Cinnamon Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I really fancy one of these & I suspect it will make an appearance on my Christmas list this year Its basically an i-pod for books.You can store hundereds on one reader & it is lit to read exactly like a book,so you can still see it in bright sunshine. Perfect for me & my holidays,when I have often taken an extra bag just to fit all my books in! http://www.sony.co.uk/product/rd-reader-ebook/prs-505 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 oooh, yes! adding it to my birthday present list right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Apparantly you download the books from waterstones.com, but i can't find where on the site they are The reader isn't launched until September,but I would love to see what books are available for it forst! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I've had one for over a year now (bought from USA) and I love love love love love it. It's been a slight trial, as there wasn't a UK based ebookstore, only a US one, which I couldn't use, but there were a few other ebook stores which sold compatible formats (RTFs, non-encrypted PDFs) and so I've been doing ok. Am VERY excited about the new Waterstone's ebook store (opening in September ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Wow . Never heard of that - sounds amazing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 There was a discussion on radio 4 in the last fortnight. One issue was that you can't see how many pages there are left in the chapter as the numbering depends on the size of text. It's used by a lot of editors who get sent a lot of books. There's a US make that isn't going to launch in the UK that I heard was a little better. Want to watch and see how good it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 There is the Amazon Kundle - I suspect Amazon could be cheaper on the e-books than Waterstones. Certainly for regular books I find them generally cheaper! Only thing I ever buy in Waterstones is overpriced coffee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Oh, wow, that sounds like a brilliant idea...I definitely want one . Books over here are very expensive, but an e-book I could buy from anywhere (I hope). And if Waterstones are starting that I'm pretty certain that Amazon won't be lagging too far behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 19, 2008 Author Share Posted August 19, 2008 There is the Amazon Kundle - I suspect Amazon could be cheaper on the e-books than Waterstones. Certainly for regular books I find them generally cheaper! Only thing I ever buy in Waterstones is overpriced coffee! Its an Amazon KIMBLE And its not going to be available here The Sony one that I fancy is launched here early next month & will be an updated second version of the Sony available in the US There was a very good review of the 3 most popular ones on The Gadget Show recently.......here is an abridged version. http://gadgetshow.five.tv/jsp/5gsmain.jsp?lnk=401&featureid=873&show=s9e7§ion=Consumer It doesn't say it here,but the Sony came out way on top of all the others,& seems to be the cheapest too! More info on the Sony one here too ............ http://gadgetshow.five.tv/jsp/5gsmain.jsp?lnk=101&id=972 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 (edited) We had a demo of the Borders version the other week - it was really good to read from (good screen and logical controls) and could take lots of different formats, but it was a bit pricey. Borders have just opened their website which I think you can download from too. - Just had a look at the link in Cinamon's entry - the one I saw was the iLiad Reader. Part of me likes the idea of them (I like gadgets), but I love the whole thing about books - the feel, the smell etc etc Edited August 19, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Doh - the Kundle was another device that I looked at which did something else! Still wary about Waterstones though. Mum travels a lot but usually on cruises so weight isn't an issue and there is a handy library on board. Of course we are off to Disney for Xmas and I@ve already told her she can take one VERY SMALL suitcase (I shall be filling the others with shoes and handbags!). Might be something Santa could bring though - mind you it would burn to pay a UK price for something I gave in the US..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 19, 2008 Author Share Posted August 19, 2008 Well, I am hanging on until I have seen the Waterstones e library,as there are some books I just HAVE to have on it - classics (in my mind) which I will read over & over. I am certain some software will turn up which will allow you to download from other sites soon,& convert them it won't stop me buying or owning books - no way. But will be a convenient way of transporting them for when I go on holiday. I suspect most of what I have on there I will also own in paper form too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 If you want an idea of the books they will have, I'd look at the sony connect ebookstore http://ebookstore.sony.com/ Unless you have a credit card registered in America, you can't buy anything from it (sigh) but I imagine Waterstones will have the same sort of catalogue. Personally, I thought the Amazon device looked ugly and clunky, but then I probably am biased by how much I adore my eReader.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 OK the prices on there have put me right off! I know they were in dollars but $18 for an e-book? Thats the price of a hardback surely? There must be some market protection going on there with the pricing. I guess they also have to protect themselves from the problems the music industry has due to illegal downloading. I mean I know how bad that is - I teach teenagers most of whom have no concept of actually PAYING for music. I can see a great gadget here with a limited market due to cost restrictions. If you were going to have the opportunity to use it really frequently it would be worthwhile. Although I suppose there are people who regularly go and buy books at full price but I'm not one of them! I'll stick to buying them at the boot sale because thats cheaper than getting them from the library (the fines are HUGE and I have a terrible memory!). I would like to borrow one and have a play with it though. Actually I'm spotting a market as I type. Buy one and rent it out to people who are going on holiday - they can download their books (and pay themselves!) or choose from the titles already paid for by previous customers. £100 deposit and £10 a week anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 19, 2008 Author Share Posted August 19, 2008 Hmmmm - you may just be onto something there Pengy Thanks for that link Aunty e - it appears they have none of the books I would really want to download....................... EDIT -They have got 'Memoirs of a Geisha' & 'The DaVinci Code',but none of the Harry Potters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 New hardbacks tend to be quite expensive in ebook format, but they often bundle series for not very much money. I buy a lot of my books from a fabulous sci-fi publishing house (because I am a geek) and they cost around five dollars, unless I'm buying an advance reader copy (BEST THING EVER), which tends to be a little more expensive. I've found ebooks super cheap - lots of other ebook stores do unencrypted PDFs and RTFs. Worth a look at those to see if they are cheaper for the books you might want. Also, the connect ebook store isn't very user friendly - I found it slow, and tricky to navigate unless you knew exactly which book you wanted. Personally, I like browsing, so I prefer my ebook store to allow me to do that. Just me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Has anyone bought one of these since they have become more widely available? They seem like a good idea when travelling (but a bit pricy). I was just looking at the Waterstones web site - the e-book section seems a bit leaden to navigate (but I don't normally use their web site so maybe it's my fault). And I can't see any e-books on Amazon, which is where I buy most of my books. One feedback comment on Amazon is that you don't seem to get the special offers that you do on regular books. Is this the case or is it just a matter of finding the right stockist? And finally - how long does it take to download a book? Our broadband isn't very fast...... Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 I hav decided against for the moment, as I found the choice on Waterstones very limited There are no downloads available on Amazon in the UK yet, only in the US for their version of the e reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiepoppies Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I have put in a pre-order to WH Smiths who are launching the Sony tomorrow Xmas pressie for DD....Shhhh.....she' s a sometimes Omleteer Hoping WHS will provide a wide range of titles, (well they say they're going to ). Wish me luck Jackiex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I was wanting to get one to take on holiday - an easy way to take a selection of books without excess weight. But only one person can use it at a time - not sure what the other person would do! Even if we could afford one, it would be a bit excessive to have to get two Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I just got a free bid on Auction Air so I bid on one of these again.. I still have half a mind to get a rental business going from them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Out of my price range for a present. I only read books once usually so if i had to pay alot for the books it wouldn't be worth it, though they look fun. I'd rent one though! now while i was floating in the sea in Corfu in November on my rubber tyre i was hoping someone could design a waterproof book because i get bored if i can't read while chilling lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 I would want it to keep all my most favourite books - ones I read over & over, but none of them seem to be available on download. Shame, because I am a gadgety girl & a big reader, so this seems ideal for me in every other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
