaders to drop in the next year or so with so many different companies making them. And since I think I'm finally going to cave in and get the iphone 4, and the Kindle software goes on all kinds of devices... I think I'll finally get to read Gardens of the Moon pretty soon.
I won't be quite the full size that I want out of an ereader, but it'll do for now. I've been waiting forever to get into that series!
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/9/2010 6:04:31 AM
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But I am excited... I expect prices on eReaders to drop in the next year or so with so many different companies making them.
The price of the Kindle has already dropped considerably. I paid $349 when I bought mine. The Kindle 2 is now selling for $259.
I think I'll finally get to read Gardens of the Moon pretty soon.
You're a lot more dedicated to the electronic format than I am. If a book I'm dying to read is not available for my chosen ereader, I just buy the dead-tree version and move on.
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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Joined:
11/9/2006
Total Posts:
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/14/2010 2:17:22 PM
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The sad thing is that I actually went to my local Barnes and Noble the other day... only to find out it closed down!
I'm not one to go out to stores anymore to buy things (except clothes and groceries). I get most things now from amazon or other online retailer. I'm not even sure where the next closest bookstore is.
But with that said... if it was a series I had already begun, there would be no stopping me in getting each book as they came out, regardless of what format it's available in. Without having even begun the series, a little/lot of patience isn't beyond me. There is just too much in the world to interest me, that I can play the waiting game for certain books/games/movies/etc.
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Old Pond
Joined:
1/31/2003
Total Posts:
1,071
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/15/2010 6:35:33 PM
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In my lorry driving days I listened to loads of Audio Books, they have to be unabridged in my opinion and read by someone with a bit of life in their voice. There were a few I gave up on because the person reading them had such a boring monotone voice and clearly had no love for what they were reading.
Quite a few times I had the book with me so when I got parked up I could carry on reading it myself as nothing beats reading it yourself.
I don’t have a e-book reader but will get one when they are a reasonable price, as I don’t have any worries about reading off a backlit screen. I have read a few short stories on a laptop if that counts LOL
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Joined:
6/16/2010
Total Posts:
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/16/2010 1:39:59 PM
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I was given a Kindle by my daughter for Christmas. I immediately learned how to use it, but so far have only read three things on it:
Stephen King's Ur, because you can't get it any other way. (Wonderful references in the story to the Dark Tower, by the way.)
Jeremy Robinson's Beneath, because it was only $2.99, and I wanted to see if this guy could write before I purchased any of his other books. He can't. 
A Repairman Jack story by F. Paul Wilson, which was only 99 cents.
I'm pretty much old school and prefer real printed books. But I do like Kindle as a portable way to check out stuff on the Internet. 
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Joined:
6/17/2008
Total Posts:
2,261
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/16/2010 9:25:17 PM
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I only read actual physical books. Not just because I like collecting them, but for some other reasons too. Like showing off a new book to others. People won't know what you're reading if you're just reading a little electronic device. Also, I don't know about you guys, but I just absolutley love the scent of a new book.
Oh yeah, and if it's a book by your favorite author, you cannot get it signed. so then you may wind up with two copies of the same book if you want it signed.
As for audiobooks....I'm frankly too concerned that the reader will sound just like me, kinda like in that episode of Seinfeld with George. I'll worry about that when I go blind.
The Sword is still only a sword, whether it has magic or not, it knows only to bite at the whim of its wielder's arm.
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/18/2010 6:48:35 AM
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Kindle is god's gift to readers. For one thing you can get access to books immediately, no need to order online and wait for shipping.
And you don't have to worry about putting books away. They are always there. With the 2.5 software and collections its finally possible to have 200+ books on your kindle without too much difficulty.
iPad on the other hands are disgusting pieces of crap.
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Shaping Kurald Thyrllan
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
2,440
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/18/2010 10:55:20 AM
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eReaders are the best thing to happen to Short Fiction in years.
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Beautiful Disaster
Joined:
9/1/2004
Total Posts:
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/18/2010 4:41:49 PM
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I've done e-books before (PDF format, which is actually how I read 80% of Terry's books) so I don't mind them.
I would love to have a Kindle.
I LOVE audiobooks. I do about 45 min - 1 hr drive a day and have time during the day at work to listen while I'm doing database and other tedious tasks. I have found that if I listen to audiobooks while driving I am less angry and say less vulgar words that my 3 yr old doesn't need to pick up. I just wish that audiobooks weren't as expensive sometimes. I also wish my local library had a better audiobook selection.
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Shaping Kurald Thyrllan
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
2,440
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/19/2010 11:39:32 AM
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Court - Get an audible.com account. For $15/month, you get a credit. 1 credit (usually) = 1 audiobook. I've built up a decent collection now that would take me months to listen to. It's a much cheaper alternative to straight-up buying audiobooks.
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
4,158
12
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/21/2010 3:18:11 PM
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For all those who are waiting for prices on ereaders to drop,
The Kindle 2 is now available for $189.00.
SEATTLE, Jun 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that Amazon Kindle, the best e-reader on the market (see this recent press release from the world's leading consumer reporting organization--http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2010/06/amazons-kindle-tops-cr-ebook-reader-ratings.html), is now only $189, down from $259. Kindle is the 3G wireless portable reader that allows you to think of a book and be reading in 60 seconds, from wherever you happen to be. Easy to read even in bright sunlight, the 10.2 ounce Kindle is light enough for one-handed reading. Even though it's a 3G wireless device, Kindle has no monthly fees or annual contracts. The Kindle Store includes over 600,000 books and the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read, including 109 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases from $9.99. In addition, over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available to read on Kindle. Since its release, Kindle has been the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon. Kindle is in stock and available for immediate shipment at the new lower price of $189.
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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Joined:
6/16/2010
Total Posts:
136
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/22/2010 2:02:35 PM
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My daughter found one on eBay or somewhere similar, considerably cheaper, for one of my Christmas gifts.
However, I couldn't access anything when I tried it. A couple of phone calls with Kindle's tech-support people, and they determined it was a defective modem. I thought they were going to send me another modem, but instead they sent me a brand-new Kindle for nothing, and even allowed me to download postage-free labels to send the old one back.
So I came out of the deal smelling like the proverbial rose. 
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1/23/2003
Total Posts:
509
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/24/2010 7:13:53 PM
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It's funny, we were just talking about this in one of my Library and Information Science classes. And lo and behold, you guys are already all over it.
I must say, I'm shocked by the number of people here who love/would love to purchase an eReader! Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just expect hardcore book lovers to love the physical books just as much!
The one major concern I have with the Kindle has to do with copyright and privacy laws. Once you buy a physical book, it's yours to own and you can manipulate the information however you want - you can keep it on a bookshelf for 50 years, sell it, or give it to someone else to read. With an eReader, you have much less say over your content since it can be accessed remotely. There have already been horror stories of purchases being wiped and not replaced due to author/publisher/vendor disputes.
As a lover of new gadgets, I am curious to actually try reading an entire book on a Kindle or Kobo or whatever the technology happens to be. I'm not sure if I'll ever make the switch completely. The space concern just doesn't concern me. I'm still in university and just make the necessary accomodations wherever I go, and believe me, it's not always easy! I just still can't imagine anything better the cathartic experience of walking into a bookstore or library and just breathing it all in. One click shopping will never do it for me.
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11/9/2006
Total Posts:
90
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/25/2010 1:19:50 AM
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Grimpond
In my lorry driving days I listened to loads of Audio Books, they have to be unabridged in my opinion and read by someone with a bit of life in their voice. There were a few I gave up on because the person reading them had such a boring monotone voice and clearly had no love for what they were reading.
Quite a few times I had the book with me so when I got parked up I could carry on reading it myself as nothing beats reading it yourself.
I don’t have a e-book reader but will get one when they are a reasonable price, as I don’t have any worries about reading off a backlit screen. I have read a few short stories on a laptop if that counts LOL
I am definitely upset when I realize I accidentally bought an unabridged book. I feel like unabridged should be standard, and they should be specially marked if they're abridged. But I guess that wouldn't work from a marketing standpoint.
And yes, good narrators are important. I actually wanted to do more research into that at some point. Find out who are generally accepted as good to excellent narrators. I've read some comments on audible.com that some listeners started buying books because of who read them, rather than who wrote them.
And in ereader news... I tried to win myself an ipad... but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
(The contest was actually for a $499 gift card the Apple store to buy an iphone 4, but since I was planning on buying that already, the prize money was going to go to an ipad. My entry is the first one listed. I only considered entering 4 days before the end of the contest. If I that had crossed my mine 4 weeks prior to that, maybe the result would have been different.)
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6/16/2010
Total Posts:
136
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/25/2010 8:29:10 AM
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I just still can't imagine anything better the cathartic experience of walking into a bookstore or library and just breathing it all in. One click shopping will never do it for me.
Elfie, very good point, and one I had intended to make myself, but forgot. I would be lost without my weekly trip to the bookstore, always one of the highlights for me.
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Joined:
11/9/2006
Total Posts:
90
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/29/2010 8:19:29 PM
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I found the reason why the Kindle dropped down to $189, it's because the Barnes and Noble nook dropped down to $150. I'll admit to not having done thorough research on all the devices but there's a nice and handy chart right here.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/compare/index.asp
The ability to read ebooks for free while you're inside a store is pretty intriguing. They definitely found a way to leverage the fact they have physical stores.
And the Wall Street Journal mini podcast I was listening too was suggesting that ereaders may drop to to $99 by the end of the year. (Not surprising with iPad out now and other tablets on the verge of release.)
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
4,158
12
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RE: iPads, eReaders, and Audiobooks
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Posted:
6/30/2010 4:13:01 AM
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There will always be something cheaper and better available the minute you do decide to buy an ereader. This is unavoidable. It's the same as any other computing device in that regard.
I've heard great things about the Nook. Kobo is also $150 and is starting to get a few nods.
If you don't already, you should check out the forums at mobileread.com. There's a wealth of information about every ereader (hardware and software) known to man. Reviews and opinions from humans actually using the devices.
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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