Kindle Edition vs Paperback for step 1 books in general

[ucfknight407]

I'm sitting trying to draw up a list of review books to get and one complicating factor is whether I should get the kindle edition or paperback. I know it comes down to personal preference but I'm curious to hear other's thoughts on the matter. Here's my thoughts

Kindle Edition Pros:
- cheaper for a new edition
- instant definitions for words you don't know
- instant download after purchase
- all books are with you wherever your computer or iPad go. You don't have to clutter your room or lug heavy books around
- you don't need good lighting

Kindle Edition Cons:
- BIG CON: when you're ebook just lists the location (no page numbers) and someone or something lists the page number they want you to go to.
- can't sell the books back when you're done
- staring at a computer screen for long periods of time doesn't work for some
- not all kindle books are formatted the best
- taking notes can be more cumbersome than just writing on the page in a paperback.
- cant have multiple books open at the same time

Paperback Pros:
- you don't need to worry about batteries
- easy note taking
- easy to flip to what page you want
- Being able to find the page number
- easy on the eyes
- can find used books for cheaper most of the time

Paperback Cons:
- need good lighting
- take up a lot of space
- a pain to lug around
- wear and tear
- more expensive for new books

Personally Im leaning towards kindle ebooks but I'm still stuck weighing out the pros and cons of each

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ebola4Breakfast]

I've gone almost completely electronic with my resources. As you mentioned, the portability is one of the biggest factors. While most of my classmates are breaking their backs lugging around heavy textbooks, the most my backpack contains is my laptop and my iPad. Another bonus is the search function. Being able to search a textbook for a key word has been great. I use programs that have direct dropbox integration, making organization and annotation really easy. I'm not sure how easy that sort of stuff is if you're only using the manufacturer's reading apps.

You're right about Kindle; it's hit or (more often than not) miss. My experience has been that unless Kindle uses the exact same format/layout as the original textbook, it's bound to be an unorganized disaster. I've returned more eBooks to Amazon than I've bought from them. Thankfully they have a nice 7 day return policy. I found out the hard way that this return policy isn't universal for all eBook vendors.

Barnes & Noble eBooks aren't half bad a lot of the time. The books I've had the best luck with at B&N are those that only have a 7 days trial (no online preview). These are typically books where you can easily remove the DRM and convert to whatever format (epub, PDF, etc) you so desire. You can also catch electronic books straight from publishers that look way better than some of the crap jobs that Amazon peddles. B&N does not allow you to return ebooks for any reason.

I also have a few textbooks from Inkling. These probably offer some of the best bang for your buck as they truly make the textbook interactive with great quality images and build-in quizzes. The downside is the irritation of not being able to have all my books within a single program.

And while I'd obviously never, ever condone criminal behavior, torrents can be a gold mine of electronic texts. Just saying.

 

[ucfknight407]

I’ve gone almost completely electronic with my resources. As you mentioned, the portability is one of the biggest factors. While most of my classmates are breaking their backs lugging around heavy textbooks, the most my backpack contains is my laptop and my iPad. Another bonus is the search function. Being able to search a textbook for a key word has been great. I use programs that have direct dropbox integration, making organization and annotation really easy. I’m not sure how easy that sort of stuff is if you’re only using the manufacturer’s reading apps.

You’re right about Kindle; it’s hit or (more often than not) miss. My experience has been that unless Kindle uses the exact same format/layout as the original textbook, it’s bound to be an unorganized disaster. I’ve returned more eBooks to Amazon than I’ve bought from them. Thankfully they have a nice 7 day return policy. I found out the hard way that this return policy isn’t universal for all eBook vendors.

Barnes & Noble eBooks aren’t half bad a lot of the time. The books I’ve had the best luck with at B&N are those that only have a 7 days trial (no online preview). These are typically books where you can easily remove the DRM and convert to whatever format (epub, PDF, etc) you so desire. You can also catch electronic books straight from publishers that look way better than some of the crap jobs that Amazon peddles. B&N does not allow you to return ebooks for any reason.

I also have a few textbooks from Inkling. These probably offer some of the best bang for your buck as they truly make the textbook interactive with great quality images and build-in quizzes. The downside is the irritation of not being able to have all my books within a single program.

And while I’d obviously never, ever condone criminal behavior, torrents can be a gold mine of electronic texts. Just saying.

Thanks for the informative post!

 

[marele86]

Depends on HOW you use your textbook. That's key and will make or break your decision. I use both e-books and paper books, and see advantages to both, most of which you mentioned.

However. One other, incredibly important thing about e-books:

Reading. In. Bed. It becomes the best experience ever. You know when you're casually lying on your side reading a paper book, but then you switch to the near page of the page spread and have to uncomfortably hold up the entire weight of the book with one hand for the entire length of time it takes you to get through it? Or else you have to flip over onto the other side every two minutes to read comfortably?

I know I sound like a horrible nerd right now, but I'm really just a lazy reader. Holding up the weight of the book for an hour is no big deal with paperbacks, but you can't do that **** with Robbins.

Anyway, while reading while lazily lounging around is obviously no replacement for proper chair-and-desk studying, I've found it's a great way to get through a few extra passes of First Aid without even trying. (And I definitely wouldn't have read all of Robbins as an M2 if I didn't have a digital copy. That book is huge.) If you feel the same way, e-books will change your life.

 

[OneMoreRound]

Depends on HOW you use your textbook. That's key and will make or break your decision. I use both e-books and paper books, and see advantages to both, most of which you mentioned.

However. One other, incredibly important thing about e-books:

Reading. In. Bed. It becomes the best experience ever. You know when you're casually lying on your side reading a paper book, but then you switch to the near page of the page spread and have to uncomfortably hold up the entire weight of the book with one hand for the entire length of time it takes you to get through it? Or else you have to flip over onto the other side every two minutes to read comfortably?

I know I sound like a horrible nerd right now, but I'm really just a lazy reader. Holding up the weight of the book for an hour is no big deal with paperbacks, but you can't do that **** with Robbins.

Anyway, while reading while lazily lounging around is obviously no replacement for proper chair-and-desk studying, I've found it's a great way to get through a few extra passes of First Aid without even trying. (And I definitely wouldn't have read all of Robbins as an M2 if I didn't have a digital copy. That book is huge.) If you feel the same way, e-books will change your life.

I have a digital copy of Robbins and still wouldn't read it all.