Kindle - Wow!

[Bob T]

Just to point out that the none 3g also has mp3, internet access and text to sound.

[Loiseau]

Oooh, this has got me so excited about a Kindle - which I never thought would be an object of desire!

Can somebody clarify a couple of things:

- The only advantage of the more expensive 3G version is that you could connect from anywhere, worldwide, free via the Kindle's link to the mobile phone network?  Otherwise, with the cheaper version, you would need to be able to connect to a wi-fi network?   Is it worth the extra money?

- Can you read books in French as well as English?  Last night I read dozens of reports on the Amazon uk website, and there seemed to be some complaint about the way accents appeared.  Oh, and some reviewers griped that maps and photographs were too indistinct to read.

Angela

PS  Had to order some new varifocals today, so the Kindle purchase may have to go on the back burner for a bit!

PPS  I think I have answered one of my questions here, from another rummage around the Amazon site:

Kindle (Wi-Fi) is a great choice if you already have a high-speed

internet connection and wireless router setup at home, and do not want

the added convenience of a 3G connection which enables you to download

books anytime, anywhere on the go. If you do not have Wi-Fi setup in

your home, Kindle 3G would be a better option.

Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi) is

the easiest option because there is no wireless setup—you are ready to

shop, purchase, and read right out of the box. Built-in Free 3G

connectivity uses the same wireless signals that cell phones use, but

there are no monthly fees or commitments—Amazon pays for Kindle’s 3G

wireless connectivity. The added convenience of 3G enables you to

download books anytime, anywhere on the go—without having to find a

Wi-Fi hotspot connection. With wireless coverage in over 100 countries

and territories

[Bob T]

On the subject of reading glasses: We went shopping yesterday and while my wife was in the shop and I was in the car, I thought I would read on the Kindle. I had not brought reading glasses with me, not a problem. Open my book on the screen and change the font size a bit bigger - no glasses needed! Fantastic feature.

[Helen]

I would question the Amazon marketing for 3G. Do you really need to be able to download books anytime, anywhere on the go? In my experience, shopping for books on the Amazon site on the computer is a lot easier than trying to use the Kindle directly. If you know precisely which book you want, then ordering from the Kindle is OK but if you want to read reviews, consider pricing etc then the Kindlestore on Amazon wins hands down.

So if you have access to WiFI at home, then I don't think the 3G is necessary. You can always buy a few books ahead of time if you are going away. Of course if you are going to use the browser on the go, then that's a different matter, but again the user interface isn't that great.

I'm a complete Kindle convert for reading books but I wouldn't see it as an alternative to a computer.

[KathyF]

MOH suggested I might like a Kindle, but so far I've resisted the suggestion for a number of reasons. The first is that as a former librarian I just love the feel, sight, sound and even smell of books, and with slight cataracts in both eyes find screens hard to read. The second is that if I only ever buy books for a Kindle, how can I lend or swap with others once I've read a title? At present, we could have a house full of people all simultaneously reading books I own.  Having all my books locked up in a Kindle seems a wee bit selfish and charity shops aren't going to do very well out of me. [;-)] The third is that I am a flicker and a browser where books are concerned and feel that these activities would be well-nigh impossible with e-books. There are probably other reasons, but they haven't occurred to me yet. [:D]

I may change my mind one day, but so far even Simon's enthusiasm has failed to convince me. [:)]

PS As an avid reader, I buy only a minority of the books I read.  That's what libraries are for.....

[Bob T]

Then you should stick with books Kathy. Have a thought for all the trees that are felled to make them and all the fossil fuel that is burned to transport them though.

[KathyF]

But they make such good wall insulation, Bob. [:)]

[just john]

[quote user="Bob T"]Then you should stick with books Kathy. Have a thought for all the trees that are felled to make them and all the fossil fuel that is burned to transport them though. [/quote]

You needn't worry too much on that score, the paper industry replants more trees than it consumes, US and Europes forests are growing, this is evident in the Charente where there was an enormous paper industry (witness the Book representations either side of the N10 through Angouleme) Locally many fields are tree planted for  ahlstrom. sustainability .
And a lot more fossil fuel is consumed to transport Kindles et al from China, not to mention the pollution created by the factories there.
Whereas Books are forever, the oldest surviving printed book in the world 'The Diamond Sutra', dated 868 AD, from China as is the Kindle OEM. (Not that there is anything against a Kindle of course)

Incidently, not a lotta people know, one rainy day in the French city of Angoulême Alexandro Rizlette de Cramptone Lacroix was inspired to begin the production of rolling papers RIZLA, you may have heard of them.[:)]

[Bob T]

I don't worry John. But I do know that the one delivery of a Kindle to my wife has so far saved a number of deliveries of books that she would have bought in paper format.

[brianagain]

An increasing number of public libraries are starting to offer ebooks on loan for free but as I understand it, the Kindle is the only ebook reader which is unable to take advantage of such services due its proprietary software - this also seems to mean that you are limited to buying ebooks from Amazon, rather than shopping around from Waterstones, W H Smith, etc. For some purchasers this could be a reason not to buy a Kindle.

Brian (again)

[Gardengirl]

There's nothing stopping people with Kindles etc from buying books! I certainly won't stop! I also love everything about books, like KathyF, but I now also love my Kindle. I suppose it's a bit like loving my husband and then also loving my babies when they came along - my love stretched!  [:)]

I can't begin to guess how many books I have in England; in France I must have several hundreds. I have several on the go at the moment, but it's my Kindle I turn to in the evenings, when I my eyes find reading a bit difficult, and also at bedtime and when I'm awake in the middle of the night.

 

[Bob T]

[quote user="brianagain"]An increasing number of public libraries are starting to offer ebooks on loan for free but as I understand it, the Kindle is the only ebook reader which is unable to take advantage of such services due its proprietary software - this also seems to mean that you are limited to buying ebooks from Amazon, rather than shopping around from Waterstones, W H Smith, etc. For some purchasers this could be a reason not to buy a Kindle.

Brian (again)

[/quote]

If you look at the Kindle store on Amazon.co.uk, they give you links to other ebook stores where you can download books, so I cannot see why you would think this is not possible. You can even load .pdf files from your PC onto it.

[Simon-the-censored]

Helen - you've answered your own question!

The 'Amazon marketing for 3G' is about providing an 'anywhere service' for people WITHOUT Wifi access - lots of us in the Pyrenees! Nothing more sinister than that.

This version is more expensive simply because Amazon have had to do a deal with 3G network providers to enable free accessfor Kindle users.

It's a book reader - whatever the version and I don't think anyone has even suggested it is an alternative to a computer!

Happy reading / Simon :-)

[Jay]

[quote user="brianagain"]An increasing number of public libraries are starting to offer ebooks on loan for free but as I understand it, the Kindle is the only ebook reader which is unable to take advantage of such services due its proprietary software - this also seems to mean that you are limited to buying ebooks from Amazon, rather than shopping around from Waterstones, W H Smith, etc. For some purchasers this could be a reason not to buy a Kindle.

Brian (again)

[/quote]

According to Amazon the Kindle supports Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3,

unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through

conversion. That is a good selection of formats and means you can buy/download from other sites. An impressive machine but I like my "Bookbox" colour screen for the magazines I download and films I watch. I read quite a lot and never suffer eye strain from the backlit screen which I have set to paper white at 30% brightness with black text. In the end you have to make a decision on what exactly you want from a machine of this type and how much you are prepared to pay.

[Russethouse]

 I tend to by books 'in series' so once I have read one Philippa Gregory, Micheal Connelly or Lee Child and liked it, the liklihood is that I will buy the others by that author.......

I do agree that it will be a shame not to swap books, but I have said before that I think charity shops do themselves no favors with the prices they charge for 2nd hand books, often more than I can buy them new for in Tesco's

I have lots of reference books, and cook books, so we wont be a book free zone !

[Simon-the-censored]

KathyF - you sound just like me before I bought and held a Kindle! :-)

You don't have to buy a Kindle Kathy - it's not compulsory! But.....just to clear up a couple of your misconceptions.....

1. It's not technically a 'screen' - it uses electronic e-ink - absolutely no glare, you can read it anywhere you can read a book, you can alter the text size and font - take a look a one! You can even buy a cover with an in-built reading light.

2. You need to get all your friends to buy a Kindle then you can swap hundreds of thousands of books almost instantly!

3. You can flick and browse on Kindle until your heart's content - you turn pages just like a book and can search for anything you like within the publication. You can read reviews and obtain free 'tasters' of any book available in the Kindle store, free trials of daily newspapers and , as already stated thousands of books from non-Amazon sources.

4. The kindle also has it's own feel and smell !

And - sad as it may be - libraries are on their way out in their current form.

Go on - be brave...!

Simon :-)

[Russethouse]

You need to get all your friends to buy a Kindle then you can swap hundreds of thousands of books almost instantly!

How does that work Simon, at least one of my friends has  a kindle already.

[Simon-the-censored]

Hi Russethouse

If you choose the option to download the Kindle book to your PC - you can just send them a copy of the .azw file it creates.

Simon :-)

[cooperlola]

I can see some potential for starting a sharing "club".

[KathyF]

Thanks, Simon, very helpful. MOH may get his own way yet, but I would really have to try one first - once I've finished all the unread books I already possess. [;-)]

[brianagain]

The ePub format which is used by public libraries and used by all the other major ebooksellers such as FNAC, W H Smith, Watersons, Barnes & Noble , etc is NOT compatible with the Kindle.

I suspect that Amazon sells its Kindle at close to cost price knowing that it will make its profit from the purchasers who are limited to buying books from Amazon - other Kindle format ebooks which are available from other suppliers (Google, Project Gutenberg, etc) are essentially obscure or out of copyright.

If Amazon enabled ePub on the Kindle it would be a true winner, but then readers wouldn't be obliged to buy their books from Amazon anymore.

Brian (again)

[Jay]

[quote user="brianagain"]The ePub format which is used by public libraries and used by all the other major ebooksellers such as FNAC, W H Smith, Watersons, Barnes & Noble , etc is NOT compatible with the Kindle.

Brian (again)

[/quote]

That is a very valid point, I hadn't noticed that before. A lot of the books I have are in the ePub format. You can understand why Amazon have chosen not to include this format as "The most serious drawback of the EPUB format is its lack of a standard

digital rights management (DRM), which is used to protect ebooks from

pirating." (Ref)

[Pickles]

[quote user="brianagain"]The ePub format which is used by public libraries and used by all the other major ebooksellers such as FNAC, W H Smith, Watersons, Barnes & Noble , etc is NOT compatible with the Kindle.

I suspect that Amazon sells its Kindle at close to cost price knowing that it will make its profit from the purchasers who are limited to buying books from Amazon - other Kindle format ebooks which are available from other suppliers (Google, Project Gutenberg, etc) are essentially obscure or out of copyright.

If Amazon enabled ePub on the Kindle it would be a true winner, but then readers wouldn't be obliged to buy their books from Amazon anymore.[/quote]

I haven't tried this myself (yet) but there are applications available

that will convert epub to formats supported by the Kindle. There is at

least one that rund on the Kindle itself.

Regards

Pickles

[Russethouse]

I found this blog for all things Kindle : http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/08/million-free-google-books-in-epub-for.html it tells you about converting files and numerous other kindle related  things.

I notice that many books are considerably less expensive using a kindle, with some it's only 50p or so, others offer a saving of several pounds.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Once you have disabled any copy protection a book may have, you can convert it into any ebook format you like using this little piece of software:

Calibre

It's great in that it manages all your ebooks too, and is free. I've converted from kindle format to epub, back again, pdf's (as pdf's are rubbish to read on any ebook reader) and so on. I have all my books registered on calibre and simply install the book from it to my reader.