I don't mind backlit screens; I read ebooks for two years on a PDA before I got an ebook reader, and I only switched because my Cliés were dying & no longer supported. I want *portable* for an ebook reader, and laptops don't qualify. Even netbooks & tablets are too bulky; if I can't hold it in one hand for an hour on the train, it's too big.
E-ink is nice, though. I like being able to make PDFs with fonts of my choice, which I couldn't do on the PDA.
Costs less than paper, no DRM: yep, that's my requirements. If I really want to read it & can't find it that way, I'll buy a used paper copy, chop the binding & scan it myself. Hey look! Non-DRM'd ebook that nobody got royalty payments for! (I grant that this is not, and is not likely to become, a popular solution.)
And yes... LOTS of free content. Lots of it's good. It's just that there's no central repository for that, no easy rec lists like The New York Times Book Reviews; you have to find it on your own.
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E-ink is nice, though. I like being able to make PDFs with fonts of my choice, which I couldn't do on the PDA.
Costs less than paper, no DRM: yep, that's my requirements. If I really want to read it & can't find it that way, I'll buy a used paper copy, chop the binding & scan it myself. Hey look! Non-DRM'd ebook that nobody got royalty payments for! (I grant that this is not, and is not likely to become, a popular solution.)
And yes... LOTS of free content. Lots of it's good. It's just that there's no central repository for that, no easy rec lists like The New York Times Book Reviews; you have to find it on your own.