Electronic textbook readers

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Originally Posted by Irulan

the glow version gets terrible reviews, as in, "screen breaks right away".

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I've been told that was the first version, that the new version doesn't do that. I don't know...but I don't have to worry about that now :)

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

Except it isn't as comfortable for reading.

I've been following this discussion with interest as I just re-started school after a very long break/career and have been wrangling with this issue myself. Thus far, I'm making it by with my 5.5 year old large-ish laptop and a netbook on campus with me (including computer required chem labs).

I have paper textbooks for now, and am not sure they can be avoided.

One thing to watch out for is the e-books sold by school stores are "online access codes" to read the books on the internet in a web browser. I've found these formats - to be honest - terrible. The only reason I purchased one is that one of my professors requires it - she puts 4-5 "notes" per chapter and won't give them to students anywhere else. So - I read the paper book, take my notes, do my studying - and then go find the ebook notes. That's all I use it for. It's pretty miserable to try to read - I did try - since I have it and I would rather not carry that book.

With the exception of her, most professors don't care how you get your books as long as you have them. Most of the titles I have needed (including the one I had to purchase the online crap for) are available on Amazon as Kindle editions - which gets you to ipad. When the full sized ipads with the new connectors come out, I'm going to take a close look (and take a close look at what is required for my classes). I really do think that must students are still lugging dead trees, though.

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Ditto, also back in school and finding that really, I want the textbook over the digital version. My major is Information Science and Computer Science so... lots of diagrams and sidebar stuff... just not good on an e-reader (I see my fellow students' frustration.) I have a laptop and can get a lot of versions on Scrib'd, but still rely mainly on paper textbooks. There's something about being able to flip from the index to the page you want that is really helpful in a textbook, too... I even took Statistics online and relied heavily on my hardcover book and calculator, even though my pc laptop has a statistics calculator.

Also, one of my professors had an open book / open note exam, but NO computers/readers allowed.

I love my laptop. It's helpful for writing papers (a real keyboard) and lightweight enough to carry in my bag.

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Originally Posted by indigoiis

Ditto, also back in school and finding that really, I want the textbook over the digital version. My major is Information Science and Computer Science so... lots of diagrams and sidebar stuff... just not good on an e-reader (I see my fellow students' frustration.) I have a laptop and can get a lot of versions on Scrib'd, but still rely mainly on paper textbooks. There's something about being able to flip from the index to the page you want that is really helpful in a textbook, too... I even took Statistics online and relied heavily on my hardcover book and calculator, even though my pc laptop has a statistics calculator.

Also, one of my professors had an open book / open note exam, but NO computers/readers allowed.

I love my laptop. It's helpful for writing papers (a real keyboard) and lightweight enough to carry in my bag.

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I agree - I think it would be PAINFUL to try to go through a textbook on a reader. I gave my first reader to my sister for her to use this way and saw her frustration - she finally printed the 500+ page nursing PDF text she was trying to use it for. I use them only for pleasure/general reading, not for professional or academic.

must be gettin old. I'm starting to say the same thing my parents did. "Why on heavens does it cost so much I remember..." I thought my engineering text book was really expensive at ahem $25.00!! then again gas was about 50 cents a gallon. Okay that was some years ago. I do look at the cost of engineering text books and do see $180 to well over $200. Ouie!!

I tried a android powered tablet with touch screen. I HATE IT!! It's not so much with readability, or that it does not use e-paper or lack of keyboard and a mouse to navigate easily, its all the other things. Without warning it decides to reformat and take you dozens of pages away and you are not sure where you were... to try to enlarge the image and again takes you several pages away. Sometimes, the figure they are referring is several pages away and you can't follow what it says because you are constantly going back and forth then it dumps you out...

I prefer a hard copy! Do have number of books in pdf format for me to read on the tablet as well as on my netbook and on my desktop PC. Desktop PC is acceptable because I can open the same file twice so if I have to go back and forth, I can get to the figures or tables on one window and read the text on the other window. No bouncing back and forth.

Netbook screen is too small for lot of textbook. Again I'm going back and forth on the screen.

Tablet, maybe its my cheap $70.00 tablet. I'm not happy with it. Also being somewhat older, I have progressive lens. fonts on the tablet are too hard for me to read so I enlarge it then I can only read maybe two or three paragraph at a time if its reasonably sized.

e-ink screen was really easy on the eyes. Newer generations are always improving the contrast so its like reading a glossy book. power consumption is lot lower so you really don't have to worry about running out of battery power as long as you recharge it every day or two sometimes three days.

Maybe find out what your daughter prefers.