Jon Stewart + Jeff Bezos + Kindle 2

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
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Yeah he called him out on the exhorbitant $360 cost.

Why does an ebook reader need a 3G modem and phone service? Is downloading books anytime anyplace that important?
 

tm37

Lifer
Jan 24, 2001
12,436
1
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that was pretty funny

THe issue I hae with ebooks is I can not read them during takeoff and landing. I fly quite a bit and read on the plane.

However being able to buy books for $10 sounds really cool as does not lugging around big hardcover books.

That being said I am going to continue to buy regular books because the benifits do not outweigh the disadvantages
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,503
136
I wouldn't pay $10 for an ebook, unless it was a textbook that I needed for a class. I prefer to pay 2-3x as much and own a physical copy.
That said, I have read a lot of ebooks on PDAs I've owned, books I already own physical copies of or borrowed (digitally checked out) from the library.
I definitely wouldn't pay more than $100 for a Kindle or any other dedicated reader. I prefer to use laptops or PDAs, even if they have drawbacks compared to the Kindle - one device that is capable of a lot is more useful to me than a device that can pretty much only display books.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,503
136
Originally posted by: rivan
Hmmm, I've got $359 burning a hole in my pocket.

$359 or $359?


Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Or save $10 and get this. I got one Saturday for a friend. It's pretty sweet... might pick one up for msyelf when I some money.
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
There's no DRM (yet!) on a paperback, so you'll be able to read it 20 years from now if you (a) still have the book, and (b) still know how to read. 20 years from now when your Kindle2 no longer works, all that money you spent on ebooks will have been wasted because you couldn't xfer the format to anything else.
 

ggnl

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2004
5,095
1
0
I like collecting books. It's comforting to thumb through books I read 10-15 years ago and find passages that I like.
 

KLin

Lifer
Feb 29, 2000
30,505
791
126
Originally posted by: Kadarin
There's no DRM (yet!) on a paperback, so you'll be able to read it 20 years from now if you (a) still have the book, and (b) still know how to read. 20 years from now when your Kindle2 no longer works, all that money you spent on ebooks will have been wasted because you couldn't xfer the format to anything else.

20 years from now, we're going to have everything directly injected into our brains anyways(a la demolition man and the training programs). ;)
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
Pretty entertaining interview. I'm definitely not interested in a Kindle yet, but could see how people would be.
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
Originally posted by: ggnl
I like collecting books. It's comforting to thumb through books I read 10-15 years ago and find passages that I like.

I like not having a lot of shit in my apartment. I go through stages of getting rid of stuff, but I keep seeing my book collection as a future target. I'm kind of an anti pack-rat. If I wasn't married, I'd barely own anything.
 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
Originally posted by: rivan
Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Only because you've never tried reading a book on a e-paper display versus an LCD.

The eyestrain of reading an entire novel on an LCD just pains me to think about it.
 

ChrisIsBored

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
3,400
1
71
Originally posted by: rivan
Hmmm, I've got $359 burning a hole in my pocket.

$359 or $359?


Seems like a no-brainer to me.


Why not both?

If you actually tried reading much from a laptop, it's not that fun. Yeah articles and forums aren't much of an issue, but entire chapters can be very draining, and leave me feeling groggy and tired.

My Kindle is somewhere on a UPS truck right now, out for delivery. :)
 

JasonCoder

Golden Member
Feb 23, 2005
1,893
1
81
Originally posted by: ChrisIsBored
Originally posted by: rivan
Hmmm, I've got $359 burning a hole in my pocket.

$359 or $359?


Seems like a no-brainer to me.


Why not both?

If you actually tried reading much from a laptop, it's not that fun. Yeah articles and forums aren't much of an issue, but entire chapters can be very draining, and leave me feeling groggy and tired.

My Kindle is somewhere on a UPS truck right now, out for delivery. :)

I don't know. I hate uni-taskers. Pick up a good tablet PC or at the very least a notebook with a flip back screen and you're good to go.
 

ChrisIsBored

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2000
3,400
1
71
Originally posted by: JasonCoder
I don't know. I hate uni-taskers. Pick up a good tablet PC or at the very least a notebook with a flip back screen and you're good to go.

Once again, the eyestrain is a major factor. To each his own though.
 

Minjin

Platinum Member
Jan 18, 2003
2,208
1
81
Originally posted by: rivan
Hmmm, I've got $359 burning a hole in my pocket.

$359 or $359?
Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I think it's like comparing a cheap car like a Civic to a tractor. Sure, the Civic can do tons of different tasks. Use it for commuting. Use it for short errands. Use it for road trips. Haul stuff. And yes, you could possibly till your field with it, but it wouldn't do the job as well as something made for it.