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I just got a Velocity Micro Cruz ereader.. They were at $200, but Borders has them on sale for $110 now. I just got it so I'm still trying it out, but so far so good.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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So my wife has been wondering if it would be good to get me an e-reader, as I read lots and lots of books, and with comp exams coming up my reading load will be at least doubling. However, as a history grad student it is rare for me to sit and read every word in a book. Rather, I flip through for the relevant parts, gutting the book. How does the Kindle handle that? Also, from what I understand from this thread, there are no page numbers on a Kindle ebook? That's an absolute dealbreaker right there. And how does the Kindle handle footnotes?
The thought of having all of my comps books in one place, ready for me to read and access at my leisure, is exciting. But if it is going to be more trouble than its worth, I'll stick with buying a new bookshelf.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I will say, before getting a Kindle, you'll really want to check first whether or not the books you want are presently available for the Kindle.
Posts: 1080 | Registered: Apr 2006
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Yes - because I am in grad school, and very few of the history books I want are on Kindle. Academic books don't seem to making it there.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I love the idea of an e-reader, but I think I've found a grand total of one textbook available in electronic format.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I imagine illegal copies are the primary reason for the lack of academic books. They are a huge source of income for colleges. You can crack the copy protecion on Kindle books extremely easy and give that $100 text book to the entire campus in under 5 minutes.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I don't need textbooks. I need academic history books. Think Robinson and Gallagher's Africa and the Victorians or Interpreting the French Revolution by Francois Furet. Both of those are incredibly important books in my fields, and neither are on Kindle . Of course, I have both of those books, but they were my test to see what the selection was like. If Furet didn't make it, I doubt Broers, or Brown, or even Chartier will make it.
Though it looks like Robert Darnton's The Great Cat Massacre is on Kindle... perhaps there is hope yet?
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Dr. Strangelove, from what I understand, there is already a special format for footnotes on a Kindle that is accepted. It is a little different than how the3y are usually done but it works.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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In my last semester of business school (graduate-level), three textbooks have been available in Kindle format.
The good? It can read to me on my commute.
The bad? Even at the reduced price, it costs nearly double the price of a used textbook (in the classes that have textbooks old enough for a cost savings).
Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Stephan: How about reading a book in bed, and then have the Audible version pick up where you left off in the car on the way to work rather then the text to speech it uses?
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Now, how do I convince the wife that the $79 Kindle from last year isn't good enough any more?
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Whispersync for voice is amazing. The price is not to bad either. Among Others By Jo Walton cost me a total of $14 for both the Kindle and Audible versions.
The real deal is for a book like The Passage by Justin Cronin. I was wanting to get it on Audible, but they wanted two credits. With this new package deal, it ended up costing $15, about the price of 1 credit on Audible Gold.
So far it is working the way it should to.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I like to listen to audio books in other languages (Spanish and French, mostly) and read the text at the same time - it helps me remember how the pronunciation should sound.
Can you listen and read at the same time with this feature, or is it more that you do one or the other?
(I so want one of the pretty new Fires for Christmas - probably a present from me to me, but hey. Although the backlit one looks great, but it's not even available in Europe yet.)
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by MattP: Listening at the same time is one of the new features, yes.
"Now add professional narration to your Kindle book and watch it come alive with real-time highlighting on Kindle Fire."
I don't know what the non-English support is like at this point, though.
A good reason though for reading intervention programs in schools to go with the fire over the IPads our public schools love so much.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I'm off on a backpacking trip for ten days. I love that my cheap e-ink kindle will have enough battery to last that long, even with heavy usage. I just loaded a half dozen books for the trip. I am sure glad not to carry real books.
Posts: 10 | Registered: Oct 2011
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lol.. I started off reading this thread without realizing how old it was.
The whole time I'm sitting here thinking, "But, my Kindle Ap has page numbers..."
I'm still temped to buy a real Kindle though. It's good to hear someone likes the new Kindle/Audible technology.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Jun 2006
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. Of course, I have both of those books, but they were my test to see what the selection was like. If Furet didn't make it, I doubt Broers, or Brown, or even Chartier will make it.
