# Do You Want a Simpler Ereader?



## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

According to this article: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/19/switched-on-e-readers-drive-to-digital-distraction/ readers, especially if they are older and/or female prefer an ereader without distracting bells and whistles:

_E-readers have followed an unusual demographic adoption curve for a consumer electronics product. The first buyers were, like those of many other tech products, more affluent, but the majority of them were also older and female in keeping with the book-buying habits of physical books. They were attracted to the crisp display and high contrast of e-paper displays. And many were (and continue to be) attracted by a focused product that allowed them to concentrate on the text without distraction of other media type, the Web or thousands of apps._

At the same time, the article seems to suggest this is a passing phase, and that ultimately, single-purpose ereaders will give way to tablet-like devices with multiple functions. So I have two questions.

(1) What do you, personally, prefer in an ereader?
(2) What do you think the future of ereaders will be?


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## Pirate (Jul 5, 2009)

I have a Kindle DX, Sprint EVO with the kindle app, a Dell Streak with the kindle app and a Samsung Galaxy Tab with the kindle app. 95% of my reading is one of the tablet devices. I use the Tab at home and either the Streak or the EVO on the road. Both are easy to carry in my vest pocket

*"They were attracted to the crisp display and high contrast of e-paper displays"*

All three of my tablet devices have crisp displays, high contrast, color, and touch screen.

*"focused product that allowed them to concentrate on the text without distraction of other media type, the Web or thousands of apps."
*
This makes no sense. When I am reading on one of my tablet like devices I am not distracted by media type, the web or thousands of apps"

Plus when I am reading and want to look up something, I can launch a real browser and do a search, then return to where I was reading. Try that on a kindle.

The down side is that the battery life really sucks. 
The up side is that I only have to carry one device that pretty much does everything. Ebook reader, phone, email, text messaging, facebook, google maps, google traffic, GPS, weather with live radar scans, music player, stream audio and video from the web, a real web browser with touch screen. And is very protable, the EVO will even fit in my front pants pocket.

I believe that the single use device will pretty much die off at some point. There may always be few single use devices around but it will be a niche device.

Just my $0.02 worth.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

All I want is to read.  So I like an e-reader that is just an e-reader. i like my kindle because it is not back-lit, I spend enough time looking at back-lit items.  i don't want anything with internet access or games or anything else.  i don't want a tablet or anything else that is heavier than my kindle, and as i said, i don't want backlit.  nor do i want a touchscreen.  call me a dinosaur, but i'm perfectly happy with my kindle the way it is, and if they change it, i probably won't buy a new one.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't need my kindle or ereader to do anything but let me read books. That is why I bought it. I have a coffee machine to make coffee, my water kettle heats water, my toaster toasts bread, etc. My kindle lets me read books. 

I need it to be non backlit or I can't read on it and what it does currently is fine for me. For those that want bells and whistles with their books, they already have the smart phones and tablets to do that with. 

It doesn't have to be one or the other, they can co-exist. Some items do better as single use. Not everything has to be a Swiss Army knife


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

As long as I have E Ink to read, I'm happy.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Tara Maya said:


> At the same time, the article seems to suggest this is a passing phase, and that ultimately, single-purpose ereaders will give way to tablet-like devices with multiple functions. So I have two questions.
> 
> (1) What do you, personally, prefer in an ereader?
> (2) What do you think the future of ereaders will be?


1. My dream device is a tablet with an lcd mode and an e-ink mode so I don't need 2 tablet like devices.

2. I think dedicated readers will stay around to serve the niche of avid readers (especially the older crowd) who prefer cheap and simple to use reading devices.

I could see them going away eventually once older generations have died off and the world--at least first world countries--are full of tech savvy poeple who have grown up being connected to the internet at all times. The niche for simple, single purpose ereaders may be to small to sustain a market at that time. But that's a good ways off.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

Count me as a vote for a simple ereader.  I have had a tablet since the launch of the iPad and while it has completely replaced my laptop and mostly replaced my iPod, it will never replace my kindle.  Would love it if it could.  But I have a very strong preference for eink.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

I'd go for the large, flexible, multi-function colour e-ink device, definitely. If I could write without eyestrain on the same device I use for reading, I'd be a much happier camper. I would ask for a 'reading' mode to be available, though, where no other applications binged, bonged, flashed or otherwise tried to steal my attention from my book.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Pirate said:


> I have a Kindle DX, Sprint EVO with the kindle app, a Dell Streak with the kindle app and a Samsung Galaxy Tab with the kindle app. 95% of my reading is one of the tablet devices. I use the Tab at home and either the Streak or the EVO on the road. Both are easy to carry in my vest pocket
> 
> *"They were attracted to the crisp display and high contrast of e-paper displays"*
> 
> ...


As far as the first quote goes, they were talking about when eReaders first came out, before all these tablets came out. (I was one of those older female early adopters myself - and was attracted to the Kindle for that very reason, not to mention the whole iPod-for-books factor.)

And while all those other things on your tablets might not distract you, they do distract some folks. My husband used to read on his Kindle frequently. Then he got an iPad, and rarely reads on the Kindle. He isn't reading on the iPad either, though - at least not the novels he was reading on Kindle. He's reading news, blogs, etc, but not novels. So while it might not make sense to you, it makes perfect sense to me. I love my iPad, but when I want to read a novel, I grab my Kindle.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

My own feelings are mixed. On the one hand, I really want an iPad, although not to read. On the other, I can think of ongoing situations where a dedicated ereader without any other options would actually be preferred. For instance -- and this is a market not even tapped yet -- if schools provided ereaders for students, I think the last thing they want is the kids playing Angry Birds instead reading Catcher in the Rye. But maybe that would be impossible to prevent, because the other thing I foresee is that most people will have more than one device. 

If both your kindle and your iPad are extremely thin and light, you could slip them both into the same thickness cover as now serves the kindle alone.

I agree that it would be sweet if one device could switch between backlit and eInk. That would be nice for night reading too.


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## Violet Yates (Feb 28, 2011)

I have a Kindle and a Nook Color, and honestly, I prefer my Kindle to my Nook Color because it's easier to play with. If I wanted all the bells and whistles and could afford it, I'd have bought an Ipad. I am actually thinking about selling my Nook Color because I barely use it compared to my Kindle.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Violet Yates said:


> I have a Kindle and a Nook Color, and honestly, I prefer my Kindle to my Nook Color because it's easier to play with. If I wanted all the bells and whistles and could afford it, I'd have bought an Ipad. I am actually thinking about selling my Nook Color because I barely use it compared to my Kindle.


Sorry, I'm a little confused! Which is easier to play with, the Kindle or the Nook Color?


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## Violet Yates (Feb 28, 2011)

Meemo said:


> As far as the first quote goes, they were talking about when eReaders first came out, before all these tablets came out. (I was one of those older female early adopters myself - and was attracted to the Kindle for that very reason, not to mention the whole iPod-for-books factor.)
> 
> And while all those other things on your tablets might not distract you, they do distract some folks. My husband used to read on his Kindle frequently. Then he got an iPad, and rarely reads on the Kindle. He isn't reading on the iPad either, though - at least not the novels he was reading on Kindle. He's reading news, blogs, etc, but not novels. So while it might not make sense to you, it makes perfect sense to me. I love my iPad, but when I want to read a novel, I grab my Kindle.


I agree with you- I am very easily distracted and like how simple the Kindle is. With my Nook Color I can browse the web, go on Facebook, check my email (you can on Kindle, too but it's not as functional), so I wind up doing all that or playing games instead of reading. With my Kindle, I know it's limited as far as speed so I don't mess with the browser much and while I have some games on it, they aren't the kind I would sit and play constantly.


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## Violet Yates (Feb 28, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> Sorry, I'm a little confused! Which is easier to play with, the Kindle or the Nook Color?


My Kindle is easier to use, I guess I should have worded it differently.


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## Violet Yates (Feb 28, 2011)

Violet Yates said:


> I have a Kindle and a Nook Color, and honestly, I prefer my Kindle to my Nook Color because the Kindle is easier to use. If I wanted all the bells and whistles and could afford it, I'd have bought an Ipad. I am actually thinking about selling my Nook Color because I barely use it compared to my Kindle.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> (1) What do you, personally, prefer in an ereader?
> (2) What do you think the future of ereaders will be?


1: Personally, I only need the on/off, back, and forward buttons.  Oh, and the ability to shop the Kindle store.

2: In the future I think ereaders will get more complicated as people will begin to use them for more than just reading. I can envision people surfing the net, checking their email, etc on them.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Violet Yates said:


> My Kindle is easier to use, I guess I should have worded it differently.


No problem! Now I understand. Our family has a Nook too, and my dh prefers it, which works out, because I prefer the Kindle. He likes the backlit screen, whereas I prefer the eInk. I do a lot more dedicated reading than he does, and I think that is an influence on our preferences.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

Two things are of utmost importance to me in an e-reader:  (1) e-ink screen and (2) long battery life.

If a multi-function tablet device that meets those two criteria ever becomes available, then I'll consider it.  Until then, I'll stick with a dedicated e-reader.  So for me the Kindle (or other dedicated e-reader) wins for functionality, not because they're simple devices or because I'm intimidated by a more complex device.


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## grjag (Jun 18, 2009)

I'm also of the simple ereader mind.  Judging how my children use theirs, though, a tablet would probably serve them better (they enjoy playing the games and would like better access to the internet.)  My husband has a tablet and does much of his reading on that.  I'm the dinosaur of the house....keep it simple.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

I think there are two clear market divisions here. One is for a multi-media device that sorta kinda acts as an e-reader. Tablets and touch phones are dominating this market, but they have the disadvantage of other distractions, less battery life, ? screen limitations, and higher cost. The second market is for something that replicates a book as closely as is practical. Thus it has an infinite battery life (or as close as can be achieved), no other functions to keep costs as low as possible and durability as high as possible, and a screen that mimics a sheet of paper. 

The kindle is cheap enough at this point that I wouldn't cry (much) if I lost it, versus my ipad or phone, where it would be a significant emotional event and have some serious security concerns. Plus the battery life is such that I can carry a kindle around like a book for WEEKS without worrying that it will go dead on me in the midst of a long trip or something. Can't do that with my phone or ipad, I can kill those things in less than a day.

So while I think the kindle as hardware will pursue the second market, the kindle as an APP will hopefully be available on the former. Amazon will have both segments covered, which is why they are still #1. If they do release a tablet I doubt it will carry the kindle name. They must realize that B&N is hurting themselves by marketing a cheap tablet as an e-reader (the color) while at the same time having a touchscreen e-ink device carrying the same name.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

jason10mm said:


> I think there are two clear market divisions here. One is for a multi-media device that sorta kinda acts as an e-reader.... The second market is for something that replicates a book as closely as is practical.


I agree. We have lots of types of cars because people have different needs and uses for them. I have a large android phone, an iPad and I just replaced my kindle last night, four months after I broke it, because I am one of the people that really does get distracted by iPads and really prefers e-ink. The book market is large enough for a variety of types of devices and the tablet market is even larger and there is really only a relatively small part of the two markets that overlap.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> According to this article: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/19/switched-on-e-readers-drive-to-digital-distraction/ readers, especially if they are older and/or female prefer an ereader without distracting bells and whistles:
> 
> _E-readers have followed an unusual demographic adoption curve for a consumer electronics product. The first buyers were, like those of many other tech products, more affluent, but the majority of them were also older and female in keeping with the book-buying habits of physical books. They were attracted to the crisp display and high contrast of e-paper displays. And many were (and continue to be) attracted by a focused product that allowed them to concentrate on the text without distraction of other media type, the Web or thousands of apps._
> 
> ...


I prefer an ereader because of the difference in battery life but if that were solved my opinion would change.

The future of ereaders? My prognostication skills are SO poor (I missed predicting ebook growth by about 10 years) that any prediction I make is sure to be wrong. My only prediction is that in SOME form they will get more popular.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

I never expected nor wanted my DTBs to do anything else, I'm kinda the same way with my e-reader.  I like the small portable size of my K3, if I wanted a tablet, I'd want it to be bigger than the K3 which would negate it as a convenient e-reader.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

I like having a Kindle for straight reading.  There's nothing else I want on the Kindle.  When I want to read, I grab my Kindle.  

When I want to do some extra stuff (like play some Android market stuffs), browse the net, read some PDF's and such...I pull out the rooted Nook Color.  

If I had to only go with one, I'd select the Kindle as I like reading more than I like doing stuff I can accomplish on either of my computers or cell phone.


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## Shadin (Dec 29, 2009)

My e-reader needs to do two things.

1. Be readable in bright sunlight.
2. Long battery life, don't won't to worry about recharging on camping trips.

The nook or kindle works got me. I do prefer none touch screens also. Id be ok with a touch as long as it had page foward and back buttons.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I like the Kindle as-is. I just want something that allows me to read.  I don't check email.  I don't use it to play games.  I am not interested in apps.  I just want it to read books.  I like having to press the button to turn the pages and I like having a physical keyboard.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

I'm kind of in two minds about it. I love my Kindle and the simplicity of it. There are times when I don't have my Kindle with me, so I read on my Android phone (the 4" screen isn't too bad). The only thing is that I do get distractions on my phone (emails, sms, chat messages) that can pull me away from reading. I could see being distracted if I carried a tablet instead...

Although...

When I have my Kindle with me, I also have my phone, so I still hear notifications for email, sms, and chats. They are just on a different device.  

For simplicity sake, the eInk screen and simple controls are what I like about my Kindle. I happily carry it everywhere.


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## MrTsMom (Jun 13, 2009)

I think I've got electronic ADD. I love my iPad most of the time, but when I try to read on it, I find myself reading for 10 or 15 minutes, then going to check my email, Facebook, etc. When I want to just sit and read, my Kindle is a much better choice. Then there's the fact that I can't read my iPad while sitting outside. There's a place for both products, and I'd have for someone to make me have to choose between them.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

In regards to some points from the last few posts, I'm not very picky about my ereader needs beyond wanting a non-backlit screen for long form reading.

Size I prefer the ipad screen and getting more words per page--though I'd prefer the ipad to be lighter.  I don't care as much about portability as I'm not one to carry my ereader/tablet everywhere.

With Battery life longer is better of course.  But as long as I get at least one full day of use out of it I'm good to go.  Idon't so ant camping etc.  I'm a spoiled city yuppie so I'll never stay anywhere without power, A/C etc. 

Similarly I don't care about readability in sunlight as I spend very little time in the sun as I just sweat, burn and get bitten by insects so I seldom spend time outdoors.

Finally, I don't have any electronics ADD and can focus on one task.  Thogh I seldom read for more than an hour at a time anyway.


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## Alan Ryker (Feb 18, 2011)

I want a simple e-reader mostly because I want e-ink for reading long works,and e-ink doesn't seem good for much else.

As far as avoiding distraction, for me that doesn't happen because I always have my phone out beside me, and it always sounds to let me know when I have a text or email. It doesn't really make a difference for me if it's happening on a device in my hands or one on my side table.


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## w5jck (Aug 30, 2010)

I prefer my eReader to be JUST that and nothing more. There was a time in which i looked here and there for a do-all device, but always came off with the same conclusion--a jack-of-all-trades device will never do all the tasks well enough to be a master of all of them. Instead, a jack-of-all-trades device rarely does more than one task I'm interested in extremely well, the other tasks are typically accomplished through compromises and lackluster features. So I keep returning to the idea of an eReader that is JUST an eReader because I demand excellence.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

But what do you need for "excellence" in an ereader beyond an eink screen and long battery life?

Once we ger tablets with something like a mirasol screen and battery tech improves those things will no longer be exclusive to dedicated readers.  That's probably years away though unfortunately.

Anyway, I like jack of all trades devices as I'm on the go most of the time and travel a decent amount so the les gadgets I have to lug around the better.  Dedicated devices do tend to do individual task better, but I'll mak that tradeoff for convenience.  Convenience is the driving factor in most of the decisions I make.


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## Tess St John (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm in the simple reader camp!


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Ditto.

My Kindle and my Playbook tablet are roughly the same size, I don't mind carrying them both around in my purse or travel bag. I *do* mind reading for long periods of time on a backlit computer-type screen.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

A Kindle 3 with nested folders is all I want. Simple, crisp screen with great contrast. I have an Ipad and won't read books on it. No LCD, no backlight, no touchsreen, no color. If they were to end the k3 line and come out with all these bells and whistles, I will buy an extra k3 (for when mine breaks) and be done with new ereaders.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I love single-use devices. Like my tomato knife, and my toaster, and my side-angled screwdriver, etc. etc. etc.

I've yet to see a tablet do anything I really want doing that isn't already done better by something else. So...paying 4-5 times as much to get the one function I want, and not getting it done as well as my Kindle...I'm just not interested.


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## Brodys Mom (Nov 8, 2009)

Violet Yates said:


> I have a Kindle and a Nook Color, and honestly, I prefer my Kindle to my Nook Color because it's easier to play with. If I wanted all the bells and whistles and could afford it, I'd have bought an Ipad. I am actually thinking about selling my Nook Color because I barely use it compared to my Kindle.


Same here. I thought I would love reading magazines on the Nookcolor but I don't. Hubby uses it to surf the web. I was excited at first when BN open the app store for it, but no.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

It doesn't even matter what I want. There is a market for tablets and there is a market for dedicated e-readers. I don't have a tablet, but if I did have one, I probably wouldn't lug both the tablet and a dedicated reader around at the same time.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

QuantumIguana said:


> It doesn't even matter what I want. There is a market for tablets and there is a market for dedicated e-readers. I don't have a tablet, but if I did have one, I probably wouldn't lug both the tablet and a dedicated reader around at the same time.


Very true. I have an iPad - love it. But I don't carry it around with me. I'll take it on a two-week trip I'm taking next month, but I wouldn't even bother taking it to visit my in-laws for a weekend since they don't have wifi at their house and my iPad's wifi only.

I've almost always got one of my readers with me when I'm out & about - either my Kindle or my Sony 300 (which is the most portable).


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

The one other thing I wish my kindle had besides books and bookstore (I love that part!) is a clock and/or timer. I know the clock would only work when the net is connected, but it would be nice to have. A timer would be useful too...Beep beep, have I already been reading an hour? How time flies...


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> (1) What do you, personally, prefer in an ereader?
> (2) What do you think the future of ereaders will be?


(1) I prefer it to be just an eReader
(2) It will totally end up merged with tablets and other multi-use devices

And that's fine with me. At the moment, I dont need it to be a multi-use device, I have a smartphone and an iTouch.

Right now, I appreciate the lightness/thiness of the Kindle, and the fairly reasonable price. Someday (soonish) I'll get all that in a tablet too.


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## Evilcyber (May 17, 2011)

balaspa said:


> I like the Kindle as-is. I just want something that allows me to read. I don't check email. I don't use it to play games. I am not interested in apps. I just want it to read books. I like having to press the button to turn the pages and I like having a physical keyboard.


You got it. Different sphere, same concept: I have seem too many good pieces of software become so overloaded with functions, that the original simplicity and ease of use was lost. Nero, anyone?


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Tara Maya said:


> The one other thing I wish my kindle had besides books and bookstore (I love that part!) is a clock and/or timer. I know the clock would only work when the net is connected, but it would be nice to have. A timer would be useful too...Beep beep, have I already been reading an hour? How time flies...


It does have a clock - it just isn't displayed all the time. For the K2 it displays at the top when you push the "Menu" button, I believe it's the same for the K3, but if not someone will correct me! 

No timer, though - I've been known to use the timer app on my phone when it was "urgent" that I stop reading at a certain time (or I was afraid I'd fall asleep  ).


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## Dr. Laurence Brown (Jun 23, 2011)

As much as America seems to want more for their money, I'm perfectly content using my ereader for just that - reading. You start adding too many things to it and it becomes distracting.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Meemo said:


> Very true. I have an iPad - love it. But I don't carry it around with me. I'll take it on a two-week trip I'm taking next month, but I wouldn't even bother taking it to visit my in-laws for a weekend since they don't have wifi at their house and my iPad's wifi only.
> 
> I've almost always got one of my readers with me when I'm out & about - either my Kindle or my Sony 300 (which is the most portable).


I don't carry my iPad around when I'm out and about running errands etc. But I do take it to the office most days as I have it loaded with PDFs of scholarly journal articles etc. I take it to Starbucks down the street when I want to get out of the condo for a while etc.

My Kindle never gets carried around as I'm not that avid a reader--really only read at night before sleeping usually. So it only leaves the house when I'm going out of town.

iPad is a mixed bag for out of town travel. If it's a 100% vacation and I'm not doing any work, then I'll take my iPad and Kindle with me like I did on my last trip. If it's a business trip, or a personal trip where I still need to work some, then I'll leave the iPad at home and take my Laptop and my Kindle as the iPad can't fit my work needs as I need a full PC with several different software packages.


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## ak_popsicle (Dec 4, 2008)

My Kindle is for reading. Not web browsing, playing games, email, etc. I have an Ipad and a laptop for that. I have no interest in a "color ereader" because the Eink screen and light weight are what draw me to my Kindle.

I'm female and 31 and I've had Kindles since shortly after K1 was released.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

There are book junkies and gadget junkies. I'm a book junkie. A friend of mine has his Sony e-reader, a huge hot laptop computer, his smart phone with a docking station so it becomes a netbook computer, and I'm sure other stuff.

There's nothing wrong with that. Just different types of people.

Me? All I want to do is read my books on my ereader. That's it.

Oh, there is a third category. A business associate asked me if people would think he was really cool if he had an e-reader. I told him to look cool he had to have an IPad. He thanked me quite sincerely and I felt terribly guilty.


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## SamIam (Mar 3, 2011)

Another vote here for a simple reader


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

patrickt said:


> There are book junkies and gadget junkies. I'm a book junkie. A friend of mine has his Sony e-reader, a huge hot laptop computer, his smart phone with a docking station so it becomes a netbook computer, and I'm sure other stuff.


I'd say anyone with an e-reader is at least a semi-book junkie.

Anyone who's only a gadget junkie would probably not read enough to need a dedicated reader and just get buy with e-book apps on their phones or tablets. 

I'm like you're friend. I've had a Kindle for ages as I wanted to get into e-books as I was tired of hassling with paper books I only read once. But I'm also into gadgets and have a laptop, iPad, soon a smart phone, video game consoles, nice home theater set up etc. 

In that vein though, I'm only a semi-book junkie. I don't really need a dedicated reader, I've just gotten used to e-ink and prefer it to reading on say my iPad--though I can read on that without any real eye problems etc. personally. So, as I've posted before, I'll eventually ditch the dedicated e-reader for a tablet that has both an LCD and an e-ink like mode. While I'm a gadget hound, I prefer having the fewest devices necessary to adequately do everything I need to reduce clutter.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Meemo said:


> It does have a clock - it just isn't displayed all the time. For the K2 it displays at the top when you push the "Menu" button, I believe it's the same for the K3, but if not someone will correct me!
> 
> No timer, though - I've been known to use the timer app on my phone when it was "urgent" that I stop reading at a certain time (or I was afraid I'd fall asleep  ).


Wow, I had no idea there was a clock! Seriously! A timer would still be nice, but that's a start.


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## CoffeeCat (Sep 13, 2010)

I'm happy with my K3 the way it is. The things that make me keep coming back to my Kindle to read (over my iPad2 or smartphone) are that the kindle is lightweight, the display is awesome and I prefer the buttons to turn pages. Whenever I use the iPad or my smartphone, the pages don't always turn when I flip the page no matter how I do it. 

As for the future of ereaders, I think there will always been the two extremes--strict ereaders and those that are more like tablets.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

I don't need another toy to play with to make my life fullfilling. I like having a simple, basic, easy-to-use, very portable, easy to read, ebook reader.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I'd hope none of us by tablets and other gadgets to make our lives more fulfilling.

We buy them as they serve some function for us.  Be it a Kindle to read, or a tablet to use as a portable internet device, newspaper reader etc.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Personally, I feel the Kindle has everything I want.  However, I was recently having a discussion with my 90-year-old grandmother and I wondered about this.  I wondered if she would prefer something like the Kobo or a reader that comes pre-loaded with a bunch of books.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

balaspa said:


> Personally, I feel the Kindle has everything I want. However, I was recently having a discussion with my 90-year-old grandmother and I wondered about this. I wondered if she would prefer something like the Kobo or a reader that comes pre-loaded with a bunch of books.


If they're books she wants to read, that'd be nice. But those books they pre-download can be put on any reader free because they're public domain books. So they could theoretically be pre-loaded to a Kindle as well, even if you aren't nearby and have it sent to her. If she were on your account it would be very simple. If she has her own account I believe you could still gift them to her. Or if she lives nearby you could just help her choose and get them to her Kindle, depending on how adept she is with technology. Personally I'm not wild about the pre-loaded books, there are a few on my Literati (which is "powered by Kobo") that I'm interested in, but there are 40 pre-loaded books in my library that I'm not particularly interested in reading.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

mooshie78 said:


> .....snip.....
> 
> I could see them going away eventually once older generations have died off and the world--at least first world countries--are full of tech savvy poeple who have grown up being connected to the internet at all times. The niche for simple, single purpose ereaders may be to small to sustain a market at that time. But that's a good ways off.


Very good points; I agree. Although I use my K2 for reading, I can see that a multifunction device would be more practical for traveling than hauling a Kindle, cell phone, and netbook around like I do now. However since I already have these, I'm too cheap to buy a multifunction tablet right now .


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

My daughter and her family were her for the past week. They had an iPad. The entire week they played angry birds on it, checked email a couple of times and, I think, checked on their return flight. That was it. Nothing I want to spend that much money on. I'll just stick with my Kindle, thanks. Others mileage may vary.


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## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

I almost got the Kobo but I had decided on a Kindle for a while. I just want it to be an ereader. I love the e Ink, the fact that I can read it in sunlight and that it's bigger than my ipod touch (which I was using as an ereader before I bought it) but not so big that it can't fit into my purse. My Kindle is perfect and it was affordable. if I want to surf and do other things I have a laptop, an ipod and a desktop for that.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I like the relative simplicity of my K3. Of course it has features I rarely or never use, but they are not in my way when I don't want them to be. I really can't see me purchasing a tablet anytime soon. I just don't see the need for a tablet, but honestly I've not spent that much time looking into them. Besides, I've already got a PC, a Mac, two PC laptops and my K3, so how much more tech stuff do I need? ;-)


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## Todd Young (May 2, 2011)

The value of an ereader is in the e-ink screen. When a tablet has an e-ink screen, it might tempt me.


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## gregoryblackman (Jul 11, 2011)

We sell a cheap eReader at my store, the Hipstreet eReader for 99 bucks.  It's simple, cheap and we get a lot of returns.  Actually I find the Kindle to be one of the best prices around.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Todd Young said:


> The value of an ereader is in the e-ink screen. When a tablet has an e-ink screen, it might tempt me.


The closest we'll get to a tablet with an e-ink screen is something like the Kindle DX.

What we'll get on tablets eventually are screens like Mirasol that do LCD and an e-ink like non-back like mode. I have a hard time seeing e-ink technology, given the nature of it, being able to do color and video as well as LCD, and that's necessary for most of the things I and others do on a tablet. So I think e-ink will mostly remain on dedicated reader devices, while tablets will get dual mode screens so they can keep their current LCD advantages for non-reading tasks, and have a screen that's better for reading than traditional LCD--but probably not quite as good as e-ink in terms of contrast etc.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

mooshie78 said:


> The closest we'll get to a tablet with an e-ink screen is something like the Kindle DX.
> 
> What we'll get on tablets eventually are screens like Mirasol that do LCD and an e-ink like non-back like mode. I have a hard time seeing e-ink technology, given the nature of it, being able to do color and video as well as LCD, and that's necessary for most of the things I and others do on a tablet. So I think e-ink will mostly remain on dedicated reader devices, while tablets will get dual mode screens so they can keep their current LCD advantages for non-reading tasks, and have a screen that's better for reading than traditional LCD--but probably not quite as good as e-ink in terms of contrast etc.


What about a device that had two modes and could switch between them? Is it technically impossible?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Tara Maya said:


> What about a device that had two modes and could switch between them? Is it technically impossible?


Rumor has it there are companies working on this. The other question, of course, is can it be made affordable. Think about it: if a tablet costs $500 and an e-reader costs $140. . . .people are not likely to spend more than $640 for something that's supposed to be both -- but may not work as well for either purpose.

There's a lot of buzz about an Amazon branded tablet in the fall. . . .I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with. . . . .


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Tara Maya said:


> What about a device that had two modes and could switch between them? Is it technically impossible?


That's what I was talking about. Mirasol is a company that's working on such a screen. Pixel QI is another and they have a screen already out in some devices like the Notion Ink Adam--but it didn't review as it apparently didn't do either mode particularly well.

So it's just a matter of time for the tech to get their, and as Ann notes, for prices to fall so it's affordable as I figure the first screens to get it right will be very pricey initially.

But yes, that type of dual screen device is exactly what I want. Then I can have a tablet with a great HD screen for all the multimedia stuff, net surfing etc. I do on my iPad, and a great non-back lit screen mode for reading. Then I can get by with just a tablet and not need a separate dedicated reader device.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Even if they can solve the affordability problem, I'm not sure such a thing would still be practical for every day reading.  The Kindle is much lighter than any tablet device and small enough to be completely portable.  So I think those are two important considerations as well.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Even if they can solve the affordability problem, I'm not sure such a thing would still be practical for every day reading. The Kindle is much lighter than any tablet device and small enough to be completely portable. So I think those are two important considerations as well.


I can afford a tablet right now, but don't want one for the reasons Ann sez.

@Ann...Got a tenor uke a few weeks ago- Lanikai w/spruce top and lower G string. Also have a Concert uke on order. Oh so much easier than the guitar. Mega fun!


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Even if they can solve the affordability problem, I'm not sure such a thing would still be practical for every day reading. The Kindle is much lighter than any tablet device and small enough to be completely portable. So I think those are two important considerations as well.


Absolutely.

For me, I don't do much reading outside of the home and don't mine the size and weight of the iPad. So it's moot for me.

But those are definitely considerations for people who take their e-reader everywhere, or those with arthritis and other problems who can't handle the weight (or those just bothered by tablets weight in general).

A tablet with a dual mode screen just makes more sense for me as I'm not the super avid reader like most on here. It's just one of my many hobbies, rather than my sole (or even main) hobby. For most of you guys and gals, I realize a portable, dedicated reader will probably always be better fit.


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