Anybody Have an e-Reader ?

[Yofy]

This is a really good thread for all of us who are just considering e-readers. But I am a little confused.

Are there extra costs after one buys a kindle, Ipad,Nook, Sony..... ? I mean other than purchasing the e-books. I already checked out amazon and other sites. (I also checked out the free sites and the library lending sites.) My question is, once you've bought your e-reader, other than the books or magazines, are there any other costs involved?

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

With the Kindle 3G the only extra charge is uploading documents and some subscriptions internationally. Books are still free to upload even internationally. The internet access is possible but not convenient. I love my Kindle. Since I only use it for books I have no extra costs.

[Allan S]

With the Kobo, you only pay for the books.

[Panamajames]

I have a Kindle and have over 200 books. Lately the prices have been going through the roof. So unless its under $10.00 I buy cheap paperbacks on Amazon and have them sent to me in Panama. THE PRICES NOW ARE A RIPOFF for new releases on Kindle.

[crashkahuna]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

With the Kindle 3G the only extra charge is uploading documents and some subscriptions internationally. Books are still free to upload even internationally. The internet access is possible but not convenient. I love my Kindle. Since I only use it for books I have no extra costs.

+1 to the above. I do use it for free email. Most books are under $10. The classics are basically free - I got collected works of Tolstoy for .99 from Amazon.

[Jude2010]

If you want 3G network access on your iPad you pay monthly according to your carrier. But it is absolutely not necessary. The 3G version is great if you want GPS but as an e reader there are no extra charges.

[Cheechako]

You ARE going to leave your Kindle at the shelf near the dingy dock for others to read right? These are such a great idea, too bad the money grubbers are charging more than a paperback for the data download. Publishers used to complain about the cost of paper, shipping and making the book! Now they charge more just for data download. I just picked up a book free at a book swap that was printed in the 90's, turned out to be the best I'd ever read. Just picked it up on a whim. Probably 20 people have read that book over the years... too bad the world is changing this way. My guess is it will be the demise of reading books in the long run....JMHO

[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.

[wingNwing]

I had just the opposite experience, bought a 3G Nook for <$150 and its perfect. Lots of free books at B&N website, plus the format is compatibile with my local library (more free books) and also classics that are out of copyright are free - check out ManyBooks.net - Ad-free eBooks for your iPad, smartphone, or eBook reader and note that classics out of copyright also coincide with the golden age of sailing.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

I really like my Kindle. I'm glad I got the 3G version. Sometimes I'm in places without wifi. I loaded it with almost 50 books, most of them free classics. I bought a few books and workingnow on Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around the World".

[Therapy]

I have a subscription to a site that allows unlimited downloads. New books are there in a month or so.

Sometimes the format is a little wacky but still readable.

So far my cost-per-book is .50 and going down.

[foggysail]

I was recently given a Kindle, really looked forward to using it. I frequently purchase items from Amazon, and best of all many have free shipping. All my purchases are made using bank drafts.

So when I anxiously attempted to purchase a couple of books for my Kindle, I learned Amazon required me to pay for the purchase via CC, not PayPal or bank drafts. No way will I make purchases for $1-2 using my CC.

Had a session with one of Amazon's staff members about their purchase policies, OK for bank drafts for all items but not Kindle books! Told the person I would give the Kindle back to those who gave me the gift asking them to return it to the seller. Further advised her to share my feelings with her management.

I prefer real paper anyway!

Foggy

[reiner]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You ARE going to leave your Kindle at the shelf near the dingy dock for others to read right? These are such a great idea, too bad the money grubbers are charging more than a paperback for the data download. Publishers used to complain about the cost of paper, shipping and making the book! Now they charge more just for data download. I just picked up a book free at a book swap that was printed in the 90's, turned out to be the best I'd ever read. Just picked it up on a whim. Probably 20 people have read that book over the years... too bad the world is changing this way. My guess is it will be the demise of reading books in the long run....JMHO

You are spot on......it is all becoming sad and we are not helping. Same with music.We are such suckers....a real shame.

[cabo_sailor]

I have a Nook, wife has a Kindle. We thought we would try them both. She likes romance novels and can get quite a few for around a buck each. I like Sci-Fy, especially hard sci-fy. Those that are reasonably priced, say less than $5 each are rare and usually shortened or of poor quality. The better ones seem to be in the $8-$12 range and I can go to the local Books-A-Million and get them for about half that. 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

[redcobra]

I have a Nook Color. Works great and you can also surf the web with Wi-Fi.
You can also download books for free from the public library (they disappear after 2 weeks) if you have a library card. You can also loan and get loaners from other Nook users on the B&N website.