Monday, February 21, 2011

I'll be typing like crazy this week

Expect a flurry of posts sometime this week, unless I really drop the ball. The due date for volume 10 of Emma is coming up, and, since reading manga in order is best, I'll need to write up a post for volume 9 first. I'm also really close to finishing several other things (one book I'm reading for its nostalgic value, one book that is cracktastic fun, and one book that seems to have given away too much too early), plus I'm watching Big Windup! on DVD. Since I feel the same way about the show during my second viewing as I did during my first, in theory there won't be quite so much for me to write - I should be able to get that post out pretty quickly.

Unrelated to all of that: I am so close to breaking down and getting myself an e-reader. I'm just not sure which one I want yet. It's still incredibly painful how expensive e-readers are, when I think about how I can read a paperback book for just a few bucks but an e-book that costs a similar amount requires a $100-$200 device in order to be read comfortably. However, I've been getting more and more interested in books and stories that are either only available electronically or cost three times more in print.

I can't remember the versions of any of these I got to try, but I've gotten to briefly try a Kindle, a Nook, and a Sony E-reader. I was unimpressed by the Sony E-reader. I found the Kindle to be the most intuitive, but the Nook didn't seem too bad. My dad has a Nook, and he really likes it. I'm kind of leaning more towards the Nook right now, for various reasons, but I have to do a bit of research in order to be sure that what I think I know about these e-readers is actually true.

Whether I buy an e-reader or not depends upon what I find out when I actually start and finish doing my taxes. I could afford to get an e-reader right now, but I would feel much less guilty about it if I knew for sure I was getting a nice tax refund to make up for some of the splurging.

2 comments:

  1. I have a Sony Reader and I'm less and less impressed with it every time I handle a Nook or a Kindle. I would recommend a Nook only because it is more "open format" than the Kindle since Amazon still insists on having its own unique ebook format, meaning that only a Kindle can open Amazon books (and apps for the iPad, iPhone, and other smart phones, of course.) The Nook Color is a neat reader but it is more expensive than the basic Nook or Kindle.

    Too, I'm finding that e-book prices are on the rise...can't believe how many I'm seeing now for as much as $15.98 each. Sad, that.

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  2. Yeah, I'm leaning towards the Nook mostly because it's more "open format." As much as I liked using the Kindle (for five minutes or so, so it wasn't exactly a long trial), there are things Amazon continues to do that annoy me. The Nook Color sounds nifty, but I think for now I'm just going to get a regular black-and-white reader, and see how I do with it. Like with computers and laptops, I'm sure I'll end up upgrading a few years down the line, and it should be cheaper and even niftier options then.

    Whoa, $15.98 for an e-book?! That's just crazy - sorry, but for that kind of price, I'd still prefer print. And here I was, cringing at $9.99. I suppose I see higher prices being ok for, say, textbooks...but even then, one of the benefits of textbooks is that you can sell them when you're done and get a bit of money back, more if you sell directly to the next student who needs it. Not an option with e-books.

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