Cheap Kindles

[Pierre ZFP]

Just a heads up but Kindle are bringing out a new model on 9th Oct (the new Paperwhite)

As a consequence I suppose, the current touchscreen model can be had cheap.

Amazon.de are selling them for €49  which I think is not bad.  I can see myself getting one or two for Christmas presents.

Note that it's only amazon.de that has this offer, not the other sites

[Quillan]

Alternativly if you want a 'full on' Android device have a look on Ebay for Google Nexus 7, the 2013 model is coming out very shortly (like days and is pre sold out) and you can pick an old one up for well under 100 Euros. I bought mine (32gb version) for just under 70 Euros with a case and 5 months left on the guarantee.

[Clair]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]Just a heads up but Kindle are bringing out a new model on 9th Oct (the new Paperwhite)

As a consequence I suppose, the current touchscreen model can be had cheap.

Amazon.de are selling them for €49  which I think is not bad.  I can see myself getting one or two for Christmas presents.

Note that it's only amazon.de that has this offer, not the other sites[/quote]

For clarification: the reduced-price Kindle sold by Amazon.de is the basic model (no back-lit screen = no reading in the dark), not the Kindle Paperwhite Mk1.

I bought one a few months ago and promptly exchanged it for a Kindle Paperwhite, which is perfect for my night-reading preference. I am considering a new Paperwhite, but I'll wait until I can read a few comparison reviews before deciding...

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Clair"]I bought one a few months ago and promptly exchanged it for a Kindle Paperwhite, which is perfect for my night-reading preference. I am considering a new Paperwhite, but I'll wait until I can read a few comparison reviews before deciding...[/quote]

I didn't like the basic Kindle - my mother bought me one and I gave it to OH when he had a prolonged stay in hospital in the spring.

She has now treated me to the (original) Paperwhite and I adore it.

However, do other people find it difficult to keep track of what books they've read? I know and love my books by their cover and I just don't have the same affection for books I've enjoyed when they're on my Kindle. It is a very different reading experience and I miss the interaction with the physical book. But I'm a closet dinosaur... [:D]

[YCCMB]

I don't even know what book I'm reading.....[:D]. I wish it told you in a little corner of the screen.. Mind you, at least Amazon give you a thoughtful reminder "you already bought this book", because I've repeatedly been attracted to the synopsis of a book I've already read, and the cover photos on the website don't really help when I have nothing on my Kindle to compare them to. Unless I am prepared to mess about looking. Which I'm not. So thank goodness for Amazon's "silly old duffer" reminders.

[Russethouse]

 I have no idear which kindle I have but it has a cover with a light so I don't have any problems

The only thing I sometimes miss is being able to go back through the text to check something ....I guess I could but its a bit of a faff

[Clair]

[quote user="Catalpa"]... do other people find it difficult to keep track of what books they've read?[/quote]

I use Calibre as a library of all my ebooks on my laptop (except iBooks).

I have configured it to copy all my Kindle books and remove the DRM (which is the bit that prevents the ebooks from being read on other devices).

Once an ebook is copied in my Calibre library, I can tag it as read once I have finished it, or convert it, transfer it to my Kindle or my iPad, read it on my laptop...

[Araucaria]

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="Catalpa"]... do other people find it difficult to keep track of what books they've read?[/quote]

I use Calibre as a library of all my ebooks on my laptop (except iBooks).

I have configured it to copy all my Kindle books and remove the DRM (which is the bit that prevents the ebooks from being read on other devices).

Once an ebook is copied in my Calibre library, I can tag it as read once I have finished it, or convert it, transfer it to my Kindle or my iPad, read it on my laptop...

[/quote]

I can't recommend Calibre highly enough.

Kindles are in some ways just a bit basic and I have found that Calibre (which is free and really well written software) gives me a whole lot of really useful extras. But perhaps I should add one cautionary note: Calibre itself doesn't contain any way of removing the DRM from your e-books. You'll have to look elsewhere for that. Personally I prefer the large numbers of public domain books available from Project Gutenberg and Mobile Reads. They arrive without DRM, and Calibre provides some very easy ways to get them onto your Kindle and organise them into collections.

[Clair]

[quote user="Araucaria"][... I should add one cautionary note: Calibre itself doesn't contain any way of removing the DRM from your e-books. You'll have to look elsewhere for that. [/quote]

You're right and I should have phrased my comment differently.

I use an external plugin in Calibre to remove the DRM from the ebooks I download. This plugin is not available in Calibre.

I use Mobile Reads too, but the choice of books in French is rather limited... [:P]

[Pierre ZFP]

Wow I wasn't expecting so many respnses to my original post [:)]

It's all a matter of preference of course but I prefer the original Kindle over the Paperwhite.  In fact I have the old version with buttons on it and I see no reason to upgrade.  Horses for courses, I have the Kindle reader on my tablet but I still prefer the good ol' Kindle for a prolonged read, especially if I am outside in the garden etc.

[Judith]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

It's all a matter of preference of course but I prefer the original Kindle over the Paperwhite.  In fact I have the old version with buttons on it and I see no reason to upgrade.  Horses for courses, I have the Kindle reader on my tablet but I still prefer the good ol' Kindle for a prolonged read, especially if I am outside in the garden etc.

[/quote]

I too prefer the kindle keyboard I have to the Kindle app on the ipad, which just cannot be read out of doors until dusk has almost fallen.

And like RH, the only problem I find is juggling back and forth to find something I want to re-read.

I've read all my life.  It took me a long time to be converted to a kindle but once my eyes got so bad before the cataracts were done last year, I had to recourse to it with its larger text so that I could continue to keep myself sane.  Since then, I have not read any books in any other format, (I think) though I can now read very well with the new glasses, and even though I have a library of books I have yet to read.

It's all those freebies - I just cannot resist a bargain!