Kindle

[jf-08]

n I have ever in my life.

They are easy to carry around, download books via wifi, surf internet, stream Pandora, etc.

And if you are daring, you can root it and it will perform just like a regualr Droid tablet that can run apps.

 

[Pariah]

n I have ever in my life.

They are easy to carry around, download books via wifi, surf internet, stream Pandora, etc.

And if you are daring, you can root it and it will perform just like a regualr Droid tablet that can run apps.

Joel--I think you lopped off the first part of your post.



I just got back from vaca, and this is where the Kindle (or any e-reader, I imagine) really shines. I used to have to pack 5 or 6 books...now I just pack the Kindle.

 

[jf-08]

Joel--I think you lopped off the first part of your post.



I just got back from vaca, and this is where the Kindle (or any e-reader, I imagine) really shines. I used to have to pack 5 or 6 books...now I just pack the Kindle.

Ugh it did.

My wife and I got nookColors for Xmas. They are great.

I read now more than I ever had because of the convenience.

They are easy to carry around, download books via wifi, surf internet, stream Pandora, etc.

And if you are daring, you can root it and it will perform just like a regualr Droid tablet that can run apps.

 

[thirty-two]

Can you read .txt or .doc files on a kindle?

edit: never mind, answered my own question

 

[Linderbee]

Can you read .txt or .doc files on a kindle?

edit: never mind, answered my own question

sure, don't share the answer

 

[thirty-two]

sure, don't share the answer

LOL - I didn't even think to answer it, haha

Yes, it reads both .doc and .txt files

 

[Jersey Girl]

OK, I was one of those, but have had a kindle for about 4 months and I LUV it. It's a simple, plain-old reading experience! I am reading MORE than before- and not like I ever hesitated to buy books. I... I almost prefer the kindle experience. I never lose my place!

Picture books, things like that, it has a ways to go. And yeah, it has room for some tweaking to make searching, highlighting, 'scribbling in the margins' etc a smidge more natural, and man, I'm waiting for it all to be voice command. Since its up to the individual publisher how careful to be about formatting a book for e-pub there can be some glitches, but contrary to my initial fairly strong resistance:

I DO NOT MISS THE PRINT-ON-PAPER READING EXPERIENCE ONE BIT.


oh, and kindle edition sales just surpassed soft-cover book sales on Amazon, having passed hardcovers awhile ago.

Interesting, Zenny. Thanks for sharing.

I am having a hard time letting go of actual print. Love my newspaper, magazines and books. I would also worry about having a kindle at the pool or the beach, two places I absolutely love to read.

FWIW, 1st Bank is running a promotion right now where, if you open a checking and savings ($100 min for the savings) account, you get a free kindle.

 

[Mulli]

Interesting, Zenny. Thanks for sharing.

I am having a hard time letting go of actual print. Love my newspaper, magazines and books. I would also worry about having a kindle at the pool or the beach, two places I absolutely love to read.

FWIW, 1st Bank is running a promotion right now where, if you open a checking and savings ($100 min for the savings) account, you get a free kindle.

I have had my kindle at the beach and by the pool. No problem.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I have had my kindle at the beach and by the pool. No problem.

I read mine in the hot tub often without problem. I was worried about it at first but the cost to replace is only 139 bucks and hopefully by the time I have an accident and ruin mine, the cost will have come down or the next generation will be temptingly available. Since Amazon keeps a complete backup of my library it's not too big of a concern for me and these things seem to be pretty durable anyway.

Steve

 

[Jersey Girl]

I have had my kindle at the beach and by the pool. No problem.

I read mine in the hot tub often without problem. I was worried about it at first but the cost to replace is only 139 bucks and hopefully by the time I have an accident and ruin mine, the cost will have come down or the next generation will be temptingly available. Since Amazon keeps a complete backup of my library it's not too big of a concern for me and these things seem to be pretty durable anyway.

Steve

Good to know.

Have you guys had any eye problems with reading from it? Any headaches? Just thinking about how that happens sometimes when people stare at the computer screen too long.

 

[Chaplin]

Good to know.

Have you guys had any eye problems with reading from it? Any headaches? Just thinking about how that happens sometimes when people stare at the computer screen too long.

Not at all. When I first got it, I thought the picture that appeared on the screen was a sticker, but it was actually the screen. The print looks and reads like a book--hard to believe, but it is true, I have no problems whatsoever reading on a kindle. It literally looks like you're reading on paper.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Good to know.

Have you guys had any eye problems with reading from it? Any headaches? Just thinking about how that happens sometimes when people stare at the computer screen too long.

Not a single headache (from the Kindle, anyway). It has really made reading feasible for me despite my aging eyes. I love being able to adjust the type size and it's amazing how easy it is to read regardless of lighting. I was down to reading just an hour or two a week (at most) until I switched to Kindle. Now I read for several hours a day.

Steve

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Good to know.

Have you guys had any eye problems with reading from it? Any headaches? Just thinking about how that happens sometimes when people stare at the computer screen too long.

It's a different kind of screen, it isn't backlit like a computer monitor which makes it so much easier to read. It also means that the screen doesn't disappear in the sun's glare and it has super long battery life. The only real drawback of the screen is that it can't be read in pitch dark without bringing along your own light.

 

[Mulli]

No eye probs or headaches at all. Adjustable font size and line spacing.

Also, books born before 1923 are free downloads!!

 

[kps0001]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/24/audible-audiobooks-now-flying-onto-kindles-via-wifi/


You can get audiobooks on Kindle now also.

 

[AZZenny]

No headaches at all -- and because of the ability to increase font size, much less eye fatigue for my also aging eyes than paperback books. I also have the 'kindle for pc' software, so I keep my own back-up library.

 

[Ghraxx]

I had a kindle but it broke because I dropped it one too many times =(

It was pretty cool, but i think im just going to go back to buying the physical copy of books. I like being able to display my collection without having to show someone a computer with it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I had a kindle but it broke because I dropped it one too many times =(

It was pretty cool, but i think im just going to go back to buying the physical copy of books. I like being able to display my collection without having to show someone a computer with it.

Fine, but when we run out of trees don't be surprised if a few of us show up at your house with torches and pitchforks.

Steve

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Fine, but when we run out of trees don't be surprised if a few of us show up at your house with torches and pitchforks.

Steve

I love my Kindle. I also just bought two more bookcases. There are a whole lot of things out there I want to read that aren't availalewon't work on Kindle. Plus a book for a buck in the clearance section of a used book store is a heck of a deal.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I love my Kindle. I also just bought two more bookcases. There are a whole lot of things out there I want to read that aren't availalewon't work on Kindle. Plus a book for a buck in the clearance section of a used book store is a heck of a deal.

I guess me and my angry mob are going to need your address also. It is disappointing that so many books are unavailable but hopefully this will get worked out in a few years. I'd probably be doing the same thing as you except that we have literally run out of room in our house. We've used the Kindle as our excuse for getting rid of several thousand books. It would seem a little counter-productive to once again start picking up dead-tree versions.

Steve

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I guess me and my angry mob are going to need your address also. It is disappointing that so many books are unavailable but hopefully this will get worked out in a few years. I'd probably be doing the same thing as you except that we have literally run out of room in our house. We've used the Kindle as our excuse for getting rid of several thousand books. It would seem a little counter-productive to once again start picking up dead-tree versions.

Steve

My problem is I love old, out-of-print books on oddball topics. Can't get those on Kindle. (At least I'm not killing new trees. )

As an example: Earth Apples, the poetry of Edward Abbey. First edition. Six bucks. Priceless as far as I'm concerned. Found it yesterday. First poem is entitled "The Whole F----- Crew". Dang, I love Abbey.

 

[jw7]

So I had my first weird experience with Kindle

I don't know what to think about it.

I downloaded a book the other day "Take your eye off the ball" by Pat Kirwan about football.

I complained to them that the book kept referencing diagrams and charts, but the charts and diagrams were not included in the Kindle version so it made the book kind of worthless.

To their credit, they refunded my purchase, but on the other hand...

They logged into my Kindle and deleted it. I would have deleted it myself, but knowing they can log in to your reading is somewhat disturbing.

 

[Angel]

Odd yes, they should have given you the option of deleting it first so you weren't weirded out.

But really they already know what you are reading because you downloaded in the first place. It is how Amazon makes their suggestions on what to recommend to you for all purchases. If you think about it the traditional library keeps track of what you read too via library card.

Face it, some one knows what you are up to no matter what you buy either on line or in person. If you are really bugged by it make an alias account on Amazon and use it only for your Kindle then they only know what your pseudonym is reading but in all reality it is still you.

It is a big brother world we live in my friend. I cringe at what my bank must know about me, not because I'm extreme or anything, fact is I'm kind of dull, but still.

 

[Pariah]

They already know what you're reading--you bought it from them. That's how they can make suggestions, too.

I don't have an issue with what you describe. You basically returned it.

 

[AZZenny]

And they made sure of it. That's how the wifi and synchronizing and so on flows back and forth. Mind you, they also can do it w/o your permission. My daughter publishes e-books -- she said a year or so ago Amazon was pressured to remove a couple pretty severe porn books from their catalogue -- fine, except they also deleted the books from any kindle that had downloaded it, with no warning.

What concerns me, is that books that get forced from their catalogue by other means are subject to that, too. The book "Alms for Jihad" is one of the best-researched reference books ever written tracking the misuse of global charities to funnel millions to terrorists. It named a couple important Saudis as having their hands in several questionable charities and banks, and one sued in a UK court for libel -- the British laws make it very difficult to defend against a libel claim, so even though the source cited was official FBI transcripts and court testimony, the authors were required to get the original FBI agents who witnessed the actual transactions to testify. Not likely.

Long and short, they lost, and the publisher had to agree to recall and destroy all outstanding and public copies of the book including any e-books. I unknowingly had just bought one of the last hard copies in the world as a reference book. Had I bought it as an e-book, it would have been erased from my kindle without my consent.