Anyone have an Amazon Kindle?

[ManBearPig]

I really want one. How are they? I see a lot of other eBook readers out--are the Kindles still the best?

I'd love to get the DX, but unfortunately that looks like its way out of my budget (and probably too large, seems way larger than an average page).

1)is the screen really similar to paper?
2)is it responsive or is there lag when going from page to page?
3)can i surf the net (doubt it)?
4)theres a lot of free old books and blogs, right?
5)hows the battery life (up to par with what amazon advertises)?
6)is it pretty light?
7)is it comfortable to hold?
8)does it support a lot of older books or just mainly new ones?

+ anything else you want to add!

Thanks for any help/opinions.

 

[yankeesfan]

Yep. Just found one on a plane. Pretty psyched.

 

[Locut0s]

No but my father has a Sony Reader. He got it for features and because the Kindle isn't officially supported in Canada. He loves reading off the thing and now has hundreds of books on it. However be warned the software Sony provides for syncing to the device seems to really suck and crashes often!!!

 

[Argo]

Did you have any specific questions, or did you just wonder how we feel about it in general? Anyway, I do and I love it. Can't see myself ever buying paper books again.

 

[Locut0s]

Yep. Just found one on a plane. Pretty psyched.

Found one? Did you try to find the original own or just, finder keepers? What was already on it?

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I'm pretty keen to pick up an eBook reader that isn't tied to a data contract and can display PDF files. I don't want to get locked into a proprietary ecosystem and PDF is all I need.

 

[AreaCode707]

Found one? Did you try to find the original own or just, finder keepers? What was already on it?

Thinking it's a spoof on an earlier thread about an OTer losing his Kindle on a plane.

 

[ManBearPig]

btw, this is NOT a spoof (i know you were responding to locut0s areacode, just wanna clarify), i really want one of these damn devices. ill add some questions to the OP, thanks guys.

 

[RichieZ]

I'm pretty keen to pick up an eBook reader that isn't tied to a data contract and can display PDF files. I don't want to get locked into a proprietary ecosystem and PDF is all I need.

clearly you've never used a Kindle then, it now has native support for PDF or you can use Calibre to convert to .mobi. Hell amazon will even convert for free for you, you simply email youraccount@free.kindle.com

You can either email the books to your @kindle.com (.15/MB) email or transfer via USB for free.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

clearly you've never used a Kindle then, it now has native support for PDF or you can use Calibre to convert to .mobi. Hell amazon will even convert for free for you, you simply email youraccount@free.kindle.com

You're right, I've never used a Kindle and I know very little about it, which is why I didn't mention the device at all. It's not available in my country so it's not even on my radar.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Yep. Just found one on a plane. Pretty psyched.

Win! :awe:

 

[ManBearPig]

bump

 

[coolVariable]

Yep. Just found one on a plane. Pretty psyched.

Haha. Not funny.

 

[olds]

Damn, beaten to the punch...

 

[five40]

1)yes
2)slight lag but not bad at all
3)yes, but it's a very basic browser. basically it's good for a wiki search, news reading (with no pics), sports updates
4)yes
5)yes it's pretty much exactly what amazon says
6)yes
7)this is total subjective, but I think it's comfortable. I prefer it to a normal book
8)?

 

[rootaxs]

1)is the screen really similar to paper?
2)is it responsive or is there lag when going from page to page?
3)can i surf the net (doubt it)?
4)theres a lot of free old books and blogs, right?
5)hows the battery life (up to par with what amazon advertises)?
6)is it pretty light?
7)is it comfortable to hold?
8)does it support a lot of older books or just mainly new ones?

1) Pretty much, as far as readability goes. It's fairly easy on the eyes. You can also adjust type size and paragraph width so there's barely any eye strain (unless you read in the dark, e-ink does not have built-in back light for good reason).

2) Slight lag, it's akin to old-school LCD's with poor refresh rates, but it's still faster than flipping pages of a real book yourself

3) Somewhat, it ain't pretty though.

4) So i've heard, but never tried them.

5) So far so good, it's been on and standby (not off) for the past month and still has about 3/4 battery left based on the indicator.

6) Very. Almost like a thin magazine.

7) Yep.

8) No idea.

Other things to note:
- When you purchase a book through Amazon, if done accidentally, you can actually cancel the purchase and it will be deleted off the device in a few seconds
- 3G is iffy where i'm at, but it works regardless. Books are relatively small so speed isn't much of a concern
- If the book doesn't show up in the home screen, you can synchronize and it will
- There's a nifty text-to-speech feature in the Experimental menu option, sounds decent, too
- You can download preview books
- Kindle will display graphics and images (if you ever feel like reading comic books)
- The AC plug/adapter/charger disconnects, leaving you with a plain USB cable so you can also charge through your computer
- Books don't actually have "pages", however, even if you turn off the Kindle, it remembers where you last were and goes back to that page when turned back on
- Some books start reading at chapter one (or wherever the author wants you to start), but you can always turn back the "page" to read prefaces, TOC's and whatnot.

 

[MrChad]

I really want one. How are they? I see a lot of other eBook readers out--are the Kindles still the best?

I'd love to get the DX, but unfortunately that looks like its way out of my budget (and probably too large, seems way larger than an average page).

1)is the screen really similar to paper?
2)is it responsive or is there lag when going from page to page?
3)can i surf the net (doubt it)?
4)theres a lot of free old books and blogs, right?
5)hows the battery life (up to par with what amazon advertises)?
6)is it pretty light?
7)is it comfortable to hold?
8)does it support a lot of older books or just mainly new ones?

+ anything else you want to add!

Thanks for any help/opinions.

My wife and I just got Kindles for Christmas.

1. The screen is very easy to read. It uses "electronic ink", which essentially means that it writes the text on the page, but then doesn't need to apply power to the screen to keep the text on the page. This means you don't get eye strain from staring at the screen like you might from an LCD or CRT. It also means that battery life is excellent, because once the page is "drawn" it uses very little power until you turn the page or navigate to a menu.

2. It is fairly responsive, but there is a small lag between page refreshes. The screen flashes black to "clear" the old page then draws the new one.

3. There are limited web browsing capabilities. I haven't tried them out yet.

4. There are free books and blogs. Many "classics" are available for free, and Amazon appears to put out books from lesser known authors from time to time.

5. See #1

6. Yes, it is lightweight

7. I have the smaller one (not the DX) and I find it very comfortable. It's nice to be able to prop it up on your lap or on the arm of the chair and not have to hold the pages open like you would a book. I use this cover to protect it.

8. I think there's a good mix of classics and best sellers. Not all publishers like the whole e-book concept (think iTunes and record companies 5-6 years ago), so your favorite books/authors might not be available.

 

[crystal]

I got the kindle DX. Love its larger screen. If you got a lot of PDF then you should save up for bigger screen. 6" will not cut it. I did have a Sony 505, but sold it because its screen too small for my use, which were reading a lot of stuffs in PDF. This is even after I reflow the PDF.
For normal reading, DX is a little bit heavy for my taste. You will have trouble holding it one hand for long. It is a little bit over 1 lb, but with the cover. (Don't know about the smaller version.)
Batteries life, it is pretty long. I never time it but days for sure.
And yes, it has a build in browser. I did test some news sites and it was ok. Nothing to write home about.

 

[Argo]

Looks like others answered most of your questions. To put some concrete numbers on the battery life - if you turn wireless off (you only need wireless when you're buying books really) the battery lasts me about a month (i read 30-60 minutes a day).

With wireless on the battery lasts 1-2 weeks.

 

[idiotekniQues]

1)is the screen really similar to paper? - to me the screen is very easy on the eyes. i use a font hack to make it even better.

2)is it responsive or is there lag when going from page to page? - page turns are snappy. once in a while the very first page turn once starting to read from idle is slower, but after that it is a pleasure.


3)can i surf the net (doubt it)? - haven't tried it but haven't heard good things about it

4)theres a lot of free old books and blogs, right? - there seems to be enough free stuff for this, but i tend to buy newer books.


5)hows the battery life (up to par with what amazon advertises)? - battery life is very good

6)is it pretty light? 7)is it comfortable to hold? - yes the kindle 2 is very light and very comfortable to hold. i often commute on the subway standing up, and one-handed operation is a breeze.

8)does it support a lot of older books or just mainly new ones? - i generally just shop in the kindle store, i find what i need 9 times out of 10, but there is a battle between publishers and e-readers so until that is ironed out, expect these lapses. i think kindle has the most newer books available from what i have read.

i travel a lot, commute a lot, so this kindle has been great. i get the NYT every morning and a tech blog, and football blogs when it is fantasy season. the sprint whispernet works very well and quickly.

 

[Chunkee]

i got one for both my wife and me mum. they both love the thing...my wife uses it every day..big readers will enjoy it...its like a readers crack pipe or something...if it did dirty magazines..probably get one..

 

[OBLAMA2009]

why would you buy this when color readers are just around the corner. also doesnt amazon have an application so you can read ebooks on your computer/blackberry/iphone?

 

[Kreon]

1)is the screen really similar to paper?
2)is it responsive or is there lag when going from page to page?
3)can i surf the net (doubt it)?
4)theres a lot of free old books and blogs, right?
5)hows the battery life (up to par with what amazon advertises)?
6)is it pretty light?
7)is it comfortable to hold?
8)does it support a lot of older books or just mainly new ones?

My g/f has one, and I've used it a little (just to clarify)
1) Surprisingly so
2) She has the original one, and there is some lag. About as much as turning an actual page in an actual book
3) Not that I know of
4) There are some... Not as many as I thought there would be though. There are a lot that are ~$.99 though
5) She says "not quite sure. long enough for a full book though"
6) I think so. About as heavy as a real regular paperback book (maybe a little more so)
7) Yeah, I guess. Both of us usually have it laying on a pillow when we read though
8) Not quite sure. I haven't really looked. She says she can't really remember off the top of her head.

Overall, she's very happy with it. I'm considering one as well, but holding off for now.


EDIT: I also wanted to throw this out. Baen (sci-fi/fantasy) will let you download some books completely free, NSA. It's actually a pretty good selection. They have a Kindle format, as well as a number of other formats. Lots of Eric Flint, as he started it.

http://www.baen.com/library/

 

[rockyct]

I want one but I don't read enough to justify the cost. However, does anyone know if you can borrow kindle type ebooks from the public library yet or if it will ever happen? A friend borrowed audio books from his public library online but I'm wondering if they are ever going to allow that for the kindle.

 

[JasonCoder]

If you can wait for a bit, I hear that Apple's forthcoming tablet will have current e-book device owners envious. Several insiders say that the day after Apple's release will see huge numbers of kindles on eBay.

Something to consider.