Why Kindle (and the other E-book readers)?

[Geoffrey]

Thanks for the "heads up" regarding the reconditioned Kindle for $139.99. I sent in my order. I have a Sony PRS-505, but I can't resist the Kindle now that it has been upgraded to include folders.

 

[lhamo]

Does anybody have a nook from Barnes and Noble? I think one of hte reasons Amazon dropped the price on the kindle was that B&N dropped their price on the nook. I am leaning toward the nook as it gets somewhat better reviews (somewhat more user friendly) and can also handle the different formats used by many ebooks that are available through library systems (including Seattle and KCLS, ha...). I have a grantee who brought one with her to China, and she has been able to access the Seattle Public Library system as well as UW libraries with hers. So that is really attractive to me! This kind of device is an incredible development for expat book lovers. The thought of being able to immediately go and get a copy of the wonderful books I hear about on my NPR podcasts and not having to wait 6 months is such an enticement to me. My ipod was one of the best things I have ever bought, and I am guessing this will be up on the same par. But I will probably try one out in the store before I take the plunge...

lhamo

 

[Moemg]

Does anybody have a nook from Barnes and Noble? I think one of hte reasons Amazon dropped the price on the kindle was that B&N dropped their price on the nook. I am leaning toward the nook as it gets somewhat better reviews (somewhat more user friendly) and can also handle the different formats used by many ebooks that are available through library systems (including Seattle and KCLS, ha...). I have a grantee who brought one with her to China, and she has been able to access the Seattle Public Library system as well as UW libraries with hers. So that is really attractive to me! ..

lhamo

With the price drop I am ready to make the plunge but I definetly want one that can access the library system as that is the wave of the future so does anyone know if the Kindle can do this . I also see they have lowered the prices on some books so I guess it's time to become an e reader .

 

[Charlotte]

With the price drop I am ready to make the plunge but I definetly want one that can access the library system as that is the wave of the future so does anyone know if the Kindle can do this . I also see they have lowered the prices on some books so I guess it's time to become an e reader .

Moemg - you will need to research what types your library has (or has access to). For example, the library system I use (I live in NC) has "epub" and "mobi" file types available for checkout.

I bought a Sony Touch PRS-600. It can read the epub files (and several other file types such as txt, rtf, bbeb and pdf), but not the mobi's. Hopefully someone can chime in with what file types the kindle can read.

I believe there are utilities available to do file conversions, and I am hoping that I will be able to convert the mobi's to epubs as soon as I take the time to research all that... then I'll be able to double my borrowing power from the library.

 

[kramer]

epub is an open e-book format that can be read by virtually anything. I use Stanza to read Epub on my Ipod touch. I use a Firefox plug-in to read it on my PC. My understanding is that the Kindle format is basically epub plus DRM (Digital Rights Management, e.g., copy protection).

 

[Moemg]

Thanks for the info . Next week I am going to Barnes & Noble & Target to do a hands on trial . The other thing I like about "The Nook " is the ability to lend books . I come from a family of readers and we always trade off books .

 

[Katsmeow]

With the price drop I am ready to make the plunge but I definetly want one that can access the library system as that is the wave of the future so does anyone know if the Kindle can do this . I also see they have lowered the prices on some books so I guess it's time to become an e reader .

I know that on my Kindle I can read books that are in other unprotected software. I converted them to Kindle format (easy to find software to do this) and then uploaded to Amazon. This works fine.

However, using Kindle software on my iPad I can only read the books that I bought from Amazon that are original Kindle format. This is not a big deal though as the others were able to be imported into ibook.

Not sure about the library books though.

 

[Martha]

Calibre will convert various formats so they can be read on devices from the Kindle to iPad. calibre - E-book management

Also, it looks like it might be good for getting news downloads. From the Calibre site:

calibre can automatically fetch news from websites or RSS feeds, format the news into a ebook and upload to a connected device. The ebooks include the full versions of the articles, not just the summaries. Examples of supported news sites include:

• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Economist
• Time
• Newsweek
• The Guardian
• ESPN
• and many, many more…

calibre has over three hundred news sources and the news system is plugin based, allowing users to easily create and contribute new sources to calibre. As a result the collection of news sources keeps on growing!

 

[Geoffrey]

Kindle refurbs at $139, latest generation at $169. Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, U.S. Wireless) | Warehouse Deals

I ordered, and received, a refurb. It appears to be in new, or nearly new condition. The only thing I failed to account for is that they sent me the U.S. version and I had assumed that I would receive the international version as all new Kindles are "international." My bad -- I live in Japan. I intend to keep it because I'm planning to return to the U.S. in early October. However, anyone living overseas should beware when ordering a refurb as you may very well receive a U.S. only version (and will be unable to connect to the Kindle Store or internet).

 

[Katsmeow]

Calibre will convert various formats so they can be read on devices from the Kindle to iPad. calibre - E-book management

Here is the one thing I don't like about Kindle. If you get the Kindle device you can indeed use Calibre (and various other sources) to convert books to the Kindle format and can then load them onto your Kindle and read them.

However, what you can't do is use the Kindle software to read those same books on other devices that you may own such as an iphone or an ipad. For example, I wanted to share with my son some non-Kindle books (i.e. books I had converted to Kindle). He had an ipod touch. I could share my Kindle books (those bought from Amazon with him) but he could download the books that I had converted to Kindle format. Yes he could read them with other software but he wanted to have only one book app....

 

[Cattusbabe]

Kindle refurbs at $139, latest generation at $169. Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, U.S. Wireless) | Warehouse Deals

I ordered, and received, a refurb. It appears to be in new, or nearly new condition. The only thing I failed to account for is that they sent me the U.S. version and I had assumed that I would receive the international version as all new Kindles are "international." My bad -- I live in Japan. I intend to keep it because I'm planning to return to the U.S. in early October. However, anyone living overseas should beware when ordering a refurb as you may very well receive a U.S. only version (and will be unable to connect to the Kindle Store or internet).

No need to wait until October to use your Kindle. Download the books you want to your computer and then use the provided USB cable to transfer the book to your Kindle.

 

[IndependentlyPoor]

New Kindle DX at lower price
Amazon Media Room: News Release

 

[seabourne]

Check Woot.com - they were bought out by amazon yesterday, so today they are selling new kindles for $149+$5 shipping (versus $189 on Amazon). I finally bit the bullet and bought one - going to be travelling for 3 weeks this fall on vacation, will use for reading material then and on my commute - mostly read on iphone right now.

 

[REWahoo]

Check Woot.com - they were bought out by amazon yesterday, so today they are selling new kindles for $149+$5 shipping (versus $189 on Amazon).

Sold out.

 

[Moemg]

I finally after much debating made the plunge and bought a e reader today . I bought the Pandigital novel . It does everything that I wanted and the price was right for something I'll use occasionally . I wanted one to read books on when I run out of books or for traveling . I wanted to read email and browse the net while travelling and it does all that . I paid $70.00 after a $20.00 rebate , a 20% coupon and $50.00 in cash points from my credit card so I am pleased . It had a few kinks when it first came out but they seem to have fixed them so for $70 who cares . I like the ereader but it will never replace the library for me . Sure it's easy to read on but there is something alluring about all those books in one place . I've been going to the library since I was about five so that's a habit I can not and have no interest in breaking but this is a nice accessory .

 

[Marie]

Just read the comments here on e-readers. It sounds like the i-pad may best suit my needs. Currently I like to tell people when they ask what style of decor I have, that my home is decorated in Book. I do re-read books. I guess my main concern is compatibility issues (along with visual - some books have illos or photos).

I guess I'm concerned that if I go with, say, i-Pad or Kindle or whatever, that in five years time everything I've bought and downloaded will not be transferable to whatever the upgrade will be: i-Pad version 8 or kindle version 10 or whatever. Electronics eventually do fail.

I do see this Calibre thing someone has mentioned... I will look further into that before making any decisions.

 

[Katsmeow]

I guess I'm concerned that if I go with, say, i-Pad or Kindle or whatever, that in five years time everything I've bought and downloaded will not be transferable to whatever the upgrade will be: i-Pad version 8 or kindle version 10 or whatever. Electronics eventually do fail.

I do see this Calibre thing someone has mentioned... I will look further into that before making any decisions.

There are a couple of issues.

First, is the book itself a secure book that can only be read by a particular software? A number of years ago I bought a bunch of secure books in Microsoft reader format. They can't be converted to other formats. I ended up actually rebuying some of those books in Kindle format when I didn't want to have to keep using the Microsoft format (it was only a few books).

Some books are not in secure format and can be converted to something else. For example, I have a lot of books from Baen books which are not in secure format. I have been able to read them on other devices just by converting to that format (I used Calibre to convert them to read on my ipad for example.

Second, how many devices can use the software? I'm not worried about new devices coming out other than my Kindle because so many devices can use free software to read Kindle books. I think this will still be the case years from now (it is still the case you can find readers for older formats so I think that is likely to continue). I can read my Kindle books now on my Kindle but also on the computer, a BB, an iphone, an iPad and so on.

 

[clifp]

I got my Kindle 10 days ago, and now I am off on my first trip. So I'll see how I really like it.

 

[Retch The Grate]

My iPad has been a great ereader in bed and while traveling. It doesn't have the extreme battery life of my gf's Sony Pocket, but I like reading on the illuminated display. It does have glare issues and isn't so hot in bright sunlight, but overall I am really happy with it.

 

[Westernskies]

DW bought me a Kindle DX for my birthday... I'm heading out for a business trip tomorrow, so I will get a chance to get familiar with it on the plane..
Initial impression is very favorable; she loaded it with Teddy Roosevelt's four part book The Winning Of the West and the new Lee Child Novel, 61 hours

 

[Bestwifeever]

DW bought me a Kindle DX for my birthday...

Happy Birthday!

 

[Moemg]

DW bought me a Kindle DX for my birthday... I'm heading out for a business trip tomorrow, so I will get a chance to get familiar with it on the plane..
Initial impression is very favorable; she loaded it with Teddy Roosevelt's four part book The Winning Of the West and the new Lee Child Novel, 61 hours

Nice present & Happy Birthday !

 

[haha]

Press Release from Amazon shows startling Kindle growth

Here's the full quote from Bezos:

"We've reached a tipping point with the new price of Kindle--the growth rate of Kindle device unit sales has tripled since we lowered the price from $259 to $189," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "In addition, even while our hardcover sales continue to grow, the Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format. Amazon.com customers now purchase more Kindle books than hardcover books--astonishing when you consider that we've been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months."

Other factoids from Amazon:
Over the past three months, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 143 Kindle books. Over the past month, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 180 Kindle books. This is across Amazon.com's entire U.S. book business and includes sales of hardcover books where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded and if included would make the number even higher.

Amazon sold more than 3x as many Kindle books in the first half of 2010 as in the first half of 2009.

The Association of American Publishers' latest data reports that e-book sales grew 163 percent in the month of May and 207 percent year-to-date through May. Kindle book sales in May and year-to-date through May exceeded those growth rates.

On July 6, Hachette announced that James Patterson had sold 1.14 million e-books to date. Of those, 867,881 were Kindle books.

Five authors--Charlaine Harris, Stieg Larsson, Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, and Nora Roberts--have each sold more than 500,000 Kindle books.

 

[Moemg]

I bought an ereader that is hooked into Barnes & Noble . The thing that swayed me was the ability to lend books . My whole family are readers and we frequently exchange books . We can now do so digitally . All you have to have is the Barnes & Noble application for your device and you can lend & return books . I am currently lending books to my daughter & my Sister .

 

[Cattusbabe]

Benzo never seems to give a firm answer re. how many Kindles have been sold.