Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I'm looking into buying a Kindle. Looks like it is something I would really enjoy.

I'm not looking for testimonials - "My brother-in-law has one and he loves it". I'm looking for actual feedback and discussion on detailed features and usage from inmates who own one.

Thanks.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

linky wasn't working...



Here LINKY POO..

My uncle has one and he travels a lot. He raves about how many books he can upload to it and how light it is. I'm not actually sure about the pro/con but IMHO I would imagine some people just like the feel of a real book but hate carrying so many around. The gf might be getting one for xmas since we take lots of trips.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Hey Peter, the link doesn't appear to be working.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Link should be working now.
Sorry.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Joan has one and loves it...pm her.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Will do. Thanks :)

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

:r Fail in the first response.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

dammit you caught me...:r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I bought one for my mother for her birthday. She didn't like it very well and returned it. She likes plain old books better.

Now she won't speak to me any more and you're making me cry. :fu

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Don't worry, you're not the only one. :r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Why not just read the paper book, baldy?

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Peter, my wife has one and she LOVES it. She actually bought the first one, then a newer one came out 5 months later and she got that. The newer one is thinner and has the ability to do audio.

Her only complaint with them is that they are not backlit. She got a little LED clip light though for times that she needs light and it works fine.

Has never had a problem with the wireless. Loves that there is no monthly or hidden fees. Once you buy something it stays available on Amazon so if you lose the Kindle, sell it, upgrade, whatever, all your content is still there.

We were both a little ticked that the newspaper subscriptions were so high, if it was lower I would have bought one too.

I see a lot of people with them on my travels too and talk to some of them. Have yet to run into anyone with one that doesn't love it.

I saw earlier someone mention it, if someone is "old school" and has to have the paperback or does a lot of book swapping, they wouldn't like it as much.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I do, dumass. ;)

But the Kindle looks pretty cool, saves a $hitload of space, ability to annotate, search etc. that is impossible with hard copy.

So, why are you using email instead of snail mail? :hm

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

It was an honest question, you crotchety old bastard. :tg

:D

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

:hm...i got a letter from Darrel the other day about how life is in Cali. :hm







:ss

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I've been looking at these pretty seriously. I like the feel of a book in my hands, but I do think these would be incredibly handy, especially on trips. Being able to take a little Kindle on an overseas trip versus four or five hardback books would be fantastic.

I worry somewhat about the proprietary nature of it, though, and wonder what might be coming down the pipeline.

Like Peter, I'd also love to hear more first hand accounts.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I figured the "baldy" comment negated any seriousness to your post.

Kids these days just don't know how to communicate. :r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

[clears throat]

Pardon me, Sir. The "baldy" comment is a term of endearment, kind of like how I call my Father, "old man".

I apologize for any confusion this may have cause you, Mister Noon and hope to avoid any such incidents like the latest in the future.

Have a wonderful day.

:hf

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

They are too heavy for him to lift to his eyes...old age setting in ok carry on :hf

Rob :D


See what I mean about his age! peter don't let them get you down. Ricky and I were talking at So Cal you look great and walk real well for a guy that"s pushing 75 :wo

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

My kid reads books on her ipod touch.
I've tried and it just doesn't do it for me. I like a big screen.
Looks like it's worth a try, Peter. If you don't like it, you can always let it gather dust. :tu

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I confuse easily. Just ask the S.H.I.T.ers
I much prefer Baldy to Mister Noon.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

OK seroius question regarding the Kindle. What is the availability for older books? Is the available content current publications only, or can a person, for example, down load a copy of something written 50 years ago?

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Listen you . . . .
























I got nothin' :sad

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Funny you should say that... I left the kindle at home while traveling last week and brought along instead the wee iTouch I bought off Shilala.

For laying in bed at home with a book, I prefer the kindle. But for reading in the Girl Cave, garage, ladies room, on the plane, in the car, hotel room... I much prefer the iTouch running the kindle app. Smaller, lighter, quieter (no page turn button clicks) than the kindle, AND is stupid fast at checking email!

Kindle apps I use on the iTouch are much easier to access and change than on the kindle itself, from something simple like font size adjustment to shopping new books.

Kindle pwns the iTouch for battery life and the bigger screen, and Whispernet is available where wifi is not (at least in Seattle) but... remember Kindle has no backlight power drain, and checking email or shopping books over their proprietary Whispernet is an agonizingly slow process. Part of that is the processor limitation, but still it is quite frustrating.

Amazon will also only transfer to kindle format those books they sell or from publishers with whom they have agreements. They won't kindleize some of my old favorites available for free. :mad:

I'd send you the kindle to try out but I already passed it on to someone, dang it, however, imho you aren't missing a lot over an iphone/itouch.

Hope my two cents helps! :)

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I would interject but I cant. If I backed up Peter, Rob wont take point in organizing SoCal XI next year.
If I back up Rob, I would have failed to honor my promise to always back up my fellow admin.
:D

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Peter's gonna need an iTouch with a 22" screen so he can see it though. :r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

:r:r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Apple is sure to come out with an iTouch Braille that almost works after each upgrade (well, full reinstall) and only costs a large fortune with a 10 minute battery life. :tu Random recoding of characters is an option, however. :r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Here ya go baldy. :r

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/...4ca2ac.jpg?v=0

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

:r :r :r

Tough crowd. :D

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

whaaat is that...?

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Lady Gaga...what you don't know? c'mon!

ok Back on topic... Kindle..1st person accounts only.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

As you wish, my Fuhrer! :r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

OMG! OMG!

I was thinking MUST HAVE IT! before realizing my laptop does a better job of showing a movie...

That's a really nice doodad, though. :tu

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Hey Peter, KenS has two Kindles and is very knowledgeable about them. I would drop him a pm if you have any questions regarding them.

BTW, they are very awesome and I plan to buy one for my ol lady who loves to read.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Like Hal said, we have 2 of 'em. One of the original, and one of the newer version. Both are excellent. Amazing screen for reading outdoors ... no glare. Downloading books is nearly instantaneous. Highly recommended.

Best thing I can say about them is that within 5 minutes of reading, you completely forget you are using a "gadget". Just as emersive as a book :tu.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Ken is so right! That e-paper screen works much better outdoors in full sunlight than the itouch. Today I took a stab at reading some while at lunch outside with an Old Henry, but DAG! I had the little feller at max brightness to see it well enough to read comfortably.

I found the kindle took noticeably longer to forget I was using a gadget. It also took a few chapters for me to stop hearing the page turning button >click< every time. Still does. With the itouch it's just a light, silent page tap. Splitting hairs, I know. :)

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

For me, the iPhone/iPod Touch is a good companion device for the Kindle. If I'm traveling, or planning to do a lot of reading, the Kindle is perfect. Large screen and works well in all conditions. But it's great to have the software on my iPhone as well, because they stay in sync as far as which page I'm on. That way, if I'm just stealing a few minutes of reading time (waiting at a doctor's office for example), I can use the iPhone and still keep in sync.

I watch a lot of movies on the iPhone (lots of international travel), and it's great for that. But I'm not crazy about reading for a long time on the small screen.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

"Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/te.../18amazon.html

This kind of stuff makes me 50 x less likely to buy a kindle.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

From the "FYI" file: Amazon Remotely Deletes Purchased Copies of 1984 and Animal Farm From Thousands of Kindles

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/image...ndlefinger.jpg

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I just ordered my first kindle, and it comes tomorrow! I am very excited!

I am not going to use it really to read best sellers, but for my school books. I have 5,901 pages of assigned reading so far this semester, and much of it is avalible on the kindle. More importantly, though - almost 1,000 of those pages are on PDF's, so either I could print that all out (I can print 800 pages free with my tuition, but its not enough and a total waste of paper) or I can email it to the kindle DX I just bought and read them on there, plus that way I have them all in one place for easy reference.

I will let you know what I think when it comes, but I am pretty sure its gonna be wonderful! :)

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Oh, one more thing - I get AWFUL migranes from looking at screens and reading, which is why the iPod touch wouldn't cut it. I have used the kindle once and the paper display was just as easy (maybe easier, cause you can turn the font size up) to read as a paper book. That's why I'm getting it and not just reading on an iPod or laptop. Utility.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

My brother-in-law has one and he loves it.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

I'm looking forward to your feedback.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

A wha? Obviously I'm no help.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

What am I, chopped douchebag?

:r

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Kindle isn't available here yet in Canada Pete but Sony's e-reader is.

Assuming that the tech is relatively the same (based on my readings it is)

Here is my take.

I love it

I have read over 100 novels on mine and never had any issues. Typically when the family goes out in the RV I am the last one in bed, this is when I enjoy my cigar by the fire so I read. I will read between 3 and 5 novels on a 10 day camping trip so carrying them can be a pain. The reader maintains its charge easily for that time.

I also use it at home and it sits on my nightstand. I have used it for a couple of reference books on some things as well and it is great to be able to mark, highlight etc.

I have experienced zero eyestrain or discomfort etc, it reads like a book. The text is crisp and clear (no pixelation on the edges)

It can if you want hold some music or photos as I understand but I have never used this feature.

I have no complaints on Sony's library and it is much smaller than the kindles so I am sure there will be no shortage of material.

The controls are simple and reasonable well placed and make for simple reading the controls on both units (I have used a Kindle a while back) do not interfere with the reading.

Once you are engrossed in the book it is just that another book the reader does not take away from the experience, it also doesn't add to it.

As to reading on anything else computer or ipod etc the Kindle nor the e reader has a backlight and it uses a different technology to render print. It is typically the backlight that causes people issue that nad the frequency of refresh issues, my understanding of kindle and reader is that it is a static screen once renedered. Again zero strain or headache issues.

To answer Darryls question think of it this way, no book means no paper which is more environmentally friendly. (Sorry to my friends in the lumber industry)

Based on these entries into the market I suspect it will be only a matter of a few years that this medium will take over the book industry. For the nay sayers out there look at what has happened to the newspaper industry.

Hope that was helpful.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

;)
You mentioned your BIL owns one. If you own one, I would most definitely be interested in what you say, Admiral.

Re: Anyone Own A Kindle?
 

Very much so.
Thanks.