Kindle?

[jackellis]

I don't have any experience but I've been thinking about getting one. Especially if I can load pdf files into it. I get a lot of stuff via e-mail that I don't have time to read but I would take it with me if I did not also have to lug a laptop around.

On vacations I used to take several books to read - I can rip through page turners in a hurry and get bored easily. A Kindle would keep me in reading material for a long time, without the weight.

[L. D. Jeffries]

I've thought about getting one. I am also an avid reader and usually have 3 or 4 books going at one time; one in each bathroom, and maybe one in the den and one in the shop (when I feel a need to detach from a ww'ing problem. Plus I like the tactile feeling of holding and reading a book/magazine.

[Ozzie]

Kindle

I love to read and like previous posts have three or four books going at the same time. For $300 plus tax plus the cost of a getting a book downloaded, I consider it a poor investment. I would prefer to go the Public Library, (free), Rummage Sales, (.10 to a &1.00), Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul Society, (.50 to $3.00), or a half price book store.

When we go to visit my grandsons in Portland, OR, I go to a bookstore that has a special every Wednesday and Saturday on their closeout, (Stripes), (.25 each), books. If I really must have a "Special" book, I go to Powell's, a gigantic bookstore in downtown Portland.

If you don't have these options available, then a Kindle makes sense.

[gerti]

My wife likes here BEBook a lot: http://mybebook.com/

[Chris_B]

I use it for travel

I have a 2nd-gen Kindle that I mostly use while traveling. You can store hundreds of books in less than the space of one standard paperback. Some people complain about the 'flash' when changing pagees, but to me the screen is easy to read, and the variable type size is great during turbulence. :-)

Real books are easier to scan (e.g., go back to an earlier chapter for context), but the built-in search makes it very easy to find relevant sections if you can remember a single reasonably-uncommon key word. I was concerned about battery life, but with wireless turned-off, the Kindle will run for a couple of weeks with moderate use.

You can get lots of great titles for free. I've downloaded numerous classics, and am currently halfway through the Federalist Papers (which is fascinating, BTW).

The big downsides are:
1) Very expensive device. I rarely use the wireless (I transfer via USB), which I think is a major part of the cost to Amazon.
2) Kindle editions are generally more expensive than a used hardcover, and *definitely* more expensive than a used paperback.
3) PDF conversion is essentially useless (other than the $500 DX model, which handles PDF natively). Unless the PDF file is unformatted text, the conversion is basically unreadable.
4) DRM for anything you buy. I assume that you can transfer your titles to a new device, but there is no residual value for a purchased book.

Overall, it works well for me. But if space is not an issue, "real" books are probably a better alternative.

I think Amazon's target market is avid readers who particularly like new titles.