Speaker Geeks! discussion

hmmm i would say ebooks, since they r digital, so many of them can be stored in a kindle, phone, etc...


PLUS!!! they r freeeeeeee (well some of them are!) and well i can more free ebook easily than i can get free books. i thnk its been ages since i have read an actual tangible novel; a book which is not in ebook format.

I like ebooks more and more. I have over 80 on my Kindle for PC and I've only paid for a few of them thanks to Amazon having a lot of free books.
Then again, most books would be free to me anyway since I just go to the library rather than a bookstore. But Amazon does have a wider selection and newer books.

I like to hold books more they have a natural feel to them. Also you get the new book smell which is AMAZING or even the old book smell which is also nice. They fill bookshelves with gubins other than CD's and DVD's.

The one thing I like about ebooks is that they are cheaper, you don't have to wait for them to come out in paperback and they are practical.

I don't have a Kindle, so I have no experience with them, but considering that they'd all be in one place and very light, I would probably like them. However, I like the smell of real books and actually turning the pages.

Ebooks are incredibly convenient. I often have ebooks downloaded on my eReader or my iPod or something along those lines so I have my books available at the touch of my fingers, as well as the fact that they are much more affordable. However, nothing will replace that feeling of getting to hold a new book and flip through the pages.

Ebooks are great. But actual books... I just can't describe it.

You can't hug an ebook. You can't hold it and dance around the room (I might or might not do that). You can't line them up and complain how you don't have enough space to store them. You don't get that satisfactory noise when you turn the page as you wait your beloved character's fate. And someone has mentioned this before: new books smell sooo good.

There's nothing better than ordering 19 books for the summer, excitingly biking over to the library to pick them up, then having to manage to fit them all in your bag to take them home, if you ask me.

If you just use the library like I do 90% of the time, there is cost in ebooks since you have to buy an ereader. But if you buy books regularly, ebooks are much cheaper than print books. The affordability is arguable from both points.

Ebooks but i loved buying my favorite books :D

Will e-book readers kill hardcopy books?

Upon reflection, I came up with a few main points. First, computers didn't end pen and paper or hand writing, but they certainly affected them. Second, this reminds me of the fountain pen vs. ballpoint pen debate. Ballpoint pens have replaced fountain pens for most people, but some still use fountain pens. Their reasons sound very much like the same reasons people still read books, i.e. the feel of a fountain pen in your hand is more satisfying than a ballpoint pen. In the same way the feel of a book in your hand is just better than reading it on a screen. Third, there are parallels with the rise of electronic movie and music formats. Now, what format will e-books take? I used to think that they would be like CDs. One book loaded onto a disk that you pop into an e-reader. That would leave the book publishers in control of their books. But… now I don't think that is what's going to happen. Music evolved past CDs into purely online electronic formats with DRM, and I think that's the same way e-books will evolve. I think e-readers may take on characteristics of expensive books. They may be made of more expensive materials and made to mimic old books at first, then simply be made of expensive, non-plastic materials, such as wood and metal, to appeal to aesthetics.

In my opinion, not only are e-books here to stay, they will replace books in the same way that ballpoint pens replaced fountain pens. I think some people will still prefer hardcopy books just as they prefer fountain pens. However, e-readers have access to a huge library without the need for corresponding storage space. In the same way storage of newspapers was replaced by putting their contents on microfiche, most books will be replaced by e-books. I love that e-books can now be self published as easily as music can. Just put it up online and anyone can enjoy it. If you want to make money, slap some DRM onto it, or maybe don't even bother if you charge a price most people think is fair.

Another consideration is the content of books will tend to increase in importance as the book's cover is no longer an issue. The phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover." will become something you have to look up to find out why it's used. In the same way that "Going off half cocked" is a phrase we don't have any current experience with, you'll have to do some research to find out what that phrase means.

I would prefer reading on an e-reader; its multiple dictionary is the biggest plus for me. Project Gutenberg alone has so many classics ebooks in it for free distribution, enough for a lifetime.

Some people say books have a distinct scent that gives them ultimate satisfaction. Well I read on my Kindle while sniffing on a book.
Real books creates storage, transport etc problems. And few more. I buy some of the books though, If the book becomes my favorite I keep it otherwise donate it.