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Comment by anonu | Hacker News Reader

Curious what people's views are on e-readers here at HN? Personally, I've tried to adopt an e-reader over many years. The convenience of having 100s of books without the weight is great. Being able to read in a dark room as well. However, the feel of a real book I think still wins out over any advantages of an e-reader.

Also my informal and anecdotal survey of how people use technology - mainly on the NYC subway - doesn't really bring to mind many people reading on e-readers. It usually a real book.

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I have used kindles since the beginning. The only device which competes with it for me is my iPad (1 through 10.5 Pro) running the Kindle app. I actively avoid books not available on Kindle; if I’m forced to read something else I use the iPad to read PDF, pirate the book in PDF, or destroy the book in scanning it (100 books for $100) and then read PDF.

I hate the physical limitations (weight, damage, water) of books. I am indifferent to touch.

I have a kindle. I love it. As a san francisco resident, library support for e-readers means I have a queue of books I've flagged as want-to-read that pop up frequently. Two clicks later - they're on my kindle for free (well - my tax dollars well spent, let's say). I also have old books I've bought on amazon and elsewhere (using calibre software to convert other formats, and there exists drm-removal software if you're worried about losing access to the kindle book).

In short: I usually walk around with my current two or three books that I'm reading, plus several dozen Comfort Books that I could re-read for the Nth time if the mood strikes me, in a very convenient form-factor that doesn't need light.

On the other hand (as other people have said), I read complicated PDFs (usually role-playing game supplements), Comics, and technical books on a phone / laptop / tablet, depending on what's handy. In those cases it's not about the ergonomics of long-term reading, it's about having a responsive color screen.

For a novel that I read in a mostly linear fashion? Love e-readers.

For technical books where I’m using four fingers of my left hand to bookmark four different pages to flip back and forth to? Hate e-readers. They are simply far slower than paper at random access.

For anything where I’d like to appreciate the artistry of the book or its contents? Hate e-readers.

E-readers provide full text search and unlimited bookmarks (usually with notes and/or highlighting). Multiple “finger” bookmarks brings back memories though!

Definitely, however my issue is more one of UX than capability. If I read something 13 pages ago that I didn’t have the foresight to bookmark, paging back in a book is far quicker. And I can do so intuitively, without needing to shift my mental focus into remembering how to summon the bookmarking or search UI.

That said, full text search is the one electronic UX element that I wish paper books had!

So my experience with an e-reader has varied over the years and I had essentially abandoned the idea of an e-reader over the past 5 years. However, I have been in NYC for this summer and riding the subway everyday so I eventually dusted off my Kindle and have loved it! I still think that you are right that a physical book provides a better experience, but the ability to pull out a book hold it in one hand, highlight passages I like, and take notes has been amazing. Not only that but I have enjoyed the fact that once I finish a book I just download a new one and don't have to wait for Amazon or find a bookstore(not that it is difficult to find a bookstore in NYC though). I do believe from my anecdotal survey as well that more people have physical books, but that does not mean that the kindles are nonexistent either I have seen several people with them as well. In reality it is probably closer to 60/40 because the vast majority of people I see on the subway are playing smartphone games or watching Netflix.

I think it's the price for eBooks. A good example is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

Kindle - $15

Paperback (new) - $10

Paperback (used) - $6

Paperback (library) - Free

The Kindle version is a significant premium and I don't think there is a matching convenience factor. It's unfortunate that is the case because I'm sure it'd be a lot more eco-friendly and efficient to distribute ebooks.

I don't know how common this is, but some libraries[1] allow people to check out ebooks (including Kindle ones). I do most of my reading on my Kindle, and it has almost all been free because of it.

[1]: https://nypl.overdrive.com/

That is interesting to me I haven't actually read anything that can be considered a modern best seller on my Kindle, so the books that I generally order are cheaper to get the Kindle version. That being said I do agree with your point if I had to pay more for the Kindle version I would immediately buy the physical book.

I can hold it in one hand or set it on a surface and read while eating, brushing my teeth, holding onto a train etc.

I still love paper books but these situations always make me miss my kindle.

I switched to Nook when they first came out and haven't bought a book since. I did change to Google Play books and standard tables/phones but there is no going back to real paper books (for me).

1) I always have my book with me. Have to wait 15 minutes in a waiting room, take out the phone. At home I have my nice large tablet.

2) Page sync works great. Read 10 pages on tablet and move to phone and it starts off on the correct page. Same when I switch back to the tablet.

3) Buying a new book is super simple and instant. (Note that if traveling internationally, be sure to buy/download extra books from home before you leave as Play may not sell you books if you are abroad. Reading always works.)

4) Free samples keep me from buying books I've already read or don't like.

5) You can import any books you already own and still get all of the above.

The only issue I have with standard tablets/phones is that full daylight reading kills batteries but you still get most of days usage so even this isn't that big of an issue. Not enough to switch back e-paper which is too single purpose for my wants/needs. Sure they are nice for reading by the pool but I can't look up were to eat lunch on it so I still need my phone with me which defeats the purpose.

I currently use a Kobo Aura HD with updated applications to avoid using the Kobo firmware and its associated silliness (e.g. a long refresh process on every power cycle to re-enumerate my entire collection into their sqlite db.) I have gone through a lot of different e-readers [1] but never a Kindle - the walled garden approach is not for me. This means that I buy ebooks in ePub form from Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Google Play, etc. or read converted pdfs of my former print books.

In general, what I have looked for in an e-reader consists of the largest screen that I can afford (since pdfs don't scale well, IME), a micro sd slot to enable me to copy/sync books as I need it without being on the network, some basic functionality to save book markups, and maybe a web browser.

[1] Some examples: Entourage eDGE (sic), Sony Libre, Sony Readers (PRS-500, PRS-505, PRS-300, etc.), Pocketbook 9.7", B&N Nook Simple Touch (still have it, running Android 2.x rooted).

Edit1: more e-readers.

I read fiction every night in bed before going to sleep. I used to read mostly paperbacks, at some point partially switching to an iPad. After getting myself a Kindle Paperwhite (the version with the high-DPI screen) I haven't bought a single paperback nor read a single novel on my iPad. I just vastly prefer the Kindle form factor and worry free usage (cheap, light, plastic) to either the hassle of keeping a book open or worrying about dropping my iPad.

Being able to read in direct sunlight is a nice bonus.

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