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100 Comments
- KnightMareInc, on 10/04/2008, -2/+79I had no idea these two were in competition with each other. Whats next, "IPhone Steals Lead From Craftsman Cordless Power Drill"?
- specialp, on 10/04/2008, -9/+48Yeah cant wait to read books on a 2.5 inch screen.
- bobbarkerbilly, on 10/04/2008, -1/+30This is a lame comparison. I doubt many bought an iphone just so they can read ebooks. This really is an apples to oranges comparison considering the iphone is a small backlit screen, used for many functions, while the Kindle, Sony Reader, or any other e-ink reading device are superior for the one task they were built for, reading books.
- Jenadae, on 10/04/2008, -3/+24Next article "Iphone steals lead from the Chicago Bulls!"
this is just retarded.. - inactive, on 10/04/2008, -2/+223.5
- kevbru, on 10/04/2008, -4/+24I own both, and the Kindle wins. You can't do any serious reading on an iPhone.
- inactive, on 10/04/2008, -3/+19t's official guys!
- lead2thehead, on 10/04/2008, -4/+18I love my iPhone, but you can't read anything off of that tiny screen for more than 5 minutes without getting a headache. For ebooks, the kindle is about a thousand times better.
- chickenloco, on 10/04/2008, -2/+12It'd be awesome to be able to purchase any e-book off iTunes.
- KibibyteBrain, on 10/04/2008, -0/+9Well, you know, it already has an electric motor in it for the vibration function...just "hack" a drill bit on it...
- tk702000, on 10/04/2008, -0/+7Drill hell, you can already put a lightsaber on it, what do you need with a drill or any kind of saw?
- slime73, on 10/04/2008, -2/+9I've been reading copyrighted books on my iPod since i got it Jailbroken almost a year ago. :)
- buddyw, on 10/04/2008, -0/+6That's backlit.
- peestandingup, on 10/04/2008, -0/+6And this is surprising how??
Convergence is key. The days of carrying around 3 or 4 gadgets to accomplish separate tasks are coming to an end.
Mini pocketable computers, or "cell phones" are taking ***** over. Yeah, that also means the standalone iPod's days are numbered. - Pallas, on 10/04/2008, -3/+9Seems like those who like reading ebooks on their iPhones are getting dugg down for saying so.
I'm a long-time ebook reader, having started on my original Palm Pilot, and moved through three versions of Windows Mobile (even before that was its marketing name) on various Compaq models, and eventually a Windows Mobile-based phone (a Cingular 8125, made by HTC). When I got my iPhone, I really wanted a good ebook reader, and by jailbreaking it, I had a good one. Now with the choices on the iTunes store, there is an embarrassment of riches, including Stanza (mentioned in the article) and my current reader-of-choice, BookZ.
I find the small form factor of the phone to have more advantages than disadvantages as a book reader, since it is small enough that I can (and do) take it with me everywhere. Over the years, I have read in a variety of unlikely locations and situations, and the small cellphone form factor is the only reason I've been able to do it. Something like the Kindle is simply too big to take with me to the places I've most enjoyed having something to read.
Since my ebook reading began, I would estimate I've read at least 100 and possibly many more full-length novels in ebook form. I find the cellphone (including my iPhone) to be the perfect way to read anytime, anywhere. I really don't think I could say that about something as large as the Kindle. - biggerapple3am, on 10/04/2008, -2/+8I'll second that. Read War and Peace on that and get back to me.
- lead2thehead, on 10/04/2008, -3/+9Tell you what... you go read an entire book on your iPhone, then come back and tell us what it was like.... assuming that you haven't gone blind.
- inactive, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5turn down your brightness, increase text size, and keep it away from your face – I can manage about an hour before I need to put it down
- Gabberwok, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5You might want to try changing the color of the text/background. I'm sure other people on Digg have probably written doctoral theses on this subject so I won't pretend to be an expert, but I think it's generally accepted that light text on a dark background is easier on the eyes. With Stanza you can choose the text and the background to be whatever color you want.
- CrashDavis, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5I've been reading ebooks through eReader on Palm devices for years. I didn't know there was a lead to steal?
- EtherGnat, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5Do you carry your e-reader with you everywhere you go, though? The beauty of having books on my phone (Samsung i760 in my case, not an iPhone) is all the unexpected times it's nice to have something to read. Killing time while shopping with my wife, waiting at the dentist, in line at the supermarket, even on the john (TMI?).
Combined with the backlight which makes it easy to read at night without disturbing the wife and it's a godsend. - benologist, on 10/04/2008, -2/+7* A big book too.... not one of those picture ones.
- collution, on 10/04/2008, -4/+9Spare me. That last sentence is just a conglomerate of *****.
- Gabberwok, on 10/04/2008, -0/+5It already works as a level, so that's one construction tool out of the way... I'd be a bit worried about keeping it in my pocket though if it could function as a circular saw as well.
- DolphinGL, on 10/04/2008, -1/+5Anyone who would chose an iPhone over a reader with E-Ink for reading books doesn't understand the difference.
- RobotBuddha, on 10/04/2008, -0/+4I have an iphone and a kindle, and I love both. But you're quite right on the screen. The main reason I put up with the drm on the kindle is that the screen is just awesome. Even if the iphone's screen was as large as that of the kindle, it wouldn't have the same clarity for plain text. They're both great for what they do, but I'm not a fan of the web functionality in the kindle or the ebook functionality in the iphone.
That said, if I could have a copy of every book I buy for the kindle on the iphone as well, for situations where I find myself waiting somewhere unexpectedly, that would be great. - RobotBuddha, on 10/04/2008, -0/+4What's annoying is that you really don't get it until you use something with e-ink for a while. I always figured it was just hype until I bought a kindle and sony's reader. The extent to which they change the way I used ebooks, and I was a very heavy ebook reader before, was amazing.
- DeathJux, on 10/04/2008, -1/+4My opinion is a conglomerate of *****? What? You might disagree, and that's fine, but if you haven't actually used the iPhone to read a book then I wonder why you'd leave a comment.
- EtherGnat, on 10/04/2008, -2/+5"Spare me. That last sentence [about it being easier to read than on a PC] is just a conglomerate of *****."
No, it's really not. I've tried to read books on the computer and find it very difficult, yet I've read 100+ books over the past 8 years or so on phones and handhelds. I think it's a combination of the higher DPI screen plus the small screen size.
Phones are awesome to read linear content like novels on. For reference material and other kinds of books I'd rather have the bigger screen. - RobotBuddha, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3I just wish it'd happen faster. Typically what's converging are really crappy versions of everything. ipod with tiny storage space, camera with bad quality, etc etc. As much as it has to be that way at first to make these kind of combination devices financially viable, it's still annoying how slow they make their way back to normal level.
- mRIpX, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Let me know when it's really official and not just by Citigroup's estimate of what they believe Amazon will sell
- GeckoSlayer, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3I've re-read the entire Raymond E. Feist series on my iphone, it's a lot easier than you think, i just knock the brightness down the bit and it's pretty good.
- Sparx67, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Have read a number of books in the Iphone. No problems at all. Sure its not for everyone but don't knock it till you have tried it. You can scale fonts etc.
- EtherGnat, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3Some people do have a problem with it, but it's my favorite way to read hands down. Even if I had a physical copy of the book sitting next to me I'd still read it on my phone, whose screen probably isn't as nice as the iPhone's. I've read countless books, my wife has read books and enjoyed it, I've loaned my old phone to my parents and grandparents and they enjoyed reading on it.
The smaller page sizes take some getting used to, but I find I can read very quickly with little eye strain. The only disadvantage is battery life, but I have multiple batteries for my phone and am rarely in a situation I can't swap batteries. The conveniences far outweigh the downside for me. - stealthc, on 10/04/2008, -1/+4Buried as inaccurate.
- RobotBuddha, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3It's really not that bad. As much as I just finished writing a post about hating it in comparison to the kindle, I read ebooks on a pocket pc for years. At least a couple fairly large books per month. It's a little odd at first, but you get used to it.
- adriandeleon, on 10/04/2008, -0/+3I have, (Tarzan which came with the eReader app) it' s not bad at all.
Of course I have also seen the the Sony ebook reader in action and it is very nice, but my iPhone is always with me, I can read a page or two while waiting in line, on the restroom, etc...
But for something like textbooks, or continuous reference, yes, e-ink devices are better. For casual reading, the iPhone is not bad at all. - icdapoakr, on 10/04/2008, -2/+5The iphone doesn't have e-paper which doesn't use any battery (when not flipping pages) and isn't a strain on the eyes.
- bobbarkerbilly, on 10/04/2008, -1/+4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-ink
Nice work forgetting the biggest draw for buying an e-ink ebook reader. - rabidmonkey1, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2I've used this app, and it's surprisingly easy to read on the small screen. You can adjust the size of the text and, idk, I used to think the same thing, but it's surprisingly easy. I'm literally blowing through classics right now - it's improved my reading speed in some ways.
- itcoll, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2i have never heard about kindle at all . what s it anyway ?
- Yazilliclick, on 10/04/2008, -1/+3Yeah it's good perhaps for a 3.5 screen. It in no way shape or form competes with the kindle or other ebook readers for reading books. As to music and that other junk, that's not the purpose of the kindle or other readers, they're just added features thrown in but it's not meant to compete in those categories.
- lead2thehead, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2Other people on Digg will PRETEND to have written doctoral theses on the subject.
- Zap2, on 10/04/2008, -1/+3Other then the limited ones you can currently!
- iofthestorm, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2Funnily, I sat next to a guy on the BART train today who was reading a book on his Kindle, and the screen blew me away. Then he pulled out a iPhone, and I was like, what? This guy's loaded lol.
- Gabberwok, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2They're comparing Kindle purchases to iPhone users who have downloaded eBook applications like the free app "Stanza"
- gmuslera, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2Used to read books in a Palm IIIx, reading now in a Nokia N61. That in text, html, doc or rtf format, but not in PDF. PDF format is meant to show the book as it would be printed, and the screen width is not enough for that (unless using really tiny/unreadable letter). Cellphones are another way to read ebooks, but i wont say that it is leading over kindle as are different kind of beasts. Screen size and type and content distribution have an important difference with what you could do with cellphones right now.
Anyway, if want to see things like in the article, the PC is stealing even more market, most have acrobat installed, that can be used to read ebooks, so the Kindle market is nil compared to that - bobbarkerbilly, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2I bring my sony reader with me any time I know there's going to be lots of downtime - girlfriend shopping, waiting for the doctor, etc. And I also bring it with me to the bathroom, which works rather well considering I can hold the reader and flip pages with the same hand.
Unfortunately I cannot read from small backlit lcds for long periods of time. I have an iphone as well and find just reading the text for other programs a bit of a strain on my eyes. I couldn't imagine polishing off a chapter. - AROZ, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2Just wait until it goes really big. You'll be able to download entire libraries in a single torrent.
Libraries! - RobotBuddha, on 10/04/2008, -0/+2Sony's reader is just small enough compared to the kindle to make carrying it around less of a pain. Which is annoying because I actually like the kindle more. That keyboard really has been a useless waste of space for me.
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