The Sunday Salon, My Evolution of eReaders and How I Fell for That New Kindle!

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! This is the day during the week where we get together and talk books! So grab a cup of joe, find a comfy chair and relax! What bookish things have you been doing this week?

On Saturday, much to my surprise and delight, a package came from Amazon. Though it was suppose to arrive on Oct. 18th, my new Kindle came Oct. 12th! I have long held a certain affection for eReaders, which started out as a novelty for some, but way back publishers were starting to use ePub files to distribute some of their galleys and I needed to have one. At that time, the early Nook was the winner in this department because the Kindle was not ePub friendly. I liked that first Nook, but wasn't thrilled. I've tested quite a few eReaders since then- the Kobo, the Sony eReader, the iPad and the many generations of Kindles. My favorite out of all of them has been the Sony eReader Pocket edition. It is thin, the screen is amazing, and it is small. It fits in my hand (which is small), and it is so easy to put in my purse. But Sony never succeeded in pushing its way to the top and remains to be a hidden gem. Unfortunately, it seems that Sony is not developing any new eReaders which may eventually lead to them getting out of the eReader business. Hopefully that does not mean them getting out of the eBook business, because the Sony Bookstore is very nice. But I imagine that the profit is in the eBooks, not the eReader, so the eBookstore should remain viable. The easiest eReader to fill up has always been the Kindle, in whatever form you have one. Amazon is just a mega giant when it comes to advertising and ease of shopping. (amazing what you can find in the Amazon.com store!) And I have been happy with my Kindle touch, though I never quite felt that the e-Ink display was all "That".

Then came along the Nook HD and I was in love. The screen was color, which I could adjust for reading, and it was a comfortable size to hold. Amazon came out with it's Kindle Fire's then, but Nook really blew them away. The Nook HD was lighter, thinner and had a crisper (more pixels) display. Soon-to-be Hubby bought me one for Christmas and I was so happy.... until Google. Yes, Google. Barnes and Noble suffers from the same advertising problems as Sony. Kindle just "has" the eReader market in its pocket. As a result, Barnes & Noble after successfully pushing the new Nook HD, made a deal with Google and let them take over the Nook with Google Apps. One day I woke up to Google Play, which I loved because it made it possible to read my Kindle books on my Nook, but then I had all sorts of other Google Apps I didn't want! I ignore all those Apps when I turned on my Nook, because my Nook is really for reading.

I've been so happy with my Nook HD even with the Google takeover. I've had it for about a year. Rumors of a new Kindle started circulating. It was going to be thinner, sharper and had something called Second Screen, which really intrigued me. And so, with some reward points lingering around for a long time, I ordered a Kindle Fire HDX. It is thinner, the screen is beautiful and it is so much lighter than the Kindle Fire. Second Screen is what really tempted me and that is not up and running yet. Basically Second Screen (also referred to as Mirroring or Miracast) is a way for you to throw what's on your eReader screen to your TV. You will need a device that will do this though, such as a smart TV or a "box" hooked up to your TV. This all works wirelessly from your Kindle, and I was thinking how it would be great for Skype! More details coming about all that as Amazon works out any bugs and comes up with their own "device" to sell you.

There are a few "negatives" with the Kindle Fire HDX. Maybe more pet peeves... Even though it is thinner, it is still just a smidge too wide to fit comfortable in my small hand for a long time. And I have found that when I'm holding the Kindle HDX with both hands, my fingers tend to touch the screen, which could cause a little havoc with what you are doing. I think it's just a matter of getting use to holding it though. The on/off button is on the back and so are the volume controls, which make it a bit cumbersome to work with. I would have preferred to have them on the side, but to keep the thin profile they had to do this. And something that may matter to some people, there is no rear camera. So if you want to actually take a photo, you can only aim the front of the HDX at whatever and not quite know what you are shooting. This camera feature is really for video chatting, which I think would be fantastic. I'm also waiting for a more reasonable priced case too. Right now, you can buy an Orgami Case , which also serves to prop up your Kindle, for either $49.99 or $64.99 depending on if you want genuine leather or faux leather, a slip case for $19.99 or an OtterBox case for $69.99, which is built like a tank, and kind of defeats the new slim design of your Kindle. After market cases should be coming soon.

So, what eReader is dear to your heart? And are you going to be looking at one of the new Kindle Fires? Share what your pro's and con's are!

BTW, since we're on the subject of eReaders, how about a great source for eBooks? If you haven't heard about it yet, BookBub is a great source for free and reduced price eBooks for all the different eReaders. You signup at the sight with your email and check off the types of books you like to read and the platform you read them on. Then you'll get a daily email with the bargains for that day, and it's not just no name authors, there are well known authors also represented. AND you'll find some cookbooks in the selections sometimes.

My eReader Blogging Memories... 
        Sept. 5, 2010: Are eReaders Taking Over the World?
        June 22, 2010: eReader Price Wars
        May 12, 2010: The Digital World Welcomes ANOTHER eReader!
        Dec. 21, 2012: Seniors Re-Kindling a Love for Reading
        Oct. 22, 2009: The Kindle Korner and The Nook
        July 29, 2010: The Third Generation Kindle Revealed!
        May 6, 2009: Is Bigger Better?

Happy eReading... Suzanne