Kindle

[MichiganDriver]

Who else is using a Kindle? Earlier today I was in Best Buy and impulse bought one. I'm pumped. It's very easy to read on and I didn't know this before, but you can download a sample chapter for most books so you can make sure you like the writer's style before you buy.

I bought a stock picker's book for about $13 because noone on the planet is worse at picking stocks than I am and I'm too dumb to just give up. And I was checking out a technical book and just downloaded a free chapter and they included the foreword and introduction besides chapter 1 so I can see if I like the feel before buying.

It's too bad all titles aren't available on Kindle yet. Anybody got a must-read pick for a novel? The last novel I read was probably 30 years ago. It seems I just read to gather information now and that's a shame. I used to enjoy getting lost in a good book.

I bought the $135 Kindle - it's basic (but no advertising) - and it's wifi only, which I don't see being a problem. The screen is only 6" but it feels much bigger to me. I've thought about trying to read books on my smartphone but no, ain't gonna go there.

[JewelsnTools]

Honestly, I've never used one, but the concept of it thrilled me when I first heard of it. Goodbye shipping fees, long delivery waits, and ragged, dog-eared used pages!! lol
My GPS and a couple of audiobooks is about as far as this "digital dinosaur" ever got with electronics on the truck, but I KEPT a "library" of running books on board! Guess I'm old fashioned--I still like the tactile pleasure of falling asleep with a book on my forehead!
Then, of course, there's my paranoia! I'm waaaaaaaay too much of a "conspiracy theorist" to be able to talk myself into owning a kindle!! lol
Glad you're enjoying it, though, and hope others share their own stories!

[MichiganDriver]

Honestly, I've never used one, but the concept of it thrilled me when I first heard of it. Goodbye shipping fees, long delivery waits, and ragged, dog-eared used pages!! lol
My GPS and a couple of audiobooks is about as far as this "digital dinosaur" ever got with electronics on the truck, but I KEPT a "library" of running books on board! Guess I'm old fashioned--I still like the tactile pleasure of falling asleep with a book on my forehead!
Then, of course, there's my paranoia! I'm waaaaaaaay too much of a "conspiracy theorist" to be able to talk myself into owning a kindle!! lol
Glad you're enjoying it, though, and hope others share their own stories!

Yeah I don't think you'd like falling asleep with this on your forehead, although a cover for it is almost mandatory and then it opens like a book. Nah, not the same.

I think the feature I like best is that you can download chapter 1 for just about any book and see if you like it. Try before you buy. I see now though that that feature is also available for anyone with a PC because Amazon has a free Kindle app for the PC (+ smartphones and tablets). (When viewing a Kindle book at Amazon, if you look all the way to right there is an option to sample a chapter).

I also like that it doesn't need charging very often and when it does it uses the same system that smartphones do with the usb cord and standard usb at one end and micro-plug at the other. That gives you an easy way to move and delete files (ebooks) from within Windows. It also means that having a wifi connection (or 3g for the more expensive model) isn't really necessary because you can download ebooks to any computer and move the files to the Kindle using Windows Explorer.

I happened to be in a Barnes and Noble today and checked out the Nook. It looks good too and I like the rubbery feel. It's got a touch screen which makes navigating easy but after living with fingerprints on my smartphone for 2 years, I think I'll be happier with the Kindle. It's got well placed buttons for paging forward and back and that's 99% what has to be done.

Edit: Something else I like a lot is that adjusting text size is quick and easy. If I don't happen to have my reading glasses with me n/p, I can just make the text bigger and I'm good to go. Btw, unlike web pages, there's never a situation where a page extends beyond the edge of the screen and you have to scroll to read it. There isn't even the ability to scroll.

[JewelsnTools]

Where's WindWalker's Bookworm smiley??? lol

I was all ready to wax nostalgic on the values of nonchalantly browsing in a book store...when you beat me to it. Rats!! heehee
You're right, though, I don't think falling asleep with a Kindle slobber-pasted to my forehead is an experience I'd enjoy! I do, however, see a definite advantage in being able to increase the text size for easier reading. It's amazing how print keeps getting smaller as I keep getting older!!

I'm gonna do it. Yes, I asked for it. What's a "Nook"? (Bracing for the enthusiastic, detailed information that's about to come!)

Even though it probably doesn't smell as good as a book does (yes, it's that bad), the kindle does seem to have some serious plusses. It's cool that you can interchange stuff between your unit and your pc--that just makes sense, somehow! I like the user-friendly, charge-holding aspect of its having a standard usb charger, too. I thought, surely, there'd be a few more Kindl-ers chiming in! Then, too, it seemed to take a long time for some of us to get over our fear of GPSs, but once there, woooooo! I program my way to the restrooms, now! Of course I check the route in my Atlas, too!
You mention that not all titles are available on Kindle. Is that just until they're put into digital format, or are some publishers/authors unwilling to go that route?
Jewels

[MichiganDriver]

I'm surprised no one else has chimed in too.

As for the Nook. It does seem like it's good too. Besides my preference for non-touch screen for this device, I just happen to be an Amazon fan. I've probably made a couple hundred purchases there and only had a problem once and they corrected it, at their expense, no problem. For that they get my loyalty (for now anyways).

The availability of ebooks reminds me of when CDs came out. All the new releases were on CD and they re-released all the mega stars catalogs pretty quickly. It took a long time before lesser known bands became available.

Every new book seems to be available. The classics seem to all be available. I was checking for a particular computer book and it wasn't available, but the other book by the same author was. Also, I checked for a book that I'd tried to read maybe 30 years ago and could only get through 1 chapter and it's not available. It was/maybe-still-is a bit of a classic with college folk.

I read chapter 1 of "The Great Gatsby" the other day. So many people refer to it as THE American novel that I figured I see for myself. Yup, I'd give the author a passing grade. lol Someday I might even buy it.

One problem with these as compared to books is you can't break a book by sitting on it. Well you can, but you know what I mean. At least Amazon maintains a list of the books you've purchased and if you need to replace a Kindle it's just a case of downloading for free.

Edit: Doh! I think I just figured out why some books aren't available for Kindle. Apparently, Kindle doesn't do pics. I was checking out the reader's reviews of a magazine in Kindle format and one of the complaints was no pics, although artist's line drawings are ok. At least one of the two books I couldn't find has a significant number of pics. So I just tried a couple of 'Travel Guide' books sample chapters and no pics. It's looking like ebooks don't do pics - at least for now. (I checked the Nook and it seems to have the same limitation).

[Roadhog]

Last novel I read was 'Bendigo Shafter' by Louis L'Amour.
I thought about a Kindle.
The thought somehow always ends with Shania reading it to me, while she strokes my bald head, and I wake up drooling.

[mitchno1]

be the Twain shafter by dreamer wouldnt it roady

[MichiganDriver]

You guys are like hunting dogs trained to respond to only one smell, the smell of Twain.

[MichiganDriver]

I think I'm done posting about this thing - y'all are probably thinking I'm on Amazon's payroll or something. I just wanted to pass along that Amazon has a lot of free ebooks and some are rated 4 stars or better by readers. I just downloaded one and I'm liking it.

I installed Kindle on my Droid and I'm surprised at how good it is, and the price is right - $0.00. I've just got the original Droid and more text fits on the screen than you'd think and it's very readable. Getting setup is easy, from the Android Market you find and install Kindle. It's going to want your Amazon username/email addy and password. Once the app is installed, go to settings and click 'Kindle Store'. Of course Amazon is going to want to sell books to you but you can search for "free kindle books" and bypass all that. Any books you've already downloaded (for your Kindle or PC) are now available for your Droid at no extra charge.

Enjoy!

[golfhobo]

Okay, I'm confused. I thought you said you bought a Kindle. You said you didn't like trying to read in on your smartphone screen. NOW you say you downloaded it to your Droid? What's up?

[MichiganDriver]

Okay, I'm confused. I thought you said you bought a Kindle. You said you didn't like trying to read in on your smartphone screen. NOW you say you downloaded it to your Droid? What's up?

I did buy a Kindle because I didn't think I'd like trying to read a book on the tiny smartphone screen. I still prefer the Kindle because the screen is bigger and the text is gorgeous (they call it eInk and it really is like reading off of paper). But Amazon has a Kindle app for the PC and I set it up and doing so provides an easy way to download books to my laptop in the truck and transfer them via usb cord to the Kindle. And then I read on the web that some people suggest also installing the Kindle app on your smartphone so if you're in a restaurant or waiting for a bus or something you can kill time reading the same book on your smartphone as you've been reading on your Kindle. So I checked it out and Kindle on the smartphone is at least 10 times better than I thought it would be. The Kindle is still quite a bit better, but I felt compelled to tell people how to try this for free.

If you already own a smartphone, you can download the Kindle Android app for free and have access to thousands of ebooks (some are free, most will cost you). And if you do that sometime when you're connected, the next time you're stuck in BFE with no connection at least you'll have some books to read.

I say buy the Kindle if money isn't tight for you. If money is tight at the moment but you've got a smartphone I think if you check out the Kindle books you'll be glad you did and eventually you'll buy a Kindle.

[KateL]

I've had nooks for over a year. I have an e-ink nook, and a wi-fi Android nook. I have between 75 and 80 books, many were free or only a few dollars. I chose the nook instead of the Kindle because the Kindle does not have a trained specialist in every store in the country like the nook does (Barnes and Nobel makes nooks). The nook also gives you coupons and freebies (Free books and treats from Starbucks, as well as coupons) if you go into a store with it (Maybe irrelevant if you are otr). This is probably the reason I have 80 books. It's like carrying around a sack of paperbacks that I may get around to if I am bord. I don't read a lot of novels; I read mainly non-fiction and biography. I like both for various reasons. The e-ink is much better for reading in the bright sun, but it is not good for night. It has a much longer battery power, at least 10 times as long as the Android. (It has something of a limited browser as well-- it is hard to use, but in a pinch, you can read your e-mail). Since I am heavily invested in nook books, I will probably remain with nook. They just came out with a small full feature android browser that is much better than the last (the one I have) which I will possibly get if I can run skype on it, but I will probably just use the nooks as readers for the time being (I have a laptop with a camera for skype).

[Jayhop]

I was on the waiting list for the Kindle Fire when they came out last fall and I am not at all disappointed. It is probably the best purchase I have ever made. I owned an ipad briefly too but sold it because it was worth more to me as cash than in my hand. The Kindle Fire can do pretty much everything the ipad can do and only costs $199! I love the fact that you can own nearly any book in the world and if you are a member of Amazon Prime (which I highly recommend) you can "borrow" books as well as lend many to friends.. not to mention the fact that there are also hundreds of free streaming movies and tv shows you can watch on your kindle fire. You can check your email, keep in touch with friends, store pics and videos and play hundreds of games. Most of the apps on the android market work on the kindle fire. I love it!

For those looking for a great book to read, I highly recommend "The 4 hour Body". It has some life changing tips on transforming your body and your life. Since I am on the path to become a trucker, I figure I better learn beforehand how to control my passion for over eating... and this book is helping a lot.

[Malaki86]

What's the screensize of the Fire? I've been looking at getting a new tablet. Didn't know it'd run the regular Android Market apps. Does it also have the Google stuff (mail, calendar, etc) included/available?

[geeshock]

I don't have the Kindle but i have the sony reader. I like it for the space it saves but I still prefer books, ok call me a tree killer but look at the ppl that are out of work already becuse of the readers.

[Musicman]

Wife got the Fire for Christmas and absolutely loves it. Only issue is that it doesn't run Google Maps, but other than that, it's awesome.

[Malaki86]

Not really worried about it not being able to run GPS programs. Just as long as she can play some games, check a few news apps and read her books, she'll be more than happy.

[Mr. Ford95]

but I still prefer books

Same here, wife has a Kindle and has offered to let me use it numerous times but I continue to not mess with it. Something about actually holding the book in my hands and turning the pages keeps me from switching to the Kindle or eReader. Guess I'm just old fashioned there.

[Malaki86]

Question about the Kindle Fire:

I was looking at one at the local Best Buy today (nice looking piece of equipment). What I couldn't figure out how to do is how to exit the book reader part of it. There are now menu buttons/back arrow on it. What was I missing?

[MichiganDriver]

Same here, wife has a Kindle and has offered to let me use it numerous times but I continue to not mess with it. Something about actually holding the book in my hands and turning the pages keeps me from switching to the Kindle or eReader. Guess I'm just old fashioned there.

I must confess. The last couple of book purchases I've made have been paper books. More than anything, as cool as ebooks are, with a real book, I'll somehow remember where the information in the book is and be able to find it again. How that visual image thing works, I can't say, but somehow I like it better than a search engine.

I've flip-flopped. I prefer real books.

Edit: I will say this though. You'd think that if you buy a paper book on Amazon, you'd also have access to the ebook. That would be great for those times you didn't think to bring a book with you, or for those times when an ebook search is what you need. I mean, if you've paid for the content, then you have paid for the content and should have rights to it.