Kindle?

[Whaler]

Does anyone here have a Kindle? LOML is an avid reader and I am thinking about getting her one for Christmas.
Any pros, cons, problems etc?

[jussi]

No personal experience but I know a couple of people who have them and love them. I played around with it and I found it to have pretty good contrast and easy to read. They said getting the books is fast and easy as well. Lifetime free access to Amazon is pretty cool.

I think the main disadvantage (at least for me) is the price. $300.

[Uncle Cracker]

I prefer the old-school paper and ink, myself. For the techies, though, I understand problems with the Kindle center on the fact that, if Amazon loses their rights with a book's publisher, anybody who has purchased the Kindle version is left out in the cold. Poof! Your ability to access the title simply vanishes into thin air. Things that are proprietary make me nervous.

[jussi]

I prefer the old-school paper and ink, myself. For the techies, though, I understand problems with the Kindle center on the fact that, if Amazon loses their rights with a book's publisher, anybody who has purchased the Kindle version is left out in the cold. Poof! Your ability to access the title simply vanishes into thin air. Things that are proprietary make me nervous.

Oh that reminds me of a story I read a while back where a book was published but was later ruled that the publishers didn't have the right to do so. So Amazon deleted all the copies from people's kindles. I thought that was kind of strange and many have argued if it was even legal to do so.

[LJR]

I do have and use a Kindle. I like it a lot. If there's enough light to read a printed book you can read the Kindle. I've downloaded and read several novels and have a magazine subscription delivered to the Kindle. All has gone well in my experience and I would do it again with no hesitation.

[Ed62]

My wife is also an avid reader. I asked her what she thought about the Kindle. She said she would not use it. She wants the old fashioned book. You can have someone else mention to her that they're thinking about getting a Kindle. That should prompt a response from her. Then you'll know.

Ed

[MilDoc]

Guess I'm old fashioned. I borrowed a friend's Kindle for a weekend as he had a book on it I wanted to read. Nope. Prefer the book. Reading from the Kindle was like reading a computer screen - it didn't take long before my old eyes got tired.

[just started]

Oh that reminds me of a story I read a while back where a book was published but was later ruled that the publishers didn't have the right to do so. So Amazon deleted all the copies from people's kindles. I thought that was kind of strange and many have argued if it was even legal to do so.

They better refund the money paid if they do that!

[just started]

I do have and use a Kindle. I like it a lot. If there's enough light to read a printed book you can read the Kindle. I've downloaded and read several novels and have a magazine subscription delivered to the Kindle. All has gone well in my experience and I would do it again with no hesitation.

Doesn't it bother you that the pix are all in greyscale instead of color when you read the mags?

[Zenaca]

Didn't SONY just come out with one of those E-Book readers also?
So maybe the price will come down with a little competition.

Bud

Answered my own question.


I just checked amazon same price $299 or $199 for pocket edition. So much for competition bringing the price down!

[LinuxRandal]

I prefer the old-school paper and ink, myself. For the techies, though, I understand problems with the Kindle center on the fact that, if Amazon loses their rights with a book's publisher, anybody who has purchased the Kindle version is left out in the cold. Poof! Your ability to access the title simply vanishes into thin air. Things that are proprietary make me nervous.

Oh that reminds me of a story I read a while back where a book was published but was later ruled that the publishers didn't have the right to do so. So Amazon deleted all the copies from people's kindles. I thought that was kind of strange and many have argued if it was even legal to do so.

I believe that is what he was referring to. I never heard what happened with the lawsuit, from the student doing the book report that lost his notes (connected with the book) when Amazon poofed the book.
Since that time, Amazon refunded everyone or gave them credit. Publicly apologized and stated they would never do it again. And from what I read elsewhere, supposedly, returned the book to peoples readers (don't know about the notes though).
Have you (Whaler), looked at your wifes book list? Have you checked to see if what she wants to read is available? If she is more into classics, you may want to check out project Guttenburg, and use a regular pc (laptop, netbook, etc) as an ebook reader. If what she reads isn't available on Kindle, then that is a waste.

At this point, the only reason I would want one, kinda goes against itself. Saving books that are no longer in print. I can find a copy of Brandywine's war on Ebay, but I can't go down to the corner bookstore. With these, we should/will, eventually be able to save our digital copies and they shouldn't fall apart like the current books do.
On the other hand, it isn't the same visceral experience as a book, you have issues like, what happens if you lose power (during a download, to recharge to find out how to fix xyz), how long till they start putting in animations/pictures, (losing the imagination part of reading), etc.

[herb fellows]

My wife is also an avid reader. I asked her what she thought about the Kindle. She said she would not use it. She wants the old fashioned book. You can have someone else mention to her that they're thinking about getting a Kindle. That should prompt a response from her. Then you'll know.

Ed

Exactly what I had to say! My wife reads 2-3 books a week and has no desire at all for a Kindle. Definitely feel her out on it before you lay out that kind of money, or at least check out the return policy if she decides she doesn't like it.

[Kristofor]

I read a lot, and I find the Kindle easy enough to read/use but it's still not the choice for me... With a traditional book it's easy to use most conditions (sunlight, at the beach, on a boat, in a tub, camping, etc.) with minimal concern about damage/loss. Title availability is a concern for me as well, but if your wife is a New York Times bestseller kind of person she would be able to find most of them available for the Kindle.

[jon_ramp]

I would think that the device gives the user the ability to change the font size. It would be worth looking into. Even at the high price, it might be better than buying large print books if she needs them.

[Rand]

My friend has a Kindle and loves it. From what I can see the benefits are:

Instant Gratification - you can download a book in no time at all.
Lightweight - Beats lugging around a 1,000 page hardback.
Adjustable font size- for those aging eyes.
Lower cost for new books and thousands of free old books available.

The only downside that I see is that the data format is proprietary and that you can't loan a book to a friend without breaking their copy protection scheme - which can be done I am told.