I have to admit that e-Readers are a little tempting. Relatively small and light weight, I can carry an entire library in one book size gadget, promise to not hurt the eyes like reading on the computer, instantly download from the e-cloud. They are just a little more expensive than I would spend on a “gadget”. And here’s why…
For how long will I be able to read what I want on that gadget?
Think about music. I had a child’s wind up Victrola that still worked. It played 78’s. Haven’t been able to get new records for it since I don’t know when. I certainly didn’t listen to the Monkees or Joni Mitchell on it. Those 45’s and 33 1/3’s were played on my brother’s HiFi. Then there were all those 8 tracks. When I married, my husband had a very good system for playing them. Later I was always going to by the insert so we could play the smaller cassettes. Didn’t happen but I do have several boxes of cassettes, not including the ones that went into yard sales over the years. Then CD’s. I didn’t buy many of those. Too expensive and by the time I got around to thinking of buying them, the next generation was rising on the horizon. I do have an iPod. It’s already out of date but so far I can still use it.
Think about music. I had a child’s wind up Victrola that still worked. It played 78’s. Haven’t been able to get new records for it since I don’t know when. I certainly didn’t listen to the Monkees or Joni Mitchell on it. Those 45’s and 33 1/3’s were played on my brother’s HiFi. Then there were all those 8 tracks. When I married, my husband had a very good system for playing them. Later I was always going to by the insert so we could play the smaller cassettes. Didn’t happen but I do have several boxes of cassettes, not including the ones that went into yard sales over the years. Then CD’s. I didn’t buy many of those. Too expensive and by the time I got around to thinking of buying them, the next generation was rising on the horizon. I do have an iPod. It’s already out of date but so far I can still use it.
One thing that electronics have shown me is that from music to movies, computers to cameras, my device will become outdated and unsupported before it becomes unusable. Planned obsolescence.
As long as I can see well enough to read…..
I’ll stick with a book. 
Long ago the entertainment industry decided they didn’t want to do as much talent development or take chances like they had to in the 60s. So they figured out if they keep changing the tech they can resell what they’ve already sold over and over. Then they added to this obvious scam by fighting accessibility by demanding the gov tax advancements and then give those taxes back to the industry.
As a former member of Nashville Songwriters Association I remember the industry trying to get us to write letters and protest: hoping to get taxes on cassette recorders because it would “bankrupt the poor songwriters.” Of course it didn’t. The industry just wanted to live off the public tax-payola-dole.
I investigated that question and collected a variety of information about the formats used to encode and encrypt the eBooks. What I eventually ended up with was: ePub format, with Barnes & Noble encryption. ePubs can be read by a variety of free and Open Source software such as Stanza or Calibre, and can be translated into a number of different formats. Barnes & Noble encryption encrypts the ePubs using your name and credit card number, allowing it to read it on any device that supports B&N encryption by supplying the name and credit card number that you used to buy the ePub. That is, if your current eBook reader wears out and is discarded, just buy a new one, install your eBooks on it using Calibre, type in your name and credit card number, and you’re good to go again. (There is also software to completely decrypt the ePub so you can translate it into another unencrypted format in case B&N format is no longer officially supported at some point in the future, but that software is illegal to use or distribute here in the Land of the “Free”… still, I have it 😉 ).
So anyhow, that is why I own a Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader now. It was either that, or buy more book-cases, and I already have enough book-cases.
– Badtux the Book-swamped Penguin
Four times a year, the local public library sells off its used books, both paperbacks and hard cover at very low prices. While there are some clunkers, for the price of one of these Kindle machines you can buy a couple of shopping bags of books and no batteries, further purchases or other muss and fuss is required. I do a lot of reading online and that’s fine, but for enjoyment I’d rather read a paper book, hopefully made from recycled paper. Besides, I can get a good copy of ‘1984’ this way (I have several), or any other book, since the library doesn’t feel the need to censor their resales.
Badtux, I know whereof you speak — I donate my used books to a local charity, although it can be tough to part with some, but I have limited bookcase space, as well.