ereader or real book and why?

Hi, Tiffany Q, folks that get an eReader generally read 3-4 times more books than before they got one thus that speaks for the devices (worth the money and useful.) There's advantages of eReaders - for example, you can put MP3's on them and listen while you read and they can hold thousands of books in digital format.

When choosing an eReader, you need to consider not only the physical properties of the device, but also compare eBook stores behind it. Sony has never been a contender for any comparison by anyone as they only have like 20 books in their Ebook store and their devices are way overpriced for what they offer. Borders is behind Kobo/Cruz devices in US and as you might of heard, Borders is on a brink of bankruptcy. Kindle and Nook are the only devices to be considered as their eBook stores have over a million of free public ebooks as well as over a million of ebooks that you need to pay for available.

Several features of Nook's environment are similar to regular books (unlike Kindle's) such as:

- Nook allows to lend books for two weeks to friends or to your other devices that run B&N app (PC, MAC, Android phones, Apple iPhone, iPod and iPad, etc.)

- When you walk in with the Nook to B&N store you're allowed to read any available eBook for free while in the store via free provided in the store Wi-Fi.

- Nook can be used for library ebooks and for renting text-ebooks

You should understand the limitations of e-Ink eReaders - they are limited to be black & white for now, they "blink" at each ebook’s page turn, they're not too good for web browsing, they need external light source for reading when dark, and they cannot handle videos.

If all you read is black & white novels then the better one would be e-Ink Nook. If you read electronic magazines or college text books with a lot of color graphs and charts or children’s' books with a lot of pictures then the better would be Nook Color from Barnes & Noble. Nook Color is a hybrid Android eReader/tablet and has USB port (unlike iPad). It has a new generation screen which is anti-glare coated and is better performing in sunlight and for reducing eye strain than iPad's. The screen is one of the best and sharpest on the market and it's viewable at wide angles.

Nook Color has several apps that already come with the device (Pandora Internet radio, QuickOffice, etc.) Also, Barnes & Noble recently released Nook SDK and Nook Developer platform that will allow most of the existing 100,000 Android apps be ported to it. Also, you can use the Social Settings screen to link your NOOK Color to your Facebook account and your Twitter account. You can also import all your contacts from your Google Gmail account. Once you have linked to Facebook and Twitter and set up email contacts, you can lend and borrow books, recommend books, and share favorite quotes with your friends.

'You only charge them once a month or so' Well, that's once a month more than I have to charge a real book, isn't it? And if that need to charge the e-reader happens in the middle of a long train journey where I can't plug the thing in, that's a real bummer, isn't it? 'buy books wherever they have internet' Same applies to real books. Ever heard of Amazon? Don't get me wrong - I can see why some people like e-readers, but they're not for me. If you like them, that's great, but people have different preferences. I read on a screen all day at work and when I'm writing, so I much prefer to read on paper for pleasure. And I've tried out numerous e-readers, and the page 'turn' is never, ever quick enough for me - it's just slow enough to disrupt the flow of my reading, and it doesn't feel natural for me. And I certainly don't think they 'look like paper' AT ALL. Not sure where you get the idea that you need two hands to turn the page of a book. You hold the book in one hand, and turn the page with one finger of the other... which is exactly what you do with an e-reader. 'Trees need to be killed and ink wasted to print them' Umm... if you think that producing ANY piece of electronic equipment, and disposing of it after it's broken/obsolete is environmentally friendly, you are seriously deluded. Producing and disposing of electronics like iPods, e-readers, cell-phones, computers etc is just as detrimental to the environment as producing paper books, and far less sustainable. Paper books these days are mostly produced from sustainable wood resources and are 100 per cent biodegradable and non-toxic when they break down. That's not the case with e-readers. I'm not knocking e-readers - obviously there are pros and cons for both e-readers and paper books. It doesn't really matter if you like e-readers and your friend doesn't. It's just a personal preference. Getting worked up about it is a bit like getting worked up over whether someone prefers to drink tea or coffee, or why they like blue instead of pink. It's someone's personal preference and shouldn't really matter to anyone else. Different people like different things. I prefer real books but I can still see why someone else might like an e-reader. Each to their own, eh?

It is definitely not "comparing a computer to a filing cabinet." A computer will open up a whole different world and a filing cabinet is for well...filing. And when your computer breaks/crashes you can say goodbye to everything you haven't backed up; A filing cabinet isn't going to eat all your hard work.

To your actual question! I do not feel like this is a "future/old fashion" thing. Reading a book is NOT old fashioned in any way. I'm 17 and I prefer to actually hold the book in my hand and use both my hands while reading...I guess I should say sorry for being OLD!

Just because a newer option is presented to us doesn't mean the former is "old." Not everyone has an electric-powered car, but having a car that isn't electric powered doesn't mean that we're now "old fashioned" for having such.

I'm sorry but your question was fine until you said "Are you open to the future, or do you prefer the old fashioned way? I guess Its like comparing a computer to a filing cabinet." Just kind of rubbed me the wrong way; considering actually going to a store and buying a book to read an "old fashioned way," ...Sometimes I just don't like technology, makes everyone think that they need the NEWEST thing the SECOND it comes out and that everything before is now obsolete.

I'm not a library person. If I get something, I usually intend to keep it. Before I got my Kindle I went to Half Price Books to get something to read. But normally I had to go with a list of what I'd like to read and hope I find one of the books on my list.

Now, I have a Kindle. Ebooks from amazon are usually $9 each, which is pretty cheap. I don't have to leave the house to get a new book. If I'm curious about a book, but don't know if it's for me then I can order a free sample before deciding to buy it. Also, it plays music. If I just so happen to have an unabridged audiobook on me, I can put it on my kindle and read while listening to the audiobook.

So, I think it's obvious. E-Reader hands down.

I love real books. I love turning the pages - and old books smell amazing. All the books in my house are older than me by about 30 years!

By reading a real book you can tell just how big it is, and it gives you the feeling of just how much hard work the author has put into it. I just don't get that feeling with ereaders.

I like real books because I love holding the book and turning the pages. I can also turn back quickly to reread something I forgot. I'm going to publish my book one day and I'd like to be able to hold it and have a beautiful cover.

i watch tv set rarely. you just don't get the same quality. after all, try making walden into a television set show

Truly, there is no contrast....simply because watching TV relies on the gunky creativeness of a TV entertainer who's main concerns are budget, popularity and ratings and Hell with theme integrity, or, for that matter, anything truly creative.

I prefer a real book because I get my books from the library for FREE.