Dreamworks’ Sinbad was on Cartoon Network last night and Alex was already watching it when I entered the family room. I had never seen it before and I didn’t know whether I was seeing a scene from the first half, the third quarter or the last five minutes of the movie. I didn’t recognize the characters and Alex couldn’t believe it: Eris, you know — Eris? That’s in the story. In your book. A Thousand And One Nights — the one with BROWN paper?
Right. When I read that book, I hadn’t even met her father yet. I did remember though that when I started collecting books, A Thousand And One Nights was the second item I bought (the first was The Island at the End of the World). My copy of A Thousand And One Nights is so old that the paper has turned brown. I asked Alex if she had read all seven adventures of Sinbad in my book and she said, “No…” and the word “scary” was uttered.
“Scary?” I asked.
Alex said, “Scary… scary to read the book because every time I turn a page, it cracks.”
And that was when I mentioned Kindle. Alex hadn’t heard of Kindle and I explained that it’s a gadget for downloading books and magazines in digital format. No more brown pages that crack when they’re turned.
When Amazon started shipping Kindle to the Philippines, many of my friends ordered. I didn’t. There was a discussion on Facebook when I posted a message that I still preferred to turn physical pages of a book I can cuddle with. A friend and fellow lawyer, Frances, agreed and said she is “old-fashioned” in that way (since you don’t know her, let me just say that that’s about the only old-fashioned thing about her).
A cousin, Rinna, an Apple fan like myself, wondered if my resistance toward Kindle meant that I was just waiting for the release of the iPad. I said no. Part of it, really, is that the bibliophile in me feels comforted by the sight of walls lined with books. I’ve lived like that for as long as I can remember because even before I started collecting books, my mother collected hers. When I was old enough, I started my own collection and so did my brother.
And except for the ones that got ruined every time we moved from one house to another, I’ve kept all of my books because I always thought that I’d pass them on to my daughters someday. Well, I have. Sort of. Sam and Alex have picked up some of my books and the really old ones are just as Alex described — the pages crack as you turn them. You should see my copy of Tai-Pan with whole sections falling off the spine.
Last night, after I mentioned Kindle, Speedy brought up the iPad topic. He was with a client earlier and the client showed him his brand new iPad. Of course, I like the iPad. I know it’s no substitute for a laptop but it can do a lot more things than Kindle can. Kindle is basically a reading device; iPad is a multi-media gadget. But I balked when I found out that the iBooks subscription would not initially be available in the Philippines. Having an iPad without the iBooks subscription would be like have a new, expensive toy that’s only half-functional. After that, I stopped reading updates about the iPad.
When Speedy brought it up last night, I told him how useless an iPad would be. Then, he said it had Kindle. I said what? I was confused and disbelieving — Kindle is a device, iPad was a competition of Kindle, so how could iPad have Kindle? And Speedy said that the iPad had a Kindle application. And now I’ve read up and Speedy’s right. I shouldn’t have stopped reading the iPad updates after the disappointment over the unavailability of iBooks. It seems that Amazon wised up. Instead of resisting the competition, it made its platform available in the competition’s device. So, if I get an iPad, I can get books and magazines even without an iBooks subscription by using, instead, the Kindle application.
So, does that mean I’ll be getting an iPad? Hmmm… I’m still thinking about it.
I’ve seen potential for the iPad in the kitchen especially, if you’re going to collect cookbooks and recipes – stuff you just can’t get at bookstores here which you can now download from the Kindle store for the iPad. I just installed the Kindle reader for my iPod Touch, and imagine what the bigger-size screen on the iPad can do while you’re multitasking and need to reference something, right? And I think the iPad was just tailor-made to meet greasy hands! Try not to look at it as a computer but more as a useful household appliance.
I saw the dock and that was exactly what I imagined — iPad on the kitchen counter, recipe with readable fonts. My current SOP is to bring the iPhone to the kitchen and you can imagine how difficult it can be reading small text, unable to touch the phone with greasy hands…
okay you know what my resistance is in the digital book format? when i’m trying to read back on a particular page i hold a wad of the pages in my had and then I shuffle through them with a thumb, look to see if i’m on the right page, and then thumb through again if it’s not…you know the way i mean, where they make sounds like cards being shuffled? It’s fast and comforting. If they can make the kindle to that, i’d get it
I’m a tactile person, what can i say…
I’m thinking that bedside books (fiction, especially) should still be in print format. You know, like you can fall asleep holding them in your hands and you don’t have to worry even if they fall to the floor during the night.
But reference books — like my mountain of cookbooks — may just be better off in digital format. I’m also thinking of the much cheaper subscription rates for magazines especially ones that aren’t available here in print format.
Ha ha ha ha, I’m still using my reliable Tungsten T5. Simple lang naman ang requirements ko – a digital organizer, Power One Graph Calculator, Documents To Go, MP3 player and something that I could pull out from my pocket to take down notes or to check something fast (read: really fast). And also read to read eBooks. I can also read incoming SMS from my mobile phone remotely from my T5. This is very useful when I’m in area where mobile phone is not allowed.
What I like most in a gizmo with similar functions is with stylus input option – graffiti and sketching. Never mind if you can’t put it in my pocket. Palalakihan ko na lang yung pocket ko.
(Normally, when I’m in a bar, I always toy with my T5 once I got bored. Huh, I wonder how it will look if I have an Ipad in a bar. He he he…I will try sometimes to be a Starbucks habitue…)
(My apology if this will come out as a second post, nagkamali nung una.)
“I will try sometimes to be a Starbucks habitue”
Naku, please, the tambays there who occupy the seats for hours (just to show off their gadgets) and preventing other customers from getting comfortably seated make me sick.
I have an iPad and yes, it’s a toy but it’s AMAZING. It has the iBooks, Kindle, and other applications such as free books for iPad. If you’re for the Kindle, get the iPad instead. You will definitely like it. =)
Well, I’m happy so far with all the Apple products we have at home. So, it’ll probably be the iPad.
Malulugi ang Kindle sa akin. I like to put all the books I’ve read on display and I wish to pass them on to my future mini-me complete with all the side notes – comments, definitions, when and where binili and if I’m lucky enough – the author’s signature on it.
If i can afford it, I would want an ipad. But i still want books on paperback. I read ebooks, then I buy them when I liked them, then read them again
How would you feel if one will declare that iPads, iPods, and other gadgets are iBad for democracy?
“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” he said.
The guy is no other than Mr. Distraction- the BlackBerry Buff- Obama!
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ipad_is_ibad_for_democracy_obama_FrUMkdTNGHlfZ5JOKSgMVO#ixzz0p6HT7pRK
iPad now has Barnes and Nobles for iPad too. and Kindle for iPad. What I did was get a US iTunes account (you’ll need a US billed credit card) and now even here in Manila I can get iBooks anytime. iPad has so many free apps with really good recipes. I often use it propped on its leather casing while baking or cooking. very very nifty. I was actually thinking of getting Kindle first but my sister said iPad will be better and it is. =) What i love about iBooks is when you tap the page to change page, it flips like a real book =)
June 28 na. Nasan na yung iPad ko?
Huh?