Mike pointed out to me that the Treo itself didn't break, but the charger did, so all I have to do is replace the charger and I'm back in business -- woo! That's good news, since I have books stored on there to read. I checked ebay, though, and you can get a reconditioned Treo for between $70-150 bucks, and that's a good, small, inexpensive e-reader. So I would have to really be convinced how a Kindle can beat that.

Sam

I e-read occasionally, mostly on the desktop. I don't have a smaller portable thing yet, but if I were to want one, I'd agree that I'd like something smallish for portability, and the Kindle does still sound pretty big. It also sounds pretty expensive for just a reader! I'm a little hard on things sometimes, so I'd be crushed to damage it accidentally! (Which would totally happen...) At least if I ruin a book, it isn't several hundred dollars...)

Anyway, I think I'm sticking to physical books for the time being. They work for me! :)

I have an eBookman reader and my computer won't recognize it.
ight as well have saved my money.
I am going to buy a different brand when they get a bit cheaper.
Meanwhile I have a lot of ebooks stored on my computer.

I'm not much of an e-book reader. I spend enough time in front of the computer, I don't need to spend more time on it or buying something smaller and try to hurt my eyes more trying to read it. Besides, there's just something special about a real book you can pull off the shelf :)

I'm intrigued by the idea of an e-reader, but mostly because I like gadgets. It would probably end up like the iPod my wonderful DH got for me...neat, but rarely used. I love the feeling of a new book in my hands, or to caress an old one. there is such a tactile sensation for me of touching a book and wanting to learn the stories held within the pages.

I have no desire to have an ebook reader because I prefer the real book where I can put a bookmark in it and pick it up later and continue reading. Yeah you can probably bookmark and ebook but its just not the same. And then I spend enough time on the computer and if I had to read a book on an ebook reader my eyes would really throw a temper tantrum. So no thanks to an ebooks!!!!

I'm actually surprised that more people don't like e-reading, although I remember, vaguely, people feeling the same way about email, that it would take the soul out of letter writing, that there was nothing that could replace a hand-written letter, etc. I think we all know better than that now, so I wonder how views of reading could eventually change as well... The magic of a book for me is in the story, not the medium, really, just like I can watch a movie on DVD and not have to go to the theater to see it, etc. I can watch a TV show online, and it's just as enjoyable. A letter written to me in email from a family member or my husband is just as meaningful as if they did it in handwriting, so why not a book?

Although reading on an e-reader probably does make it harder to throw the book across the room if you don't like it. *G*

Sam

There's contest I want to win just so I can have one. My fallback plan is to earn enough to buy hubby an iPhone so I can snake his Treo, too. (LOL, Sam inspired me a while back on that one.) I would LOVE to read more eBooks, too. Sometimes, it's just easier and I want to not need my whole laptop when I do read.

Basically, I won't buy anything that limits me to one place of purchase. That just makes me suspicious.

:)
Dee

But I have found myself thinking I might want an ebook reader someday. Especially for traveling. I have this weird thing I do when I go on vacation. I pack LOTS of books. Not because I plan to read all of them, because I'm a slow reader. But when I finish one book, I need to have a choice of what to read next. It has to be something I'm in the mood to read. Thus the large stack of books. (My husband LOVES carrying my luggage. *g*)

I would also like it to use when waiting in doctor's offices, pick up lines at schools, etc. But I'm with you, Sam...I'd want something smaller. And right now I can't justify the cost of one.

My iPhone actually lets you put books on it but I have yet to investigate. I don't know what format I'd need or if I'd need some kind of software to get it from my computer to my phone. Yep, I'm clueless. I need to sick the techno geek hubby on that dilemma. :)

Wow, do I feel completely out of touch! I've never downloaded an e-book, and never knew there was such a thing as an e-reader! I actually purchased an audio book on-line last month, but didn't realize it's meant to be downloaded to an MP3 player. I have no clue how to do that, so my $20 investment is sitting somewhere in cyberspace. I guess with so many things going electronic these days (including most of the documentation at my office) I should probably be more on board with it, but I confess that I do prefer hard copy to an electronic version (although my family would no doubt appreciate it if my stacks and stacks of books would disappear). However, the idea of being able to transport numerous books in a handheld unit definitely has its appeal!

...take to e-Books and reading from a device as easily as I have. At first I thought it'd be convenient for when I travel (like Amy, I take stacks more books than I can ever read!) and for night-time reading in bed when my dh hates the light on. Plus I could buy new-release American books without international shipping costs!

I bought a second-hand PDA, and I LOVE reading on it. For some reason it feels different to the big computer screen I'm staring at all day, and I find it quite kind on my poor old eyes. I still love my print books and some days I just want to curl up with the "real thing". But the convenience of downloading a book from the other side of the world any time of day or night and having it right there, to read NOW!, is wonderful for my impatient soul.

I'm very happy with my PDA, a HP Ipaq, and don't plan to buy a dedicated device. To me they look too big and I'm also leery of being tied into buying from one place on one platform.

I think I'd pass on an ereader for awhile longer. I've downloaded ebooks, I've read them on my palm, they'd download to my Axim now, but I just can't get into it. It hurts my eyes to squint at the little screen *g*. And, really, I love reading books. I love the feel, the weight, all that. Sam, I've always embraced technology (much to my husbands dismay when the Visa bill comes in) and am a huge fan of email - probably because I was a lousy letter-writer LOL. so maybe its because I never did write letters willingly that I adjusted so quickly to email. But I'm not adjusting to the ebook gig. Not for lack of trying, but its just not catching me yet.