Save the trees, says Ben Kelly

[Tpex]

But I will still be killing trees by the wads of cash I have to hand over for that thing

I read an average of a book every 2 days ... on my HTC HD2

With a 4.6" screen, backlit, it's clear as crystal. Each "page" has about 1/3 that of the average paperback, and reading in portrait mode, my eyes only have to track up & down, not left & right as it would on a larger device.

I honestly cannot see why people complain about LCD screens. I had my HTC P3300 for almost 4 years [screen broke ... R.I.P. ] & used to read a LOT on it ... I have yet to experience eye strain.

well maybe your lucky, my eyes are very sensitive

 

[pmbellis]

No contest

But I will still be killing trees by the wads of cash I have to hand over for that thing

By "that thing" I presume you mean my HTC HD2?

R459-00 /m on MTN anytime 200 through Nashua Mobile ... so I'm paying R259-00 X 24 = R5976-00.

Cash price is R8288 (Lab88) or R11000+ (MTN) + I'm saving on the interest on "repaying" over 24 months

Compare that to a Kindle or the like that CAN'T do everything my HD2 can do.
6" R3499, 9.7" R5299 (www.wantitall.co.za/kindle/All/p1)

No contest.

 

[Tpex]

By "that thing" I presume you mean my HTC HD2?

No I meant the Kindle or other ebook reader
(and I have my 1st and last WinMO phone: HTC s310, Android FTW)

 

[Crusader]

eBook readers definitely make life much easier. I find it much more comfortable to read on my Opus than reading a normal paperback although I still use both. Having a Reader doesn't mean you have to abandon the use of books completely, although it helps.

DRM isn't that big an issue since most of them can be easily removed (with a bit of effort and some tech know-how). The real downside is geographic restrictions and SA publishers and distributors not even thinking of providing/supporting local eBook stores (workarounds do exist to get around georestrictions from international shops).

The greatest bonus however is the huge amount of free (legal!) ebooks that are possible to obtain if you keep an eye out. There are literally thousands of public domain works available and even current authors tend to give away the first book in a series or some titles from their backlists. Nowhere else would you find someone just giving away books.

 

[bwana]

The greatest bonus however is the huge amount of free (legal!) ebooks that are possible to obtain if you keep an eye out. There are literally thousands of public domain works available and even current authors tend to give away the first book in a series or some titles from their backlists. Nowhere else would you find someone just giving away books.

Whatever did we do before the electronic age . . . . oh yeah the Library.

 

[Crusader]

But I will still be killing trees by the wads of cash I have to hand over for that thing

Well that statement is relative. Depending on how much you read, and how many books you buy a year, the initial outlay will be well worth it.

Most eInk based readers can be had for around R3000.
I've gotten around 150 freebies from various sources. These are all free books authors (well known authors not indie) have provided as promotional material etc. If I had to buy these as paperbacks I would have paid around R4500 (using R30 per book, which actually retails around R50-R60). So on freebies alone I've made back my initial investment in my device.
When it comes to buying ebooks you also tend to save quite a huge amount on each purchase. These range from around R20 - R60 saved on the local paperback price. Now if you buy 50 books a year you can save around R2000 or more and make back your initial investment in savings that way.

 

[Crusader]

Whatever did we do before the electronic age . . . . oh yeah the Library.

You know libraries actually frown upon people not bringing BACK the books they borrowed. They aren't GIVING them to you. You were supposed to take them back on the date stamped on that little piece of paper in front of each book!

 

[Tpex]

its was a joke on the outrages price of eReaders Crusader.......

 

[Crusader]

its was a joke on the outrages price of eReaders Crusader.......

But the prices aren't outrageous - at least not to avid readers who see the huge benefit on using ebook readers. People tend to spend R6000+ on a cellphone without blinking an eye, but squirm at R3000 for a device that would possibly be used more and provide actual savings to the owner, unlike a phone which is a running expense.

 

[Guantanamo]

Can you get magazines and newspapers updated monthly/daily on the kindle? I know its not colour which can kind of take away from say an FHM but for me it would be one of the key things as i read way more magazines than i do books. I get through 1/2 books a month on average but 2/3 magazines and i read the papers almost everyday so unless e-readers have these features I'll carry on being the environment unfriendly creature I am. I would gladly pay the list price or hopefully slightly less considering the paper and ink I'm saving to get this.

 

[Render9]

Yes, the South African selection is a bit smaller due to rights issues. Currently, South Africans have only 319,567 books available to buy from the approximately 400,000 in the Amazon Kindle Store.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to dispute your numbers there. According to http://blogkindle.com/2009/10/kindle-international-coverage-update-before-launch/ there are only 240,000 Kindle books available to SA. This might sound like a lot until you actually go hunting. Amazon.com picks up that we belong to the "Africa" world segment (something you can't easily change) and let me tell you the selection is pretty poor. If you're into sci-fi you have a selection of about 4,000 books which doesn't include anything you'd want to read. You also need to remember that the numbers quoted also include a lot of public domain works which make the numbers look better than they actually are. Fortunately the DRM on Kindle has been hacked (http://blogkindle.com/2007/12/kindle-drm-hacked-allows-mobipocket-ebooks/) so it is now possible to load Mobipocket eBooks onto your Kindle as well. You can also use Calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/) to push content onto your Kindle if you don't want to go the official Amazon way.

 

[Render9]

Don't like the DRM aspect. Also don't like the fact that Amazon can remove books remotely.

DRM is no longer a problem as it was cracked in December 2009 - http://gizmodo.com/333415/kindle-drm-hacked-that-was-easy

 

[Render9]

By "that thing" I presume you mean my HTC HD2?

R459-00 /m on MTN anytime 200 through Nashua Mobile ... so I'm paying R259-00 X 24 = R5976-00.

Cash price is R8288 (Lab88) or R11000+ (MTN) + I'm saving on the interest on "repaying" over 24 months

Compare that to a Kindle or the like that CAN'T do everything my HD2 can do.
6" R3499, 9.7" R5299 (www.wantitall.co.za/kindle/All/p1)

No contest.

I'd double check your figures. Amazon allowed international access to the Kindle some time last year (releasing a 3G version of the Kindle to coincide with the announcement). You can buy your kindle directly from Amacon.com for about R2,600 last time I checked (including shipping and all duties).