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Nearly all of us have their holy ritual, their bulwark against the world or the perennial fluctuations that affect our society. For some, it's a model railroad, others have their phonograph record collection. For me, it's books, the ever-lasting constant. Some have been with me for decades, traveled with me on every relocation and are full of tattered and yellowed pages. Others are still in mint condition and awaiting their first read. All that is supposed to change now thanks to technology - at least on a trial basis.
E-book readers are nothing new, they've been on the market for over 10 years. And even though testing novel gadgets is part of my job, I have so far refused to take up one of them. The thought of having such a device with me in my cozy reading armchair seemed to alien to me. Then again, isn't it ignorant to reject something you know next to nothing about? Well, here's my chance to break new reading grounds with Amazon's Kindle Voyage 3G, an e-reader believed to be top of its class.
Unboxed, the device is as thrilling as a test image: black, quite small (6 inches) but very light, below 190 grams. There are various options to get books onto the Kindle: connect it via USB to your PC, use the built-in WLAN or (surprisingly) through mobile connectivity as the device comes with a SIM card that is usable free of charge (for this model). Naturally, Amazon's virtual bookstore is prominently featured but you can also purchase books through other sources.
Once turned on, you can't help but nod in acknowledgment. It's a solid piece of technology with a high-resolution 1080 x 1440 display that displays even small fonts crisply and sharply. The built-in lighting is well thought out, the screen stays readable even in direct sunlight. As for the battery: I wasn't able to drain it. Other tests have determined about 24,000 page turns on a single charge which is more than respectable.
Usability wise: If you've ever held a tablet or cellphone you'll already know how to handle this device. Everything is intuitively laid out, menus are clearly structured and the system itself runs smoothly. Since the Amazon Kindle Voyage comes with a capacitive touchscreen (comparable to modern cellphones), all it takes is a brief tap or swipe to navigate. 4 GB of storage space will easily get you through the longest vacation and with AZW, PDF and MOBI support, three important e-book formats are onboard. All that's missing is the classic EPUB format, maybe this is an attempt at keeping eager competitors at arm's length.
The software interface is smart - they really try to offer more than a simple reading experience. For example, it remembers your reading speed and tries to predict the time it will take you to reach the end of the current chapter. Different font sizes are also available, perfect for people with bad eyesight. "Smart Lookup" displays additional information on locations, persons or selected words without leaving the page, the system uses Wikipedia for that. Gently pressing the edges of the device turns pages, a smart feature implementation. All's well? Yes and (for me) no!
Reading is a highly subjective experience. I dare say that many will find the Kindle Voyage 3G to their liking - I won't. To me, all this feels like an imitation of a book, comparable to the difference between a driving simulator and the real thing. The e-reader always stays the same, there's no feeling of weight or venerability that comes with an old weighty tome, no mighty cover that is part of any decent hardcover edition and no smell of old, yellowed pages. Except for maybe holding the device and the occasional swiping, your hands have little else to do, no tangible page turns, no rustling and no way to quickly glance at the cover or the blurb. It's sensory deprivation, all that remains are visible letters which, to me, only make up a part of the reading experience.
Which is why I will continue to hunt for new releases on the Internet and then visit my trusty bookseller to order the latest gems. Or I'll venture into an antiquarian bookshop, deeply breathe in the scent that makes older books so special and take home a few venerable editions. Technology may have entered my beloved pastime activity with Spotify as background noise and bright LED lights, yet books prevail. I seldom get called old-fashioned but this may be one of those times.
What I would like to know: Are you staying faithful to paper, have you already jumped on the ebook bandwagon or do you use similar apps, e.g. on your tablet?
I've been reading ebooks since I first got my Sony e-reader. Those were the early days, and I admit that I wanted to try it because I've always liked "gadgets." I continue to read books electronically, on an Android tablet first, now on Windows tablets. (I DO like gadgets!) But I also still buy print books. There are some things I want to have in print form. Oddly, mostly my tech books. It seems more 'right' to have it in print form, maybe because I'm usually reading them to solve a computer/digital problem of some sort. If it was digital, I might not be able to get to it! But I do like having the entire Black Tower series on my reader. I have more than I would ever want to carry in print form safely stored digitally.
I use the Kindle App on my desktop (and laptop) and on an android tablet. I also have the Kobo app and Icecream e-reader app and an obsolete Sony Reader.
When we came to Australia I had to dispose of approx 50ft of sci-fi paperbacks as we had a limited baggage allowance. It was said in our family that I was not allowed in a bookshop with a credit card! My wife is worried about the weight of boxes of books that I have archived in the roofspace.
My first e-reader was a "Vivid" tablet which would handle ePub, rtf, pdf (badly) and fb2 formats. The advantage of the tablet (and the Sony) is that I can have a set of different "libraries" on microSD cards and swap them. The advantage of the Kindle system is that it remembers what page you've got to when you switch device.
If I can, I get any e-book in ePub and, if not, I use Calibre to convert it.
However, I prefer my reference books to be 'tree-books' and, if they are e-books, I have been known to print screenshots.
I have 2 kindles plus the 'app.' on the PC. If there wasn't an injunction against 'Graven images' I would campaign for its beatification.
Carrying almost my entire library with me. Not having boxes upon boxes of books to pack and shift when I move. Uploading all my studies and revision notes so that they are immediately available
Like Donald I too like to research books before I buy.
The number of 'new' authors available who would never have got their books published. (Unfortunately this does produce poor proof reading but, hey, ho, that is a small price.).
CRR
Yes, I like actual books, but on long holidays my Kobo Mini lets me read lots of books without taking the weight in my suitcase.
I can also find lots of out of print books from my armchair.
One big drawback of the machine is not being able to swap with other readers and talk about them.
DP.
Hi,
I would be lost without my Kindle. I have had one for many years which was a present from my wife and daughter. Unfortunately I fell and broke it whilst on holiday in Greece. On my return home had to order a new one.
There is nothing to compare to my Kindle when on holiday or on a boring flight, far easier than a weighty book. I can take 100s of books with me for less weight than a flimsy paperback.
Only time I prefer a paper book is when using reference material or manuals.
I have a Kindle 'Paper White' for the last couple of years and before that an earlier version. I watch very little TV and typically read a book every 1-2 nights. While I love the look of all the books in my bookcases it was getting inpractical to store them all. Now I store about 2000 (so far!) on my computer. The lit screen of the Kindle makes it so much easier to read compared to physical books but never the less I still read a physical book from time to time.
Regards
I have always been a hard copy book lover but have converted to e-books out of necessity (or impatience).
It started some a year or two back when I picked up a book that I couldn't put down. Not until reading the last paragraph did I realize that this was book 1 of 3.
Book 2 had been released in the US but being an Aussie meant waiting 3 months or pay twice as much for freight. I was not prepared to wait. I had to know what was in the next installment. E-book download was the only answer. I still look at the gaps in my bookshelf and shed a tear but wait, a new installment was just released.
Wow! Can I relate to this. Have been looking at e-readers for a number of years, but can't quite give up the feel of holding a real book. Have also experienced the packing and moving of my library that now contains almost 4000 books. Over 7 moves the number of boxes has steadily increased. This is compounded by the fact that I much prefer hardbacks over paperbacks and buy the later only when a book in not available in the other format.
The comment about vacation also hits home as this is the one area where I agree a e-reader is well worth the purchase, even though I would most likely buy books that I already have in hardback.
There certain things which allow Kindles (or other ereaders) to excel.
One is travel - you only need to take the kindle, not a pile of books, for a journey, particularly by air.
The other is living abroad - far easier to obtain books via Amazon, or Gutenberg, than via local bookshops
I am an octogenarian book lover and walking through the stacks is a used book store was always an existential experience for me. Alas, I now live in a small house in a senior community and do not have room for what was my rather expansive library. But now technology has infected my soul and I now own a Kindle Voyage 3G. I always read in bed before sleep since it helps to clear the mental tangles of the day. In the past I had to hold a heavy tome illuminated by a fairly bright light for my nightly ritual. They say that a bright reading light upsets your melatonin cycle and interferes with your sleep pattern. My Kindle Voyage provides a huge hand held library and provides a very unique back-light that dims as your eyes accommodate to the dark. When I am finished reading for the night I just turn it off and fall asleep almost immediately. To use this feature don't forget to turn on the automatic back-light control. And one of the bigger advantages to me as a traveler, my entire library goes with me any where in the world. The night vision feature has not diminished the incredible image quality in bright sunlight. I am a happy convert.
"Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside." - Alexander Pope
In view of the many comments here: I’m honestly surprised by how open many of you are towards technical gadgets and their options. Whatever way you look at it: The love for reading remains. I’m thrilled!
I agree completely, there is nothing that can compare to the feel and experience of reading a real book. I use a book reader but much prefer a real book. I insist my family get me book tokens as gifts for birthdays and Xmas so that I can enjoy the whole experience of choosing books, taking my time to explore the bookshop, and then selecting the ones to take home. It is an opportunity to discover new authors and books that you would never know existed and cannot be replicated or replaced by ordering from an e catalogue. Then when all the selections have been made you have the pleasure of enjoying the books themselves which can last as long as you wish, in all a wonderful , enjoyable experience. This is why books will always be around.
It always felt like something was missing and you have articulated beautifully what it is.
I have had an earlier Kindle model for several years now and after two or three books, I always return to the genuine item because it feels right.
So not a total rejection for I always need the reassurance of the real thing (sorry Coke).
I have a Kindle and the Kindle app on my tablet and phone. Yes, books have a magic all their own, but they are awkward to carry around. I keep my Kindle at our caravan, my tablet at home and my phone in my pocket. Wherever I am, I can pick up my book where I left off, without having to lug it around with me. Try going abroad with a load of books. There goes your baggage allowance.
Yes, books are special, but for convenience, give me my Kindle.
Thatm\ maybe so, but books are heavy to carry amd sometimes to hold up. Also Amazon often has cheap and sometimes free books and there is no time limit as there is with free library books. I agree it is not the same ans i find myself reading more printed books than books on my paperwhite Kindle.
It is definitely e-books for light reading for me!
I might still buy a text book, or a visually stunning book as a physical book, but I love the kindle paper-white for bedtime reading.
The price for e-books is generally much cheaper, the book keeps my page number for me and tells me how many minutes remain to the end of the chapter, and it is lightweight, and the clearer text is easier on my old eyes!
The other great advantage, is that I don't require acres of bookshelves to store my thousands of books.
I am fully in agreement with you. I have the Kindle app on my laptop due to the fact that I can get cheap books from Amazon although if I was able to afford it I would definitely buy the hard copies.
I'm still using real books - no screen, no battery, and I can just drop it where I like and pick it up later - no damage!
And nothing, repeat nothing, smells like an old book!
I am faith Full to my Paper Books, but I also Read My E-Books as time permits, I Read Paper Books about 3 a month
I am with you, can't beat a good Book.
My tablet is use to read tutoials and the like that do not come as a book.
Felt the same as described in article but now really pleased with kindle reading set up as I virtually carry library with me and can access at any time on phone or iPad as well.
Very handy too when waiting for appointments that are behind time.