Do you own a Kindle?

[wsu12]

I read A LOT (around 3-4 books weekly), naturally this device fascinates me. Anyone own a Kindle? What do you like about it? Was it a good purchase?

Thanks!

 

[purrfectpear]

Yes, I''ve had mine for about a year and probably have at least a hundred books on it. I travel a lot for work and the kindle enables me to have lots of books to read without having to stuff my suitcase with 6 or 7 paperbacks

I

the Kindle. In a pinch you can even access PS on it.

 

[ericad]

I ADORE mine! Especially great for impatient instant-gratification types like me - I can have my book in a few minutes, which I love!

 

[Elmorton]

I don''t have one, but I recently listened to a NPR story about how readers have to adjust to a Kindle, because you read differently on it. One person said some books she prefers on a Kindle, while other genres she prefers in hard copy. I''m curious if the Kindle users here feel the same way?

Also, the NPR story was in response to Google launching a Google Books program via the internet, which would apparently make any internet-ready device (iPhone, Blackberry, etc), basically into a Kindle. I haven''t read up much about this, but it might be worth checking into.

 

[deegee]

I don''t own one, but I was really thinking about asking for one for Christmas! Either the Kindle or the Sony Reader. I carpool with my husband and end up waiting for him a lot, and was thinking it would be the perfect thing to carry around with me instead of stuffing a book in my purse everyday.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 11/23/2009 7:53:57 PM
Author: Elmorton
I don''t have one, but I recently listened to a NPR story about how readers have to adjust to a Kindle, because you read differently on it. One person said some books she prefers on a Kindle, while other genres she prefers in hard copy. I''m curious if the Kindle users here feel the same way?

Also, the NPR story was in response to Google launching a Google Books program via the internet, which would apparently make any internet-ready device (iPhone, Blackberry, etc), basically into a Kindle. I haven''t read up much about this, but it might be worth checking into.

I am a complete book addict (the smell of a library or used bookstore...ahhh...) but adapted very quickly to the Kindle. It was a total impulse buy when the 2nd version came out this year, and I haven''t regretted it for a second. Its graphics capabilities are limited, so it''s still not a great option for color illustrated books, but regular novels or texts are fine. I buy all my "fun" reads for Kindle now, so I''m not cluttering the house with stacks of paperbacks I won''t read again. The font-size adjustment capability is a lifesaver.

I think there already is a Kindle-friendly reader on the iPhone, actually.

 

[LGK]

On my 2nd Kindle. I dropped my first one like... a LOT... and it finally smashed the screen when it landed on something on the hardwood floor. It was fine when we had carpet but when we moved to a place with hardwood, I should have been more careful. I was amazed at how sturdy it really was; it lasted for like 9 months of near constant use and a lot of abuse. And getting rained on. And cat chewing on it. It still looked great though- you can't scratch the screen no matter what you do.

I've loved my Kindle and have pretty much stopped reading regular books- and I read a LOT. Usually several books a week. Kindles are somewhat like crack though. Very dangerous with the instant gratification of it all. I never felt like I missed "real" books even at first.

However when they get really full they're sluggish with some functions. Like "waking up"- both of mine take about 10 seconds to change from screensaver to on. Or searching. The search function is worthless if you have several thousand books. It just freezes up completely and cries for mercy, and you have to reboot. Both Kindles did that so I don't think it's just one being weird.

The reason I got the Kindle and not the Sony (despite the why-god-must-it-only-be-white deal with the Kindle) is the fact that you can download books remotely with the Kindle. If you can pick up Sprint's cell network, you can download books. And you don't pay for airtime it just comes built in to the price I guess. That was the major reason I went with the Kindle.

 

[wsu12]

Can someone explain the process to me...Do you order/download books to the device from a certain website or source? How much is each download? Are there options for free downloads? I am a Kindle novice.

 

[April20]

Yes! Yes! Me! Me! I loooooove my kindle. I read a lot and I travel a lot and dragging books around with me was getting really heavy. I''m really not about purchasing EVERY book I read and had almost talked myself out of getting one when my DH bought it for me for our anniversary. I wouldn''t take anything for it now. I still read library books when I''m home, but when I''m traveling, the Kindle is heaven.

The Kindle is very light weight and has a long battery life. It lasts nearly two weeks if I keep the wireless off. Books download very quickly once you get the wireless on and purchase the book- within a minute. I like that I can download a sample of a book for free if I''m not sure about it. I downloaded a sample of The Lost Symbol because I haven''t read Dan Brown before and the sample took me halfway thru the 6th chapter. Pretty good IMO. I also have the luxury of having "all" my books with me- I''m not sure how many I have on it now, but quite a few.

The dangerous part for me is that my credit card is directly linked to it, so it''s super easy to spend money!

The only downside I''ve found to having a Kindle is all the conversations people insist on having with me about my Kindle, thus preventing me from doing what I really want to be doing- reading!

 

[April20]

Date: 11/23/2009 9:53:22 PM
Author: fsu1227
Can someone explain the process to me...Do you order/download books to the device from a certain website or source? How much is each download? Are there options for free downloads? I am a Kindle novice.

Downloads are via Amazon.com. You can download from the website via your computer or via your Kindle. There are a number of free downloads available- some classic literature, some more "popular" authors that are sort of teaser downloads to get you to do more and then some, well, pretty awful stuff that I think no one would buy anyway.

Prices vary. Most new releases are $9.99. Sometimes they''re $14.99, but those usually drop to $9.99 within the month. I generally wait until they''ve dropped. Older ones can range from $4.99 to $7.99. It really depends. I haven''t fully figure out how the pricing works. I do think the *best* deals are on new releases. I don''t think it''s quite as good a deal when it comes to books that are already out in paperback.

 

[April20]

Date: 11/23/2009 6:48:44 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Yes, I''ve had mine for about a year and probably have at least a hundred books on it. I travel a lot for work and the kindle enables me to have lots of books to read without having to stuff my suitcase with 6 or 7 paperbacks

I

the Kindle. In a pinch you can even access PS on it.

How do you make this magical thing happen?

 

[marcy]

My husband has a Kindle and really enjoys it. He travels quite a bit so enjoys not packing around books to read on the plane. He usually reads something on it every day. I am quite interested in the looking at the Barnes and Noble Nook that comes out on the 30th. My husband wants me to get a Kindle since it is known technology. The B&N has a color touch screen at the bottom. I think I would read more if I had one.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I have a Kindle...I started my e-reading process with the Sony eReader, but moved on because I wanted the ability to wirelessly download books on the go.

I love mine. I find that owning one has made my life easier and my reading more enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend getting one if you love to read and want to save the money on the cost of books.

Now, with that said, do your research. Barnes and Nobel is releasing a strong competitor called the Nook. I personally wouldn''t switch...but if you''re looking to get into e-readers, do some shopping around, the Kindle boards are all abuzz.

 

[diamondfan]

my husband has the older and then got the newer which is slimmer and he likes it better. He loves it as he travels and hates packing lots of heavy hardcovers. However, I love the feel and touch of a real book so I am not sure I would like it but it sure is convenient and a neat toy, especially for a business or frequent traveler.

 

[TravelingGal]

Unless Sony does something quick about book access, I don''t think they are going to be a player very long. I have access to get the Sony Reader probably at a slightly discounted cost. I''m still holding out to get the Kindle instead and think next year I might buy one. I would snap one up at a $199 price point which is where I think they are heading.

Boy, I would have LOVED a Kindle as a backpacker a few years ago. It would have saved me literally from the huge pain in the neck of carrying books!!

 

[janinegirly]

Great thread..it''s on list of "possible gifts" to get DH. Just wish they''d come down a bit more in price! Are they for avid readers only, or can an occasional reader get enough use out of it?

 

[kama_s]

I''m a bibliophile, so no, I would never ever own a Kindle. I love to own my own book, look at it''s cover, keep it on my coffee table for a few days if I loved it, place and position it on my bookshelf with much consideration and bring it out to look at it from time to time. This, despite being allergic to paper!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I don't even know or want to know what a Kindle is. I LOVE books. The crisp paper, the yummy booky smell, and the freshly read pages that result in turned down corners when I finish up a chapter and fall into bed asleep.

I'm old fashion. One of those characters in a sci-fi novel who'll be hunted down for not giving in to modern technology.

 

[TravelingGal]

Also wanted to pipe in and say unless I get it as a gift, I am waiting for Kindle 3. Read enough reviews on 2 that I am not sure it''s for me.

 

[purrfectpear]

Date: 11/23/2009 10:32:57 PM
Author: April20

Date: 11/23/2009 6:48:44 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Yes, I''ve had mine for about a year and probably have at least a hundred books on it. I travel a lot for work and the kindle enables me to have lots of books to read without having to stuff my suitcase with 6 or 7 paperbacks

I

the Kindle. In a pinch you can even access PS on it.

How do you make this magical thing happen?

Menu, Experimental, Basic Web, Enter URL.

It only works well with websites that are basically text. You don''t see the pictures. But in a pinch it''s a web browser.

 

[MsP]

Just one thing to consider... I don''t believe that you can use library ebooks(like from Overdrive) on the Kindle but you can on others. You might be able to do some complicated conversions but I''m not even sure about that. For me... that seems like a dealbreaker. I listen to lots of audio books while I drive and they''re all FREE. I can also get ebooks from my library and I would much rather download them for free than pay $10-15 each.

Just something to consider...

And there are a few new e-readers coming out somewhat soon which are rumored to be decent improvements. So if you''re not in a rush, you might want to wait around to see.

 

[Selkie]

Many older books are available from Kindle for a dollar or two, and there are more available from Project Guttenberg and other free book sites.

 

[April20]

Date: 11/24/2009 12:57:11 AM
Author: purrfectpear

Date: 11/23/2009 10:32:57 PM
Author: April20

Date: 11/23/2009 6:48:44 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Yes, I''ve had mine for about a year and probably have at least a hundred books on it. I travel a lot for work and the kindle enables me to have lots of books to read without having to stuff my suitcase with 6 or 7 paperbacks

I

the Kindle. In a pinch you can even access PS on it.

How do you make this magical thing happen?

Menu, Experimental, Basic Web, Enter URL.

It only works well with websites that are basically text. You don''t see the pictures. But in a pinch it''s a web browser.

I never knew this! How cool!! I tried it out this morning and in a pinch this will be great.

 

[risingsun]

I love my Kindle

I read all the time and our house is filled with books. There might be a certain book type I would prefer in hard copy, such as Stitches, which is a graphic novel. For my text reading, I use the Kindle. I really like the ability to change the font size. There are books I wasn't reading due to the tiny font size. I recommend it!

 

[zoebartlett]

I don''t have one, and as cool as it sounds, I don''t think I''ll ever invest in a Kindle. I love the smell of books (okay, yes, this may be odd) and I love holding an actual book in my hand when reading.

 

[vc10um]

I don''t have one, and as cool as it sounds, I don''t think I''ll ever invest in a Kindle. I love the smell of books (okay, yes, this may be odd) and I love holding an actual book in my hand when reading.

Zoe, I''m the same as you. I also only buy paperbacks, so the Kindle doesn''t make much sense for me, as many paperbacks are the same price or cheaper than the DL price from Amazon.com already...which means you don''t recoup the purchase cost of the device.

 

[HollyS]

What?! And not be able to breathe in the irresistible aroma of new books????

Sacrilege.

 

[zipzapgirl]

I don''t have one and don''t plan to get one. I love books way too much. They''re low-tech, are easily loaned to/from friends, cost libraries almost nothing to maintain, and keep me interesting for guests who want to judge me by my bookshelf.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I LOVE mine. I''ve had mine since the Kindle 2 came out in March, and while I still read hard copy books (usually when I reread books I already have) I get all my new books on the Kindle.

I find that it didn''t take me long to adjust - I keep my font size on the smallest so that I don''t have to click/flip the page too often (which is the only thing that annoyed me at first) and I got a good cover for it so it''s like holding a book (and it protects my screen).

I have about 200 books on there now (about half of those are literary classics that are in the public domain now and therefore free - Project Gutenberg has them in Kindle format, as does Amazon) and the rest are what I''ve bought since. I''m a big reader

Umm...I used it a lot this summer on the subway. Though I also love that the iPhone has a Kindle app and if you leave the wireless on on your Kindle, the two devices will sync to the last page read. Reading on the phone is great when I have my hands full. I use the Kindle on the plane and on the bus and just reading in general.

It''s super nice that I don''t have to lug around multiple books...and that I have access to any of my books on the Kindle at any time.

The new Nook at B&N looks really cool, btw - and has a lot of the same features that the Kindle 2 has. Although I''m not sure if you can only download at B&N Wireless Hotspots - that wasn''t too clear and that''d be a big no-sell point for me (I love that I can download a book anywhere in the US via my Kindle Whispersync...and of course, the new ones allow you to download anywhere in the world).

Sorry, I''m a walking advertisement for the Kindle - I''m pretty infatuated with it

I get a lot of comments on it on the bus or plane from people who are curious so I''ve been through this spiel a few times

 

[Haven]

Date: 11/24/2009 2:25:18 PM
Author: HollyS
What?! And not be able to breathe in the irresistible aroma of new books????

Sacrilege.

AMEN!

First, we start paying for bottled water.
Then, we start paying $3 a cup for coffee. COFFEE! The beverage that used to be free in break rooms all over America.
Now, we start paying for books?!

No, thank you. I''m a big fan of libraries, and when I really love a book, my local used book store. And when I really REALLY love a book, I need to write all over it and give it to my friends so they can write all over it and give it back to me so I can read what they wrote and respond. And then give it to someone else.

My husband always jokes that I can''t read something without a pen in hand. I''d ruin the Kindle after reading one book--is it easy to clean ink off the screen?