Using a Kindle as Textbook Substitute?

[mnturk]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has had experience using a Kindle or other e-reader for their textbooks. I purchased a Kindle 3, and have been able to get the textbooks that are necessary for my classes in PDF form and the formatting looks okay, but I was wondering if there are any issues I'm not thinking of.

Thanks!

[Red Bull]

If you are fine with the formatting and the interface of the kindle device then you shouldn't have a problem. One of the major reasons why I still use paper textbooks over kindle is the ability to underline and annotate in a textbook. Also, as grad students we should be beginning to build our personal libraries, and you can't really do that with a kindle. I want to teach college after I get my PhD, and I want to be able to lend books to interested students. Just food for thought.

[mnturk]

That's a good point (re: building personal libraries). I do know that I can annotate and highlight within the Kindle, but I'm not very comfortable with it yet. I'll probably stick with physical textbooks, at least until I'm better with the Kindle.

Thanks for your input!

[qbtacoma]

I know a while back there was an issue where Amazon accidentally sold some book for Kindle that the publisher/author didn't want on Kindle, and to fix the problem Amazon simply yanked the book out of all the Kindles. It repaid the consumers for the book, of course, but there was an uproar on that. It still seems to be theoretically possible for someone to delete books from your Kindle library, unless of course you never connect it to the internet again. Just something to be aware of.

[ahembree]

I'd never heard of something like that happening, qbt, but that's pretty wild. Another way to avoid the like would be to download software like Calibre to maintain your digital library (and backup all of those ebook files in case of Amazonian invasion). It's like iTunes for your Kindle. I'd also highly recommend it as a source for free newspapers/magazines and paid-for works from all over the internet, as it's search feature covers all sorts of websites in addition to the Kindle store.

I don't think they could/should replace a full personal library, but Kindles are definitely useful for quick access to a wide variety of pdf files or texts. If you can't let a youngster borrow a book because it's on your Kindle, hopefully there's a great big impersonal library to help them out .

[modern_muslimah]

I'd never heard of something like that happening, qbt, but that's pretty wild.

What's even more wild is that the book yanked was 1984.

[mnturk]

I love Calibre! I have actually found the textbooks I need online in PDF format, and put them on my Kindle. But, I am also going to get the actual textbook...the personal library thing seems pretty important now that you guys have mentioned it. Having the text on the Kindle will be nice though, so I can reference something without taking a heavy hardcover text to school everyday and I will be able to use the search function if there is something I needed to find in a hurry.

And, ahembree, I definitely have been using the kindle / Calibre to read journal articles I love not having to print out everything / waste paper only to lose half the pages somehow.