Other than their locked-down format support, Kindles are great, yeah. 
Aemon Send a noteboard - 22/04/2011 05:41:31 PM
Aemon Send a noteboard - 22/04/2011 05:41:31 PM
From a writing/illustrating standpoint, they are also really exciting. A regular person can easily distribute an e-book through Amazon since there are so few production costs. I did some tinkering with illustrations and such for the Christmas Kindle, and that was very promising too (just waiting for color now).
Yeah, I love that ebooks are removing the barrier to entry for the average writer. Books are not like movies/music/tv; they don't require professional equipment and budgets to produce. If we lose the traditional publishing business but gain access to all of the good writers who never managed to find a publisher, I'll consider it a win. Oh, also, color e-ink devices are here now. They're still in the early-adopter phase, but they exist. It won't be long before the prices become realistic.
When we do get a Kindle, the books I buy will probably be for it... but I still rely on the library for most of my reading material, and I doubt that will change. I wonder how ebook libraries are going to work (it's a matter of how and when, not if).
Did you see the post below about Amazon's library lending service? It's not really even a matter of "when" anymore.
Anyway, plenty of enthusiasm here. I love physical books as well, though. It's just that they are a special occasion thing for me, much like cooking a whole meal from scratch or writing a letter by hand.
They aren't any less beautiful because they are becoming rarer, and I doubt they will ever disappear entirely.
I. . .mostly agree with that. I think that the average book will, in fact, become less beautiful/desirable as ebooks take charge of the market. I've said this elsewhere, but I'll repeat it here: I don't believe there's anything inherently enjoyable about the feel of a stack of paper, or the smell of glue, it's just that we've come to associate those sensory perceptions with an activity we enjoy. So, in that sense, I do think that people will begin to find physical books less desirable.
On the other hand, I think that NICE books (leather-bound tomes, collector's editions, personalized-by-author stuff, etc) will probably remain popular as decorative items, tasteful gifts and so on. I think we'll probably see physical books become more of a collector/hobbyist/enthusiast purchase, rather than the go-to medium for a good rainy-weekend story.
Anyway, thanks for the response. I'm always happy to see people embracing "new" tech.
I hate to come back to that now-ubiquitous point of contention. . .
- 21/04/2011 08:53:52 AM
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It costs a little over £6 at abebooks
- 21/04/2011 10:21:29 AM
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Why is it figuring pounds if it's from a seller in New Mexico?
- 21/04/2011 11:12:05 AM
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Because I use the British site
- 21/04/2011 11:33:50 AM
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That's where I found my hardcover edition of Là-bas by Huysmans.
- 21/04/2011 07:31:38 PM
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I'm looking for this book.
- 23/04/2011 05:14:41 AM
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Eh, I've been doing a bunch of ebook evangelizing, so what's one more post.
- 21/04/2011 07:45:56 PM
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- 21/04/2011 07:45:56 PM
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You can save even more by not buying e-readers or books.
- 22/04/2011 01:37:38 AM
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I love being limited in my reading selection!
- 22/04/2011 02:47:36 AM
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- 22/04/2011 02:47:36 AM
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I haven't been to a library in a long time, but the thing that used to irk me about them. . .
- 22/04/2011 03:49:56 AM
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No joke, dude. I've been going to the Uni library here a lot in the last year or two.
- 22/04/2011 07:30:53 AM
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I love Kindles.
- 22/04/2011 05:12:29 PM
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Other than their locked-down format support, Kindles are great, yeah.
- 22/04/2011 05:41:31 PM
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- 22/04/2011 05:41:31 PM
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By the way. . .
- 21/04/2011 10:45:47 PM
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I felt the same way. . .
- 22/04/2011 09:20:29 PM
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