[fleamailman]

I am always interested in trends that then become the norm.

Although I still like reading real-books, I find myself more and more reading them on screen. This is probably because of the ease with which I can get them. Also, I notice that I have now quite a collection of those books which I have read, liked, and therefore want to keep stored away.

Just wondering if this trend will become mainstream, and also if anyone else has an idea of how this trend will turn out. Your opinion welcome as always.

[Advertisements]

I know the oppurtunity is becoming more and more to read on screen but I myself cannot. Not just books but anything that involves a little bit of reading, I will print out if I can. Whenever I sign up for newsletters I always request print.

It may head that way but I just cant stare at a screen that long, granted my CRT at work is worse than my LCD at home, but I still try to print everything out.

To me this ties directly into online bill paying, which I refuse to partake in also. But thats off topic.

Breakdown:
I will use print longer than on screen.

I feel like the trend is going to on screen though.

[jaxisland]

I know the oppurtunity is becoming more and more to read on screen but I myself cannot. Not just books but anything that involves a little bit of reading, I will print out if I can. Whenever I sign up for newsletters I always request print.

It may head that way but I just cant stare at a screen that long, granted my CRT at work is worse than my LCD at home, but I still try to print everything out.

To me this ties directly into online bill paying, which I refuse to partake in also. But thats off topic.

Breakdown:
I will use print longer than on screen.

I feel like the trend is going to on screen though.

[warriorscot]

Books onscreen i dont read anything to big i wont or ill read in bits its not advisable either, however i used to like reading on my PDA before i lost the cable for it(clie PSG 22 i think if anyone has one lol), Im thinking of getting on of those E ink book readers from sony when they are finally released in Europe ive wanted one for about 3 or 4 years now(they have been out ages in japan) and will buy it as soon as its out its just perfect for reading electronic stuff but its paper and ink, also nifty PDAs in the bargain.

[Pi rules]

I can read more quickly on paper than on a screen, and I have a CRT that can get slightly hard to read on after a while. I do like to read a few e-books on my Pocket PC (Toshiba Genio e550G) sometimes.

[Dark_Side]

I'm too lazy to read anything, i use a program on my PC that converts the text on my screen to voice, so I listen to what is written on the screen.

[fleamailman]

Me too, I find listening to the text to voice often helps me to remember stuff or I might use it if I have to move away from the screen for a while like when making a cup of coffee or having a bath only to put it back to normal on my return to my desk.

I feel that we are not talking of one replacing the other here, they are just two thing apart and whereas we all know how to intergrate books into our lives I doubt that we yet know how to really intergrate ibooks and that the ibook technology has still to find its feet.

[Pi rules]

I thought about it, but I can read much more quickly than listen to a person talk, so I prefer reading. Sounds interesting, though.

[warriorscot]

The technology is there its getting books for it freely available, what sony need to do is use the librabry services of countries they want to sell and develop period limit book liscences for ebooks, the idea is good and the technology sound its just practicalities that are the problem and it would behandy to transfer stuff from screen you need to reas to an ebook reader which is something handy.

I cant use the voise its absolutley useless on some words and it sounds terrible and i can read alot faster.

[sari]

I like books for their portability (I don't have a laptop), and I just like actually turning pages. I have a harder time comprehending on the monitor, for some reason (probably old age ). Also, I frequently read for a while before I go to sleep, and reading on a laptop just wouldn't be the same.

[fleamailman]

a) I think Sony had better hurry or they'll be doing a catch up job again.

b) If one has any homework the first thing is to find the tuts on the Internet. This is not saying that School teachers are in part to blame nor that one intends to cheat but take Shakespear, which I love for the plot, the raw book is quite a handful, whereas the tuts bring it into focus.

c) sari's right I like books too, often I have both for the times that I don't have the real book but am at a place where there is a comp, eitherway I can only carry one or two books about but with a USB key I can read whatever takes my fancy at the time.

d) because it is a new medium the things being read on the net are often not PDF files copies of real books but nootbook format stuff that has never been published in ink, blogs are only one example of this.

[warriorscot]

I always have a real book with me for reading usually always reading i just love the idea of the ebook reader because it would save me a fortune in books, and ill often read a book if its good so many times itll fall to bits unless its hardback, my first copy of LOTR i read 10-12 times before it literally fell to bits. Ive had to replace my copy of dracula as well i read good books to death.

Even if im reading something or watching it on the computer i always like a book with me because the book can never run out of batteries. Besides LOTR when i run out of new things an old favourite is david copperfield read it a few times as well, and i like the stories of the antartic explorers Scott and Shakelton, although shakelton is better read because he was a little smarter than Scott.