Kindle/Tablet or Physical Books?

Agent67

Agent67

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Hey guys, so I have a bit of a problem. I have a bunch of programming books/manga in pdf/epub format (legally bought mind you, from Humble Bundle) and I want to read them but I despise reading books on a computer/laptop/tv screen and I can't print 600 pages at a time... So I'm considering a Kindle/other tablet to be able to read my books and get some other ebooks when I start studying next year (hopefully UNISA has their prescribed books in e-format) but on the other side I'm considering just getting the books in paperback (even tho they're excruciatingly expensive). I'm torn between the two, someone please help......

Thanks in advance for the help!

Kind Regards
PrimeSteak
 
Imo kindle (e-ink version) is great for novels and things you'll read through without need to go back again. For anything else that requires images or going back over material it's kak...I'd rather just us a pc or tablet. I don't enjoy reading non-fiction on kindle and trying to go back to specific notes & highlights etc. Once or twice is fine, but not repeatedly.
 
saor said:
Imo kindle (e-ink version) is great for novels and things you'll read through without need to go back again. For anything else that requires images or going back over material it's kak...I'd rather just us a pc or tablet. I don't enjoy reading non-fiction on kindle and trying to go back to specific notes & highlights etc. Once or twice is fine, but not repeatedly.
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Hmmmm, good point... And the Kindle Fire is that any good? Or what tablet would you recommend getting?
 
PrimeSteak said:
Hmmmm, good point... And the Kindle Fire is that any good? Or what tablet would you recommend getting?
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Dunno, I do most of my reading on pc via pdf...makes highlighting and notes easier. Kindle just for casual reading. Never used the Fire.
 
Kindle does not support epub. It would be best to go for a Kobo if you can find one for sale anywhere in South Africa.
 
Kindle all the way.

Amazon's daily sales (@ 1 dollar each) are a goldmine if you monitor it daily. Even if 90%+ of it isn't interesting that's still books acquired faster & cheaper than you can read them. Plus I've found that with patience good stuff does get discounted

I wouldn't get a kindle fire - kinda defeats the point imo. e-ink is miles better for reading
Stonemason said:
Kindle does not support epub. It would be best to go for a Kobo if you can find one for sale anywhere in South Africa.
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Calibre can convert it as needed.
 
I agree with @saor: use a Kindle for "serial access" reading e.g. fiction, physical books for "random access" e.g. technical/reference.
 
PrimeSteak said:
Hmmmm, good point... And the Kindle Fire is that any good? Or what tablet would you recommend getting?
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I've got a Fire and a Kindle ebook reader. If the books have complex illustrations the Fire would be your better bet - but they're both inexpensive devices, get both?
Stonemason said:
Kindle does not support epub. It would be best to go for a Kobo if you can find one for sale anywhere in South Africa.
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Calibre.
 
HavocXphere said:
Kindle all the way.
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I had a Kindle many moons ago but had to throw it away after it froze and Amazon refused to help me fix it, Thereafter I had a couple of Sony ereaders which gave me excellent service until the batteries died.

My latest ereader, a Kobo has just died after 4 years and I am now trying to buy a new one. Unfortunately in South Africa you can only buy a Kindle and I am not prepared to be locked into the Kindle trap where you have to buy your books from Amazon.

I get all the books I need from ebookbb
 
Stonemason said:
Kindle does not support epub. It would be best to go for a Kobo if you can find one for sale anywhere in South Africa.
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Calibre - in addition to providing a library function - handles epub/mobi-to-azw conversion
 
Stonemason said:
I had a Kindle many moons ago but had to throw it away after it froze and Amazon refused to help me fix it, Thereafter I had a couple of Sony ereaders which gave me excellent service until the batteries died.

My latest ereader, a Kobo has just died after 4 years and I am now trying to buy a new one. Unfortunately in South Africa you can only buy a Kindle and I am not prepared to be locked into the Kindle trap where you have to buy your books from Amazon.

I get all the books I need from ebookbb
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I don't think I have a single book on my kindle purchased from Amazon :o
 
I have a kindle papeewhite and read most books on it. I have a few "study materials" on it too but rather have loaded the kindle app on my pc or tablet to read/reference.

With regards epub and pdf, have a look at Calibre... It manages to do everything I need for kindle, etc

When I was at business school not so long ago, there was a Google drive that was shared with all the ebooks/pdf/notes one needed for the various courses...
 
Stonemason said:
I had a Kindle many moons ago but had to throw it away after it froze and Amazon refused to help me fix it, Thereafter I had a couple of Sony ereaders which gave me excellent service until the batteries died.

My latest ereader, a Kobo has just died after 4 years and I am now trying to buy a new one. Unfortunately in South Africa you can only buy a Kindle and I am not prepared to be locked into the Kindle trap where you have to buy your books from Amazon.

I get all the books I need from ebookbb
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Can't you sideload them?
 
NeonNinja said:
Can't you sideload them?
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You can but it was sideloading which caused my Kindle to freeze years ago and because of the Kindle architecture at that stage, it was impossible to remove the book that caused the trouble. Every time you reset the Kindle, the problematic book would be reloaded and the Kindle would freeze. I had the Kindle less than six weeks before I had to throw it away.

I have never had freezing problem or 'problematic' books on my Sony or Kobo ereaders up to now.
 
Stonemason said:
I get all the books I need from ebookbb
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Then you're limiting yourself to a very small part of the literary universe.

e.g. For biography section

ebookbb - 6 pages of around 20 books each ~120 books
amazon - "over 50,000"

I'd prefer a more open solution too (which is why I decrypt & backup my amazon books)...but the above is just not comparable. I want to pick what I read, not a fixed selection driving it
Stonemason said:
Still, If you have used a proper ereader once, you will never punish yourself with a Kindle
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It's all ultimately just an e-ink screen (which are dominated by 1 manufacturer anyway btw). The eco system drives what is a "proper" experience far more than the device. Though unfortunately the device dictates what eco system you're in
 
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