Anybody Have an e-Reader ?

[redcobra]

Originally Posted by Skip20

I bought a "Nook." Even if it performed as described it was overpriced. Neither Barns & Novel nor the "Hotline" would touch it. I have a $200.11 e-reader that allows me to purchase $9.99 books but can not download to the machine. "Too bad," quoth Barns & Nobel. "See you around." IPad offers apps for all major e-readers. Its electronics is more robust. I'll stay with the printed word.

Isn't it under warranty?
I have found B&N to be most helpful.

[Greg4cocokai]

We have both the Nook & Kindle (both gifts). We still read mostly p-backs as we just trade them between cruising boats. I guess our boat's too big!

I had a problem with the Nook locking up until I went home and B&N put an update on it. Hasn't locked up since.

I think the Nook has the better format as it's used by most other readers. I found a format converter so we can share books between the readers. Google: epub to prc converter

[Yofy]

I am really glad I asked about expenses other than purchase price because I had this feeling that it wouldn't necessarily reduce the costs of books for me. And I do agree that publishers are having a hay day with the whole thing. I have started looking at amazon, barnes and noble and all the other sites that have been mentioned here to check out the sort of books that I read. Mostly I can't find much and then when I do they cost over $10. I think it really depends on what types of books you like to read.

The big plus is no shipping for sure. But I haunt second hand bookstores wherever we go. There are several really good ones where we are now and I have found wonderful "finds' that I would never get online.

We do have a question about the ipad with GPS. Does anybody know if you can download Cmap charts on to that ipad. We've been looking at that option for awhile now. That way I could have an e-reader and Manny could use the screen for navigation as well.

Robyn and Manny

[yachtdaemon]

I have a kobo, which I am not that keen on and am awaiting delivery of a Nook so we can be a 2-e-reader yacht and share titles. I use the Calibre program which is a free download to manage my e-library. It converts book formats, so no problem about kindle/e-pub compatibility. Great to be able to get new releases in out of the way places and saves so much space on the boat.

Check out file share sites such as kickasstorrents as they have books for downloading on there. I just got a file with almost a thousand titles, which was a mix of new prize-winners, modern and old classics, thrillers and sci fi.

Using Calibre you can share with other yachties, so the old helping hand ethos is still alive.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

With the Kindle you can have up to five devices sharing the same account, so my husband, daughter and I all share books, which ameliorates the cost. Doesn't get books shared with strangers but we don't have enough room on the boat to carry the number of books we would need for four to six months. We always have a few around so we can leave one if we take one.

[Skip20]

Hi wingNwing, thanks for the site. nooks and kindles and such are fine when they work. Nooks are too fragile for the real world. I ended up buying the app to use on my iPad. Works for me. Peace, Skip

[SailPenelope]

I am amongst those that lament the passing of real, page turning books. I still enjoy the lending library at our marina....take a book, leave a book. I hope it will continue at least a while longer.

I have an iphone and a MacBook Pro computer. I have ibooks on the phone (free app), but the app doesn't work on the computer. I'm not about to buy yet another electronic device, much as I could see myself using an ipad. Enough is enough.

So....imagine my surprise to discover I can get the Kindle as an app for my MacBook Pro......at no charge. So I downloaded it from the App store, and have read my first book. Is it as convenient as a real book, or a Nook or Kindle or Tablet? No, but the price was right, and it's one less device I need to buy.

Don't even get me started on the demise of Borders Bookstores. I guess in getting the Kindle app and ibooks, I have made my own contribution to that. I look forward to freeing up more space on the boat by storing fewer books, but I also worry about reliability. I can put my engine manuals, for example, in PDF format on a flash drive, but will they be there for me when I need them most?

Life goes on. We do the best we can........

[roger.waite]

Anyone tried using an Android tablet as an e-reader? Particularly interested in user experience of how they compare to Kindle, Kobo, etc.

Presumably a tad heavier, shorter battery life / higher power consumption and (yes) more expensive / flexible?

[spostamento nobile]

Kindles look great. I wish all my screens caressed my eyes like that. It's inability to correctly display complex Adobe .pdf files is a killer for me. The Library of Congress is using PDF for digitizing it's rare books. Not to mention the tons of boating books, manuals, weather publications & magazines that I have in pdf format. Then there is the collection of every other kind of book I've been collecting for 14 years.
Too bad, I really wanted one.

[Hud3]

Calibre is a free program for organizing your e-books, and it can also convert from PDF to MOBI format. See if that helps the formatting problems you mentioned. In my limited experience with PDFs on the Kindle, some improved, others didn't.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

As for durability, the captain's Kindle DX took a wave and survived, it took it a week to dry out but it has been fine since. I fell on my Kindle 3 during an unexpected roll and the case cracked but the Kindle works fine. KlearKase has a waterproof case for the Kindle 3 that looks awesome.

[klang]

Originally Posted by moggie

Does anyone know why Amazon will not send me a Kindle to Malaysia, but they will to Thailand, I have to wait until I sail up and find an address that they will ship to??
Is there a better way?
Legal please!

Probably has to do with copyright. The USA has copyright laws that are somewhat different (more restrictive?) than other countries e.g I found they would not provide some Kindle editions to New Zealand

Keith Langton LLB

[klang]

Originally Posted by klang

Probably has to do with copyright. The USA has copyright laws that are somewhat different (more restrictive?) than other countries e.g I found they would not provide some Kindle editions to New Zealand

Keith Langton LLB

Actually this quote from the Amazon site may give a clue to a workaround for someone travelling the world:
Due to copyright restrictions, the Kindle title you're trying to purchase is not available in your country: New Zealand.

Did you recently move to a new country?

You can easily update your country for your Amazon account.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by cabo_sailor

So far, the only advantage I see is in storage space.

I'm about to go on a two week trip. I'll take a look at the B&N site but I'll bet I'll end up at a bookstore. Basically, I'm being charged hard cover prices for an electronic book. It's cheaper to buy the paperback and then later swap with others.

Rich

That's pretty much where I am at on the subject.

I have the beatles in vinyl and cd, I was damned if I was going to pay to get them to mp3s. Movies in VHS, DVD and now bluray...

I am feeling the same about books...

And to charge the same for an electronic file as a printed, shipped and warehoused book???

hell ta the NO!

[Cormorant]

I recently bought a Droid 3 phone, for a few primary reasons:
1) make phone calls (which I actually don't do very often)
2) Check e-mail while on the boat, when out of wifi range but still within a few miles of shore
3) Check weather while on the boat, ditto
4) GPS marine nav (Navionics)
5) GPS with topo maps for hiking up here in the mountains where I live (Backcountry Navigator)

And, strangely, the thing I find myself doing most often with this phone is . . . reading. I downloaded a free e-book app (Aldiko) and downloaded about 50 free ebooks, and I'm like a kid in a candy shop. I carry this library in my pocket at all times. I read in places and at times I didn't in the past. I have this feeling of walking around rich -- carrying a whole library in my pocket.

I love reading old books -- I loaded up on Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, P.G. Wodehouse, George Eliot, etc. -- all public domain and free. Also lots of old sailing books like The Riddle of the Sands, The Cruise of the Elena, The Cruise of the Snark, Treasure Island, etc.

This phone has a 4" screen -- not big, but when held sideways you can fit a good-sized line on it, and reading feels natural. You just "turn" the page more often.

The text size is adjustable. The screen can be read as black text on white background, or at night, even if my wife is asleep, I can read in night mode -- white text on a black background, with full brightness controls in both modes so you can dim it down as needed. All the Epub files I've downloaded so far are non-DRM and free. It has been a great discovery and a real pleasure.

Maybe someday I'll buy a tablet, but for now this phone is a reader's delight.

My kids tell me you can load all sorts of games and movies onto it, but I haven't gotten round to that yet. . . .