Does Anyone Here Use A Kindle?

[Major Tom]

Go to Best Buy and try it out. I believe their price is the same, anyway.

I'm about to have an early lunch and then pedal over to Target to check it out. I'm not expecting the browser to be that great; if it were, then a lot of folk would be buying them for the free 3G web-browsing alone - not what Amazon want I'm sure.

 

[misanman]

They're marginal as a web browser, but work OK for text-based apps like ER.org. The bigger DX is better for reading newspapers, IMO.

If you want a great reader get the Kindle. If you want another computer, get a tablet with a reading app.

I agree completely. I love my Kindle and charging is so infrequent I sometimes forget what's involved (not much, btw). I tried browsing but it was painful for me.

 

[bssc]

I have a kindle and use it for reading. Browsing is a bit slower since it doesn't have a standard size keyboard or have number keys, so I don't use it for that. I am a touch typist so am slowed down). I do use it to check the weather.

 

[Tiger]

I have a Kindle DX, which I only use for reading books. I am very happpy with it. I do wish it had a back lit screen and that I could borrow e-books from the library which you can do with other devices.

 

[TromboneAl]

Note that it's possible to download the protected ebooks from the library, remove the protection, then use Calibre to convert them to Kindle format.

 

[figner]

I love reading on my Kindle (3rd gen), but the "experimental" web browser on it is painful.
I suppose you could read a text-based site ok, but having to do any navigation or following of links is very cumbersome. I've used it to check gmail only when there's absolutely no other way to get online. Typing anything other than lowercase text (numbers, punctuation) is slow.

 

[donheff]

Note that it's possible to download the protected ebooks from the library, remove the protection, then use Calibre to convert them to Kindle format.

Links Al

 

[TromboneAl]

Links Al

TromboneAl in no way recommends or condones this activity:

How to remove DRM from sony ebooks (BBeB and EPUB) with ineptkey.pyw, inepepub.pyw - Audio/video stream recording forums

calibre - E-book management

 

[donheff]

I don't have any plans to steal books Al, but I might want to download a few good library books before a vacation and "extend" my loan. I don't see any moral hazard in that.

 

[Nords]

These e-reader discussions are intellectually stimulating, but they're not much help at figuring out which one I'd want to buy.

Has anyone found a retail outlet or even a user's group where you can play with the various pieces of hardware for a try-before-buy decision?

 

[GregLee]

Has anyone found ... a user's group where you can play with the various pieces of hardware for a try-before-buy decision?

Here a couple in NYC: eReaders Meetup Groups - eReaders Meetups

 

[TromboneAl]

I love the ability to read from my iPod touch in a darkened room without a source of light. This is a major improvement for reading in a tent or in bed when DW wants to sleep. That the Kindle doesn't have a backlight is one of the things keeping me from buying it.

 

[Moemg]

These e-reader discussions are intellectually stimulating, but they're not much help at figuring out which one I'd want to buy.

Has anyone found a retail outlet or even a user's group where you can play with the various pieces of hardware for a try-before-buy decision?

You can go to Best Buy and try out almost all of the readers . It really is a personal preference . The one thing that I dislike about reading an e book as compared with reading a real book is if the story has a lot of confusing characters it is harder to go back and figure out who is who .

 

[TromboneAl]

The one thing that I dislike about reading an e book as compared with reading a real book is if the story has a lot of confusing characters it is harder to go back and figure out who is who .

You mean that it's easier with the ebook, right? I often come across a name I don't remember, so I set a bookmark, then search for the first instance of that name. I then say "Oh, yeah, now I remember." and go back to the bookmark.

Same thing for acronyms I've forgotten.

And the Kindle reader is great for quickly looking up the definitions of words.

I find myself missing those features when I read a hardcopy book.

 

[W2R]

You mean that it's easier with the ebook, right? I often come across a name I don't remember, so I set a bookmark, then search for the first instance of that name. I then say "Oh, yeah, now I remember." and go back to the bookmark.

Same thing for acronyms I've forgotten.

And the Kindle reader is great for quickly looking up the definitions of words.

I find myself missing those features when I read a hardcopy book.

Yeah, or simply type in the name which gives you all the times it is mentioned, and go to the first one. One more reason why I only read Kindle books.

I also like never losing my place.

 

[Moemg]

I just saw this on amazon . Kindle with Special Offers, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

 

[Major Tom]

I just saw this on amazon . Kindle with Special Offers, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology

You have to deal with sponsored screensavers though. For some reason, even though I can deal with that sort of thing when I'm on the internet, the thought of seeing advertising when I'm reading a book is very unappealing.

Good deal for those who don't mind though.

 

[donheff]

Hey T-Al -- it works. Now I can be sure to take my library books on vacation

 

[TromboneAl]

Hey T-Al -- it works. Now I can be sure to take my library books on vacation

Good! It's a little messy with a number of steps to get things installed, but once you're done with that it's easy.

 

[Beryl]

I had 1st generation Kindle and loved it. I replaced it with an iPad last year and continue to read Kindle offerings as well as Audible books, magazines, and even this forum.

I'd like a tablet that also reads the ebooks using a sophisticated voice technology. We'll see what comes out next year. Apple? Droid? Who knows?

 

[gettingthere]

I have a Kindle 3 with 3G. I love the Kindle for reading - it's very easy on the eyes. I also think it is more comfortable to hold than either a paperback book or hardcover - I find myself reading more now, for longer periods at a time.

The lack of backlight is what makes it easier on the eyes, but also means you need a clip-on light to read in a dark room (or buy the expensive cover with the built-in light), which adds to the weight of the device, and throws it off balance, making it less comfortable to hold.

I also have an iPod touch that I have loaded the Kindle app on, and sometimes load the same book to have a back-lit device to read on. But I find that my eyes burn after reading on the iPod for an hour or so.

I really like the feature of being able to position on a word and get a definition - but that is much easier to do on the iPod than on the Kindle - for the iPod, you can just touch the screen, but on the Kindle, you have to repeatedly click the 5-way controller to position on the word.

I agree with another poster's comment that books with illustrations do not view well on the Kindle - There is no capability to magnify the picture or table.


The web-browser feature in the Kindle is slow, and annoying to use. Although you can magnify a section of a web-page to make it more readable, it seems you have to make that adjustment each time you change to another page. I have found it OK for reading or even sending emails in a pinch, though.

I might try T-Al's links to be able to load library ebooks.

 

[ChrisC]

Last month, my son deployed for the second time to Afghanistan and brought along with him a Kindle with backlight capability, loaded with lots of books, including a number of classics downloaded free, and he purchased many others. During breaks between firefights, COIN operations and nation building exercises, he reads a lot. (A junior officer in combat doesn't have the same opportunities to engage in the normal banter and bonding that occurs with enlisted men, so reading takes up a lot of his downtime.)

My son swears by the Kindle's durability and functionality in the Sand Box. It's been a great find for him. It also frees up a lot of space for us when we send care packages to him.

 

[militaryman]

I bought a Kindle at Christmas for my parents to share and also for my mother-in-law. I know that my parents (retired) are getting ALOT of use from it --- There are soooo many free offerings that they have probably a couple hundred on the kindle now and paid for only a few. My Dad uses the "text-to-speech" feature about 100% of the time and loves it! Mom, requires little sleep and stays up lots of the night reading. Was THE perfect gift for them ---

I also got one for myself and have not used it as much although I think it is important to go ahead and at least download the free kindle for PC app so you can take advantage of free offerings (see link) that interest you because someday I WILL have more time and be able to read more and will have a lovely library to choose from -- My current plan is to resell my kindle on Ebay and I should get about 130 to put towards a IPAD-2 which I can get Kindle app on anyways -- also selling my 3 year old netbook which should glean $100 towards the IPAD2 and finally I sold my PS3 and games last week (that got little use) and pocketed $300 -- SO I should be able to have close to enought to get the IPAD2 which I know is super sweet cause I bought one for my wife last month when it hit the apple store!

50 Free Books in the Kindle Store « Kindle Review – Kindle 3 Review, Kindle vs Nook

 

[FIREngineer]

For those of you who haven't gotten the Kindle because you can't use it for library books, Amazon just announced yesterday that they will start allowing the readers to work with library books later this year.

This might actually convince me to get a Kindle. Almost everything I read is from the library and I go through a lot of books, so it would get expensive if I had to purchase them for the Kindle. Either way, I will probably wait until this is actually implemented and I can see if my library participates and how good the selection is.

 

[Ally]

I heard yesterday that Kindle will soon be working with most libraries now.