ereader advice...

[Seshat]

There is an ever-growing variety of cases for e-readers; rugged and waterproof are among them. So depending on the case/s you purchase, you need not worry about dropping them on concrete/splashing water on them.

That said, cases do also add to weight and awkwardness. My kindle, if naked, is extremely light and easy to hold. Add the case and it's still convenient, but less so: but my case is neither rugged nor waterproof.

[Kaylyn]

I loved my Kindle...for the month I had it. I kept it in my yarn bag, cushioned between skeins of yarn for whatever projects I was toting around. Took it out one day and it had two cracks across the screen. No idea how it happened, as it was well protected by the yarn and the bag wasn't dropped or stepped on. I think there was a bad batch of Kindles around the time I got one, as I've heard at least three other stories locally of similar things happening.

I never got around to trying to get it replaced, so the warranty's probably void by now. I'd like to get another one, but I'm also kinda wanting an iPad, so I may just do that and get the Kindle app. At least I won't have to rebuy the books I'd gotten before, just transfer them to the new device.

[JoitheArtist]

I LOVE my Kindle! I've read more in the three months I've had it than I think I have in the last year or so. It takes a little getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, the reading experience is not much different than a physical book. It's not great for reading books where you need to flip backward and forward through multiple pages at once, but even that you can do fairly easily if you make lots of notes and bookmarks.

[Elspeth]

Most of my family have nooks and we love them. What finally pushed us in the direction of the nooks was that we could add memory to them. Not sure if you can do this on Kindles but you can share an account on the nooks. Which is nice for the hubby and I. My parents do the same thing.

[BlaqueKatt]

I have a kindle and I love it! Tons of 99 cent full length novels due to self publishing, and the "new" kindle family has one that is $79 and touchscreen. It also has email, and various games and music(audiobooks as well), that can be downloaded.

[Geek King]

On the gripping hand a book'll never lose power when you're in a tent way up in the mountains.
Also if you have to start a signal fire a book'd be better than a hunk of plastic

See if you can get a kinetic energy charger with an output that fits your device. Considering the low power requirements of most e-readers, a quick charge would last for a bit.

[Mikkel]

Whatever reader you buy, try Calibre. The program can convert between most formats and can even (with add-ons) remove DRM from the books. I love my Kindle too, but any reader will do. It's the contents that are important.

[dawnfire]

i have a fairly generic reader like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/7-0-TFT-E...item336cd46b25

I love it but i have to be careful as it is a bare bone product and doesn't take some formats. I also have on my pc a few reader programs (mobipockets, kindle for the pc and adobe digital editions), so that covers most formats for ebooks. I find I use the reader and the programs for different purposes. the programs are good for night-time feeds with the baby as I can read and tab with one finger. The reader is good for lazing in bed and reading.

[Jester]

I wanted eink and no backlight, NOOK has that.

In all fairness, a Kindle has both eink and no backlight as well.

That said, cases do also add to weight and awkwardness. My kindle, if naked, is extremely light and easy to hold. Add the case and it's still convenient, but less so: but my case is neither rugged nor waterproof.

My case is not waterproof, though decently rugged. It's the one that Amazon sells themselves, with the built-in light.

Personally, with the case, it feels more like a book, and I feel far more secure, as I am a bit of a klutz and do drop things, and I often have the Kindle in my backpack with everything else. Without the case, I would be paranoid, and the Kindle just feels too damn light without it.

The great thing about an ereader for me personally is that it makes reading while eating a ton easier, as you don't have to hold the book open constantly with one hand.

[Slayer]

I really wanted an ereader for my birthday this past June and after doing quite a bit of research, I decided on the Kindle.

However, I ended up upgrading my phone to the iPhone 4 in May and decided not to get the ereader at all XD This way I can get all formats (iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, etc etc). Of course, screen is much smaller and requires quite a bit of page turning, but eh.

I probably will get a Kindle later on. It's just that there's SO many free ebooks out there (read hundreds so far) and I still have tons to get through. I figure once I start needing to buy books, I'll invest in the Kindle.

[Jester]

Of course, screen is much smaller and requires quite a bit of page turning, but eh.

I could never read a book on such a small screen. A few pages, perhaps, but it would drive me nuts over the long haul.

Also, a Kindle very much FEELS like a book, and is much easier on the eyes than an iPhone would be. Not to mention having much better battery life.

[kpzra]

In all fairness, a Kindle has both eink and no backlight as well.

I know, but as I also said, I despise Amazon and all the people who were shoving the Kindle down my throat when they first hit regular stores.

[Jester]

Oh, I was pretty certain you knew that, but the way your post read, it kind of sounded as if you were saying that the Kindle did not have eink. I know you weren't, but it did read that way. I was merely clarifying for those not in the know.

[AccountingDrone]

I would love something like that, I own 5-6000 books I am not going to rebuy every single one for my ebook reader, aside from anything a lot of them will not be available. I have a sony ereader and like it also I have an ipad and itouch with ibooks on them, so I can have 4 different books on the go

I read on my droid.

I am slowly scanning my books in, many of the ones I have are so out of publication it is not funny.

My rational is that I bought the damned books, by the time I am getting around to turning them into an epub file, they are in such crappy condition they go straight into the garbage. I *still* have my 1 copy that I paid for. If they were to republish as an ebook, then they can bitch me out about it.

[and there are MANY sources of free books around, gutenberg is one, and feedbooks is another. *legal* free books.]

[AccountingDrone]

I could never read a book on such a small screen. A few pages, perhaps, but it would drive me nuts over the long haul.

Also, a Kindle very much FEELS like a book, and is much easier on the eyes than an iPhone would be. Not to mention having much better battery life.

See, that is why I love reading on my droid. I have body issues where I end up in bed, and I can lay on my side with my hand propped up on hubbys pillow [in the dark so I don't disturb him at night, or all alone in the day with the cat nestled in my sidelap] and read, with just a light touch of my thumb on the lower left corner of the screen to turn pages. Whole phone weighs less than a stick of butter, holds a thousand of my books, I can read it night or day, and it holds just over a paragraph per screen. I can also easily surf the internet or answer the phone as well =)