eBooks

[hutch]

Does anybody use them? I'm considering taking the plunge.

 

I don't want a dedicated reader, like a Kindle. I've got a perfectly good tablet (Sony Xperia) so I want to use that.

 

Looking around, it seems that " Kindle for Android" is the way to go, and then buy the books from Amazon. I'm not looking for freebies.

 

Does anybody go this way? Do the books download onto your tablet? Can you read them when you're offline, or do you have to be connected to read?

[Pancake]

Yes. I use a kindle, but also my tablet and phone (the Kindle app syncs between then when you are online so you can pick up on one where you left off on another).

Yes you can read offline, no issue at all.

[Bearsy]

i would buy kindle brah. I have kindle and I have tablet, and kindle is more comfort for i.e. reading, whereas tablet is more comfort for i.e. watching gonzo porn and searching internet for nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence

[Halo Stickman]

Hutch, ever since I was a small boy subscribing to a book club and waiting excitedly for my latest Biggles book to drop through the letterbox I've been a fan of traditional paper books – looking at them in bookshops, unwrapping them from Amazon packing, the smell of them, the feel of them, everything about them! – and I always said that I would never even entertain the thought of using ebooks.

 

Mrs Stickman, however, has never been one for taking any notice of anything I say; so, about 5 years ago, bought me a kindle for my birthday. Suffice it to say, I love it, and rarely if ever read paper books these days. I read a lot of books – mostly, but not exclusively, non-fiction; mainly science or social history. Sometimes I feel in the mood for one subject, sometimes another. The facility that the kindle offers to carry a whole library around with you is one of it's major advantages, imo. Also, I like its 'search' facility and its 'looking up big words' facility. Instant ordering and ease of reading – no more awkward page turning in bed or sand between pages on beach – is also great, and some books are free.

 

One thing that maybe worth considering, if you decide to get one, is to take out an insurance policy. I've broken 3 of mine in the last 5 years – all through my own clumsiness – but for about £30 you can take out a policy that covers you for accidental damage to as many kindles (within reason) as you like over 3 years (I think)

 

I haven't really used other devices to read ebooks, so can't comment on those.

[Wurzel]

i would buy kindle brah. I have kindle and I have tablet, and kindle is more comfort for i.e. reading, whereas tablet is more comfort for i.e. watching gonzo porn and searching internet for nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence

 

Pretty much this. Kindle apps "work" fine on a tablet but within 10 minutes or so of staring at that non-changing back lit page(s) of text your eyes will feel sore as hell. No such worries with a kindle, visually the same as reading ink on paper, far more comfortable for longer spells of reading.

[Goatboy]

i would buy kindle brah. I have kindle and I have tablet, and kindle is more comfort for i.e. reading, whereas tablet is more comfort for i.e. watching gonzo porn and searching internet for nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence

 

This. Get a kindle paperwhite.

[hutch]

As a committed disciple of divine ursine guidance, it's going to cause me real pain to turn my back on bear's advice. Particularly the risk of cross contaminating my porn with real literature.

 

But I'm looking to take it with me on my all too frequent travels. I already have a carry on full of mobile phones laptops tablets and other sundry devices, and what with the new rules requiring you to unpack them all and switch on/off at every airport security point, I really don't need another gadget.

 

So I'll give it a go with the app on my tab and see how that works out. I can always upgrade later.

 

I have to say, Bear, that Toke jnr. Is a lucky boy (?) to have such a wise and helpful Godfather.

Edited 18 April, 2015 by hutch

[percy windham]

You can change the background of the page on the app anyway so it's less stressful on the eyes.