Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
My wife’s ass
Yup, that’s my excuse for the late entry today: my wife’s ass. Specifically, her sacroiliac joints. I finished work early so that I could take her up to Gold Beach, where her doctor stuck long needles into her ass to make her feel better.
So far (*knockingonwood knockingonwood*) so good. Beam good thoughts her way, please.
QUESTION
And yeah I know I asked this before . . . about six or seven months ago. I have a few new readers now, though, and maybe some of y’all have had new life experiences relevant to this question:
What’s a good eBook reader?
The consensus six months ago was (A) the Sony eBook reader is teh bomb, but (B) wait a bit, and the price will come down. Well, it hasn’t. It’s still $350, and as far as I can tell, all it can do is serve as a reader. I’d like something that would also allow me to check my email, do some word processing, and provide me with internet access. Which led me to . . .
The Hewlett-Packard iPAQ Pocket PC, of which there are a jillion different models. The prices are comparable to (or cheaper than) the Sony eBook reader, yet these pocket PCs do so much more. The only problem is the tiny screen. How well do these puppies function as eBook readers?
Bear in mind, please, that I live in a small town. I can’t run down to Fry’s Electronics and look at a bunch of different models. I have to guess what these toys are like based on web info. Are the screens agonizingly tiny, or do you get used to them? Can anyone but a six-inch-tall person learn to type on those eensy weensy keyboards?
I’m eager to hear your thoughts. Dish it!
D.
I read ebooks on my Palm TungstenE. It’s not ideal, and I’ve found that it takes a lot to get the hang of scrolling. But it makes the books more portable, that’s for sure.
*beams good thoughts at karen* i dunno if i’ve ever told you this, i think i have tho, one of my childhood friends’ mother(s?) has very advanced MS, and i know how hard it can be…i’ll put in a prayer for karen. it is shabbat, after all…
and i’ve not gotten into the whole e-book thing. my library has some now online that you can get, but you have to wait and you can only have it for a certain amount of time. since i dont have a reader, i have to read it on my comp, and that’s not ideal, so i just havent done it. o well. someday when i’m rich…
Hmm. Palm. I’m not eager to do anything which requires me to learn a new language 😉
Thanks, Shaina. Yup, I think you mentioned that woman. Fortunately for Karen (I guess?) she was diagnosed quite young. Those people do better than the ones who develop it late in life.
Hmmm. Personally, I’ve been skeptical about ebook readers thus far, mainly because I spend so much time staring at a screen that I like returning to the comforting look, heft and feel of a real book in my hands.
I can see how it would be convenient, but you probably want to get a rundown on how the download service works before you commit (how much is it going to cost you, how complicated is it, and just how many books will be available?). One thing that doesn’t impress me about the Sony is that it can only display black and white. There goes your chance to enjoy books with photographs or illuminated text!
On the other hand, the Sony was built exclusively for this function, so it’s supposed to be better visually and storage-wise than reading on a Pocket PC or PDA. (The only other dedicated reader I’ve heard of is the IRex Iliad, which costs well over twice the price.)
I dunno. If it were me, I’d go for the iPaq or something similar. Why not get more functions at once, and a more portable size?
I hope the shots help Karen. Sending good thoughts her way!
Awhile back my sister-in-law and I bought a Rocket ebook together. She doesn’t use it anymore, and for the longest time my hubby was using it. It reads everything in html format, so he would read manuals, books, webpages etc with the ebook. Now, I’ve stolen it back, and love it! It has the nice weight of a book, and is super easy to read with the backlit screen (especially when you just *have* to finish the book while you are in bed). Batteries even last a while! I love the screen size, just like a paperback. Plus I can flip around which way the text is written – landscape, portrait, lefthand, righthand….
Sadly, it doesn’t do anything else but read ebooks, and really, that’s okay by me. I don’t want to be hooked into the web, especially with my kids who love to play with my cell phone and put it on the internet! ARGH!
That’s my 2 cents. I know my ebook is discontinued, but I have seen them on ebay for a steal!
Hope you find something. I’m so hooked on ebooks!! Cheaper and I can bring more with me on trips! 🙂
Have fun!
Rella
Thanks for the well wishes, DN. I’m hoping that her immediate response last night was a good sign, since in my area of the body that usually does indicate the shots will work in the long run.
Thanks for the tip, Rella. I’m off to eBay to have a lookie.
I have been using Mobipocket Reader on my cellphone, to read books, for years. I’ve always had phones that run Windows Mobile, but they also have versions for Palm and Blackberry.
My life is hectic enough that I find it’s extremely convenient to have a selection of reading material handy whenever I find myself with an extra 5 minutes. It’s pretty amazing how many books you can read when you put those wasted minutes to use!
Mobipocket also works with RSS feeds, so you can use it to keep track of your favorite blogs…
Sounds good, Kenneth. Especially since I couldn’t find a Rocket eBook on eBay. I’ve been wondering about getting a Blackberry, so that might be a good option.