Kindle experiences?

[Savage]

For those of you who have an Amazon Kindle device, how do you like it?

I don't own one, but since people have been asking if my book will have a Kindle version, I'd like to know more about it. Presently I just read ebooks on my laptop.

[Adrienne]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I read both fiction and non fiction. I decided a couple years ago that i wanted to find a way to streamline my library. I had 1000s of books. I love to read. But i dont like that books hurt trees, or that when i go anywhere i usually want 5 or more books with me and they get bulky and heavy. I use this about 60 percent of the time (i still get books from the library).

Pros:

• Light
• Can play mp3s and audio books
• being able to carry 200+ books with me (more if you put in an SD card)
• Awesome on a plane.
• Easy on the eye
• Can change text size (i like the smallest, but i imagine lots of people like the very large fonts as well)
• You can lock it without turning it off.
• Easy to use
• Recharges in under 2 hours
• Books are delivered easy and in under a minute
• I can redownload books as needed AND it still has all my clippings, notations, bookmarks, highlights etc.
• Clippings are saved as a txt file and you can connect it via USB to your computer and use them
• I can have different books for many genres with me at once so i can read what i am in the mood for.
• One of my most fav things is that any books on the kindle, i can download a free sample to see if i like it. It only takes a couple seconds and i am reading it.
• You can read this even in very strong sun light (it was one of the first things i tried)
• If you dont know a word, just click it and it will look it up for you.
• The battery lasts for hours and hours and hours
• You can send a doc wirelessly to it from your computer for 10 cents OR you can send it to amazon, amazon converts it for you, and you move it over via USM (this is free). I LOVE this feature. I can send long docs people give me and read them without wasting paper and keep it with me easier. Also, i love to write and i have friends that write, I LOVE that i can read my friends stuff on here, make notes etc on it and give it to then. (kindle uses a location identification instead of page numbers. This allows you to be able to reference the same location as someone else who is using a different text size). Also, you you add your friends email addresses to your kindle management webpage, and they can email your kindle new docs (this does cost 10 cents a doc) or they can send it in a kindle format to your email. You can also send pictures and it converts them to black and white.
• If there is an embedded link (like a table of contents), you can click on it and it takes you to that section.
• Cheaper books - A book i recently bought, would have been $21 at B&N, 18 at Amazon but only 10 for the ebook. I love emercing myself in books, so i buy a lot of them, 8 bucks less a book is some serious savings. ALso, if you can wait to the paper back comes out, it is often 4 or 5 bucks instead of 10.
• it saves your place in all your books so you go right back where you were.

Cons:

• Page turning. For me the grips and everything are just fine. It flips a little slow for me. I find when i start the last line on the page, i hit the button to flip and that timing is about right for when i finish the page and move my eyes back to the top, it has refreshed. I have not really tried this too much with photoreading. Normally when i photoread, i have a topic in mind and i hit the library for a few hours while i read everybook they have on the topic then if needed (like if it is a programming language), i can pick my top couple books and bring them home. I imagine photoreading would be slowed down a bit on the kindle because you cant turn the pages quite as fast and you only see one page at a time.
• lending books - You cant lend ebooks. My friends/family and i are big book lenders and now when i buy a book in my fav series, they cant read it unless they buy it. We have aways had certain books i buy, certain books others buy, and we swap. I hope amazon figures out a way to do this. I would love if you could add friends to your kindle and lend them the book. You cant read it while they have it, and they cant lend it out, but you can lend it. I have no idea if they have anything in the works for this. This also means, i cant get books from the library on my kindle.
• not all books are on the kindle yet - Some books, just are not offered yet. I hope they will be soon. With how popular this is, i think this will be less and less of an issue in the future.
• Rebuying books - I wanted to thin down my library but some of my favorite books (Janet evanovich, laurell K hamilton, Feehan, etc) if i want to get rid of the books, i want to rebuy them so i still can read them from time to time. Its kinda like when you had to go out and rebuy your fav movies/shows on DVD even tho you already had them on VHS. Or tapes and then Cds.
• It is not in color - i would love if i could have kids books with stories on here, recipe books with a picture for every recipe etc, while i bet that eventually this will happen, it has not happened yet.

this is not a con, but just something i had to get use to. Even with everything i read about it, i expected there to be some light that it gives off. There really is not. So you cant turn off all the lights and read it the way you can a computer monitor.

Over all, even with the cons, i would still give it 5 out of 5 stars. I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

The best place to start, would probably be to browse thru the kindle books on amazon and see if they have lots of books you want.

If you dont read for pleasure, this may not be for you. I would have loved it if when i was in college, all my text books were on something like that.

If anyone has any questions about it, let me know and i will try and answer them about it to the best of my experience with it.

Adrienne

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Adrienne

If anyone has any questions about it, let me know and i will try and answer them about it to the best of my experience with it. \

Where are the books stored? Is the ebook stuck on the kindle or on Amazon's server? That is if you get rid of the kindle, then you have no way to read your ebooks anymore?

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Where are the books stored? Is the ebook stuck on the kindle or on Amazon's server? That is if you get rid of the kindle, then you have no way to read your ebooks anymore?

It is stored on both. So if you lose your kindle or get a new one, you can download all your stuff again including the notes, booksmarks, highlights, etc you have made.

I was also concerned about that. That if i wanted to switch the sony reader or another ebook reader that i would not be able to. I waited until someone cracked the kindle DRM before buying it. Apparently this is not a full crack yet as you can only convert mobipocket books into kindle format.

The DRM is one of the downsides of the Kindle. However, since it is cracked now, i did not include it as a downside since i imagine a full crack will be along before long. Once the kindle becomes more used, it is only a matter of time until it is cracked.

Adrienne

[Angela]

Adrienne's list match mine, if I weren't too lazy to make a list. Thank you, Adrienne!

I buy so many books that I figured I would quickly "break even" on the price of the Kindle (which has since gone down significantly), using the savings on Kindle books vs. paper books. And I love being able to see a book recommendation somewhere like O Magazine and then immediately getting the book, no delayed gratification necessary! Amazon recommends books based on purchase history, too.

My eyes seem to be a little unstable lately, so being able to switch out the type size is extremely useful for me.

The biggest drawback for me is that relatively few books are available in Kindle format yet, although most of the new ones are coming out right away in Kindle. It's irritating, though, to search and not find. The other drawback is that I often like to pick up a traditional book and open at random. You might be able to do that on Kindle, I haven't figured out how yet, but it wouldn't be the same as that magical Open Sesame feeling.

Adrienne, have you tried any of the free public domain book services yet?

[Savage]

This sounds like a really useful device if you buy a lot of books.

My situation is a bit unusual because I read a lot of books, but I don't buy that many. Publishers, authors, and publicists send me many interesting items. Unfortunately this also requires a lot of shelf space.

At one time I really liked getting so much stuff for free, but the downside is that I often forget to proactively buy the books I'd really like to read instead of making a selection from what arrives in the mail.

I really like the instant gratification aspect of the Kindle. That's very nice to be able to start reading within minutes of deciding to buy.

[jpmcgrew]

Those things do look really cool, Steve. The one thing I've wondered about is the number of books in it. I'd hate to get one and then find that a book that I want isn't there!

I've wondered for awhile when one of these things would come along, with the way the digital music world has come along so rapidly. I saw a guy holding one while I was waiting in line to get the 3G iPhone, and it looked really convenient. I guess, in a way, it's exactly like an MP3 player but with your entire book collection at easy access. It seems like it would be great for students in the future...

[Adrienne]

Angela,
I have not tried that yet. I am still just reading all the books that i got originally that i had been waiting to buy until i could get them in kindle.
I figure i would get some of the older free books and send them to it when i got caught up. Have you tried it?

Steve,
Exactly, if you love to read, it is great. I will say that i enjoy reading in a different way on the kindle. It is so nice to always have a book with me that i WANT to read, not just one i need to read. And i can pick. I dont have to guess what i am going to want to read. I travel enough to, that having it for car trips, plane trips, etc is one of its best points.

Adrienne

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by jpmcgrew

Those things do look really cool, Steve. The one thing I've wondered about is the number of books in it. I'd hate to get one and then find that a book that I want isn't there!

I've wondered for awhile when one of these things would come along, with the way the digital music world has come along so rapidly. I saw a guy holding one while I was waiting in line to get the 3G iPhone, and it looked really convenient. I guess, in a way, it's exactly like an MP3 player but with your entire book collection at easy access. It seems like it would be great for students in the future...

you can look at all the books on the kindle here
Amazon.com: Kindle Books: Kindle Store: Nonfiction, Fiction, Science, Business & Investing, History & More

it does hold audio books and music too so you can listen while you read.

[Angela]

Adrienne, yes, I got all excited about downloading Austen, Fitzgerald, Twain, Wordsworth, Wharton, all for free, and I was able to read them at first, but it apparently caused a freeze-up on my machine -- something about not recognizing the format. Weird.

[Adrienne]

That is weird. Did you send it to amazon to have them convert it before you put it on your kindle?

[Angela]

No, I used ManyBooks.net - Free eBooks for your PDA, iPod, or eBook Reader and selected the Kindle format. Maybe it was just a glitch -- I'll try it again. If things go kerplooey, I know how to reset my Kindle now.

[ClareDragonfly]

I've been intrigued by the Kindle since I first heard about it (shortly before it came out) but there's one question I've had that I haven't seen answered anywhere. I prefer traditional books to reading online because my eyes get tired staring at a screen for so long. I don't know if it has to do with the light coming out of the screen, if it has something to do with screen image quality, or a combination of both. So my question is this: is the Kindle as "comfortable" on the eyes as traditional books?

[Angela]

I find it more comfortable on the eyes. It looks like a book, except that you're seeing only one page instead of opening to two. The typestyle and layout is very booklike. But the advantage is you can make the type smaller or larger with the push of a button.

I would really love for it to have a built-in light, though. That would make a big difference for me.

[seeker5]

This sounds actually very cool now. So you can be in the middle of driving somewhere, you decide you want to read a book, you check it, and download it right away and there you have it, available to read from the car?

[Angela]

Well, not while you're driving. But yes, if you're a passenger.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Angela

Well, not while you're driving. .

Hehe, I was wondering if someone was going to make that comment in that manner .

But yes, if you're a passenger

That is so incredibly cool! Funny, I've read several reviews about it, but I never *got* that you could just be anywhere and download the book. I thought it'd be like the ipod, where you download via your computer and then sync it...but the idea of being anywhere and buying a book and reading it instantly...wow, that feeds this "I-want-it-now"!

Whenever I go on vacation, I tend to take several books with me knowing I won't be able to read through them, but wanting to have several books to have the option of reading what I want. I can see how the kindle would save me from that, just as the iPod lets me go on vacation without taking a whole bunch of CDs.

[Angela]

I think there are limits -- like, you must be in range of the -- what do you call those things that give you Internet access for your cellphone? I don't think you could download a book in the middle of the Sahara Desert, for instance.

You can actually do very basic Internet searches on this thing. You can pull up this site -- but it's not formatted and nice-looking. Oh yeah, that's one more drawback to the Kindle -- no graphics.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Angela

I think there are limits -- like, you must be in range of the -- what do you call those things that give you Internet access for your cellphone? I don't think you could download a book in the middle of the Sahara Desert, for instance.

I assume you mean it's the same limit as with cell phones? Or is it more limited then a regular cell phone?

You can actually do very basic Internet searches on this thing. You can pull up this site -- but it's not formatted and nice-looking. Oh yeah, that's one more drawback to the Kindle -- no graphics.

Wow cool. So you can check your web-browser email and go on this forum...or is that too complicated for it?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by seeker5

I assume you mean it's the same limit as with cell phones? Or is it more limited then a regular cell phone?

I think so. The technical answers are on the Amazon website.

Wow cool. So you can check your web-browser email and go on this forum...or is that too complicated for it?

I just tried, and got the message that this (email) site requires JavaScript to sign in and this (Kindle) browser doesn't support JavaScript.

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by ClareDragonfly

I've been intrigued by the Kindle since I first heard about it (shortly before it came out) but there's one question I've had that I haven't seen answered anywhere. I prefer traditional books to reading online because my eyes get tired staring at a screen for so long. I don't know if it has to do with the light coming out of the screen, if it has something to do with screen image quality, or a combination of both. So my question is this: is the Kindle as "comfortable" on the eyes as traditional books?

i dont have an issue looking at my computer screen, or reading or anything. I dont do notice tho that the kindle is very easy to look at. My eyes dont get tired and i can read it when i am tired where as a computer screen when i am tried is annoying to look at.

Originally Posted by seeker5

This sounds actually very cool now. So you can be in the middle of driving somewhere, you decide you want to read a book, you check it, and download it right away and there you have it, available to read from the car?

I beilive the kindle uses the sprint cell phone network to deliver content. You have to be the sprint network. Also, i have heard that if you are out of the USA it does not work over the airwaves. You can still use it, but you have to plug it in to you computer.

It is really awesome. Last night, i was laying in bed, bought a new book, and started reading it right there.
One downside, i spend alot more in books because i like the convince of having it on the kindle instead of going to the library all the time. Yes, the books are cheaper, i am just buying more of them because of how easy and nice it is to have with me.

Angela
i am going to check out that site you mentioned. I noticed amazon had some classic books you could buy for a buck or two.


Adrienne

[ClareDragonfly]

Thanks for the responses! The Kindle sounds really great. It's probably not in my near future (not a high priority especially since I'm low on funds at this point in my life) but hey, next time my dad wants to know if I want any new electronic gadgets...

[jpmcgrew]

I checked out some of my favorite authors on the Kindle part of Amazon, and I was surprised to see a lot of them there! This is definitely something I might have to look into in the future. Maybe when the books become cheaper though. I've got a thing about buying books, and wanting to eventually have a library, so I don't want to have to spend $10 on the hard copy and $7 on the digital. Maybe someday!

[Adrienne]

I was reading the user forum for the kindle on amazon.. and i was stuck by a couple posts. I thought some people might find this interesting if you have a kindle and some may find it interesting if you are thinking of getting one...


this was a great post by T beck on this amazon page
Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: A Million or so Kindle books available now: where to get them and how

Some have expressed a lack of content for the Kindle, here is what I have tried, and works (make sure you check the footnotes at the bottom):

Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more 95,000 or so titles, instant download, easy.

Main Page - Gutenberg 20,000 or so titles - mostly classics or things that no longer have copywrite. Multiple languages. Three are links to other sites that boast a total of 100k titles. ***, ****

World Public Library Association 400,000 titles - classics, modern, government, multiple languages, all the ones I tried were free. Requires $8.95 yearly subscription fee, consider it the cost of a library card.*, ***, ****

Fictionwise eBooks: Free eBooks, eBooks for Palm, PocketPC, PC, & Mac offers both unencrypted and encrypted .mobi files. Full range of reading and many free books as well. *, **, ****

Mobipocket.com - eBooks and ebook reader for your PC, PDA and Smartphone: Palm, Windows mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, or PocketPC. lots of titles, most you can find on amazon.com in the Kindle section for less.

WebScription Ebooks This is Baen books and mostly SiFi. None are encrypted, many are free, and can be transferred directly to your Kindle. Choose Kindle compatible for the download. ****

WOWIO is Going Global! uses .pdf format. **, You will need to register and can download up to three books a day, free. Only available to people in the US, due to copyright and licensing restrictions.

Let the Words Flow. - FictionPress.com 900,000 Mostly original works, as in unknown, normally unpublished authors. Some good, some not, take your chances, you may discover the next JK Rowling. Displays in text. Cut, paste and email to yourself, or save in .txt file and upload.

ManyBooks.net - Free eBooks for your PDA, iPod, or eBook Reader 20,000 titles or so. Has a Kindle format. ***, ****

Free Cellphone eBooks - an extension of Manybooks above, but if you access it through the basic WebBrowser in Kindle, you can download directly to your Kindle, the way you would an Amazon book. Choose the Mobipocket format.

Feedbooks: Food for the mind Share books, self published books and a make it yourself newspaper. With a little manipulation of the tools below, you can get your own newspaper, you could probably even directly email it to your Kindle in the morning if you allow that site to send you stuff. You will need to register, but there is no cost. There is now a "Kindle Download Guide" from Feedbooks: Food for the mind includes links to many classics, including many in foreign languages.

Welcome to the Christian Classics Ethereal Library! | Christian Classics Ethereal Library Christian centered works. Available in pdf, word, and text, all readily transferable to your Kindle.

:: Munseys : Over 20,000 rare and hard to find titles in 10 formats! about 25,000 books, classic and contemporary. Download in a variety of formats.

* They save as .pdf files that you can email to your Kindle. It sees the .pdf as a file of words, not pictures of words, so it can be resized and adjusted just as any other ebook. Download the book to your PC, and email that file to your Kendle, or freekendle@kendle and load through the USB cable if you want to save the 10 cent conversion charge.

** For the encrypted ones in .mobi, a tool can be used to allow the kindle to see it. This tool does not make a copy of the book, merely adds a flag so that the Kendle can display it (it would be hard to call this a violation of copywrite or use conditions since both formats are amazon's). The tool and directions on how to use it are at: Reversing Everything: Mobipocket books on Kindle

*** Site runs on donations

**** Can be downloaded directly to your Kindle when it is plugged in as an external storeage device, simply specify the Kindle folder when selecting where to put your book.

this post if from the kindle team at this page
Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Kindle Answers from the Kindle Team

upported Shortcuts on the Kindle

GLOBAL
Alt-aA(font) Sleep

HOME
Alt-T Show time
Number Keys Jump to corresponding page in the Home Menu
Alpha Keys Jump to corresponding page from alpha-sorted Home Menu

READER
Alt-B Bookmark
Alt-T Spell out time
Alt-Next Page Go to next annotation or one "chunk" (1/20th of doc) forward
Alt-Prev Page Go to prev annotation or one "chunk" (1/20th of doc) backward

SEARCH
@store Store search shortcut
@web Web search shortcut (Google)
@wiki Wikipedia search shortcut
@time Show current date and time

FONT(aA Options)
J Show/Hide justification options

AUDIO PLAYER
Alt-F Next song
Alt-P Play/Pause

[jpmcgrew]

Thinking about this a bit more, and based on Steve saying he doesn't buy a lot of books, I wonder how long it will be before they have some sort of "Kindle Digital Library" where you can temporarily download books. It seems like it would be a great idea, but I'm sure it won't take off until 10's of thousands of the Kindle are on the market. Maybe even more.

[Dannyboy1]

Computer screens hurt your eyes. Could that be a problem?

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by jpmcgrew

Thinking about this a bit more, and based on Steve saying he doesn't buy a lot of books, I wonder how long it will be before they have some sort of "Kindle Digital Library" where you can temporarily download books. It seems like it would be a great idea, but I'm sure it won't take off until 10's of thousands of the Kindle are on the market. Maybe even more.

I would love a kindle library not to mention being able to share a book with my friends. i am sure the technolgy will get there.. it is just not there yet. Right now to, i beilve the ebook agreements say no trying to sell or share the kindle books (off of your account). You can share books if you mutiple kindles on one amazon account (like a couple who shares and amazon account).

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

Computer screens hurt your eyes. Could that be a problem?

Doesn't hurt mine at all. Computer screens are not hard on my eyes anyway, but i can tell that my kindle is easy to look at. Some people who have seen it while i was reading it have commented on how easy it is on the eyes.

Adrienne

[Adrienne]

I thought this was interesting.. you can now preorder books with your kindle.. i just did one today that comes out in a couple days, but it looks like steve's book the kindle page is there, but you cant quite pre order it yet. I will have to keep my eye on it!

Amazon.com: Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth: The Kindle Store: Steve Pavlina

[Brutha]

I would love a kindle library not to mention being able to share a book with my friends. i am sure the technolgy will get there.. it is just not there yet.

I don't think it is a technology issue. It's more likely that amazon wants to sell more books by not letting people lend each other books.

[Adrienne]

perhaps.. but i would think there would be some other stumbling blocks.. right now you can share book between kindles on the same account.. so they are working on it.