The Amazon Kindle Thread

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Before I got my Kindle in December I hadn't read a book since 2007. Since I got my Kindle I've read 5 books...

This is incredibly common. E-readers are more convenient and in many cases more comfortable to hold than books. I likely would never have read my paperback copy of Pillars of the Earth (1000 pages), but I sure flew through it on my Kindle!

I've 16 books since getting my Kindle as a Graduation gift from my wife 6 months ago. Prior to that, I would average 10 books PER YEAR.

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[Orange Green Tea]

We should see a hybrid Amazon tablet next year(they wanted to release it this year but the technology isn't there yet.)

It will be a fully functional Android tablet with a hybrid screen that also has e-ink so you can use it as a full color tablet then if you just want to read or use it monochrome in the sun it will work there also.

[fatediesel]

A new version of the Nook was unveiled today. It is smaller than the current Nook and only has one button, which I wouldn't like because I like to type in the name of the book I want to buy and would want a full keyboard. They claim the battery life is double the life of the Kindle, which is kind of a moot point to me as I go well over a month between charges. It costs $139, the same as the Wi-Fi only Kindle.

http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/tech...e=intromessage

[Rob71]

I still haven't bought a Kindle yet.

I've just been burning throught the free books for the last two months or so on my netbook. Most were actually books I should have read in high school, but didn't because I had more "important" things to do.

Recently read:

Ivanhoe
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
The Invisible Man
Treasure Island
The Red Badge of Courage
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

and just started War of the Worlds. I can't remember ever reading at this pace, and I can realistically see myself keeping up or even increasing when I finally pick up a Kindle.

[McCrutchy]

Okay, so, I received my Kindle today, and I have to say it is a fabulous product, however, so far, I'm having the same issues I do with regular reading, so I will probably be returning the unit shortly.

Some notes:

Realize how small a 6" diagonal screen is for reading: I realize that the Kindle is all about portability, but the drawback of the screen size is that you can either have a fair amount of quite small text, or a small amount of huge text, which necessitates a frequent need for the next page button, which is kind of inconveniently placed on the edge of either side. Other than this quibble, however, the Kindle is remarkably comfortable to hold and use.

I really like the E-Ink display and all the functionality Amazon have squeezed into this version: You can format the text to eight different sizes, you can orient the screen in all four directions (even upside down), and you can even change the size of web pages in the limited "experimental" browser. The E-Ink itself provides an impressive scale of monochrome shades, and renders pictures quite well notwithstanding the inherent limitations.

Amazon's hidden features, like the Minesweeper and GoMoku games, the photo viewer, the "shift" number line, and their experimental ones, like the MP3 player and the web browser, work pretty well, again considering that these are really bonus features not at all related to the point of the Kindle. I was able to bring up this site and log in, but the browser navigation, being done by keypad navigation, was quite tedious compared to the touchscreen browser on my Android smartphone.

Amazon is serious about the eco-benefits of the product: I was surprised to see that the packaging is merely a sturdy cardboard mailing box, which opens to reveal the unit sitting snugly in a plastic tray. The instructions are printed on a recycled-looking cardboard pamphlet, and behind that is a cardboard-sheathed combination USB/wall charger. These are the sole contents of the package I received from UPS, no filler, no styrofoam, no glossy printed booklets. It was nice to see the company honoring their mission.

However, the most important factor is...

Kindle e-books are far too expensive!

This is my fault. I openly admit that I never paid any attention to Kindle e-book prices--mainly because I never had a Kindle before--but I had simply assumed, since so many classics were free on Kindle, that any Kindle e-book would be significantly cheaper than its print edition. This is not the case, and while Amazon may or may not be to blame for allowing the high publisher-set pricing, I still can't justify paying almost full price for a non-tangible, non color, often entirely non-illustrated version of a new book, that in any event, I can only read on my Amazon Kindle-based devices, all of which I already paid a premium price for.

The above point is really why I am more than likely to return the product in spite of admiring it so much. But I will be calling Amazon to confirm their 30-day return program is effective for me, and then I will hang onto the device as long as I can and see if it can convert me.

Right now, though, I am not enjoying e-book reading the way I thought I might--I miss my tangible pages and covers!

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

However, the most important factor is...

Kindle e-books are far too expensive!

This was my fault. I openly admit that I never paid any attention to Kindle book prices--mainly because I never had a Kindle before--but I had simply assumed, since so many classics were free on Kindle, that any Kindle e-book would be significantly cheaper than its print edition. This is not the case, and while Amazon may or may not be to blame for allowing the high publisher-set pricing, I still can't justify paying almost full price for a non-tangible, non color, often entirely non-illustrated version of a new book, that in any event, I can only read on my Amazon Kindle-based devices, all of which I already paid a premium price for.

The publishers are almost entirely responsible for the horrible pricing on ebooks. The publishers basically want to retain the price levels of physical books, when actual books are much more expensive to print and ship.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

The publishers are almost entirely responsible for the horrible pricing on ebooks. The publishers basically want to retain the price levels of physical books, when actual books are much more expensive to print and ship.

Yeah, I bought the new book on the history of ESPN Tuesday on my Kindle and it was actually $.08 more than the hardcover version on Amazon (the publisher set the price). It seems like the book publishers are just like the music companies were in the late-90s and don't realize that certain physical media is dying and they need to adapt to the changing market. Rather than embrace new technology they'd rather go with an outdated business model where they waste millions of dollars printing books that will never sell.

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

The publishers are almost entirely responsible for the horrible pricing on ebooks. The publishers basically want to retain the price levels of physical books, when actual books are much more expensive to print and ship.

They are ENTIRELY to blame for this. Amazon used to set their own pricing and it was far cheaper. Then all the publishers got together and forced every e-reader creator to use their pricing or they wouldn't be allowed to sell the books.

I used to get the first books of many series' free because Amazon would change them every month to try and get you hooked and buy the rest of the series.

This is a big reason why I read a lot less on my Kindle now and listen to free audio books. I'll still eventually read the 40-50 books on my Kindle I got for free or wicked cheap, but the publishers basically killed their own market for me. I cannot fathom how they thought this was going to make people happy. They don't even have to print the book anymore, this was literally a 95-100% profit situation even before the price hike and they still did it. I hope many a publisher go out of business for this and Amazon jumps into the rights ownership ring.

[mrf]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

However, the most important factor is...

Kindle e-books are far too expensive!

If you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy books I always recommend people check out Baen Books. They have a decent sized free library, and also allow free distribution of their promotional CDs which have hundreds of books available. The CDs normally include the newest book in a series along with all of the previous ones.

If you find you like some of the authors the freebies got you hooked on, they only charge $6 for their ebooks.

Baen Free Library:
http://www.webscription.net/c-1-free-library.aspx

Baen CD downloads:
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

[Blu-Benny]

my wife is wanting one of these all of a sudden.

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

my wife is wanting one of these all of a sudden.

Hey. It's an easy gift idea for the next gift-giving holiday.

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[Blu-Benny]

Originally Posted by Ferris

Hey. It's an easy gift idea for the next gift-giving holiday.

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i'll probably end up ordering her one and using that as her b-day gift.

her b-day isn't until Oct. so i'll tell her she has to wait for it!!

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by Blu-Benny

i'll probably end up ordering her one and using that as her b-day gift.

her b-day isn't until Oct. so i'll tell her she has to wait for it!!

Oh that's cold! I freaking LOVE IT!

[jetthead]

Finally bought a Kindle (wifi) from Best Buy today. It didn't cost me a penny out-of-pocket since I traded in 6 Xbox 360 games which resulted in a $154 gift card.

[RebelJeeper]

What is a good cover and/or light? I've seen a couple mentioned on here, but just curious as to you guys (and gals) personal experience with some of them...pros/cons, if you were to get another what would it be, etc.

Thanks in advance

[mrf]

For the best looking / most durable covers I'd say Oberon Design, however they are expensive and slightly heavy. I am currently using the Lighted Leather cover that I got from an Amazon sale back in April for $15. Even if you get one without the light, it's a very good cover.

I think the best light is the Kandle. I had a power outage last night and reading before bed in the dark the Kandle provided good light covering the entirety of the screen. The light inside the lighted Amazon cover is decent, but I think the screen coverage is better with the Kandle.

[Slec]

I have a case and light from M-edge and they work great.

[RebelJeeper]

Thanks for the inputs on the cases some of you are using. I'm still not really any closer to deciding which I want...I guess I shouldn't be so picky and just get one.

On another note, I was really bummed the other day when my wife asked me to get The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (we've both been wanting to read it) and it was cheaper to get her the paperback than the Kindle version. Ended up ordering her the the paperback and then a couple of days later, picking up the e-book for me. I can't be double-dipping all the time and she still isn't sold on the Kindle I think pubs should start going the same route as the movie studios on Bluray releases and offering a digital copy if you buy the book...just saying

[LeAnn]

I agree that the books are really expensive... It has made me pickier with my downloads. I tend to read a lot of series and sometimes you can get the series cheaper than buying them individually.
I also like that when I look at the book info I can see what the books in the series are and search from there. That is certainly a plus.

[mrf]

Originally Posted by RebelJeeper

I'm still not really any closer to deciding which I want...I guess I shouldn't be so picky and just get one.

I used a $.99 6"x9" bubble mail envelope for my K3 case while I was waiting for the new style cases to be released. It doesn't provide protection when reading, but it's a great cheap option for carrying around until you decide.