Suddenly, Earth-Friendly E-Readers Are Everywhere 8

Obviously, this article is more advertising than hard news. But really, is it responsible to suggest we not buy paperbacks without also making note of the negative side of these e-readers?
1) They consume energy of some kind every time they are used, for as long as they exist.
2) As we saw recently with Kindle, purchased books can be "undelivered" to the buyer if the seller runs into copyright infringement challenges.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/18/amazon_removes_1984_from_kindle/
This places the burden for copyright infringement on the wrong party.
3) What do you suppose will be the cumulative effect, 30 or 40 years down the road, when a generation of human beings reads text on a screen? Vision deficits and eventual blindness, maybe? Our eyes are not designed to peer directly into a light source for sustained periods.
4) Relative to a traditional book, what is the expected life of an e-reader and what happens to its contents when it dies?
5) Are e-books designed to be easily recycled, so we can keep their electronic components out of landfills? At what cost?

So go ahead. Answer those questions and convince me!

I've had a Sony PRS-505 now for nearly 2 years. I find I read more, because of the slim shape-it fits in my purse and I always have it with me. It came with 100 free classic titles that I could choose from over a 1000 classic titles on their list. The ebooks are cheaper than at bookstores and I'm not cluttering up my bookshelves keeping books I want to read again at a later date. I even bought it a Dooney & Bourke alligator leather cover, so I have the great smell of leather while I'm reading.
My kids were amazed that I actually bought something "tech-y" and figured out how to work it without their help! I think its great now that public libraries now have the format (not in my county yet tho) so that you can use the Sony reader through the public library system. How amazing it will be when kids can go off to college with all their textbooks fitting onto that slim little ereader!! Get yourself one today!!

These devices sound lovely, expensive and breakable. What happens when you read in bed and the e-book/kindle hits the floor? More jobs will be cut because of these and versions(later of a book) could be censored and one would never know it because one does not have hard copy. Books may cost trees, but not as much as some fancy, furniture and flooring. Batteries are still not carbon-footprintless and are costly. Not for me. Maybe good for schools if taxpayers are willing to pay for costs. Kids would not have as many backproblems from carrying so many books in backpacks. But the breakabilty and battery disposal and cost still are questionable.

When you can get used paperbacks for 50 cents (or less) which will fit a treadmill or stair stepper at the gym, why would I want to spend that much of my hard earned cash on something that will break if dropped or not fit the small space on most gym equipment???

Sounds like a great good for frequent fliers or rail passengers, but wouldn't airlines require them to be turned off during various times in the flight, if not completely during the flight (for those 'puddle jumpers')????

I tend to agree with Sarah.

I love my Kindle 2 because I do not have to make the effort to search the used bookstore for older edition books and when traveling I do not have to give up clothing space to pack several books. The best part is that you can down load a book as long as you have cell phone service. The battery lasts a while if you remember to turn the wireless connection off after buying a book.

I hated the fact that I spent $350 for it just 3-4 weeks before Amazon brought out the DX model and reduced the cost of Kindle 2 to $299. I asked for a rebate of the $50 in book purchases but Amazon did not agree.

I think I am reading more books. The Kindle 2 reader allows you to have a free sample of books before you buy.

One drawback is that you cannot trade books with family and friends and therefore you have to pay for each book yourself.
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My two daughters have Sony readers. One travels for her job and one is an at home mom, but both are avid readers and love their Sonys. You must have internet connection to download books to a Sony Reader.

How many books does a person read at a time? Has anyone tried these things out at the beach? Water and sand aren't exactly compatible with electronics.

Also... Has anyone thought about the life span of these devices? I have books that are over 20 years old which are still perfectly good to read... whereas I have been forced to replace electronic devices due to changing technology especially where related to the internet... so the initial investment isn't the end of it... especially when manufacturers develop these things to be obsolete within an unspecified period of time...

I'm still not convinced that it's the way to go... especially since the biggest user of trees isn't the print industry... it's furniture!!

Why not just download book from Barnes and Noble to your laptop?

What I'm most interested in is the Sony Daily Edition's ability to download from a library's digital selection. I often check out digital titles to my computer from my local library, but it's very inconvenient to have to sit in one place for the entire reading. Depending on the number of libraries it would allow you to download from, I might be willing to pay for something like that.

How many books does a person read at a time? Has anyone tried these things out at the beach? Water and sand aren't exactly compatible with electronics.

Also... Has anyone thought about the life span of these devices? I have books that are over 20 years old which are still perfectly good to read... whereas I have been forced to replace electronic devices due to changing technology especially where related to the internet... so the initial investment isn't the end of it... especially when manufacturers develop these things to be obsolete within an unspecified period of time...

and what is the impact on the enviornment to dispose of old electronic devices?

I'm still not convinced that it's the way to go... especially since the biggest user of trees isn't the print industry... it's furniture!! Books are nice things to have... hold... read... and won't ever require updated technology in order to continue to use them... that's the best 'green' argument too keep them!

How many books does a person read at a time? Has anyone tried these things out at the beach? Water and sand aren't exactly compatible with electronics.

Also... Has anyone thought about the life span of these devices? I have books that are over 20 years old which are still perfectly good to read... whereas I have been forced to replace electronic devices due to changing technology especially where related to the internet... so the initial investment isn't the end of it... especially when manufacturers develop these things to be obsolete within an unspecified period of time...

and what is the impact on the enviornment to dispose of old electronic devices?

I'm still not convinced that it's the way to go... especially since the biggest user of trees isn't the print industry... it's furniture!! Books are nice things to have... hold... read... and won't ever require updated technology in order to continue to use them... that's the best 'green' argument too keep them!

I have a kindle, and absolutely love it. I read in bed, and also at the pool. I haven't had a problem. It is easier to put in my purse and carry around with me, and easier to read since I can change the size of the font. I can preorder books and they are delivered when they come out, no problem. I love to read, and many times am reading more than one book at a time. the kindle allows me to carry all of them with me, and choose what I want to read when I want. It was great when I went on vacation. I only took the kindle, and not a bag of books. It did fine in the desert of Kuwait, too....

No one wants to try something new till their favorite celebrity person tries it or advertises it or give it out free!!!
Watch what happens when oprah does it one of these days!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the feel and smell of books, so I don't know if I want to trade that in for a high priced gadget. I do see the benefits, easily slipping more then one book in my purse or bag would be convenient. I would like one for textbooks. I wonder if they would be cheaper this way, because right now I pay an arm and a leg each semester.

Two things:

As a librarian, I love books. I have a personal library that overflows my two floor-to-ceiling 6 ft. wide bookcases. But I love having my Sony reader when I travel, so I don't have to carry multiple books. It also comes in pretty handy when I'm waiting in a doctor's office or in line just about anywhere.

Any ebooks that are in PDF-format can be transferred to a Sony e-reader. I have the PRS-505 (which I think is the original), and I can transfer free books from gutenberg.org, as well as e-library books from the LA Public Library.

E-readers are easy enough at the beach, etc. Just throw them in a plastic baggie. Makes them easier to read than a paperback would be in a plastic bag at least.

As to your books, with the kindle you can download the book to up to 6 devices. If your kindle does wear out, you can download to a new one (or an iphone, or any other devices that start using the kindle format). Now, if you're doing it from a strictly ecological standpoint how about learning to recycle the batteries, etc. that make up electronic devices? It'd be a much better way to go since we're just going to have more and more electronics in the future.