I’m also very interested in seeing how using a mobile phone works as an e-reader down the line. I’ve heard some people have been using their iPhones for this purpose. Having a gaming platform, e-reader, web-surfer, phone, text messaging, etc. all in one place really appeals to me. :) Especially if it has the functionality of the DS e-reader that you mentioned above.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to try out various ebook readers – since I’m not totally sold on the idea of ebooks yet, why would I want to shell out a few hundred dollars for a device I haven’t been able to try out myself, right? True, there’s reviews, but it’s not the same as getting to use something yourself.

I haven’t actually handled one of the DSi XLs, so I’m not sure if I would like to use it as a reading device or not. I think the regular DS/DSi would be too small for my liking. Have you tried it?

The features mentioned for Harelquin ebooks in Japan in this blog post sound AWESOME. I don’t know how much more I’d be willing to pay for an ebook with stuff like this, but it’s definitely not “text on a screen” anymore.

1. Even though paperback prices aren’t what they used to be (I can’t believe I’m saying that and I’m still in my 20s), they’re not that bad. Plus, after I buy it, I can sell it to a used bookstore and get more books – nice. That’s not possible with ebooks, which means I’d only ever buy something in ebook form if it were REALLY cheap. At least used book cheap.
2. You can read an ebook on your computer, but to comfortably read one anywhere, you need something smaller, and ebook readers are still hideously expensive as far as I’m concerned. When I buy a print book, I can read it anytime, anywhere, not batteries and equipment to worry about.
3. The DRM issue – that determines what you can read on what reader, right? It’s the same kind of thing that eventually weaned me off of console-gaming – I hated having to figure out which console it was best for me to buy based off of the kinds of games I was going to be able to get to go with it. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about what my ebook reader could and could not read – if I bought an ebook reader, I’d expect it to be able to read any ebook I decided to buy, end of story.

So I’m still a print book kind of girl. I find it disgusting that there are publishers who want to charge prices for ebook versions of books that are at least as high as the prices for the print versions because, to my mind, they’re not worth it. Print books may take up more space, and you may be able to get ebooks as fast as you can pay for and download them, but at least my print books are mine to do with as I please. Plus, my favorites will still be around a decade from now – can the same be said for a collection of ebooks? And, if someone said “yes”, could I really trust them? Bad stuff happens to technology all the time, stuff that’s not necessarily within the control of any human beings. I just don’t have that kind of trust.