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Old 04-02-2010, 10:33 AM   #81
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I have tons of free new books on my Kindle, most of them are garbage. Some people who self-publish through Kindle get their sold count and ranking up by giving the books away free, sometimes for a limited time.

Some of them are okay, this one was pre-sold, free for a limited time. I also got a crock-pot cookbook that way:

Amazon.com: The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking eBook: The Editors of Cooks Illustrated: Kindle Store

There were a lot of good freebies right before Kindle 2 came out.
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Old 04-02-2010, 10:47 AM   #82
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Can you give some examples of good freebies that you've read? I have such trouble finding books I really like, that I wonder if the freebies would work for me.
There are so many great classics. 100s (1000s?) of years of literature now in the public domain. Surely you can find some good ones there?

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Old 04-02-2010, 10:54 AM   #83
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We can download ebooks (and audiobooks) through our library's partner: eMediaLibrary

The time you can read them is limited and not sure if they work on the Kindle (since I don't have one, haven't investigated), but they are PC and Mac compatible. There seem to be limited numbers of licenses as many/most of the titles are not immediately available but can be put on hold, like a hard copy library book.

I admit that it's doubtful that I will ever read a book on my computer or another electronic reader, but it's nice to have this available.
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Old 04-02-2010, 11:27 AM   #84
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Can you give some examples of good freebies that you've read? I have such trouble finding books I really like, that I wonder if the freebies would work for me.
I am aware of this one only because I needed something with which to see how the Kindle App for my Blackberry worked -- and I was unwilling to pay for something I didn't intend to use anyway. I didn't read more than a paragraph or two so can't comment on its entertainment value.

Anyway, there are a number of sources for free e-books, Let me google that for you:

free +kindle - Google Search=
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Old 04-02-2010, 02:22 PM   #85
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Can you give some examples of good freebies that you've read? I have such trouble finding books I really like, that I wonder if the freebies would work for me.
I tend to like the classics so download a lot of public domain (pre 1923)books. You can get them from various sources. The only advantage with getting them through Amazon is that you can use Whispernet and have them downloaded directly to your Kindle. Amazon is not the only place to get free books I download non-Amazon freebies to my computer and use the usb cable to move them to the kindle.

As far as mass market books and current best sellers as I said I use my bonus points from my credit card. I also set a dollar limit of $10 for any given book.
Before we got our e-books Hubby and I usually used the library, read paperbacks or shopped the used book store for out of print and back listed books. We rarely jumped on books when they first came out because we usually found them for next to nothing a few months later. Hardbacks are over priced so we avoided them. With that attitude we got in the habit of waiting to read the "latest thing out there". We never felt left out of any conversations re.latest book read.

Edited to add:
Our primary reason for purchasing Kindles was ease of reading. We both love to read and that had been getting increasing difficult as the years have gone by. We had been using various magnifiers, most were clumsy to to say the least and quite frankly offered a temporary fix for our problem. We were in the market for an electronic magnifier when we came across the Kindle and found that it increased the font size and was comfortable to use. That was all she wrote. There is no going back to DTBs ( Can't read them easily.)
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Old 04-02-2010, 04:05 PM   #86
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I think I'll have to check out some of those old "Gothic Novels" written in the 1700s like:
The Castle of Otranto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 1764
and The Mysteries of Udolpho - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 1794

And all of Charles Dickens are public domain.

And there are so many more!!!

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Old 04-03-2010, 04:02 PM   #87
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Edited to add:
Our primary reason for purchasing Kindles was ease of reading. We both love to read and that had been getting increasing difficult as the years have gone by. We had been using various magnifiers, most were clumsy to to say the least and quite frankly offered a temporary fix for our problem. We were in the market for an electronic magnifier when we came across the Kindle and found that it increased the font size and was comfortable to use. That was all she wrote. There is no going back to DTBs ( Can't read them easily.)
My reason for purchasing the Kindle 2 was exactly the same. Reading DTB's was getting so difficult and aggravating for me. Now, I can read easily and without eyestrain.

Secondarily, I love the fact that it fits in my purse and so it is immediately available at any odd moment - - when waiting for Frank to do some banking, getting the oil changed, while waiting in stores or restaurants or doctors' offices, and so on.

I love being able to browse through the Kindle library on amazon.com using my Kindle and its free wireless connection to the Kindle Store, and instantly purchase and download books on a whim.
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Old 04-03-2010, 06:33 PM   #88
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What does "DTB" stand for?

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Old 04-03-2010, 06:53 PM   #89
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What does "DTB" stand for?

Audrey
I think it is "Dead Tree Books," a disparaging term for the data transfer and storage mechanism that will still be in use long after the Kindle is gone.
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Old 04-03-2010, 07:31 PM   #90
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Kindle is not the only game in town. Here is an interesting article from the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/03/ipad-vs-ereaders-will-app_n_523921.html
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Old 04-04-2010, 05:07 AM   #91
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What does "DTB" stand for?
I had the same question and Google raised even more:

dtb - Google Search

The first stop at Urban Dictionary: DTB found 21 completely irrelevant definitions so I decided I wasn't supposed to know and went on about my business.

(I actually thought it stood for "Desk Top Box," a Home Theater term.)
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Old 04-04-2010, 10:54 AM   #92
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I think it is "Dead Tree Books," a disparaging term for the data transfer and storage mechanism that will still be in use long after the Kindle is gone.
Funny because it also means "digital talking book" (as shown on RonBoyd's google results) which would be the opposite of "dead tree book" I would think.
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Old 04-15-2010, 06:37 PM   #93
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Can you give some examples of good freebies that you've read? I have such trouble finding books I really like, that I wonder if the freebies would work for me.
Not exactly free but close:

Audiobook Downloads
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Old 04-18-2010, 09:55 AM   #94
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I'm still finding slim pickings of free Kindle books. The one you suggested, Ron, looks great, and I've got it on my iPod. I haven't' gotten around to other sources for ebooks yet.

Please prove me wrong with links to some good free Kindle books.
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Old 04-18-2010, 10:08 AM   #95
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Same here with the freebies. I don't look for them very often, but I've never been impressed with them so far.
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Old 04-18-2010, 10:50 AM   #96
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These authors have given their books away free:

Amazon.com: Caught Stealing eBook: Charlie Huston: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: Black Sea Affair eBook: Don Brown: Kindle Store

Don Brown’s books were free when “The Lost Symbol” came out. LOL

If you like SciFi, there is a lot of current stuff available for a limited time, either though Kindle-type bookstores or on the authors’ websites.

When books are offered free, readers give a heads-up on the forums. So far, I haven’t finished any of the free books and always grab a DTB for recipes. There is so much content out there, I’m stocked up for life.

Went to the laundromat yesterday to drop off two newish lightly used books for Maurice’s de-cluttering challenge but picked up a free newish nicely marked up copy of one of those classics no one reads. Now I’m seriously considering getting the Kindle version ($2.58) with chapter by chapter analysis. Question is: how can I fit that into my busy FIRE lifestyle; I’m already taking an eight-week class, and so on.
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Old 04-18-2010, 11:04 AM   #97
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I bought my Kindle because (1) I was trying to spend money, and (2) I was having trouble making out the print in the usual paper books. So, I have been buying the books I want pretty much regardless of price. I did get a few free books from the Kindle website that I might not have bought had they cost more, such as War and Peace.

There are many threads on Amazon's Kindle forum asking people what good free books they may have read lately. Most of Amazon's free Kindle books are either classics whose copyright has run out, or new authors who want to boost their sales. I like the classics and haven't read all of them, so Amazon's free Kindle books provide me with a near infinite pool of free books that I might like to read one day.

If I wanted to read for free and my vision was better, here's what I'd do. I'd go to the public library every day and read there for a few hours. If you read at the library, you don't have to worry about paying late return fees, and there is no fee either for the books or for the purchase price of a Kindle to begin with. If you ride there on your bike, you get the benefits of exercise as well. Besides, at libraries you have a big selection of books and most libraries are pleasant places to be.
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Old 07-28-2010, 07:37 PM   #98
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Amazon is releasing a new Kindle. $189 with free 3G, $139 with wi-fi only. Same size screen, body a little smaller, better contrast, battery needs re-charging just once a month, and so on:

Kindle to Go 'Mass Market' - WSJ.com

New Amazon Kindle announced: $139 WiFi-only version and $189 3G model available August 27th in the US and UK -- Engadget

Information and ordering are available on the Amazon site, and shipments are scheduled to begin August 27th.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y27P3M

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FQJT3Q
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Old 07-30-2010, 02:04 PM   #99
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Wow, that $139 Wi-Fi Kindle looks great, no sales tax, free delivery. Now I am getting interested. Edit: Also no charger plug to carry on trips, charges by USB!

OK, I am being lazy, but have a question, as I know I could research this and get the answer.

Say I have a long web page article in my browser. Now, I want to read this instead of my Kindle. What is the work flow to do that (without fees)? Presumably, I could turn it into an Epub document (not sure about the steps) and then manually copy it over to my Kindle?

Ideally, there would be something like Instapaper. When there is a long web page I want to read, I just press a button in my browser (which is a Javascript). Next time I run Instapaper on my Ipod Touch that article is automatically downloaded and archived and can be read anytime.
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Old 07-30-2010, 02:18 PM   #100
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Wow, that $139 Wi-Fi Kindle looks great, no sales tax, free delivery. Now I am getting interested. Edit: Also no charger plug to carry on trips, charges by USB!

OK, I am being lazy, but have a question, as I know I could research this and get the answer.

Say I have a long web page article in my browser. Now, I want to read this instead of my Kindle. What is the work flow to do that (without fees)? Presumably, I could turn it into an Epub document (not sure about the steps) and then manually copy it over to my Kindle?

Ideally, there would be something like Instapaper. When there is a long web page I want to read, I just press a button in my browser (which is a Javascript). Next time I run Instapaper on my Ipod Touch that article is automatically downloaded and archived and can be read anytime.
Kindles read PDF files. Just convert the browser page to PDF and you transfer it to the kindle, no problem. My Mac can translate any file to PDF as an option on the print dialog, but lots of computers have that option.

At the current prices, the Kindle is very appealing.
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