Ebook Reading

[pegwinn]

In an earlier post I mentioned that I am an avid reader of about anything. The price of paperbacks is going thru the roof. Does anyone remember the days when a hardback was ten bux and a paperback a buck or so? That was in the 80's. In the 90's prices started inching up. Now, in the new millennium, book prices are thru the roof. For those on the road, I posted a way to create free audiobooks from text. Now we are going to look at ebooks and how to get into it on the cheap.

I made the plunge. I bought a refurbished [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Palm-3C80800U-PalmOne-m500-Handheld/dp/B00005AWBJ]Palm M500 [/ame]on EBAY for Twenty bux plus shipping/handling. The M500 is circa Y2k+1 or 2. It is not the cutting edge of PDA's. But, at $20.00 all I was looking for was an eReader device. I have to say that I am very happily surprised. [ame=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411AGQKB7AL._SS400_.jpg]

[/ame]

If I were to do it again, I would likely spring for the Palm M505 Color Handheld[/url] as long as not more than a buck or two was added to the cost. The thing that really made Palm the primo handheld initially was the ability to actually write with a stylus and convert that to editable text. That is done with the Grafiti program. It turns out that alot of folks didn't like it. I do. It took about a minute to get the concept and about ten minutes of practice to get it down cold. I'm still exploring the possibilities and will post more on it at another time.

Back to reading. Most all of the eBook formats can be loaded onto a palm. I chose the native Palm Reader since it is designed specifically for the handheld. You can find more about it at the palm one website. Another big format is Adobe's PDF. They (Adobe) make a reader for palm. It is so cool. Between those two I will be reading for ages.

A really cool feature is that while reading you can power down the unit. When you power back up, it opens to the page you powered down on. OR, you can bookmark the page and switch to another application and come back later.

I looked at current eBook readers such as the Sony E-Reader, Franklin Ebookman, and Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device the Kindle.

All seem to be great devices, but I am a cheapskate and right now the Palm sized form factor is perfect for on the spot reading at work. But, as soon as I am rich and sitting at home all day... Ya gotta love Ebay and Amazon.

Finally, if you have an ebook in text form, there is a free website where you can upload the text and it will convert it to palm doc format and download it to your computer.

Like I said, this is not the cutting edge PDA. But, my life is no longer structured by daily, weekly, monthly, and recurring events. I don't do meetings either. So the PDA portion for me is a nice-to-have as opposed to need-to-have.

I hope this is useful information. Let me know.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I haven't read any ebooks yet. I love the feel and smell of a book.

There are plenty of places to get cheaper books. Now the very latest ones might still be expensive, but if it is a good book, it will have a high resell value.

We've gotten some awesome deals through the History Book Club.

I also get some good books through paperbackswap.

 

[pegwinn]

Good to go. I still like books, but I often am working on more than one book at a time. Bookbags get heavy.

I'll check paperbackswap out as well. Thanx.

 

[GigiBowman]

Ebay, Garage Sales....

I have an OCD type sickness where it concerns books. I can only read 1st edition 1st printing books. If I start a book I'm not allowed to start another one until I finish that one, even if it stinks. I have changed this slightly as now I will allow myself to read a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction at the same time.

Then one day I discovered signed 1st/1st editions on ebay....and well, that's where all my money went this year. Lets just say, if Anne Rice dies I'm rich lol. I have every one of her books 1st/1st signed. I stare at them and touch them and feel the edges and they are my prized possession....then I had to buy 1st/1st copies of each book as a reading copy lol.

Other than this little sickness of mine I'm quite normal lol

--oh, except for the pinup girl avatar collecting thingy

oh, and the man in kilt thingy.

So anyway, the point of all this was to say....ebooks just don't do it for me. I need to FEELLLL the binding and the pages and read the copyright page and well, it's just not the same as reading on a handheld or computer. Books are like little people to me lol

 

[Shogun]

Every time I get sick of reading a book on pdf file I am reminded of how shitty it is to read a book from a doc file.

 

[pegwinn]

Other than this little sickness of mine I'm quite normal lol

--oh, except for the pinup girl avatar collecting thingy

oh, and the man in kilt thingy.

So anyway, the point of all this was to say....ebooks just don't do it for me. I need to FEELLLL the binding and the pages and read the copyright page and well, it's just not the same as reading on a handheld or computer. Books are like little people to me lol

Whatever floats your boat. The avatar thingy is cool. I rarely have the time to actually sit still and curl up with a book. I am the original multi-tasker.

Every time I get sick of reading a book on pdf file I am reminded of how shitty it is to read a book from a doc file.

Agreed if we are talking about on a computer screen. I can do it on a hand held with no sweat.

 

[editec]

I am an ebook publisher and have been since 1996. My collection is read (and pirated, too) by people all over the world.

I still prefer to read paper and ink books.

The benefit of ebooks is that they are cheap, and one can offer them to people who cannot afford to buy those books themselves.

 

[pegwinn]

I am an ebook publisher and have been since 1996. My collection is read (and pirated, too) by people all over the world.

I still prefer to read paper and ink books.

The benefit of ebooks is that they are cheap, and one can offer them to people who cannot afford to buy those books themselves.

Couple questions for you if you have the time.
Where is your site? I'd like to check it out if you don't mind. IF you prefer not to post it here, you can PM me.

I've noticed that some places, notably Amazon, offer Ebooks and nearly print book prices. I don't get that. I assume that it has something to do with compensating the Author? [/questions LOL]

I never looked at ebooks as an alternative to print books for economic reasons. I assumed that if you could afford the computer or handheld, you were (like me) doing ebooks as an alternative to carrying the physical weight of the books everywhere.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Shogun]

I am an ebook publisher and have been since 1996. My collection is read (and pirated, too) by people all over the world.

I still prefer to read paper and ink books.

The benefit of ebooks is that they are cheap, and one can offer them to people who cannot afford to buy those books themselves.

thats interesting. what is your take on the future of textbooks on digital pads instead of actual books in the classroom?