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Thread: Amazon Kindle

  1. #1

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    Amazon Kindle

    Anyone own or used an Amazon Kindle? Just wondering if it's worth buying the new free 3G/wifi one, as you can download books in most countries on the planet at no cost (well apart from the price of the book).

    While reading an 850 book in the bath the pages get wet as my arms collapse under the weight

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    If I didn't already have my Sony Reader, I'd definitely buy the Kindle.. and go for the 3G / Wifi one.. got to be a bargain at the price they're asking for them!

    My keyboard's running out of ink....


  3. #3

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    That's what I was thinking, and the books I read are 1/2 the paper price so it'd pay for itself.

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  4. #4

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    I was looking at these not long back.

    What's the difference between the two versions though? I didn't understand all the free wi-fi business I must admit.

    Suppose I go on holiday and take a Kindle with me. I run out of books to read so I buy some more ebooks through the Amazon Kindle store - then what? If I have access to a wifi connection I can download them there and then can I?



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    I haven't bought a book for mine yet since I got it last Xmas.. lots of helpful folk on the newsgroups posting enough books to keep me happily reading from now till doomsday.. and if you use the Calibre conversion software, you can get them in whatever format is available and convert to whatever your reader will take.. the Sony reads text files, Word docs, PDF's and it's own format, and there's loads of stuff out there to grab for nothing. I'm currently reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series - some kind soul uploaded the proper version of all 7 books to Usenet, and I've tons of other stuff on it.. I love it, and the Calivre software actually allows you access to newsfeeds too.. so you can download a customised daily newspaper if you like...

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  6. #6

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    Mat.... the wifi allows you to connect to Amazon Kindle bookstore.... if you pay more for the 3G version you can access the site in most countries in the world, and the 3G is free.

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    I got the Sony Reader at the same time as BigC, last Christmas, and endorse everything he's said in his posts above...an excellent piece of kit...Calibre is superb.....but as it's nearly a year down the line and technology has improved, then obviously the Kindle is definitely worth buying now...but this time next year they will have improved yet again, so when do you take the plunge?

    By the way, I have bought (ie spent money on) several ebooks for my Reader over the last 8 months, unlike the tight ...

    Quote Originally Posted by bigcumba
    I haven't bought a book for mine yet since I got it last Xmas
    Only joking BigC




  8. #8
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    Sorry i can't read book on these electronic things i like a proper book



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    Ah but Tony, you can't exactly carry several hundred books around at one time, with these you can.. and reading them is a very book like experience anyway.. the print on screen is set in such way to have the same contrast as a printed page, so it does look like a page from a book.. very convenient!

    Ada - yeah I can't help living up to the stereotype .

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  10. #10
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    lowe1 is offline Win2Win Racing Club Member

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    Well i must admit i have never tried using one , does it have the pics as well that you get in non fiction books



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    Quote Originally Posted by lowe1 View Post
    Well i must admit i have never tried using one , does it have the pics as well that you get in non fiction books
    They do only work in grayscale, and pics aren't rendered too clearly, but I think that is improving with the latest models... they are so easy to use.. you load on your books, choose which you want to read, you can leave bookmarks at whatever pages you want, turning the page is a matter of pressing a button.. I wouldn't be without mine now, and I think Ada would say the same.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Win2Win View Post
    Mat.... the wifi allows you to connect to Amazon Kindle bookstore.... if you pay more for the 3G version you can access the site in most countries in the world, and the 3G is free.
    So the only costs are the hardware and the books then. If you get the 3G one you don't need to pay for 3G/wifi access ever?



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    Quote Originally Posted by Ada View Post
    obviously the Kindle is definitely worth buying now...but this time next year they will have improved yet again, so when do you take the plunge?
    That's my 'worry' too. They are still quite new technology and do you run the risk of buying one now and having it basically obsolete in a couple of years time. I bought one of the early versions of the MP3 jukeboxes and it was about the size of a hard drive. A couple of years later Ipods were out. A couple of years after that Ipods have increased greatly in capacity etc.

    Incidentally, what's the battery life like on these things?



  14. #14
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    lowe1 is offline Win2Win Racing Club Member

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    Has anyone tried the ereader app for the iphone ?? is that any good ?



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    Quote Originally Posted by mathare View Post

    Incidentally, what's the battery life like on these things?
    For mine the claim is 6000 page turns.. I reckon using mine a couple of hours a day, say 5 days a week, I get 6-8 weeks from a full charge.. I've probably charged it up half a dozen times since I bought it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mathare View Post
    That's my 'worry' too. They are still quite new technology and do you run the risk of buying one now and having it basically obsolete in a couple of years time. I bought one of the early versions of the MP3 jukeboxes and it was about the size of a hard drive. A couple of years later Ipods were out. A couple of years after that Ipods have increased greatly in capacity etc.

    Incidentally, what's the battery life like on these things?
    On the new one (v3), can pre-order now, out in 2 weeks, battery is a month with wifi off..... not additional 3G charges, all included in the price, the screen is much clearer and can be read in the Sun, and can be charged via USB if needed.

    You can obviosuly store/read your own PDF, etc, and it plays MP3, etc....

    You can be waiting forever for the next technology, if we did that we'd never buy anything, but Amazon have listened to the users for v3.

    You can also subscribe to newspapers, magazines, etc.

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  17. #17

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    And how much are books for it? Assuming you pay for them unlike someone I could mention



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    Isn't it easier if you look yourself :) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Rea...3331317&sr=8-1

    Some books, like all the old classics are free .... because the copyright has lapsed .... some cost 50p, but most are at least 1/2 the price of the paper version.

    You could wait a couple of years for a colour version, although I'm not sure they have plans for one, and I don't read any books in colour .... unlike Vegy as his books have lots of pics to help him understand the story

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  19. #19

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    Just remembered this thread....

    Yes, I bought myself the 3G/WiFi Kindle for Christmas 2010, even though I've had a Sony eReader since last Christmas.
    In my opinion the Sony eReader serves its purpose perfectly well......HOWEVER the Kindle is way ahead on all counts...

    Smooth/slim/sleek/lighter/more rounded in construction, where the Sony kit is heavier, squarer, and more 'clunky' in appearance and operation and significantly slower in 'booting up' time and menu response.

    The Kindle offers so many more user-definable features like...a choice of 8 font sizes, different font styles, adjustable 'words per line', adjustable 'spacing between lines', text to voice reading, MP3 download for audio books and/or background music while reading facility.......but for me, whose eyesight is a lot less than 20/20, the best is the superb 'print' quality,.....SO much easier to read in either bright or dim light than the Sony.

    The only downside possibly is the (optional) rather expensive leather cover for it, with light, which more than doubles the weight of the device.....for me though, not a problem.

    Book prices.....although you're limited to Amazons Kindle book store (at least for now) they are extremely competitive and generally seriously cheaper than other eBook suppliers, though some (not many) books are NOT available and although can be bought elsewhere, CANNOT be converted to the Kindle format due to DRM (Digital Rights Management).

    Overall....highly recommended.......though who knows what will be available this time next year!!!




  20. #20

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    I got one for my birthday at the start of December and I am delighted with it. It's the first eReader I have seen in the flesh so wasn't sure what to expect but it is brilliant. And the browser it now ships with is a really handy extra.

    Being northern I plan to see how long I can read books on my Kindle for before I have to pay for one. I have several dozen free books on there already although I draw the line at some of the stuff available for free.

    Ada - I bought a simple rubber cover for mine for a couple of quid through Amazon Marketplace and also ordered a neoprene jacket for it which cost something like £7 and protects it like a charm. I also added a leather cover to my wishlist but the one I picked out was under a tenner as it's not an official Amazon one. I object to paying £30+ for a cover.



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    So you've made it into a book Mat? Just kidding. I must admit although I like to embrace technology I just like to read a book. It seems to me like it's replacing something for the sake of it. Yes perhaps you can store a 100 books on it but I only read one at a time so apart from perhaps a baggage weight saving on holiday that's not enough to sell it to me. I'll probably get one one day but for now it's a good old fashioned book.

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  22. #22

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    One of the main reasons I got one was weight-saving for holidays. I tend to take 10-12 books with me for a two-week holiday so the Kindle represents a significant saving of weight and space



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    I got one, and as well as the fact it's really cool, you can also download a load of out of copyright books free of charge - that will more than off set the cost of the device if you want to read the classics.



  24. #24

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    Pays for itself as the books are about 1/2 the price of paperbacks.

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  25. #25

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    Books don't cost anything in the library

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