My Name is Kate

My Journey to eReader Enlightenment - the First Few Steps

I have taken the plunge and finally decided to get an eReader.

Actually, I decided to take this plunge back in November of last year, but I couldn't make up my mind about which one to get.  I had originally been dithering between a Sony Touch and a Nook (if you can even get it in Canada), but I then saw the Sony Reader Daily Edition and thought I would hold out for it to come to Canada.

And then I got really fed up thinking about it and so stopped for about four months.

THEN the Kobo came out which I got REALLY excited about because it's Canadian (or at least part of it is).

But I continued to put that purchase off for a few months and Amazon finally brought the Kindle to Canada. BUT I had vowed I would never ever purchase a Kindle - because of the proprietary digital format, Amazon's infamous clawback of content people had purchased and their alleged draconian dealings with publishing houses.  I love standards - ePub all the way!

A couple other things happened along the way.  We moved and did a thorough de-cluttering, giving away over 200 books. We now have only two bookshelves (probably still about 200) but they are filled with old favourites as well as a very tightly curated "to read" shelf.  I like not having to dust a lot of books.  Also, many of the publishers who send me books for review have started to offer eBook versions.  THIS was a much welcome occurrence - eBooks take up much less room and I don't have to wait for UPS to deliver them.

So, that sealed it and I committed to making an eReader decision.  But which one?  When in doubt, ask Twitter.  I put up a poll.  It got 6 votes: 3 for Kobo, 2 for the iPad and 1 for the Kindle.  In retrospect, I probably should have tried Hunch as well.  But, in any case, I bought the Kobo (I also have a couple of friends who have one who recommended it).

 Why I do not love my Kobo:

• It's not a touch screen.  It never occurred to me that it wouldn't be a touch screen.  My model of handheld devices has totally changed since having an iPhone.  Isn't everything a touch screen?  No.
• The big blue button makes an audible clicking noise.  I read pretty quickly. And typical eBook pages have fewer words than a regular book.  I am clicking this button constantly.  It is noisy.
• There is no annotation feature.  Again, it didn't occur to me to check the list of features because I assumed it would have this.  It doesn't.
• It is slow.  Slow to boot up. Slow to load a book.  Slow. Slow. Slow.
• The communication between the KoboBooks site, the desktop and the Kobo is confusing.  Plus, you have to use Adobe Digital Editions to authorize the device for DRM restricted books.  Understandable, but the Kobo is a little temperamental.  I had to reset it twice and it doesn't always transfer a book on the first try.

Why I don't absolutely hate the Kobo:

• It came with 100 classics nicely formatted.  So all my Jane Austen favs are pre-installed and I don't have to go messing around with editions on Project Gutenberg or Google Books to find something that works.  I actually did try loading one, but it was a scan of a book rather than the plain text and it was unreadable.  This pre-loaded library has saved me a little time.
• The actual reading on it is delightful.  The eInk screen is nice and bright and clear.  It is lightweight and comfortable to hold.  Even the button is in a good location for right-handed readers.  It's just loud.

Well, the non-touch, no annotations and noisy buttons were all deal breakers for me.  So, I passed the Kobo onto Rosemary.  What next? Kindle? NO!

Triggit Test Post

The following text was taken from a review I did a couple of years ago of Douglas Coupland's movie: Souvenir of Canada.  I wanted some sample text to play around with Triggit and what happens in the feed.

TIFF Film Review: Souvenir of Canada: A-

OK, this was a very North American film: it has *my* sense of humour, was in *my* language, features one of *my* favourite authors. It was not a stretch for me to *get* this film. Douglas Coupland is much funnier and genuine than I expected. See, I have this made-up construct of how jerky Coupland is in my head: he cancelled an appearance at the University of Waterloo back in 1992 or 1993. I had purchased a hard-cover first edition of Microserfs (a book I love dearly) for him to sign and skipped a class to see him. When I got to the bookstore, there was a big sign saying he'd cancelled. I've been bitter for 12 years. But after seeing Souvenir of Canada, I've been able to get over it.

This film is fun to watch. Though it's another one of those films that seems to end a couple of times. The whole film is an exploration of "what it means to be Canadian" mostly told through commentary on various Canadian pop-culture fads. At the end, there is a tacked on bit about how what it really means to be Canadian is our connection with the wilderness. The transition from pop-culture to wilderness was kinda weak and didn't really fit. But overall the film was snappy and funny and self-effacing and filled with those "inside" jokes Canadians love about themselves. Oh, and some really kickin' title design.