Anyone own both a Kindle and an iPad? Need advice

[earth5]

@Shiva: You don't download Calibre to anything but your laptop. You simply copy the file you want to your device. There's a way to sync to your device, but I don't have my micro USB cable with me to write up the exact instructions for you. Basically, once you have Calibre installed on your laptop, you populate your digital library (books, articles, etc). Then, if you need to, you can convert your library media to a format compatible with your device (I prefer PDF because I'm anti-proprietary *grin*). Then you sync the media to your device. Or, if you prefer, you can just navigate to the file that has your book/article/whatever and copy the file over.

There are ways around DRM (it's my book dammit), but the legal community frowns on them. Take that as you will.

@snowbot: With you on changing out book covers. I've been known to go with a worse-quality image just so it matches the cover the book had when I read it physically (have a library of my old sci-fi/fantasy books so that maybe I can one day convince myself to purge my physical library).

@notmensa: I'm working on my PhD too. Funny how easy it is to get distracted by everything BUT your dissertation. Like, oh, checking these forums *BIG GRIN*

[MaggieScratch]

I own neither an iPad nor a Kindle, but I do have a Nook Color and a Nook Simple Touch, so it's the same dilemma--color tablet vs. eInk reader?

I take the NST in my EDC--currently an SCB (that's a lot of acronyms). I have it in a Nook ST pouch and it clips nicely to an O ring. Since I'll be reading it at lunch and/or on the train (I often crochet or tat on the train, not read), I don't have to worry about lighting, and the eInk is a pleasant reading experience; but the big reason is because it is small and light. Another big consideration is the battery life, which on the latest generation or two of eInk devices is amazing.

At home, and when I'm running errands on the weekend, I usually carry the Nook Color (and I'm considering upgrading to a Nexus 7--probably around Christmas--there are some rumors around about an updated version). It's bigger and heavier but still quite portable. I definitely prefer it for reading when I have access to Wifi, so I use it in my apartment almost exclusively. I like being able to read a book, touch a word or a name, highlight it, and then tell the NC to look it up on Google/Wikipedia. I also subscribe to several magazines, and reading them on the NC is a superior experience due to the color screen. I owned several e-Ink devices prior to getting the NC and I wasn't sure I would like reading regular text books on the NC, but I like it a lot--the screen is high-res and very nice to read, and the more recent Nook tablets are even better in that regard.

If I were embarking on a several-day reading spree--for instance, last year after I saw the film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo around Christmas, I had a few days off and spent a lot of time re-reading all three of the books in a wild godless reading spree--I would use the NST, because the battery would hold out. For the NC, I had to stop reading and re-power the device a couple of times, because I do more than read on it, and having it hooked to Wifi also drains the battery. In fact, it was that episode that convinced me to buy the NST!

So I certainly have a use for both devices, and will continue to use both. If I were traveling, I would be more likely to take the tablet, unless I knew I wanted to do a lot of reading on a very long plane flight or bus/train ride with no access to repower a device. For leisure travel, the tablet and my smartphone are all I need computing-wise (and sometimes I don't even need the tablet).

[Janine]

wild godless reading spree

This is my new favorite phrase!

[Shiva]

Hi Earth5: thank you. got it. I will check it out....

[MaggieScratch]

I second the suggestion to use Calibre for file conversion and sideloading. It makes it soooo easy.