Anyone own a Kindle?

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Backwoods Boy

Backwoods Boy

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I am trying to get into reading again and have finally found a few books that I actually look forward to diving into.

If I keep finding books I am interested in, I am considering buying a Kindle DX. Anyone own a Kindle? Complaints, praise, reviews? Worth the cost?
 
I have never used one, but a friend (human Dr) has one she shares with her child and husband that they love for long trips and such. Avid readers who talk about how much lighter it is to move about without several books in a bag!
 
i'm actually more curious about the Nook. My mom really needs one but we've been holding out because the kindle is so overpriced and the nook is about half the price! i know it just came out so its a long shot to hear feedback but if anyone has heard anything please post 🙂
 
Everybody i know who has one loves it. I've been lusting after one since they came out.

However, I've heard that now is not a good time to buy an ebook reader since there's a chance of a format war between the major ones.

Anyway, its not quite the same, but my iphone has a kindle app (and stanza), which are both really nice to have. I always have books on me, the screen's not too hard to read, and I also have internet access, games and music for about the same price.
 
i looked at the price diffence btwn ebooks on amazon and barnes and noble...and it's pretty significant in the long run. you can get an amazon book for 9.99 most of the time (or cheaper) and some on barnes were over $15!

BUT...with the kindle you cant share books....and with the nook you can. BUT who would you know that would share all the books that you want?

i'm going to wait a while and hope that with the kindle there will be more access to the internet besides wikipedia (which is pretty awesome anyway). AND i love that these e-readers have soo many free books that you can download.


anyway, i've only heard good stuff about them. but if i were buying one...i'd get the smaller 6" screen. you can always make the font bigger.
 
My husband and I both got Kindles as gifts from his mom who is a writer and avid reader. (She recently upgraded to the new Kindle and she really like that too.) We both use ours a lot! The battery life is great, super easy to download books, easy to read on, etc. Pretty much every "classic" book is download-able for $0.99. Here is what I don't like....I buy a book for 9 bucks, read it, then I can't do anything with it. When I buy a book at a bookstore, I read it then pass it along. Or rather, I don't buy it at all, I get it from the library.
 
I have had mine for over a year and LOVE it. No, you can't sell or trade books you download, but for the price difference in a hardback ($9.99 vs $19.99 or more)it is well worth it. There is a "Kindle for PC" you can download for free so you can buy/read books on your computer. I'm pretty sure you do not even need to own a kindle to use it. That's nice too. I just gave my dad my old laptop and put the kindle for PC on it plus some of my books that I know he'll enjoy. That is one way to share, just let people you trust (for me just my family) load it on their computer with your account so they have access to all the books you have.

They also have a lot of books for free, some of my favorite series I got hooked on because the Kindle edition was free.
 
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twelvetigers said:
I have an iPhone with a kindle app, plus a few others. 🙂
Click to expand...

Me too! I love my iPhone and it is so convenient to read on it. I've been reading free Sherlock Holmes stories before bed.
 
I have the 2nd gen kindle and love it. As for most people, I don't like that I can't share books or get them from the library for the kindle. But the technology is coming on fast. Hopefully with the nook's ability to share, the kindle will adopt the same thing soon.

As far as the product itself goes, I really like it. The screen is exactly like reading a book. Amazon's ebook selection is huge. You don't have to worry about holding a book open if you're laying in odd positions. And it's very convenient and much lighter if you have book ADD and tend to read several books at once.
 
I had preordered the nook, but after all of the delays and then doing a little more research, I cancelled my order and bought an Aluratek Libre. There are actually a LOT of ebook readers out there other than Kindle, nook, and Sony readers. Before making the hardware investment, I suggest doing alot of research to find which one will best meet your needs.
 
I really like the feeling of a "real" print book. Plus I love adding to my library. Another plus is I like to snuggle up in bed and read...a kindle doesn't really give me that snuggle factor..make sense or am I just crazy? Haha
 
IHeartGoldens said:
I really like the feeling of a "real" print book. Plus I love adding to my library. Another plus is I like to snuggle up in bed and read...a kindle doesn't really give me that snuggle factor..make sense or am I just crazy? Haha
Click to expand...

The snuggle factor is even better, because you don't have to manipulate your arms and compromise comfort to hold the book open and you wont accidentally lose your page when you change positions or fall asleep. You can change the font size to compensate for low light or tiredness, and the reader reads much better out in bright sunlight than a paper book (or at least mine does). I can carry tons of books with me at once so if I get the whim to read something, I can pick whatever I want, and if I finish a book I can start reading another immediately.
 
one thing i don't like about these ebooks is that I won't be able to read during the 15 minutes of takeoffs and landings on planes (even though I hardly ever fly)
 
bruinvetman said:
one thing i don't like about these ebooks is that I won't be able to read during the 15 minutes of takeoffs and landings on planes (even though I hardly ever fly)
Click to expand...


yes you can, with the wireless switched off (if you have one with that function).
 
Another thing I find great about my Kindle is I can put it in a ziplock bag and read in the tub!😀 I don't have to worry about the pages getting wet when I turn them, or having to use 2 hands when I have a REALLY big (or thick) book. I honestly didn't think I'd love it as much as I do, but now I'd hate to not have it! Plus, I can still buy hardbacks of the ones that I want to keep forever and have in my zillion book library I plan to have one day!
 
so i was super surprised! anyway, so far it's been GREAT. i got a black leather case with it, and i folded it back so i didn't have the "2-pages look, just one" does that make sense?

anyway, so i was holding it and reading in bed and i was laying on my right arm and there's a next page button on the left side!!!!

the only thing i dont like, you cant browse on the kindle for 'free books' (or if you can, i have no idea how). so i went on my laptop, searched all kindle books and went from 'low to high' in price. so i got like 28 pages of free books and i downloaded like 36 books in an hour. (it took a long time to search on my netbook)

so basically, the kindle has paid for itself with being able to download that many free books. there were some books that were worth $16 that i got for free!

oh and when the kindle is 'off' it has a picture. so far none of the pictures have repeated.

the book i'm reading right now: all gods creatures by carolyn mcsparren


this is a review:
All God's Creatures is about an unlikely Southern debutante in 1960s Memphis who becomes a large animal veterinarian. Gawky, restless, smart and opinionated, young Maggie McLain isn't cut out to fill the patent leather pumps of a Southern belle. When she ditches a Cotton Carnival ball to save a drowning pup, Maggie realizes her destiny.
Over the years, Maggie earns the devotion and respect of crusty farmers, snobby horse breeders and doubtful pet owners throughout western Tennessee. She's an inspiration to up-and-coming women vets, a loving wife to her proud husband, a patient mother to her demanding kids, and above all, a champion to sick and injured animals.
This is a wonderful story for the whole family. The stories in the book are both heart-felt and fun. McSparren's love of animals and joy of story-telling come out in this book
 
i'm the type that will just read over a word and guess what it means...and if i dont know what it means...i just ignore it.

WELL, the kindle has the dictionary function and it's so easy and fast to use.
 
i find that typing on it is not as easy as on a keyboard. but yeah, it is pretty cool that you can download your notes. i also joined the facebook kindle page, they have some useful tips there too.
 
I'm bumping this thread up b/c I just bought a Nook today. I had been debating between a kindle and Nook for a while now and in the end I chose to go with the Nook. I have 2 other friends who own Nooks as well and we can share books (i bought 1 and sent it to the two of them, and 1 of them bought a book and sent to me).

i know each has it's own pros and cons but i think it really comes down to personal preferences. i would've been happy with either. 🙂



*if only JK Rowling would get it together and allow Harry Potter to be distributed via ebooks 🙁
 
I'll pitch in my experience as well...

I'm a Nook-lover and could not imagine having anything else. I have NEVER EVER bought something the minute it came out but I pre-ordered the Nook the 2nd day they advertised it and held on throughout the delays and couldn't be happier.

I was ridiculously worried about the fact that it had never been in anyone hands before to test or review - I religiously research any purchase I make but for some reason I just had to have the Nook.

I think it is far superior to the Kindle - I love both of the screens and the keyboard was one thing that deterred me from the kindle. I also tried out a sony e-reader and they feel so flimsy! The nook is a solid piece of machinery and the thing that soothed my worries was the software involved. The capabilities are endless with the nook which they are starting to show us. They just released a beta version web browser! It drains the battery a bit but is awesome to have! B&N is really trying to listen to their customers and make Nook the best eReader out there!
 
I was bored and kind of stumbled upon this thread...

They're kind of pricey... I don't know if I'd like one because I hate reading for extended periods off a computer screen. The only way it would benefit me is if you could put textbooks for school on them... and even then, can you make notes or highlight anything? I bought my first year biology text used and then found out that it had all of the relevant information highlighted... helped me a TON.
 
scarcelyheard said:
I don't know if I'd like one because I hate reading for extended periods off a computer screen.
Click to expand...

They aren't the typical computer screen. The screens are not backlit and not glossy - it is 100% like reading out of a book, no glare, to eye strain...and you can adjust the font size.
 
I have had my Kindle for 2 years or so and I love it. That being said I am thinking about getting a Nook because Amazon is in a pricing war with a publisher right now and is not releasing their books in e-book format. From what I understand they are trying to undersell everyone else, thereby cornering the market. It has evidently backfired and the publisher is taking a huge loss on their books, so until Amazon can agree to play nice books from that publisher will be sold in e-book format by everyone but Amazon (the Kindle requires a special format exclusive to Kindle).

Guess they are playing nice now! Just got an email from Amazon saying that they have come to an agreement with the publisher.
 
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GreennWhite said:
They aren't the typical computer screen. The screens are not backlit and not glossy - it is 100% like reading out of a book, no glare, to eye strain...and you can adjust the font size.
Click to expand...

i can definitely verify this. i was worried about it being like a computer screen so i went to the store and played with one. it's exactly like reading a book. in fact, if you want to read on a plane at night you'd need to get the little light b/c the screen isn't lit. for the nook, the touch screen is lit though but dims after a few seconds. i absolutely love mine!
 
Kindle (and some other e-book readers) uses electrophoresis to display your "page" in a paper type look instead of computer screen look.😉
 
katryn said:
But the technology is coming on fast. Hopefully with the nook's ability to share, the kindle will adopt the same thing soon.
Click to expand...

Don't count on this. The fact that you can't share the books is one of the biggest advantages of digital formats to the publishers.

A hardcopy of a book will only ever be sold once and for many books will be read multiple times by different people. But for each new person that reads it the publisher makes no money. By preventing you from sharing an ebook the publisher ensures they get more sales from those additional people.
 
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