Amazon Kindle ... again

K

KB

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There have been a few threads on the Amazon Kindle in the past and I wondered if any of the Kindle owners had updates on how well they liked it.

Amazon.com is selling it for $359, but there is a $50 off code since Oprah Winfrey featured it on one of her shows last week.

The code is OPRAHWINFREY and it is valid through 11/1/08.

Anyone have feedback? I'm toying with getting one for myself for Christmas.
 
There are two new versions coming out soon - one the same size but thinner than the current one I think - the other I hear will have a larger screen (close to an 8.5x11 sheet of paper) for easier reading (my wife is waiting for this one) - I haven't heard anything on pricing for the new ones.

This is probably part of the reason for the $50 off promotion
 
This post is from a Kindle, my portable computer. Not sure when it will cut me off. Seems to have a word limit.
 
I got a Kindle for my wife for her birthday, and she's been using it for a month or so. I'm not sure if they are still offering it, but at the time they were offering $70 off if you used an Amazon credit card. Added to the $30 bonus for opening a card, the $100 off was too much to pass up. And the bonus points on the card are decent, too.

My wife has been enjoying using it. She hasn't had any trouble with accidental button presses, nor the speed of page redraws, which are two of the more common negative comments. Web surfing is pretty slow and frustrating, which isn't that surprising since it isn't really designed for that. She is really into reading fan fiction (mostly Harry Potter), so she'll copy and paste into notepad and then upload it onto the Kindle. Works great! We actually haven't bought any books through the Kindle store yet.

At the time we bought it, the release date for the new Kindle versions wasn't really known, so we figured we might as well go ahead and get one. Not sure if there's been an update since then.
 
I did check into the next version of Kindle and it looks like it won't be released until sometime next year, possibly mid-year.

Thanks for the feedback...I'm still thinking about it. I already have the Amazon.com credit card so the points would be all I would get. And the $50 code is all I've found so far.....However $309 is better than the $399 that I remember when it was first released.

Kronk, I did find a list of other places to download books (some free) in one of the kindle discussion threads. I'll see if I can find it again.
 
My husband and I both own Kindles and love them. We got them because we love to read, can adjust the font size and can travel with a lot of reading material with out carrying the weight of actual books.
I leave mine in the cover that comes with the device. Some people have complained that the Kindle slips out, which it does at times. The fix is to use self adhesive Velcro on the device and on the cover to stop this. The other complaint is lighting. This device is not back lit like a computer, which is great comfort wise, however it is a problem if you are in a low light situation. You can use a clip on book light and there is a lot of discussion as to which one to use. Amazon is pushing one on their site to go along with the Kindle but some of the feed back is less that encouraging. I finally bought a clip on light from LLBean which works great. Plenty of bright, blue colored light that is easy to aim on the text that I am reading and easy on the eyes. It cost about $16 and some change is light weight, uses LEDs and clips right on the Kindle cover.

The price will give some people pause however if you are a heavy reader, like we are, it may be worth it to you when you consider ease of use and the cost of the reading material you purchase to use on the device. The average is $10.00.
A major down side is that not every book we want is available on the Kindle so we are still buying printed material. I expect that to change over time as there are more and more Kindles in use.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I ordered one; can't wait until it gets here.
 
I've also toyed with buying one . I read constantly and when I travel I leave a trail of books behind me . I've seen the Sony reader for $299 but I've heard better things about the kindle .
 
I still can't see paying $300 plus near-hardback prices for ebooks. Two years ago I bought a Gemstar/eBookwise reader for $100. They are still sold on eBay. This has an LCD screen and is thicker than Kindle, but it suits me and I've yet to buy an ebook.
 
FWIW, I recently had to replace my iPod and got an iPod Touch. There are readers for this and despite the small screen it is excellent. You can have the text scroll like a teleprompter (where you control the speed by tilting the ipod), or just use normal paging. The background and font colors and size are modifiable and the screen and resolution are very crisp.

I would have said that nothing that small could ever replace a full size reader (which I have only looked at briefly) but now I'm not so sure. For the moment, though, I have not seen much in the way of contemporary books available though that will probably change knowing Apple.
 
I just received a Kindle 2 from dh2b for my birthday. :flowers:
This thing is really cool. :D
I found the free gutenberg site and downloaded a few classic books.
I use my laptop to download groups of books because I can navigate the website easily and use a simple Move File to transfer them to the Kindle.
I'm starting out with Call of the Wild, Alice in Wonderland, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 2 history books about Atlantis, and a Greek and Roman mythology tome.

I can live with reading older books. There are so many I never had time for reading while in school and then w*rking.

There is updated info at the Wikipedia site for current and wannabe owners.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle#File_formats
 
Another convert, congrats, Freebird! I like to read this forum on my aging Kindle1 when I'm out to lunch.;)
 
I normally need to wear my glasses to read anything printed to avoid headaches. I just love the text size adjustment feature. The Kindle font sizes are so much better than standard printed book font size. The contrast is very good on the eyes.
I also have hand problems, and sometimes the gripping of an open book makes my thumbs ache after a half hour or so. This Kindle 2 is so lightweight I don't even know I'm holding it. I have the book style device cover, which rests nicely on my knees, footrest up and tilted back in the recliner. All in all a very ergonomic solution, visually and physically.

It gets a "Happy 10" from me.

:D:D:D:D:D
:D:D:D:D:D

The Kindle2 screen is much smaller than the Kindle1. The internet web site display is fragmented across several display pages and not very usable, or I just lack patience.
 
I still like my 2nd generation Kindle, though I miss the look and feel of real books. It really shines during travel, when you can pack it anywhere, load it witih as many books as you want and sort of browse the web from almost anywhere. I say "sort of" because the built-in browser leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, though, it's a winner.
 
freebird5825 said:
.... The internet web site display is fragmented across several display pages and not very usable, or I just lack patience.
Click to expand...
If you bring ER forums up on your Kindle screen, somewhere on the site it gives you the option of switching to display for mobile device. It works well enough for me but I was motivated because I didn't have a home computer at the time. Mobile web browsing isn't for everyone. These days I just use it for ER forums, stock quotes, library catalog (don't want to buy a Kindle book if the library has it) and crossword puzzle answers.
 
KB said:
I love my Kindle. Having spent a lot of airport time recently, I was very happy to have a number of books on my Kindle. I found this link that has a lot of free Kindle books. I ordered quite a few; just check for the $0.00 price.

Amazon.com Bestsellers: The most popular items in Kindle Store. Updated hourly.
Click to expand...


Wow - I just scanned the list - thank you for providing the link, KB!! I have not purchased a Kindle yet, but I sure am intrigued. I am still waiting and hoping that the local library will figure out a way to loan out electronic books for users to download/borrow - maybe with a file self-destruct method after 3 weeks borrowed. I read so much that I don't dare purchase everything I read (or I'd be poor) - I love the idea of freebies and borrowing.

I guess one downside I thought of is that if you have a book on your Kindle that you really enjoyed and decide to recommend the book to a friend - you can't loan them the book without loaning them the entire Kindle (or is there something I'm missing?)

Charlotte
 
What is keeping me away is the price of the books. The books you buy apparently can't be resold, so Moeng's method of buying and reselling books doesn't work. Plus, I just stocked up at the annual library book sale (50 cents a paperback, 1.00 for hardcover) and bought 75 books. That should last a while.

But I sure would like one for winter traveling, I wouldn't have to haul a big pile of books.
 
That's why I like it so much, Martha. You can carry a bunch of books without the bulk. The drawbacks are what you listed. You can't lend a book or resell.

However for people who always buy books, they would probably save $$ since the more expensive books are $9.99.
 
Martha said:
But I sure would like one for winter traveling, I wouldn't have to haul a big pile of books.
Click to expand...
Traveling is when this gizmo really shines. Aside from the small size, you can buy books from anywhere and they get downloaded in minutes. Lots of free public domain classics, too. If you hear about a book while you are traveling, you can buy it while in your car, eating lunch, etc.

It also is a web browser with a built in air card - much more convenient than a computer when en route. Another advantage is that you can make the font larger and smaller - for my old eyes that's a big help in dim surroundings or if I forget my readers.

But you lack the "comfort" factor of a real book.
 
I'd also enjoy having one, but 99% of the books I read are totally free. The library is too good to be true.

BTW, reading a PDF book on your laptop can be better than you might imagine, if you rotate the screen. Most laptops let you press Ctl-Alt-Right Arrow (or ctl-alt-left arrow), to change your screen to "portrait mode." (Ctl-alt-up arrow to return to regular).

Here I am reading The Glycemic Load Diet on my laptop. The contrast is much better than it looks in this photo.

ReadingLaptop.jpg


​
 
Cool! I had no idea. All the dang pdfs that I have awkwardly read scrolled through unnecessarily! Damn!

Thanks you.
 
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