Kindle

[j4premed]

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I've been interested in purchasing a Kindle off Amazon... (it looks oddly similar to that ridiculously over-sized iPhone that just came out, but it is primarily for holding books/texts)

Does anyone own one? Do you like it/find it useful and worth the money?

I buy books on Amazon alllll the time and a device such as this seems like it would serve extremely useful and handy. Rather than carry around 500 books at a time, I could simply carry this lil' guy in my purse every where I go.

Thoughts?

 

[teddy bear doc]

I have one and LOVE it. Very convenient and compact, plus books are cheaper. The biggest drawback for me is with the titles available. While there are a ton of books you can get in a kindle edition, there are also many that you can't. Depends on if the books you tend to read are fairly mainstream or mor obscure. Mostly, this hasn't been an issue, but there have been a few I couldn't get. Other than that though, it's fantastic!

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

As mentioned above, the biggest limitation is the e-book inventory. It is particularly weak for textbooks, and the more specialized you get the worse the selection.

For the premeds thinking of buying one before M1 - none of the major first or second year textbooks are available (no anatomy textbook, no physio, no robbins pathology, none of the BRS series).

 

[NickNaylor]

In 5 years, paper books won't even exist!

 

[BuckFMP]

I so prefer electronic to having to tote countless pounds of paper around. So, the sooner they get the key texts on line, the better.

That being said, I have little knowledge re either the Kindle or iPad, but I recall hearing the other day that the Kindle does not support color. Does anyone know if this is the case? If so, that would favor the iPad as color can be quite important with diagrams. Anyhow, I'll be holding off until key texts are available.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I so prefer electronic to having to tote countless pounds of paper around. So, the sooner they get the key texts on line, the better.

That being said, I have little knowledge re either the Kindle or iPad, but I recall hearing the other day that the Kindle does not support color. Does anyone know if this is the case? If so, that would favor the iPad as color can be quite important with diagrams. Anyhow, I'll be holding off until key texts are available.

Yes - kindle uses the "e-ink" format - much easier on the eyes but limited in terms of things like graphics, displaying complex images.

The other advantage to the ipad would be that while a lot of textbooks aren't available as "e-books" they are available in an online format. The web functionality of the ipad would allow you to access them that way.

 

[Infinitydrop]

I was just thinking of buying one too. I have been into reading a lot this year. I can't choose bw the kindle and nook. I like amazon shopping more than bn, but the nook seem like a much cooler device. I want to be impressed if i am gonna drop 260 bucks.

 

[assturtle]

I so prefer electronic to having to tote countless pounds of paper around. So, the sooner they get the key texts on line, the better.

That being said, I have little knowledge re either the Kindle or iPad, but I recall hearing the other day that the Kindle does not support color. Does anyone know if this is the case? If so, that would favor the iPad as color can be quite important with diagrams. Anyhow, I'll be holding off until key texts are available.

while the kindle uses that "e-ink" technology, which essentially displays only black "ink", it's far superior to the Ipad's display for reading. Staring at a screen like the Ipad's for hours is very straining on the eyes. Not to mention, can't be done anywhere around where you would get glare on the screen. Don't fall for the hype, the ipad is an essentially stripped-down netbook.

 

[Omar Gooding]

I would actually recommend the Sony Reader over the Kindle.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

In 5 years, paper books won't even exist!

Care to place a friendly wager on that?

 

[GoodmanBrown]

I was just thinking of buying one too. I have been into reading a lot this year. I can't choose bw the kindle and nook. I like amazon shopping more than bn, but the nook seem like a much cooler device. I want to be impressed if i am gonna drop 260 bucks.

I would really, really wait until the iPad shake-up finishes. Right now it seems as if a lot of publishers are fighting Amazon on their pricing. I wouldn't be surprised if some publishers pull their books from the Kindle (at least one already has). I also wouldn't be surprised if prices went up on Kindle books.

Paper books ftw!

 

[Practitioner]

For the premeds thinking of buying one before M1 - none of the major first or second year textbooks are available (no anatomy textbook, no physio, no robbins pathology, none of the BRS series).

Sadly. Electronic searchable text books would be a very powerful (and extraordinarily appealing) tool. That is assuming also that images are supported. Note taking/highlighting as well.

 

[s1lver]

Can't wait when newspapers, books, etc. all go 100% digital. Paper and shipping charges ftl.

 

[Myuu]

I would really, really wait until the iPad shake-up finishes. Right now it seems as if a lot of publishers are fighting Amazon on their pricing. I wouldn't be surprised if some publishers pull their books from the Kindle (at least one already has). I also wouldn't be surprised if prices went up on Kindle books.

Paper books ftw!

I 😍 paper books, but I still want an iPad. The price of books likely will go up if Amazon's recent spat with Macmillan is any indication. Also, Apple is allowing publishers to set their own prices, so your new releases are probably going to run around the same as a quality paperback (i.e. QP, not MM).

 

[longhorn09]

My only concern: Is it good for our eyes? I really don't want to look @ computer screen all day long. You know, eyes are vy important for docs.

 

[Infinitydrop]

looking at an led screen to read is def something to be avoided if possible.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Can't wait when newspapers, books, etc. all go 100% digital. Paper and shipping charges ftl.

Printing and shipping the book only costs $3-$5 for most books. You pay so much for textbooks because you pay a premium for the author's expertise. Everything else is middle man.

I've already lost an album or two because of some slip-up in backing up my music off of iTunes. One CD I had the hard copy of (Weezer: Blue Album), so I just re-imported it. The other one is gone unless I re-buy it.

And I'm a super anal backer-upper. I just re-installed Windows on my in-laws computer because it was resetting immediately when it reached the desktop. I tried pretty hard to save files, but could only salvage one or two folders of stuff. Otherwise, they lost everything. Imagine how pissed people are going to be when they lose $2000 worth of textbooks because their iPad crashed and Apple doesn't let you re-download anything.

Paper books, still ftw!

 

[GoodmanBrown]

My only concern: Is it good for our eyes? I really don't want to look @ computer screen all day long. You know, eyes are vy important for docs.

Looking at computer screens for a long time can cause eyestrain. Often people don't blink as much while looking at a computer and their eyes get dry and scratchy. Taking some breaks and using re-wetting drops can help this.

One of the selling points of e-readers like the Kindle and Nook are that they use E-Ink which is a reflective screen (it emits no light) which more closely mimics paper compared to the iPad's LED screen which emits light. Not sure exactly why it's not as easy on the eyes, but that's what I've heard.

 

[Myuu]

Printing and shipping the book only costs $3-$5 for most books. You pay so much for textbooks because you pay a premium for the author's expertise. Everything else is middle man.

I've already lost an album or two because of some slip-up in backing up my music off of iTunes. One CD I had the hard copy of (Weezer: Blue Album), so I just re-imported it. The other one is gone unless I re-buy it.

And I'm a super anal backer-upper. I just re-installed Windows on my in-laws computer because it was resetting immediately when it reached the desktop. I tried pretty hard to save files, but could only salvage one or two folders of stuff. Otherwise, they lost everything. Imagine how pissed people are going to be when they lose $2000 worth of textbooks because their iPad crashed and Apple doesn't let you re-download anything.

Paper books, still ftw!

You seem to be of the impression that you can't make backups of or with Apple devices. This is simply incorrect.

 

[Vanish]

I got one for my father and he loves it!

 

[GoodmanBrown]

You seem to be of the impression that you can't make backups of or with Apple devices. This is simply incorrect.

On the contrary, my entire post deals with making backups. In specific, it's about how even backing stuff up isn't foolproof. I guess if you back stuff up every week, on 1 hard drive and 1 flash card, you'd be pretty safe.

OTOH, I've never backed up my categorical statistics book, and it's never ever crashed on me. Still use it to this day.

Don't get me wrong, I think the iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc. are pretty nifty devices and have some distinct advantages to regular books. But to think that regular, paper books are going to go extinct in 5 years is ridiculous.

 

[mvenus929]

I would actually recommend the Sony Reader over the Kindle.

Ew no. I've seen the Sony Reader in Best Buy while I was doing my shopping, and it just feels so... cheap. Even my coworkers have compared my kindle to the Sony Reader and find the Sony Reader lacking.

Personally, I love my kindle, but I read a ton, and travel a lot. It's definitely not something I'd use for textbooks... the screen for the Kindle 2 is too small and I don't think the images would show up very well. Maybe with the DX, but that seems too big to really just tote around. Still, it's nice if you read a lot, and more mainstream novels, though you can find a ton of books in a kindle-compatible format in places other than the kindle store. If you read a lot of classics, those can be downloaded free or for a very minimal cost (depending on how much formatting you want) because they're in public domain.

As a side note, the kindle also has limited MP3 capability (you can play songs, but you can't form a playlist... you have to manually scroll through the songs, but it's nice if you just want some background noise), and you can access the internet (albeit a rather slow-going internet... it's better on pages intended for mobile phones) through it as well.

If you have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, though, I'm pretty sure there's a Kindle app that allows you to do the same thing on the iPod.

 

[Myuu]

On the contrary, my entire post deals with making backups. In specific, it's about how even backing stuff up isn't foolproof. I guess if you back stuff up every week, on 1 hard drive and 1 flash card, you'd be pretty safe.

OTOH, I've never backed up my categorical statistics book, and it's never ever crashed on me. Still use it to this day.

Don't get me wrong, I think the iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc. are pretty nifty devices and have some distinct advantages to regular books. But to think that regular, paper books are going to go extinct in 5 years is ridiculous.

Every time you sync an iPod Touch, iPhone, or (presumably) an iPad, a backup is made. Furthermore, the content is already in two places, namely your device and your hard drive.

This is why I find the suggestion that users of the iPad would somehow lose $2000 worth of apps/books/whatever, without any method of restoration, a bit of a stretch. It's certainly true that you can't redownload things if you manage to delete them from both your iPod/iPhone/whatever and your computer, but it would take a series of unfortunate digital (and probably analog, as in drive failure and lobotomized iPad) events to put a potential iPad user in that situation.

 

[chman]

For textbooks, and regular books as well, I think I prefer good old fashioned paper. For one thing, I like to highlight. Also, it seems like reading a whole book on a kindle would strain the eyes.

 

[kappa09]

I recommend the Barnes and Noble Nook over both the Kindle and the Sony Ereader.

 

[mvenus929]

For textbooks, and regular books as well, I think I prefer good old fashioned paper. For one thing, I like to highlight. Also, it seems like reading a whole book on a kindle would strain the eyes.

You can highlight on the kindle. It's not bright yellow and you're not holding a pen in your hand doing it, but you can highlight. And search. And bookmark, and not lose your place if you accidentally drop the book.

And have you seen a kindle? Because it really does look like you're reading from a sheet of paper. It's no more strain than reading a regular book, and far less than spending hours on a computer.

 

[chman]

You can highlight on the kindle. It's not bright yellow and you're not holding a pen in your hand doing it, but you can highlight. And search. And bookmark, and not lose your place if you accidentally drop the book.

And have you seen a kindle? Because it really does look like you're reading from a sheet of paper. It's no more strain than reading a regular book, and far less than spending hours on a computer.

I have not tried one, so I guess I shouldn't weigh in. I was just thinking that there is something reinforcing about pen to paper. I was also thinking that it is something about the glare (based off of computer reading) about the eyes. I guess I will try it out. It sounds like it would save some money on texts in the future.

 

[orthomyxo]

For textbooks, and regular books as well, I think I prefer good old fashioned paper. For one thing, I like to highlight. Also, it seems like reading a whole book on a kindle would strain the eyes.

It really doesn't though. The kindle's screen looks exactly like a piece of paper. Also, it's an inactive screen, meaning that it does not constantly refresh like a computer and it doesn't emit light.

 

[Myuu]

Out of curiosity, what does one do with a kindle in a low-light environment? Do you just buy a mini-lamp thing or does it have some sort of backlit mode?

(Not that reading in the dark is practical, sensible, or easy on the eyes, or anything...)

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Every time you sync an iPod Touch, iPhone, or (presumably) an iPad, a backup is made. Furthermore, the content is already in two places, namely your device and your hard drive.

This is why I find the suggestion that users of the iPad would somehow lose $2000 worth of apps/books/whatever, without any method of restoration, a bit of a stretch. It's certainly true that you can't redownload things if you manage to delete them from both your iPod/iPhone/whatever and your computer, but it would take a series of unfortunate digital (and probably analog, as in drive failure and lobotomized iPad) events to put a potential iPad user in that situation.

The link you posted is interesting, but it actually helps my case. The page indicates that music, downloaded videos, and applications are not included in the back-up. Notice that it says it backs up "settings and certain other information." The arrow bottom labeled "About Syncing and Backups" explains what is backed up and what is not. It then links at the bottom of the page:

For information about how to back up your media in your iTunes library to a CD or DVD, refer to How to back up your media in iTunes.

So, you still have to manually back-up your songs, videos, applications, etc.

Further, Apple explicitly makes it ridiculously hard to transfer anything from an iPod to a computer. I lost my Weezer albums on the computer, but they were on my iPod. Despite spending at least an hour downloading multiple programs off the Internet, I couldn't get the albums to transfer back to my computer. Further, iTunes kept asking me if I wanted to sync the iPod which would have deleted everything and reloaded all my software. (Losing my albums in the process.) So, yeah, just because it's on your iPod doesn't mean it's getting back on your computer.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

Out of curiosity, what does one do with a kindle in a low-light environment? Do you just buy a mini-lamp thing or does it have some sort of backlit mode?

(Not that reading in the dark is practical, sensible, or easy on the eyes, or anything...)

Yeah, I think you just buy yourself a mini-lamp. I know some cases have a little LED light built in that's supposed to work.

 

[ELECTROLITE80]

I received a Kindle as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend and I love it. It is well worth the money and much more convenient to have instead of carrying a book everywhere. I love being able to sit in the waiting room at my doc's office and reading. It doesn't come backlit, but if you buy a book light to attach to it, there's no problem reading. I highly suggest getting one, well worth the money!