Amazon Kindle

[Spooky]

Does Kindle3 yet reign supreme?

If all you want to do is read a book, then YES! I don't have an informed opinion on the other readers. I can say the two Kindles I've owned were worth every penny.

[Eric]

Thanks guys.  The Nook Simple Touch Reader actually looks pretty nice too, and with a touch screen. 

[TinkTanker]

Thanks guys.  The Nook Simple Touch Reader actually looks pretty nice too, and with a touch screen.

The big boss got one of those for his birthday and he loves it. If I were going with strictly an e-reader, that's the one I'd go with.

[Eric]

I bit the bullet on a Nook Simple Touch Reader.  The Kindle almost got me, as Best Buy was running a $139 Kindle 3G with free $30 Best Buy card, but a touch screen was on my want list. 

I'm not sure I'm sold on it, though.  It seems so... sterile. 

[Eric]

Pretty frustrated because I can't unlock a book I purchased.  Might not keep this thing after all.

[Spooky]

Never had that problem with my Kindle. Just sayin' 

[Eric]

Finally tried shutting it off and back on. Probably should have done that ages ago, since it worked. 

Now to give reading an actual try. lol

[Eric]

It seems to be a pretty solid reading tool.  In fact, most of the negatives are probably typical amongst most e-Ink readers.

The "dark grey on light grey" of the e-Ink Pearl screen now tells me why the Nook Color's black and white text screen looked so pretty in-store.
I like the small form-factor and touch screen controls, though the latter can sometimes get in the way if one touches the screen accidentally or lets his thumb rest in a margin.  Letting a finger rest on the screen highlights the closest word so that the definition could be looked up, the word (or passage) semi-permanently highlighted like one might do in a book, shared via social sites, etc. 

I would like a way to easily zoom in on images.  Any maps in A Game of Thrones are pretty useless on the small 6" screen.  Changing font size is easy though.

I find myself missing the tactical parts of reading a paper book--especially the feel of the paper itself.  E-readers seem to be more for books one thinks he may never again read, and as-such not weighed down by many physical books.  On the other hand, the cost savings don't seem to be that fantastic and nil if the physical book is on sale but I can see a voracious reader such as Spooky getting enough savings to pay for the reader.  There's no going to a used book store to trade for other stories to read, and it's not like I'll be able to hand Pearl a copy of GoT once I move on to the second in the series (unless we buy a second reading device).  It does allow for library loans, but the new ones seem hard to get (e.g., all 17 GoT copies are already loaned from our library).

It's a luxury item I'm yet debating on keeping. 

[TinkTanker]

There's no going to a used book store to trade for other stories to read, and it's not like I'll be able to hand Pearl a copy of GoT once I move on to the second in the series (unless we buy a second reading device).

Not an ideal solution, Pearl can install the Nook app on her iPod Touch and you can loan her the book that way (I think).

There are pros and cons with everything. Me personally, I don't miss the feel of paper at all. I like having dozens if not hundreds of books to carry around with me. I like less clutter around the house. We got rid of maybe 300+ books recently and could probably get rid of another 7 or 8 hundred. Most of them paperbacks, but still. I like being able to change font styles and sizes for easier reading (wait another 10 or 15 years and you'll see how important this can be). I like being able to look at the bottom of the page and see I'm four pages into a chapter of 22 pages.

You can pinch and zoom with the Nook Color easily. And with rooting it, it is a damn good tablet. But it is also $249, unless you can catch a refurbed unit for less than $200. Still, that's a chunk of change. But Ann is a voracious reader, going through a couple of books a week sometimes.

That said, e-readers aren't for everyone, obviously.

[Eric]

Yep! You list some definite marks for the positive side.

Sadly, Pearl's Touch died a slow, agonizing death after getting some liquid spilled on it (one of the negative aspects of electronics, unfortunately).
She'll eventually get a new one or iPhone but I don't think she's yet sold on ebooks either.

The Nook Color was probably closer to what I'm looking for, with higher-contrast and pinch-zooming. I stare at an LCD all day long though, so I thought something different would be good for the eyes.  Not to mention, I bought the Nook, the book-like hardcover and light accessories for less than the price of the Color.
Maybe I can glue a piece of paper in the hard-cover case when I get to missing its feel.