Poll: E-Book vs Paperback

[ToysforGuns]

Hey Guys,
I've been trying to get into e-books for their convenience but I just can't fathom starring at a screen full of text for an hour or two, it hurts my eyes. With paperbacks, there's a sense of satisfaction in owning a physical object rather than an electronic file that can be easily deleted or blocked by Digital Rights Management.

What do you strikingly handsome people think? Do you prefer the accessibility of e-books or do the pros of paperbacks outweigh the cons of e-books? Or is the method used to deliver the content pointless as long as you can read the story?

 

[Nouw]

I would think that staring at a screen and a book has the same tiring effect on the eyes, perhaps the screen is better if it's of a good make and the brightness is adjusted.

I prefer e-books because they're easier to get and some books are just fucking massive. I'm very thankful I read a Storm of Swords on my I-Pad. The text is as big as I want it to be too. Art-books on the other hand, I prefer having a physical copy of.

 

[Death Carr]

I like my paperbacks because they're nice and weighty and they smell fantastic.
But I like my Kindle because it's nice and small and portable so I can take it with me when I go out.

A physical book is nice with a cup of tea.
But a kindle is nice because I can store hundreds of books on it and it fits in my pocket.

So I'm really indifferent about the topic.

 

[Galletea]

I like paperbacks because I can get them super cheap. That's all really. No expensive gizmos just cheap paper.

 

[fenrizz]

I much prefer paperback/hardback over e-books.

I find them easier to read, and I like working my way trough a book and seeing the progress every time I lay it down.
Also, my library wouldn't be nearly as awesome on a USB-stick.

 

[Hoplon]

Hey Guys,
I've been trying to get into e-books for their convenience but I just can't fathom starring at a screen full of text for an hour or two, it hurts my eyes. With paperbacks, there's a sense of satisfaction in owning a physical object rather than an electronic file that can be easily deleted or blocked by Digital Rights Management.

What do you strikingly handsome people think? Do you prefer the accessibility of e-books or do the pros of paperbacks outweigh the cons of e-books? Or is the method used to deliver the content pointless as long as you can read the story?

A good e reader makes all the difference, mine saved my damn life last year as my only source of entertainment for three week while up a mountain. Since the screen looks like printed text on paper.

Will it ever replace my hard back library? good grief no, but for travelling it wins every time.

 

[Tanis]

I tend to read more e-books now, but I have no issue with regular books.

It's a damn shame but some local/older books I love aren't even ebooks so I really don't have a CHOICE if I want to re-read them.

 

[Keoul]

Paperback all the way man!
The weight, feel, and the atmosphere it gives is far better than an E-book. It's the small things that really makes the difference, like the slightly yellowed page instead of a blinding white background, the feel of the pages as you flick through the book.

And best of all once you buy a book it's yours forever! I hear some sleazy E-Book stores plan on deleting your e-book after a few years.

 

[JoJo]

Ebooks for me, the convenience of carrying around potentially hundreds of books with you is great for holidays and any book written pre-1923 I think is copyright-expired and so can be downloaded from many sites legally for free, meaning you can get a whole load of free good books.

 

[Genocidicles]

You can't fill a bookshelf with e-books.

So regular books for me.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Hey Guys,
I've been trying to get into e-books for their convenience but I just can't fathom starring at a screen full of text for an hour or two, it hurts my eyes. With paperbacks, there's a sense of satisfaction in owning a physical object rather than an electronic file that can be easily deleted or blocked by Digital Rights Management.

What do you strikingly handsome people think? Do you prefer the accessibility of e-books or do the pros of paperbacks outweigh the cons of e-books? Or is the method used to deliver the content pointless as long as you can read the story?

Hey hey! What about hardback books?! Proper books that are worthy of being used as dumb-bell!

Anyway... eh, there are pros and cons to both:

Can't 'break' a book, there's no battery life, still has a great deal of endearing qualities

E-books are lighter, more convenient and can fit a lot of books on the memory (less than 200KB per paperbook for the most part on a 4GB memory... that's a lot of books)

Still, I'm with the paperbacks on this one... because page turning is part of my reading experience... -_-

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I strongly prefer the physical media. I like the convenience factor of being able to download a book but there isn't anything to show for it. Like I've said on the other threads, when I spend money on anything I want something to show for it. I know the pros of digital but I still prefer tangible.

 

[IckleMissMayhem]

I travel around a hell of a lot, so ebooks win hands down.

 

[Tiger King]

I like both but I think I lean towards ebooks now.
I have tonnes of books just taking up space in my room, with an ebook you don't suffer that problem.
one thing that is annoying is that you need power to actually read an ebook, so make sure your device is charged if your going on a long flight/journey.

I guess you could say that less paper books means less cutting down of trees too.

 

[BathorysGraveland]

I like paperback because it's a physical copy, and I always prefer physical copies to digital ones, that goes for music (CD's), retail-bought video games and books. Also, when I read, I like to sit in bed and read. Can't really do that with a desktop PC (and laptops can fuck right off).

 

[Lucyfer86]

Paperback, because i'm such a lazy reader i probably couldn't focus reading e-book since i could just aswell surf over the internet, watch youtube n' shit.

With regular book i'm usually away from comp, thus no extra distractions from it.

 

[IndomitableSam]

I like both.

As a reader, I do prefer hard copies, because I find them so much easier to read and flip back and forth to re-read sections. I love having a physical copy.

As a librarian, I prefer ebooks because they are so much easier to deal with. Ther'es no physical processing involved, you catalogue the item, add the file to your database and such, make sure your lisences are in place (generally always already done because of the system you purchase ebooks with - this also takes care of different formats) and you're good to go. Saves so much work in so very, very many ways for librarians.

So... I still want hardcopies, but I want the rest of the world to go eformat only to make my life easier.

I do really enjoy audiobooks, though. When I took the bus (an hour each way, plus walking time), they were the best thing ever.

Edit: Oh gawd, the "books smell fantastic" argument... Look it up, please. It's why I scrub my hands all the time and try not to breathe in the vaults or around the older books.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I moved in August. I had eleven and a half boxes of books to move. Combined, they weighed more than twice what I do. I told myself "Never again". As with games, movies, and music, I am completely over physical copies. Digital is vastly superior. I no longer have to carry two books in my purse, in case I finish my current one. My iPad can store dozens of books, plus a movie or two and some comic books, if I want a change of pace. If I want a new book, I buy it on Amazon and I am reading it minutes later, not waiting for it to be delivered/spending an hour driving to and from the nearest bookshop. If I never buy another physical book again, I'll be quite pleased.

Hear that Games Workshop? I want your rulebooks in e-book form!

 

[Scarim Coral]

I still prefer paperback despite the advantage of an Ebook. I just like the feel of the paper and to turn the page over.