Yes, that's right, I decided to join up with the masses of ereader owners in the world. I had been debating on whether I should get one because I am very fond of books, the feel of the pages under my fingers, the smell of a freshly-opened new book, and just the quiet comfort readers get when they have that favorite book in hand. However, with so many authors debuting new titles in ebook format, I thought it best to have access to these new titles along with physical books.
As I see it, the ereader is just a supplement of my personal library, not a replacement. Whatever I cannot store on my shelves either due to lack of room or lack of physical format shall be stored in the digital library. The next question was which ereader should I purchase. That was a bit difficult simply because there were two formats that I was quite fond of: the Kobo of Borders and the Nook of Barnes & Noble.
I had some up-close and personal experience with the Nook thanks to two coworkers who each owned one. Mind you, this is the basic Wireless Nook, but it seemed to suit their purposes, and I thought it would be nice to have the Share feature of loaning out an ebook from my library to a friend for 2 weeks. The software is a lot like our library's ebook software, Overdrive, where it automatically deletes the files after 2 weeks. The biggest downside was the cost, which wasn't too bad when it comes down to it. However, when it comes to bookstores, Barnes & Noble isn't my first choice.
The Kobo seemed like a good choice for me mostly because I am a fairly consistent patron of the stores, despite recent developments for the corporation. Although it lacked the colored menu bar at the bottom of the screen that the Nook had, the Kobo was fairly easy to navigate, and I loved the feel of the 'quilted' backing. It's supposed to give the ereader the feel of holding an actual book, and I have to admit that does keep the Kobo from slipping out of possibly slick or damp hands. I think my decision really came down to shop loyalty (and a little bit of cost) which is why I decided to get a Kobo. Plus, you really can't beat a reader that is an anagram for 'Book'. ^_^
Do you have an ereader and if so, what made you decide on the one you chose?
