5 ms·

the cheapest Fire tablet is down to about $50, which isn't all that much more than a single hardback book Yes, but the Fire tablet does not come with any books

by untog 11y ago

the cheapest Fire tablet is down to about $50, which isn't all that much more than a single hardback book Yes, but the Fire tablet does not come with any books. You still have to pay at least 1/5 of the price of the tablet just for an eBook.

coldtea 11y ago
That's beside the point, since if the Fire dies, you still have the books you bought on your account, whereas if your hardback book is soaked, it's gone for good.
- Turing_Machine 11y ago
  Yes. Same thing if your house catches on fire. Your paper library is just going to be gone, while your Kindle books will still be there safe and sound.
Turing_Machine 11y ago
"You still have to pay at least 1/5 of the price of the tablet just for an eBook." No, you don't. http://www.gutenberg.org/ http://www.gutenberg.org/
- isolate 11y ago
  It's also easy to get copyrighted ebooks for no money. You can even go through the exercise of borrowing them from libraries if your moral principles would be compromised.
  - copperx 11y ago
    Funny that you say that. These last days I've been contemplating either: * Getting a 9.6" or larger tablet for reading "free" technical ebooks (in PDF -- I can't stand the formatting of eBooks for technical stuff). versus * Buying used copies of the physical books themselves. So, based on the recommendation of a HN reader, I bought an old Nook HD+ (9" screen with 250+ ppi) and I tried yesterday. The definition is OK for reading PDFs, but the interface of the PDF reading apps is atrocious. I'm giving the Nook to someone else and I'm spending $300+ on used copies of the technical books I want to read (mostly programming / reference manuals). eBooks for technical reference are atrocious in several counts, first of all: typography (it's very common to find an orphan heading at the end of the page with the paragraph on the next page. This drives me nuts). Next, equations and diagrams. Terrible. Lastly, navigation. To be satisfied, I estimate I need a 12"+ screen with around 300ppi. I think the iPad Pro can deliver this, but it's a rather expensive proposition.
    - isolate 11y ago
      Hey, thanks for the report. I've been contemplating ditching my technical books for a while but never looked into it. I'm hoping I can tolerate them on an iPad mini at 326ppi, will definitely look into PDFs.

by untog 11y ago

coldtea 11y ago

That's beside the point, since if the Fire dies, you still have the books you bought on your account, whereas if your hardback book is soaked, it's gone for good.

Turing_Machine 11y ago
Yes. Same thing if your house catches on fire. Your paper library is just going to be gone, while your Kindle books will still be there safe and sound.

Turing_Machine 11y ago

"You still have to pay at least 1/5 of the price of the tablet just for an eBook." No, you don't. http://www.gutenberg.org/ http://www.gutenberg.org/

isolate 11y ago
It's also easy to get copyrighted ebooks for no money. You can even go through the exercise of borrowing them from libraries if your moral principles would be compromised.
- copperx 11y ago
  Funny that you say that. These last days I've been contemplating either: * Getting a 9.6" or larger tablet for reading "free" technical ebooks (in PDF -- I can't stand the formatting of eBooks for technical stuff). versus * Buying used copies of the physical books themselves. So, based on the recommendation of a HN reader, I bought an old Nook HD+ (9" screen with 250+ ppi) and I tried yesterday. The definition is OK for reading PDFs, but the interface of the PDF reading apps is atrocious. I'm giving the Nook to someone else and I'm spending $300+ on used copies of the technical books I want to read (mostly programming / reference manuals). eBooks for technical reference are atrocious in several counts, first of all: typography (it's very common to find an orphan heading at the end of the page with the paragraph on the next page. This drives me nuts). Next, equations and diagrams. Terrible. Lastly, navigation. To be satisfied, I estimate I need a 12"+ screen with around 300ppi. I think the iPad Pro can deliver this, but it's a rather expensive proposition.
  - isolate 11y ago
    Hey, thanks for the report. I've been contemplating ditching my technical books for a while but never looked into it. I'm hoping I can tolerate them on an iPad mini at 326ppi, will definitely look into PDFs.