I regularly download books that are beyond their copyright dates, which you can get off the web for free. I have quite a collection that I carry on my thumbdrive and my laptop hard drive.
I don’t like to do serious reading on a laptop, though, so I typically print a few pages at a time and read them that way.
I’d like to find an e-reader that was more comfortable than my laptop, that I could transfer files to (including word files, pdf files, and so on). I want to back up my files on my computer and maybe on a thumb drive.
That seems to be a problem with certain e-readers. The Apple apparently doesn’t have a drive port (true?). Amazon apparently limits you to their protocol. But if I find the right thing I’m in.
I am think the Sony has some capability to work with a laptop and Windows.
The Kindle is EASILY the most versatile. First, there’s the WhisperNet cellular connection (it’s free) that lets you buy any of a bazillion books from almost anywhere in about a minute. Then there’s the fact that Amazon provides free Kindle apps for iPhone, Blackberry, PC, and Mac, all of which beautifully access your Kindle library. Finally, it’s uber-easy to transfer DOC/PDF/etc. to your Kindle; just email the file to your Kindle email address as an attachment, and it shows up on your Kindle almost instantly.
I’m a big reader who strongly resisted e-readers because I’ve always loved the feel and smell of books, but a couple days with a Kindle converted me into an enthusiastic user. I strongly recommend it.
MM
A few Kindle-related links that may be helpful to you. It’s actually pretty flexible in converting formats.
Amazon Kindle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#File_formats
Comparison of e-book readers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers
Free Book Collections:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_85650291_15?ie=UTF8&node=2245146011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0C5J27PKPXFG3GDBPQHM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1271837542&pf_rd_i=1286228011
The iPad has several apps which you can use to read books in various formats. More importantly, you can load books (including Gutenberg Project books) wirelessly to the iPad from your computer.
The iPad goes beyond being _an_ ebook reader. It becomes all of them.
Turn it into a Kindle for free.
Turn it into a Nook for free.
Read PDFs.
Run Stanza, or any of many other reader software.
Full price or discounted or free, there are way more book sources available on the iPad than you imagine. All wireless.
The iPad goes beyond the need for USB and other media. Physical is passé.
Set up email on it and email the books to yourself. In the next release of the OS (a couple months) a PDF attached to an email will be automatically added to your library. Likewise Word files.
Install the Dropbox app on both iPad and desktop. You get a special folder: anything you put in it appears on your iPad - instant and wireless.
And again, multiple ebook readers will run on the iPad, all getting books wirelessly and without physical media.
BTW: on a tangent, look into portableapps.com asap.
The iPad is a bit big and expensive just for an e-reader. Being designed exactly for it, the Kindle does better. Personally, I think a touch-screen Kindle, removing the keyboard (how often do you type and read?) would be the best. The Kindle only understands the Amazon format and PDF for books.
The iPad will read your files and synch to your computer, and do a ton of other things a Kindle can't. You can also get non-Apple e-reader software from the iTunes Store if you don't want to use Apple. The iPad's dock connector has USB in it, so you can buy an adapter to plug in an SD card.
One warning: With a book you know you can keep it forever, no matter what, nobody's taking it from you. Amazon has shown it can and will revoke your purchases if desired, and there's nothing you can do about it. You will of course get your money back, but the idea that they can and will remotely wipe a book from my system is disturbing. This may be true for any protected-format e-books.
Get an ipad or kindle for ebooks. Both do a good job, ipad costs a little more, but it does so many other things. For reading on your laptop, you need to get safari.
It has a reader function that displays text in a format that is like an ebook, very readable. Firefox has a puffin like that, called readability, but it is not as slick.