If you use a Kindle, Nook, etc., what advantage do you think it has over old-timey books?

[raccoon]

Other than being more portable.

[RevStPatrick]

1. You can buy books in your pajamas at 3am.

You don't have to go to the bookstore.
Although I still enjoy doing that.

But really, what advantage do you need other than portability?
I'm carrying around dozens of books with me at this very moment.
And, they were cheaper!

[riderinthestorm]

4. +1 agreed on all points nt

[Arkansas Granny]

2. It's more comfortable to hold, IMO. You don't have to hold it open to keep the pages from

flipping while you're trying to read.

[raccoon]

6. I hadn't thought of that. Would've been nice when I had severe tendinitis in my arms. nt

[OriginalGeek]

3. Yep, having a bunch of books available is nice.

And there's a whole library/store/cloud full of more if I get a whim to read something else.

I have the Kindle Touch which has the e-paper so I can read it in bright sunlight or where ever else. I don't need color and games and stuff because I have a phone for all that. It really really is much easier on my eyes for extended reading.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. It's easier to dust and store for one thing.

I own literally hundreds (thousands?) of print books, and I still buy certain things in the print form as well as on my e-reader. However, I adore using my e-reader for specific types of reading material. Usually the stuff I would end up putting out in a yard sale in the free box later on.

Also, I can put all my e-reader books in collections for ease of use. If I'm in the middle of a series and I don't recall what may have taken place in book 2 I can scan through it and brush up on the fly. No matter where I may be without having to wait until im home, hunt down the bin with that series and then dig out the book like I used to do.

Oh, and I get my books delivered to me at 12 AM the day of their release. That's pretty sweet, too!

[riderinthestorm]

10. I've never dusted my books....

And I own at least as many as you. I've never even given it a thought. I'm such a terrible housekeeper...

again.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Notice I didn't say mine were dusted.

Just that my e-reader was easier to dust.

I almost mentioned the lack of sneezing fits when I'm looking for a book as an e-reader perk, but changed it up a bit so as not to expose my dust bunnies to ridicule.

[ananda]

7. It saves space.

I have all my ebooks on my iPad from Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.

It's great!

[graywarrior]

8. I can find it

I always misplace my books or leave them somewhere. Never forget where my Kindle is.

[Graybeard]

9. Can enlarge font size.

For those of us with some vision problems this is a boon.

My difficulty reading small print is simply due to age but those with more severe problems can now put away the cumbersome magnifiers and read in comfort. And no more hoping that a LARGE PRINT EDITION is available in your choice of book.

[pipi_k]

11. A few...

Approximately 900 books in my Amazon cloud I can access any time I want. If one is corrupted or if I lose all of the books on my Kindle, it's easy to get them all back.

Like someone else said...adjust the font size.

I have a Kindle Fire and I like being able to access the music on my Amazon cloud with it.

Backlit so I don't need a flashlight or whatever to read at night. Adjustable brightness controls too.

Oh, and I can watch movies on it.

Get magazine subscriptions if I want.

Best electronic gadget I ever bought.

[talkingmime]

12. Only one. When the battery needs to be recharged, it's time for bed.

With a paper book you can read all night and all day and on the head and, well, you get the point.

[hack89]

13. Can read in any kind of ambient light. nt

[hack89]

14. Adjustable fonts are easier on old, tired eyes

especially in poor lighting.

[Still Blue in PDX]

22. That's just what I was going to say.

After having near perfect vision my entire life I've found reading glasses awkward and uncomfortable.

[pokerfan]

15. Long list

This turned out longer than I thought it would but once I started I kept thinking of other advantages.

• Holds many, many books. Mine is currently holding well over a hundred books, thirteen of which I'm currently reading. The electronic bookmark makes it very easy to move between books.

• I have a first aid manual with me at all times.

• I have the World Factbook with me at all times.

• Saves a tree, buy an ebook.

• Instant gratification. Forget overnighting from Amazon. You can buy a book and be reading it seconds later.

• There are also tens of thousands of public domain books that can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg and other sources for free.

• Hyperlinks! Many ebooks have hyperlinked table of contents and indexes so with one click you are transported to the specific passage you're looking for.

• You can also search for specific words or phrases and instantly jump to the location.

• Not only do you not have to hold the book open, every page is completely flat. No words disappearing into the crease of the book.

• It's lightweight and if I fall asleep, I never lose my place.

• Many ereaders have a built-in dictionaries although mine does not. When you run across an unfamiliar word, just click on it to get a definition.

• You can make the text as large or as small as you want. I normally read at one font larger that nominal but on the bus I can bump it up another notch to compensate for the movement/shaking of the bus.

• If you are vision impaired, there are ebooks that will read to you.

• Many ereaders have lighted screens (mine does not) for reading in the dark, perhaps so you don't disturb a sleeping partner.

I'm sure I will think of more. I love my ereader:



No back-light, but also no back-light to drain the batteries. No wireless, but that's also another potential battery hog. No touchscreen but I didn't want fingerprints on my screen anyway.

[Dr. Strange]

17. An excellent list.

I love the fact that I can take over a hundred books with me on vacation.

[pokerfan]

21. Yeah, granted I can always read my cell phone

and surf the internet if it's available but the ereader is so much easier on the eyes. My Sony has an SD card slot so it could hold much more if I wanted. A 16 GB card could probably hold ten thousand books, about 20% of Gutenberg.



I also download long Wikipedia articles that I want to read off-line. I download them in ePub format via Book Creator and copy them to the Sony. You can use the Book Creator to assemble massive volumes complete with working hyperlinks. It will even suggest pages (based on links) to add to your book.

[Phentex]

23. larger font and dictionary are my faves, too.

Good list!

[tabbycat31]

16. portability is huge for me (especially when I travel a lot for work)

When you are traveling (especially for months on end as I do for work), it's a lot easier than bringing a suitcase full of books with you.

I'm also trying to declutter, and the lack of clutter is huge. I can get a book and it does not take up space.

It's also lighter than a book and I tend to like reading on my Kindle Fire more than a paper book. However, I do a lot of reading of paper books (library books) when I am home.

[rrneck]

19. Easy to prop up to read with no hands.

Readable in low light.

Built in dictionary.

Can upload passages to social media.

But the biggest advantage is portability.

[nolabear]

20. No one can tell what I'm reading.

I'd never have been caught dead with Fifty Shades of Grey, not because I'm shy but because I knew it was horribly written but curiosity got to me.

[union_maid]

24. Just about all of those

The instant gratification is the best for me. I feel like reading something I don't have and I can have it, usually at little or no cost, in seconds. That's a nice thing.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. I can whip out my phone and read a book on my Kindle app whenever I have some downtime

plus I can take a whole bunch of books along on those long plane rides to Japan, along with TV shows and games on the same iPad.

[Prism]

26. Read anywhere, at any time

I use a kindle app on my phone and am often reading while standing in lines or if there's a bit of downtime at work.

With my kindle fire, I can read in bed without disturbing my partner. No lamp or constant flthhhh sounds from turning pages to keep him awake.

Lots of instant, easy access to free books and classic literature. Pick any great literary work in the public domain, and it's yours.

Handy, that.

[KatyaR]

27. So many, many reasons.

I have a rooted Nook Color and, while I do use it as a tablet, I mostly use it for books. I LOVE it.
Reasons:

1) instant gratification--if I want a book in the middle of the night, I can get it, no problem.
2) enlarged type--I have really bad eyesight, so being able to increase font size is a huge plus.
3) different background colors--I read a lot when I go to bed. I'm able to change the background of my books to black and use red type--much easier on the eyes, and I can read in the dark.
4) easy to hold--I can balance it on one hand, very comfy.
5) your library goes with you--you have a big library and bookstore in your pocket!
6) magazines--I like having magazines on my Nook. It's not always the most satisfying read, but it's better than carrying a bunch of magazines around.

I use Calibre to manage my ebooks and pdfs, and Aldiko to read most of my books--it's a great reader. I also have Nook and Kindle apps as well, and I like them, too.

I was a voracious reader when I was a kid, and having an e-reader has gotten me back into reading in a big way. I wish I'd had one of these when I was young--I would have never stopped reading!

Still love "real" books, but I love my Nook, too.