Kindle Questions!

[Dreamer_D]

I have never had a reader before but am buying one now!

Graphite or white? Pros and cons?

Do I need the 3G access or can I just use the WiFi version? Will I kick myself for cheaping out on the $50 bucks?

 

[elle_chris]

Hi Dreamer-

My husband got me the graphite with 3G. (and our second kindle, for him is being delivered today.. yaay).

His reasoning for the color was because scratches won't show as much. Not sure how true that is.
The 3G is just easier for us. Don't need to search for wi-fi, and around here, when I tried it, i needed a pw to access every one, including my own network settings by making it visible, and then remembering my pw.
3G saves time for me.

 

[April20]

I have the white one. It's in a cover and hasn't gotten beat up that much in the 18 months I've had it. But if I was buying one now, the graphite one sure is pretty!

Get the 3G. You can connect and download anywhere. I think you'll regret it if you just get the wireless.

 

[yssie]

I'd worry about the dark colour overheating if you plan to frequently use it outdoors, etc...

 

[elle_chris]

I'd worry about the dark colour overheating if you plan to frequently use it outdoors, etc...

I've spent up to 3 hours reading in 80 something degree weather and it didn't even get warm. This was the day after I got it.

I haven't spent hours reading under direct sun at the beach yet. But even then, after an hour or so, I wind up under an umbrella so don't think it will be an issue. At least I hope not!

 

[TravelingGal]

I think that graphite or white, it's just a preference. My white one still looks great, but it is in a cover.

Don't skimp out on the $50. IMHO, the 3G is what makes it so cool. Granted, I order 95% of my books at home, where I have wi-fi so the new version would suit my needs without 3G, but that 5% of the time where I wanted a book out of my house (I was traveling), it was great.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks guys!

Do you find that pretty much any book you want is available? I did some looking on the e-book site and was not totally impressed. They have really old books and really new ones, and I did not see too many in the middle...

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I had the Kindle 2 (which had 3G) in white, and now I have the Kindle 3 in Graphite with Wi-Fi (no 3G). My thoughts:

I love the graphite. Love it SO much more than the white. My white one got stained by my brown Cole Haan cover and it drove me nuts. I love that the graphite won't stain.

I miss the 3G, but it hasn't affected me too much because I have Wi-Fi at home and it's a breeze to connect. Actually, the great thing about using my home Wi-Fi over the 3G is that it's faster to connect to, and faster to download books. However, I haven't really tested out my new Kindle in a place with no Wi-Fi so I can imagine it would be irritating if I wanted to download something on the go and couldn't.

Dreamer, most of the books I get are new so I find them on Amazon, no problem. There are older ones that I want to read (not so old as to be in the public domain but old enough not to be an ebook) that aren't on Amazon. I can sometimes find them on fictionwise.com, but not always.

 

[Jennifer W]

I'm very much in love with my (graphite) kindle. I went with the wi-fi version, and it hasn't been a problem so far. Scotland is small though, and there's wi fi all over the place. Even some of our trains and buses have wi fi.

Maybe if I did a lot of travelling it would annoy me not to have the 3G. It is pretty cool. If I was ordering another one, it would have 3G, but this one was a gift and I didn't want to ask for the expensive version.

I'm not very good at choosing books from the Kindle store. I like to go into a bookstore and browse to find what I want, then download it.I haven't wanted anything that isn't available so far, but I've only had the kindle for a couple of weeks. Very cool, I really do love it.

My original one broke and Amazon sent me a replacement within 48 hours (after a brief squabble by phone). They aren't very robust and probably do need a cover.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I'm very much in love with my (graphite) kindle. I went with the wi-fi version, and it hasn't been a problem so far. Scotland is small though, and there's wi fi all over the place. Even some of our trains and buses have wi fi.

Maybe if I did a lot of travelling it would annoy me not to have the 3G. It is pretty cool. If I was ordering another one, it would have 3G, but this one was a gift and I didn't want to ask for the expensive version.

I'm not very good at choosing books from the Kindle store. I like to go into a bookstore and browse to find what I want, then download it.I haven't wanted anything that isn't available so far, but I've only had the kindle for a couple of weeks. Very cool, I really do love it.

My original one broke and Amazon sent me a replacement within 48 hours (after a brief squabble by phone). They aren't very robust and probably do need a cover.

I do that too! I make a list while I'm there. I feel a bit guilty doing it though, even though I shouldn't

 

[TravelingGal]

Amazons forums are great for book suggestions. There is even a Kindle forum where people post book deals or freebies that they find. Plus once you browse some books on Amazon, it makes suggestions for you and I browse those too.

I buy what's available, so don't often run into an issue with not being able to find a book that I want.

 

[yssie]

I'd worry about the dark colour overheating if you plan to frequently use it outdoors, etc...

I've spent up to 3 hours reading in 80 something degree weather and it didn't even get warm. This was the day after I got it.

I haven't spent hours reading under direct sun at the beach yet. But even then, after an hour or so, I wind up under an umbrella so don't think it will be an issue. At least I hope not!

Cool!

 

[Jennifer W]

I had a rare day to myself today and I scared myself silly with a Stephen King novel (Cell - surprisingly creepy) on my Kindle. This gadget is the best thing ever.

I'm going to check out the forum and have a rummage for something else to read tomorrow, thanks for that TGal!

 

[TravelingGal]

Jenn, they have forums for many genres. The easiest way to find them is to search for a book you know you like, then scroll down past the reviews to the forum links.

 

[merilenda]

I'm planning on asking for one for Christmas/my birthday. And those are the two things that I haven't decided on either! Definitely come back and let us know how you like it after you get yours!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I tend to go on author kicks, especially for authors with series, and then I want to read all of the books. Did it for Kay Scarpetta, and now it is the Brother Cadfael mysteries my Ellis Peters. Those are not in kindle So that was just one example I looked for and could not find it. I wondered if it is the same.

I do not read a lot of traditional fiction. I like mindless mysteries and suspese and sci-fi.

I think if I get a Kindle it will be for Christmas. Once I got it all sorted on Amazon with the shipping and the cover and the taxes it came to $300. Now I need to decide if I want a diamond for the 3-stone reset or a kindle

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I tend to go on author kicks, especially for authors with series, and then I want to read all of the books. Did it for Kay Scarpetta, and now it is the Brother Cadfael mysteries my Ellis Peters. Those are not in kindle So that was just one example I looked for and could not find it. I wondered if it is the same.

I do not read a lot of traditional fiction. I like mindless mysteries and suspese and sci-fi.

I think if I get a Kindle it will be for Christmas. Once I got it all sorted on Amazon with the shipping and the cover and the taxes it came to $300. Now I need to decide if I want a diamond for the 3-stone reset or a kindle

Dreamer too bad you don't live near me! I have the ENTIRE set of Brother Cadfael books, which are AMAZING, that I got for a steal on ebay. I'm sad that they're not on the Kindle too, and they're so hard to find (and I think they're reprinting the books but the reprints were expensive last time I checked a year or so ago). Check ebay!

And there are a TON of sci-fi books on Kindle - check my past threads list, I had a thread for sci-fi/fantasy books in there. Although my favorite series of all time, the Vorkosigan saga by Lois Bujold, is not on Kindle, but you can get the e-books on fictionwise.com or on webscription.net (latter is cheaper). Both sites seem to specialize mostly in sci-fi/fantasy btw. Just make sure you download the books in .mobi format so it'll be read by the Kindle (and just transfer the books manually via USB to the device).

ETA: Dreamer - http://cgi.ebay.com/Ellis-Peters-Lo...60834?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item5195c1dba2

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ellis-Peters-Lo...76556?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item43a27f8b4c

 

[marcy]

I've had the Kindle 3 in graphite with the 3G. I am really enjoying it. I keep my Kindle in a case when I'm not using it and it still looks brand new. DH has the older version of Kindle and since we are on the same account I can read the books he's already purchased.

 

[lyra]

I have the Kindle 2 in white, my DD has the Kindle 3 in graphite. The colour makes no difference to us as we both put colourful skins on them anyway. DD's does not have wifi, mine does. I wouldn't cheap out, although I personally buy each book from amazon directly anyway, and do not shop using my Kindle, but YMMV and $50 more is worth it.

My daughter and I today were joking that we no longer even liked the feel of books, they are not nearly as comfortable or flexible as using the Kindle! Plus, I like to change the font size up one level at night so it's easier on my eyes. We both have leather covers for ours along with the skins. Oh---disclaimer! Not all books are available for download to Canada. It's something that I'm sure will get worked out over time, but it has happened to me several times.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I tend to go on author kicks, especially for authors with series, and then I want to read all of the books. Did it for Kay Scarpetta, and now it is the Brother Cadfael mysteries my Ellis Peters. Those are not in kindle So that was just one example I looked for and could not find it. I wondered if it is the same.

I do not read a lot of traditional fiction. I like mindless mysteries and suspese and sci-fi.

I think if I get a Kindle it will be for Christmas. Once I got it all sorted on Amazon with the shipping and the cover and the taxes it came to $300. Now I need to decide if I want a diamond for the 3-stone reset or a kindle

Dreamer too bad you don't live near me! I have the ENTIRE set of Brother Cadfael books, which are AMAZING, that I got for a steal on ebay. I'm sad that they're not on the Kindle too, and they're so hard to find (and I think they're reprinting the books but the reprints were expensive last time I checked a year or so ago). Check ebay!

And there are a TON of sci-fi books on Kindle - check my past threads list, I had a thread for sci-fi/fantasy books in there. Although my favorite series of all time, the Vorkosigan saga by Lois Bujold, is not on Kindle, but you can get the e-books on fictionwise.com or on webscription.net (latter is cheaper). Both sites seem to specialize mostly in sci-fi/fantasy btw. Just make sure you download the books in .mobi format so it'll be read by the Kindle (and just transfer the books manually via USB to the device).

ETA: Dreamer - http://cgi.ebay.com/Ellis-Peters-Lo...60834?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item5195c1dba2

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ellis-Peters-Lo...76556?pt=US_Fiction_Books&hash=item43a27f8b4c

Wow thanks BEG! I have read about 6 of them, though, so don't need the whole set... but thanks! I am also in Canada so shipping etc would be a hassel. But thanks! I love medieval history so anything set in that time is awesome.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Oh---disclaimer! Not all books are available for download to Canada. It's something that I'm sure will get worked out over time, but it has happened to me several times.

Well that BITES!!

 

[kittybean]

I have the Kindle 2 in white, and my mom has the Kindle 3 in graphite. I personally like the white better, but it's just a matter of aesthetic preference, I think. Since I got it in February, I've read about 60 books on the Kindle, and it has gone everywhere with me. I've actually found it to be surprisingly durable--there was an unfortunate water bottle spill in my purse, and after a couple days of drying out, it came back to life just fine.

I like having the 3G as I'm often traveling and on-the-go in places where WiFi is not available. I like the freedom of downloading books on the fly. I had to wait at my pharmacy for about 40 minutes the other day, and instead of feeling totally irritated about the situation, I just downloaded a new book I wanted and sat down and read. It's so nice to welcome a delay for a change! My mom's Kindle, however, doesn't have the 3G, and for her lifestyle, it works just fine.

One neat thing my mom and I have is that our Kindles are connected to just one Amazon account, so we can share books between us. You can connect up to six Kindles to an account, I think, and everyone can share books. It was nice to be able to give my mom the Kindle plus a whole bunch of books ready for her to read on it.

 

[Allison D.]

I got the graphite one for my birthday with the 3G and love it. I initially didn't think it would be hugely useful to me since I had the Kindle app on my iphone and one of the things I most liked about it was having it with me all the time without having to drag around the Kindle.

HOWEVER...the Whispernet sync made it totally worthwhile for me. I can use the kindle at home to read where it's more conveniently sized and easier on the hands to hold the larger device, but it will sync with my phone app if I happen to run into a delay at the pharmacy or the dr. office.

LOVE it, and I agree to get the 3G. Like tgal, I do most of my use at home, but I have taken it on a few trips and it's nice to know I'm not stuck without a way to download if I outpace myself and finish a book ahead of time.