A new techie gadget

When Kelsey and Christie (my sis- and mom-in-laws) came out a few weeks ago, my mom-in-law brought a friend's Kindle with her. A Kindle is like a mini-computer that is about paperback sized that holds e-books. So, a hand-held book reader. I had heard of these before but never seen one up close and personally. It was pretty interesting. Just last night, I got an email from Barnes and Noble about the release of their own handheld book reader, the nook. Now, those of you who know me well (or maybe not well at all) know that I am an avid reader. I love books and have a collection of over 300 of my own. Maybe not such a a staggering number, buy hey, they're mine. I LOVE books- the stories they hold, the way they smell, the way they feel.... So, this notion of an electronic handheld that stands in for a book leaves me conflicted.



What I think would be good about having a e-reader:

• They are highly portable. About the size of a paperback or small hardback, but thin as a magazine.... You'd have tons of books at your fingertips without taking tons of books with you.


• They hold potentially thousands of books (in one place!), depending on what kind of storage option you choose.


• They say that the ebooks offered are going to be less expensive than the list price of many books, and that some books will be offered for free.


• With some programs, if you forget your e-reader at home, you can upload your book to your iphone or Blackberry for further reading pleasure.


• These hold not only books, but e magazines and e newspapers. And the nook is also an mp3 player.
• The e-reader can lay flat or be held in one hand. Making a mostly two-handed project into a one handed project. (I don't EVER break the spines on my paperbacks, so reading always requires 2 hands.)
  

What would not be good about an e-reader:

• It's an electronic gadget. What if it crashes? You could potentially lose all of you stored books. Chris assures me that my library would be maintained at either amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.... But what if the site crashed??? I just don't trust it. Plus, kids can be really hard on electronics- whether they are allowed to touch them or not.
• Reading on a computer is just not the same as reading a book. They have fixed the e-readers so the backgrounds aren't so bright, but not having trialed one, I'm not sure if it would help or not. Also, the e-readers only offer one page at a time viewing, which just feels odd for someone used to reading two side-by-side pages at a time.
• I love just sitting and perusing my collection of books. There is something very satisfying about seeing them all lined up on the shelves. All the bright colors, clever titles, and collected authors there in one place. And skimming the titles often brings back memories and feelings from the time when I read the book. One little hand held reader would be pretty boring to look at.
• If you have one and buy the e-books, do you also then buy a hard copy of a book that you particularly loved? Or, in acquiring an e-book reader, do you then re-buy all your old favorites to go in your e-book?
• it's just not a book.... Doesn't smell the same, doesn't feel the same......

I don't know if I would love one. I think for portability and convenience it's a great idea. And if one was rich and could buy books in duplicate, it would be a handy little thing to have around. Especially if you traveled a lot, or (like me) were prone to sticking a book into your pocket or purse no matter where you are going for the day.

Bottom line... I would love to try one out. Not likely to happen, since the reader alone is around $250.00. We're certainly not going to spend that kind of money just for me to try something.. what if I hated it??? Then I would have to load books on it, and I really dislike uploading things to electronic devices. It takes a long time, in a schedule where I already don't have much time. I bet I could get Chris to do it for me, though.....

If only Barnes and Noble would lend me one for a couple weeks......