Kindle. Wow!

[W3MIV]

Just bought a Kindle. It is the "global" model, and (ostensibly) will download books in most of the rest of the world. Not that I am off to anywhere for a bit. A goodly bit, likely.

I looked at the new iPad, but rejected it as being too pricey and too much a duplication of my laptop. All I am interested in is reducing the weight and bother of most of the books I read during my enforced status as a handicap. Believe me when I tell you I much prefer to be handicapped in Trap than the way it now works.

Back to the K. It is quite capacious. I have downloaded a plethora of classics -- Dickens, Sinclair (Upton), Norris, Lewis (Sinclair), Fitzgerald, Chesterton, Poe, Wilde, Wister, Wodehouse, and more -- from the Gutenberg Project. All public domain; all free of charge; and all free of avoirdupois. Consider that the K weighs in at less than a pound.

Battery lasts very long time (I know not just how long since I have not run it out, though I have read up to six hours without shutting it down). I generally plug it in to recharge when I turn in.

Screen is ultra sharp, and I am told that the real-ink technology only uses power to change the screen, and that the current is off until the page is changed. No backlight, but it holds up very well in bright sunlight -- unlike most backlighted LCD screens.

Good deal at $260 with free ship from Amazon.

Anybody out there using one?

[KU0DM]

Nope, I'd go bankrupt. Everyone I've talked to has called it a book buying machine. Very cool device, but the click-buy impulse would drive me to debtors prison.

[KB2SFH]

I chose the Sony e-reader after reading unfavorable reviews on the Kindle. I got the $199 Sony from online on a site with no tax since I am not in Illinois and free shipping.
http://www.abt.com/

[n2ize]

I'll stick to old fashioned printed and bound (ink on paper) books for now.

Actually I have downloaded various types electronic books. I read them on the computer screen or else print the pages I intend to read.

[kf0rt]

I've come close to buying a Kindle a few times, but not yet.

XYL would read 10 a week and the only thing that slows her down is having to get in the car. :shock:

[n0iu]

I don't have a Kindle reader, but I do have the Kindle app on my iPod Touch. I had the Touch for a while but never really thought about actually reading a book on that tiny little screen, but I gotta tell you, I am hooked... big time! I am reading more books now than I ever did!

For me, I think it has to be the fact that the text is lit from behind rather than being reflected off the page like with a "normal" book. I find it easier on these tired old eyes.

I don't know if you can use other "e-readers" on the Kindle, but I also use one called Stanza and the e-reader from Barnes & Noble.

And I totally agree with the fact that this thing will zap your bank account! I curse Amazon for their One Click buying! :twisted:

Oh, and I already informed my wife that I will be getting an iPad... sooner or later... probably by Christmas... if I can wait that long. Yeah, I drank the Apple Kool-Aid some time ago. There are some WiFi communications issues that they are working on so I am sure there will be a v2.0 very soon.

Enjoy your e-reader!

[N8YX]

A Kindle might come in very handy for use as a mobile reference device by, say, field servicing personnel who should not (or cannot) be issued a laptop computer. I've never used one of the things...how does it do when presenting graphics? Can the display be zoomed?

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

I have used them all.
The Kindle is kind of cool, Amazon offering.
Nook is the B&N offering.
And Sony e-reader, well,,,,.
I lump them together as they are more alike than not.
The first thing about them is the e-ink, Much easier on the eyes to read than even the best CRT or LCD display.
The second thing, black and white, yep, not a drop of color.
The third thing, speed, or should we say lack of?, the screen "refresh" is real slow, but it is a static display after all.
Next is the operating system, all use some form of embedded that is not normally open to the user.
WiFi is now the norm across the board but anything even close to real browsing is not an option.
MP3 player? sort of, but hobbled by both the OS as well as the size of the unit, clearly no threat to the iPod market.
But, with all this being said, as a portable "book" it is about as ideal as we are going to get at this time.

[al2n]

I have thought of getting one, but have not read up on the details enough. The thought of carrying a few dozen books in one unit is appealing.

Do you need a monthly subscription to use one? Or is all you pay for the books?

[KU0DM]

Do you need a monthly subscription to use one? Or is all you pay for the books?

I believe it's pay-as-you-go. Although that'd be interesting, pay a monthly amount and download up to X number of books.