I bought my first ebook the other day and it got me wondering, does anyone here have an ereader? I've been drooling over them since the original Kindle's debut but the high initial price and the use of new technologies made me wary of getting a first generation one. Then other ereaders came into existence and the technology matured. It's not all the way there yet but it's close, very close.

So to get to the point, I've been comparing the various options available and I'd like to hear from anyone with firsthand experience. Kindle is all the rage but after looking at the features, I've decided against getting one. Major turn offs for me included being unable to replace the battery without sending the entire device back to Amazon, the lack of support for ebooks outside of Amazon's own proprietary format, and being forced to rely on one source for said ebooks. Amazon's ability to remotely delete content I paid for doesn't sit well with me either...

That said, I've taken a keen interest in the new Barnes and Noble reader, the nook. You can change the battery yourself, it does support the standard ebook format, and I really love the idea of the lending feature where you can essentially let someone borrow your ebook to read. You don't even need the nook to do it as Barnes and Noble has free reader software for several different devices. It's definitely a step in the right direction. I haven't had a chance to look at one yet (they apparently have display models in the stores) but I'm about 99% sold on the nook, at least from what I've read so far.

I know there aren't a lot of dedicated readers here but if you are, what do you think about ereaders and ebooks? I think they have awesome potential, the technology and the current market just don't support them all the way yet. A major obstacle I've been noticing while browsing (I heavily abuse the sample feature on the ebook versions of things heh) is the high price point of many ebooks. They're discounted from the hardcover price, not the cheaper paperbacks. It makes sense for a new release, but not when you can buy a mass market edition for less than its digital counterpart.

The other major stumbling block seems to be availability. Amazon has hands down the best ebook selection around but again, you're beholden to their device if you want access to it and while you can convert other ebooks to their format, the process is cumbersome and really, ereaders should be all about ease of access.

So fellow readers, anyone else planning on acquiring (or asking Santa for) an ereader and if so, which one? If not, why not?

~DragonHeart~