Amazon Kindle ... again

[modhatter]

I was going to order one until I read on Amazon, that with the new one #2, you can not jump ahead chapters or back chapters to refer to something. You have to go page by page. If this is true, then that takes away the appeal to me. Can anyone verify this?

 

[freebird5825]

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.

TY for the link.
An added feature on this page is to sort by Price Low to High (upper right side, small rectangular pull down option window) and all the free and $0.99 price books are listed first.
I got a great Chinese cookbook for $2.49 and several free books. Some are classic oldies but goodies, some looked a little more recent. The reader reviews at the bottom of each selection's web page were helpful.
I just read my first whole book, Call of the Wild, and can report no eye strain. I really liked the automatic "return to last page read" feature, which serves as a bookmark between sessions.
My Kindle2 has no native PDF reader, but I can just read those files on my laptop. No biggie. I think the KindleDX has a PDF reader. Not worth it for the huge price jump to the DX, IMO.

 

[freebird5825]

I was going to order one until I read on Amazon, that with the new one #2, you can not jump ahead chapters or back chapters to refer to something. You have to go page by page. If this is true, then that takes away the appeal to me. Can anyone verify this?

I'm a total beginner at Kindle operation...but I believe the chapters have to be "enabled" to do this. I used Search This Book to move between chapters that were not enabled, or to find a key phrase. Once all the instances were found, and a "found" list was displayed, I was able to select whichever chapter (or instance of keyword found) I wanted to go to. Some of the books I have downloaded had selectable chapters, some did not.
Some of the more practiced users here may know a better way to navigate chapters and sections.

 

[Nords]

Us presbyopians want to know if the Kindle's text can be made big enough to read without glasses, yet still remain small enough that you're not "turning the page" every fourth word.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Us presbyopians want to know if the Kindle's text can be made big enough to read without glasses, yet still remain small enough that you're not "turning the page" every fourth word.

Yes.

 

[Nords]

Wow, you should see how that looks on a 23" LCD monitor!

Most excellent.

 

[vicente solano]

Is it true that you don´t get tired after reading for a bit, like you do when reading on your PC, that the print and definition are like in normal books?

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Is it true that you don´t get tired after reading for a bit, like you do when reading on your PC, that the print and definition are like in normal books?

I get tired reading both books and Kindles. But most of my pleasure reading is at bedtime anyhow .

I miss the physical parts of books - the different fonts, the cover art, the sound and feel of turning the pages, and so on. But the advantages of the kindle are pretty significant for me. The more I use it the more I like it. Sometimes just for variety I'll switch fonts mid-book.

 

[freebird5825]

Yes.

Woke me up!
Is this the largest text size on a Kindle1 ?

On my Kindle2, the largest font size on a 3.5" W x 5" H display area (6" diagonal) comes out to 5/16" high with 12 lines of wraparound text on each display page.
I am currently using it at 2 font sizes lower than the maximum. The font size selected will increase with future changes in my eyesight, which is still pretty good. For now...

 

[TromboneAl]

I get tired reading both books and Kindles.

Until recently, I got tired if I read for many hours. My optometrist gave me this tip: When you are reading, and the text doesn't seem clear, you'll have a tendency to move the book closer. That can make the problem worse, of course, and this positive feedback situation makes you get tired.

I was skeptical, but I now make it a point to hold the book a little further away, especially if the text doesn't seem clear. This has made a big difference, and I can now read all day.

 

[happy2bretired]

There was a time that I could sit for hours, reading. Now, either with a book or with Kindle, I get sleepy in about 45 minutes. Like Rich, I tend to read before bed...makes me drowsy. I tend to push my glasses up on top of my head if the words get blurry. I'm nearsighted and have bifocals.

 

[Gotadimple]

Bumping this thread up.

Latest on the Kindle is that Amazon will allow users to download a PC-Kindle reader free in November.

Local News | Amazon to release free Kindle software for PC | Seattle Times Newspaper

Combined with the buzz over the B&N device (called the Nook), could we be seeing the ability to download and share books electronically someday? Barnes & Noble allows their members to download their e-reader free from iTunes. Here's a techie review of the device.

Barnes & Noble enters the e-Reader market

-- Rita

 

[Zathras]

The Nook (reportedly) will allow people to 'share' an e-book with friends with a Nook, PC or smart phones. The shared book is good for 14 days at a time.

 

[haha]

I haven't really looked into this, but isn't there a big chance that the consumables that one uses with one of these readers will bump up recurring expenses quite a lot?

Ha

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

We'll see how this goes. AS a Kindle owner I find the main advantages are the small size, lack of a need for power (the rechargeable battery lasts weeks), and the built-in web connection for browsing and downloading new books even when away from a computer.

A PC version would seem to offer none of the above.

 

[freebird5825]

Most of the books I've been downloading are free from Project Gutenberg www.gutenberg.org. I select the MobiPocket format for my Kindle2. It isn't the best "cover to cover" formatting like Amazon's e-book formatting, but the pages are all readable.
At Amazon's Kindle store, you can pay anywhere from zero to $0.99 all the way up to $9.99 for bestsellers, to much more for what I would call "textbooks". Price is dependent on the age of the book and its popularity. I tend to go for the collections of w*rks, usually approx $4. I have enough reading material right now to last me thru 10 blizzards (did I just jinx myself? ).
With more e-readers coming out, I'll bet the price of Kindle compatible books will do nothing but drop like a rock, unless proprietary e-book formats take a while to iron themselves out.

 

[CuppaJoe]

If you want to read this forum on the Kindle, from the Kindle go to Skweezer and type in the forum address. They claim to “make websites mobile-friendly.” It’s good enough for me.

Another site is Google Mobilizer: http://google.com/gwt/n

 

[W2R]

In the spirit of recent threads on spending money, I just bought my first Kindle. It has been harder and harder for me to read conventional paper books due to small print and aging eyes I guess. I was hoping that the Kindle would help this problem and I want to tell everyone that yes, it does!

It arrived last night. Instead of getting the $489 Kindle DX (the large one with the 9.7" display) I went for the $259 conventional Kindle 2 with the 6" display instead (having read that Amazon would refund my money if didn't like it, as long as I sent it back in the same packaging). If I rotate the image 90 degrees so that I am viewing in "landscape" orientation, the Kindle 2 is perfectly fine with larger text and I love the fact that it is light and fits in my purse.

The non-backlit display is amazing and very easy on my eyes. I love being able to make the print larger if/when my eyes get tired.

I downloaded 9 books last night (3 fiction, 6 non-fiction) and I am having a ball. The Kindle is AMAZING! What a terrific use of discretionary funds.

 

[audreyh1]

There she goes!!!! Spending that money!

I'm looking forward to my iPad (which I have not ordered yet). I look forward to reading books on it.

I'll wait to order my iPad after the first "rush" subsides. But I'm getting itchy!!!

Audrey

 

[FIREd]

I am spending money too! My laptop died last week so I had to find a replacement. I hesitated between the iPad, another laptop and a netbook and finally opted... for the netbook. I can't say that I am overly excited about my purchase (I would have preferred to get my hands on a brand new iPad personally), but the netbook was more versatile and a better complement to my iPhone. Now if only those fools at AT&T started to support iPhone tethering, I'd be a very happy camper.

 

[TromboneAl]

iPad vs. Kindle: Will Apple's iPad pose huge threat to Amazon.com's Kindle dominance?

 

[W2R]

iPad vs. Kindle: Will Apple's iPad pose huge threat to Amazon.com's Kindle dominance?

I might get an iPad later on too, just for fun - - but I decided I definitely wanted a Kindle 2 for now. I love the fact that it is so small that it fits in my purse, light enough that my wrist doesn't get tired, and the battery seems to last nearly forever (1-2 weeks apparently, but I have been reading on mine since my last post and battery usage is negligible). I love carrying an entire LIBRARY of books, hidden away in my purse. Plus, I also had MS Word change some of my personal documents into PDF's (after enlarging the font to a satisfactory size), and put them on there too.

The iPad has a different set of advantages (color, backlit screen, and hopefully more intuitive web browsing), and I think it could fit into my life in a slightly different niche.

There are lots of discussions on Amazon's Kindle forum about the iPad and which to buy. I read them all prior to purchase. Where I might have made a mistake was in not waiting until after the iPad came out to see if the Kindle price went down further. Oh well!

Basically I think we are at a point where the "ultimate e-book reader" is in sight but nobody is making it yet. I expect that within 5 years we will see some big improvements hitting the market.

FIREdreamer, how exciting that you got a netbook!! I really want an excuse to get one. I think they are SO cool. By the way, while reading about the Kindle I discovered that you can read Kindle books on your iPhone if you want to.

 

[FIREd]

FIREdreamer, how exciting that you got a netbook!! I really want an excuse to get one. I think they are SO cool. By the way, while reading about the Kindle I discovered that you can read Kindle books on your iPhone if you want to.

I have the kindle app on the iPhone, so I can read my kindle books directly on my iPhone. It's not great (the screen is a bit small so there is a lot of scrolling involved), but for the amount of digital reading I do, it's good enough. If I was a more avid digital reader, then getting the Kindle would be a must. Alas, I don't read that much and, when I do, I like the old paper print. The netbooks are cool but of course not iPad-cool IMO. But what sold me is that they can do things that my iPhone (or an iPad) cannot do (like running Quicken, playing a wide range of video formats, etc...) which makes a netbook an ideal companion for my iPhone when I travel. Since I already have an iPhone, the iPad seems a bit... redundant at the time.

 

[W2R]

If I was a more avid digital reader, then getting the Kindle would be a must. Alas, I don't read that much and, when I do, I like the old paper print.

Believe it or not, I agree completely and would stick with paper print if I wasn't having such a hard time reading it lately. Since I just got glasses last summer, it can't be my prescription - - my problem must be due to the effects of aging. I can see the print, though I have to squint sometimes to make it out and my eyes get tired after a few pages.

But for some reason, reading on the Kindle is easy with no squinting or eyestrain. I am very happy with my Kindle because it is so much easier for me to read now.

 

[audreyh1]

But for some reason, reading on the Kindle is easy with no squinting or eyestrain. I am very happy with my Kindle because it is so much easier for me to read now.

Is the screen lit (or backlit)? That may explain the easier reading.

I'm hopeless now without my reading glasses. And I'm only 50!

Audrey