Opinions on Amazon's "Kindle" service.

[Uncle Cracker]

The book/reading thread already running lead me to start this one, seeking opinions from the bibliophiles among us about "Kindle". I don't use it, but I'm curious if others do... Amazon has made such a huge investment in trying to re-invent the wheel. Is it really the wave of the future?

[cwithboat]

check here for Jeff's letter re. Kindle to his shareholders
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/image...2007letter.pdf

[MilDoc]

I like to hold a book, not read a screen. But that may change ....

[poolhound]

I like to hold a book, not read a screen. But that may change ....

Me too, but I cant see it ever changing. I have a friend who swears buy the eBook. He has the new Sony. I like the idea of being able to carry multiple books in the same small package but for me readability is lacking.

I am a vey fast reader and the amount of text you get per screen isnt enough or too small if you reduce the font to fit more in. I would be forever "turning" pages.

I also like to see my bookshelves with actual books on them.

I do a LOT of work on a computer screen and sometimes I still print documents out to read and make notes. Technology cant replace everything....

[big tim]

I like to hold a book, not read a screen. But that may change ....

Same here

Me too, bu..........I am a vey fast reader and the amount of text you get per screen isnt enough or too small if you reduce the font to fit more in. I would be forever "turning" pages.

I also like to see my bookshelves with actual books on them.

I do a LOT of work on a computer screen and sometimes I still print documents out to read and make notes. Technology cant replace everything....

Me too,

Tim

[Uncle Cracker]

Keep the opinions comin', folks. I, too, like the "feel" of a real book. Written history is all we have, and I'd hate to think that a couple well-placed EM bombs would render us stupid. E-files should be for data, not literature. The idea that we are looking at yet another way to make something we depend on to such a degree proprietary to a single company is very Orwellian to me. With today's on-demand publishing, anybody can produce a real book.

[Mr__Bill]

Until you can leave it on the dash of the car or truck......
have one in the bathroom and another in the bedroom...
one for each person...
swat flies with it....
sell it when your done with it for a dime....
little kids sitting on the floor holding the book open with their feet as they read..
scan page at a time as you quickly look for the page you were on before the book closed up and lost your place, oh wait perhaps that would not be necessary.... yeah right!

my thoughts and I'll keep them until I change my mind

bill

[Anna]

I considered buying the Kindle. A lot of the reviews, though, point out some ergonomic problems with it. I'd like an e-book that almost feels like a real book. The iPhone's technology, for example, that allows you to flip through your music albums or your photographs with a finger, simulating a real-world experience, would be great if applied to an ebook. A 7" tablet with that technology will work great, I think.

Still, I don't think I'll ever get rid of my real books, even if I fall in love with an ebook. The same way that we still have our LPs (at least a couple thousands of them) and CDs and DVDs, even though we have several iPods and an Apple TV.

Digital is ephemeral. I like the real thing.

[crokett]

I'm not sure I will ever buy an e-book. I work with computers all day long and I still like the feel of a real book.

[cwithboat]

Is the cost of an ebook less than the cost of a pre-read book at my local used book store? How much is it?

[radhak]

This reviewer points out that Kindle has a 'yesterday' form factor : it does not use touch-screen technology, making the keyboard too prominent, and I agree : if the keyboard wasn't there, the screen could be much bigger. Similar viewpoint here.

For me, there are problems with it other than form factor. It's DRM conditions are too restrictive for a 'book' : you cannot resell any ebook bought for it. This blog http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/1097 spells the details out nicely.

Is the cost of an ebook less than the cost of a pre-read book at my local used book store? How much is it?

The Kindle costs almost $400, and each ebook costs around $10, so no, it is not cheaper than your used book store. But the idea is that you could hold 200 titles in your hands at any given instance - so all a matter of convenience. Don't forget, you can even receive and read newspapers on it, as well as internet blogs, etc.

[dkerfoot]

What I have found is that I LOVE audio books from Audible. I download them to my Treo smart phone and listen to them through my earbuds at night or my Peltor WorkTunes Hearing Protectors while puttering around the shop.

I am currently listening to John Adams. Very relaxing and entertaining.

Look around, they have special deals where you can sign up and get bonus books. If you play it right, you can get 4 or more books for $15 or so. If you have multiple e-mail addresses and credit cards, you can do that repeatedly...

[kirkroy]

I use my PDA to read books and have been through a few classics lately using it (Tale of Two Cities, Moby Dick, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Travels thus far this year). I use a software called Plucker that autoscrolls the text so I never have to turn the page, I just have to have the autoscroll speed set appropriately for the text and whether I'm eating at the same time (I read slower while stuffing my face)... These books were all free (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) but I wouldn't mind paying for ebooks that I'd consider buying in hard copy.

I also have several versions of the Bible on there, with My Bible software, and read it similarly.

I like doing it this way. One huge advantage is that I almost always have my PDA with me so I can read any time and without having to carry a book around (which can be an issue for me as I'm a motorcyclist and the books can get chewed up when jammed in my little motorcycle bag).

[JSUPreston]

I'm not sure I will ever buy an e-book. I work with computers all day long and I still like the feel of a real book.

Crokett, I'm with you. I constantly work on computers, but at the end of the day, there is nothing like the feel of worn paper when reading a book. Like others have said, I'll print the pdf's of software around here and put them in 3 ring binders. Nothing like being able to dog ear a page or make notes in the margins. Plus, books just feel easier on my one good eye.

Then again, if they can make one with a screen of the quality of my wife's new MacBook, I might try it. That screen is great!!!

[mmcduffie]

I'm a ebook fan.

I read two or three books a week and with the ebook, I can get a huge number of free and legal books online.

I'm most of the way through Gutenbergs Sci-Fi cd, about 700 titles. I'm about a third of the way through the Baen Sci-Fi CDs, 13 of them.

I don't like eink, no back light. I started with the ebookwise 1150 half VGA grey scale, tried a GEM 2150 half VGA color, a hiebook, and a Franklin eBookman. I've settled on the old Rocket eBooks and a Sharp HC-4500 handheld PC running mobipockets mobireader. The theme here is they are all back lit and all touch screens.

A $40 ebay reader and free books cost a whole bunch less than paper books and I don't have to go to the library.

Michael