Kindle Advice?

[Kev]

got the wife an ipad2 she loves it and there is a app that you can add to it for kindle books.... some people torrent free books and i find that shocking

i'm sure you can pick up an old ipad 1 for much the same price a a kindle on ebay... worth a look mate.

ipads are rubbish for reading books though. You dont want to have to read on a screen, it hurts your eyes. The battery only lasts for a couple hours and you can't read it outside on the beach in a sunny day.

The Kindle only needs to be charged about once a month, there is no screen and it looks awesome in the sunlight, the brighter the sun the better it looks.

never knew that... thats pretty cool as it goes.

the ipad aint that bad in the sun (better than a laptop and usable) and the battery life is 10 hours

It's still staring a screen though. I just can't read a book that way. When my Kindle arrived I spent 5 minutes trying to work out how to peel the Kindle welcome page sticker off the screen, so I could switch it on and look at it. Then I realised that it already was turned on when it arrived and that that was the screen! It's amazingly impressive when you first see it and once put in a leather case just feels like reading a book, the device itself just disappears and you completely forget about it.

There is no backlight at all so just like a real book you can't read in the dark as it gives off no light or heat. So you need a lighted leather cover that attaches to the Kindle, making it look and feel awesome and then pull out the reading light on the side so you can see.

It's ace.

The ipad of course can a million and one things the Kindle can't so if movies, music, internet, multi media and games are your thing then an ipad is still awesome but for reading books for long periods the Kindle cannot be beat.

Last week I read The Sense of an Ending in one single night with a couple of tea breaks, that would awful to do on a screen.

But the Kindle does literally nothing else at all, the internet experience is labelled beta and is beyond shit, and there is no colour or video or any software at all.

It's purely a book reader but a brilliant one. I have about 300 books on mine now.

Cheers for that mate i have my sons birthday coming up and he has everything... he is a fanatic book reader but said he didn't want an ipad2 because he thinks its just not the same as a book.

you might have just solved a problem

If he reads ficition, then before he buys any books just google the book title and add .mobi at the end. All the fiction titles are on the net. Non fiction stuff tends to be more niche and so you will have to buy some of that. That's what I do, buy the non fiction stuff online, and any fiction just download for nowt and drag onto the kindle with a usb cable. It will save a fortune.

[CFH]

How much are they running these days? I want one.

And is the Kindle the best of all the eReaders or does it just have name-brand cache?

[Kev]

How much are they running these days? I want one.

And is the Kindle the best of all the eReaders or does it just have name-brand cache?

The cheapest model over here is £89, then I think £109 and £149.

The mid range £109 is probably the best bet.

I've never used an alternative reader but I think the Amazon experience makes it the one to get. The biggest range of books, easiest book purchasing set up.

I would recommend the Kindle over anything else for pretty much everyone. That said, you might be a special case in a way in that many of the books you want might be academia based and research tools rather than purchasable books from their Kindle store, so a reader that has a library loan facility might be better for you. I have no experience of that though but if you think you might be accessing university and academic papers etc it's probably worth checking first to see if an alternative might be better for that specific case.

[CFH]

How much are they running these days? I want one.

And is the Kindle the best of all the eReaders or does it just have name-brand cache?

The cheapest model over here is £89, then I think £109 and £149.

The mid range £109 is probably the best bet.

I've never used an alternative reader but I think the Amazon experience makes it the one to get. The biggest range of books, easiest book purchasing set up.

I would recommend the Kindle over anything else for pretty much everyone. That said, you might be a special case in a way in that many of the books you want might be academia based and research tools rather than purchasable books from their Kindle store, so a reader that has a library loan facility might be better for you. I have no experience of that though but if you think you might be accessing university and academic papers etc it's probably worth checking first to see if an alternative might be better for that specific case.

I'd just be using it for regular reading, so I think I'll look into the Kindle.

[Kev]

For regular reading t can't be beat imo. The whole experience is excellent. When it arrives it will already be switched on and linked to you so it will welcome you by name. You can start buying books literally right away with one click. Actually it's so easy I accidently bought a couple just browsing the store and had to ring up to get them refunded and taken off!

It's very neat. Your kindle has its own email address and so you can email stuff straight to the device so we could email books to each other and they will just appear on the kindle next time you go online.

Just when you get it, set it up to download emails by Wi Fi only as Amazon charge for their whisper net 3G to transfer books that way (buying them from the store is always free though), not much but it would mount up if you were receiving a lot of stuff. Once you have ticked to receive by Wi Fi only though it's all free of course.

I wish more people had them so I could share stuff with people that way. I'm the only person I know in real life who has one, even though they are supposed to be massively popular now...

[CFH]

For regular reading t can't be beat imo. The whole experience is excellent. When it arrives it will already be switched on and linked to you so it will welcome you by name. You can start buying books literally right away with one click. Actually it's so easy I accidently bought a couple just browsing the store and had to ring up to get them refunded and taken off!

It's very neat. Your kindle has its own email address and so you can email stuff straight to the device so we could email books to each other and they will just appear on the kindle next time you go online.

Just when you get it, set it up to download emails by Wi Fi only as Amazon charge for their whisper net 3G to transfer books that way (buying them from the store is always free though), not much but it would mount up if you were receiving a lot of stuff. Once you have ticked to receive by Wi Fi only though it's all free of course.

I wish more people had them so I could share stuff with people that way. I'm the only person I know in real life who has one, even though they are supposed to be massively popular now...

That sounds pretty cool. How much do books generally run and is it fairly easy to download them by less scrupulous means without getting caught? If I buy a book and 'share' it with, is there any charge associated with that transaction?

[Kev]

For regular reading t can't be beat imo. The whole experience is excellent. When it arrives it will already be switched on and linked to you so it will welcome you by name. You can start buying books literally right away with one click. Actually it's so easy I accidently bought a couple just browsing the store and had to ring up to get them refunded and taken off!

It's very neat. Your kindle has its own email address and so you can email stuff straight to the device so we could email books to each other and they will just appear on the kindle next time you go online.

Just when you get it, set it up to download emails by Wi Fi only as Amazon charge for their whisper net 3G to transfer books that way (buying them from the store is always free though), not much but it would mount up if you were receiving a lot of stuff. Once you have ticked to receive by Wi Fi only though it's all free of course.

I wish more people had them so I could share stuff with people that way. I'm the only person I know in real life who has one, even though they are supposed to be massively popular now...

That sounds pretty cool. How much do books generally run and is it fairly easy to download them by less scrupulous means without getting caught? If I buy a book and 'share' it with, is there any charge associated with that transaction?

Book prices vary wildly. Some are really cheap. 0.49 p or 0.99, others cost the same as the regular paperback versions. Generally a big new release will cost around the same to buy on Kindle as it would to buy the actual book. I will only pay this for non fiction titles that I can't find on the net.

All the latest fiction is put up online. You can download from torrents or places like hotfile, rapidshare etc.

The risks are probably considerably less than downloading music and films. There is no MPAA equivilant in the publishing world and I've never heard of anyone being pursued for downloading books.

Sites like hotfile and filesonic etc would be totally safe as the files themselves are so small they wouldn't arouse any suspicion on an ISP network at all. If you are regualrly downloading 4 gb files for example clearly that's videos, but a 33kb file could be anything, just a tiny document so nobody would care.

If you like classic books, there are book collections available very cheap on amazon. It's like £2 or something for Charles Dicken's complete works, with indivdual books completely free.

[Mattyhitman]

Some great advice Bilbo, much appreciated.

While watching tv last night the Ipad2 advert came on and the person using it was reading a book using it, I mentioned to her, that looks cool, trying to get a respose for the Kindle, she only turns round and says, "well thats pointless, I would much prefer to read the book itself, it takes away the pleasure of reading, the smell of the book, the turning of the page"

So im now in two minds about the Kindle

[Saddo]

Some great advice Bilbo, much appreciated.

While watching tv last night the Ipad2 advert came on and the person using it was reading a book using it, I mentioned to her, that looks cool, trying to get a respose for the Kindle, she only turns round and says, "well thats pointless, I would much prefer to read the book itself, it takes away the pleasure of reading, the smell of the book, the turning of the page"

So im now in two minds about the Kindle

my son thinks the same way but...the thing is mate not so long back people used to say downloading music just isn't the same as unrapping a new CD and it would spoil the whole experience of getting music.

and now i think CD buying of music is nearly a thing of the past and having all them disks stacked up looks shit LOL

[Mattyhitman]

Some great advice Bilbo, much appreciated.

While watching tv last night the Ipad2 advert came on and the person using it was reading a book using it, I mentioned to her, that looks cool, trying to get a respose for the Kindle, she only turns round and says, "well thats pointless, I would much prefer to read the book itself, it takes away the pleasure of reading, the smell of the book, the turning of the page"

So im now in two minds about the Kindle

my son thinks the same way but...the thing is mate not so long back people used to say downloading music just isn't the same as unrapping a new CD and it would spoil the whole experience of getting music.

and now i think CD buying of music is nearly a thing of the past and having all them disks stacked up looks shit LOL

Agreed, thing is the is loads of books lying round, but with one of these ya dont have that issue.
Think i will get her it anyway and if she dont like it then i can get a refund and get her something else

[Kev]

Some great advice Bilbo, much appreciated.

While watching tv last night the Ipad2 advert came on and the person using it was reading a book using it, I mentioned to her, that looks cool, trying to get a respose for the Kindle, she only turns round and says, "well thats pointless, I would much prefer to read the book itself, it takes away the pleasure of reading, the smell of the book, the turning of the page"

So im now in two minds about the Kindle

Trust me, everyone says that before using one. 10 minutes with one though and she will be completely converted. If you have Wi Fi at home I wouldn't bother with the 3G version and instead spend the extra money on a lighted leather cover. They are a bit pricey at £49 but they complete the effect and feel of it, and make it feel like a luxurious, leather hardback book.

The inside of the cover is a soft, carpeted material that feels really nice in the hand. I love lying on my sofa and reading. It's better than reading a book. You will soon notive several things you didn't realise annoyed about books that when you back to them will actually irritate you(or your gf).

Big books are heavy and cumbersome to lie down and hold. The pages curving is off putting a bit, once you get used to a static page on a kindle, and not having to manually turn the page each time.

If you don't like the font, or text size used you can change it with a couple of clicks, brilliant if you want larger text, or really small. If you don't understand the meaning of a word just move the cursor over it and the dictionary definition will come up automatcially. If you want to highlight a passage or make notes you can do that too.

The kindle remembers where you are in the book so you can switch between books and never lose your place.

It has a cool search function so if you are reading a novel and a character gets introduced that you know was mentioned earlier but want to refresh your memory just search for their name and you can go back and reread those bits, and then just go right back to where you were, as the Kindle will never lose your place.

It's like the difference between using a word processor vs an old typewriter, it's great.

Real books will still always have their place. Any lavishly illustrated, or coffee table type books I'd always rather have the real thing and I still buy such books. But for paperback novels and books that are soley text, the reading experience is far superior on the Kindle.

You aren't losing anything, and with the cover on it still feels like a book, and a really luxurious one at that. The kindle on it's own feels a little clipboardish but with a nice case it really is the shit.

[Kev]

This is the case to get, a choice of different colours. I've got chocolate leather myself.

Kindle Keyboard Lighted Leather Cover, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics


This is probably the best value Kindle, the 3G is only useful if you are travelling a lot and don't have access to Wi Fi. I'd say it's a bit pointless for 99.9% of the time. But if she is a commuter, and lives on the train and the road it will be worthwhile.

Kindle Keyboard, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics



Let this rather charming woman sway your mind.

[CFH]

Amazon Canada is a fucking joke.

This Kindle I want sells for $139 US through Amazon.com but won't ship to Canada (first link). The same fucking device sells for $299 from Amazon.ca (second link). Fucking ridiculous.

Kindle Keyboard with Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi 6'' Wireless Reading Device (Graphite): Amazon.ca: Electronics

The 3G version is $189 in the US and $399 in Canada. Our dollars are pretty much at par too.

edit: And apparently Amazon.ca doesn't sell ebooks Canada either and I also won't be able to use the 3G network (which isn't a problem as I just want the wifi one, but still...)?!? What the fuck

[Kev]

Amazon Canada is a fucking joke.

This Kindle I want sells for $139 US through Amazon.com but won't ship to Canada (first link). The same fucking device sells for $299 from Amazon.ca (second link). Fucking ridiculous.

Kindle Keyboard with Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi 6'' Wireless Reading Device (Graphite): Amazon.ca: Electronics

The 3G version is $189 in the US and $399 in Canada. Our dollars are pretty much at par too.

edit: And apparently Amazon.ca doesn't sell ebooks Canada either and I also won't be able to use the 3G network (which isn't a problem as I just want the wifi one, but still...)?!? What the fuck

We pay a premium compared to the US as well but a double increase seems way over the top.

So there is no Canadian Kindle store? How do you buy eBooks?

If you are happy to torrent and gain books through nefarious means it's still a worthwhile purchase. But I'd definitely check the kind of books you want to read beforehand. Fiction is all over the net and you can download and drag onto the kindle via usb. But if you want to read Wade Davis or military history you may find it hard to find such books online in .mobi format.

In which case maybe it's worth investigating the alternatives, although I know nothing about them. I imagine the best rivals must be pretty good too, I mean the technology is all going to be much of a muchness I guess.

[CFH]

Amazon Canada is a fucking joke.

This Kindle I want sells for $139 US through Amazon.com but won't ship to Canada (first link). The same fucking device sells for $299 from Amazon.ca (second link). Fucking ridiculous.

Kindle Keyboard with Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi 6'' Wireless Reading Device (Graphite): Amazon.ca: Electronics

The 3G version is $189 in the US and $399 in Canada. Our dollars are pretty much at par too.

edit: And apparently Amazon.ca doesn't sell ebooks Canada either and I also won't be able to use the 3G network (which isn't a problem as I just want the wifi one, but still...)?!? What the fuck

We pay a premium compared to the US as well but a double increase seems way over the top.

So there is no Canadian Kindle store? How do you buy eBooks?

If you are happy to torrent and gain books through nefarious means it's still a worthwhile purchase. But I'd definitely check the kind of books you want to read beforehand. Fiction is all over the net and you can download and drag onto the kindle via usb. But if you want to read Wade Davis or military history you may find it hard to find such books online in .mobi format.

In which case maybe it's worth investigating the alternatives, although I know nothing about them. I imagine the best rivals must be pretty good too, I mean the technology is all going to be much of a muchness I guess.

I think we have to buy them through the American store on Amazon and are charged extra. I could be wrong, I'm just reading more about it now.