Anyone Try the Kindle?

[flex]

I have been dying to try an electronic book for years but the pice tag has always tempered my desire, but after recently seeing the Kindle while ordering my latest round of books I found myself once again stumbling toward a potentially regrettable purchase. I hope that someone out here has taken the leap of faith and purchased this product and can give the world some true advice, not amazon advice.  No matter if you have or have not tried this device I would love to here the pro's and con's in your opinion for this device and others like it. 

[Shi]

Well, I've never tried a Kindle (never even seen one, actually), but if you want my opinion I'll willingly give it. So, for something like this there are always going to be pros and cons.

The pros, of course, is that it's compact, light, and saves a lot of space. Watching my closet slowly overflow with books makes the Kindle look great, actually. Plus, you can get new books a lot cheeper than in print. $10 for a NYT bestseller is way better than $26 for a hardback.

But, the Kindle itself is freakin' expensive. So it couls take a long time for it to actually be worth the cost. What would bother me the most would be recharging it. Sure, the battery power can last a while, but who hasn't had their, say, cell die on them because they forgot to plugg it in? And the other thing is that a lot of more obscure or older books you couldn't get on it.

So anyway, I thinks it a pretty cool little machine, wouldn't mind having one myself, but I think it'll still have some setbacks compared to your good ol' fashion paperbound.

[Phaz]

I'm in the same boat.  I love the idea of being able to buy a book in an instant, anywhere I am, and carry my collection with me.  The main reason I'm staying away from it right now is that "first generation hardware" thing.  I think when the next release comes out to fix some of the common complaints, I may give it a shot.

It's kind of funny that many people have said they've never seen one.  I sure haven't.  Though it looks like Amazon just started a new "program" where you can see a kindle in your area via user handled kindle meetup groups.

I think one of the most excited parts of Kindle will be the Digital Text Platform (http://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin).  It's basically a way for anyone to publish their work on Kindle (and profit from it directly).  I think this has a TON of potential and I hope that a lot of amature writers begin using it (as well as some big names).   

This idea is kind of the book equivalent to what Radiohead did with their last album release.

[skibocastle]

I don't have a kindle but someone I used to work with got one for Christmas.  She said it's the coolest thing ever.  She said you can read it in the sun or anywhere, change the font size, and after a while, forget you are even reading a book.  But, despite the glowing review, I am going to wait for the next iteration.  Being a software developer, I never buy things on the first release. 

[LeisureSuitLarry]

I have a Kindle and I love it. There are going to pros and cons to any new device, but for my $399 it was worth it. I have actually only purchased one kindle book from amazon since buying it, but that was a pretty seamless experience. It was delivered to me in about 30 seconds from when I hit the purchase button. Some way, some how there have been a lot of free fantasy/sci-fi ebooks lately, which is the vast majority of what I read, so I haven't actually had to spend a lot of money on books yet. I've seen some people say that the reading experience is so immersive that they reach up to turn the page like a real book. That has actually happened to me, but only once. One of the biggest pluses is that it is far more comfortable for me to use than a paper book when lying down.

Anyway, if there's anything you want to know, just ask. I'm happy to pimp out the Kindle.

[flex]

I've read some reviews lately saying that you can not get nearly the advertised amount of books on this devise. Is that true so far to your knowledge?

[LeisureSuitLarry]

I've read some reviews lately saying that you can not get nearly the advertised amount of books on this devise. Is that true so far to your knowledge?

I haven't had that problem, but that's largely through lack of trying. I only have about 50 books on my Kindle and that's plenty for me.

One of the biggest complaints about the Kindle, by actual users, is that it doesn't support folders. There are only two ways to sort your books: by title or by date added. Looking through more than four or five pages of books to find the one you want sounds like a real pain to me.

However, as far as storage goes... I don't know how many the K is supposed to hold in its built in memory, but it accepts SD cards. The official documentation says it can handle up to a 4gb card (I think), but some people on the Kindle message boards have said they've been able to use 8gb cards. If you can't fit enough books on one of those, then you probably read too fast.

[Shi]

If you can't fit enough books on one of those, then you probably read too fast.

Ummm, I don't think it's possible to "read too fast". Isn't one of the biggest things with owning a Kindle the fact that you can carry around a ton of books with you?

[Lazarus404]

If you don't live in the States, get a Sony reader. The only plus for the kindle is being able to download books off of the Amazon site on the fly and to subscribe to newspapers etc so they simply appear each morning. However, if you live outside of the States, this service isn't available.  Therefore, the Sony reader will beat it hands down. I have the Sony reader, and I love it!!!

[stu11926]

So....for my second post, I'll bring another thread back from the dead.

I got my Amazon Kindle 2 about five days ago.  It's an incredible little device.  I downloaded all of the Tor free ebook downloads that were released this summer and had them waiting for my Kindle to arrive.  I also downloaded many public domain free ebooks (classics) that I missed during my school years.  (I never did enjoy being forced to read something.)  It took me all of about five minutes to get used to reading on the Kindle.  The visibility is excellent and the device facilitates one handed reading very well.  It's even easier than a paperback to curl up with in bed.  After about ten minutes without a page turn, the unit will put itself into sleep mode.  A quick flip of the power slider switch will return you directly to the page you were last reading.  I never have to worry about losing my place again after dropping my book from falling asleep.

I was a bit surprised by the E-Ink display when I first turned the unit on.   It's very comparable to looking at a digital watch, but you can see it from any angle.  It's very easy on the eyes, but it is bland.  The text to speech feature is not much worth talking about.  It's there, but I tend to get distracted easily and do not foresee myself using it much, if at all.  It certainly is no replacement for an audiobook (of which I've only heard two or three).

I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block myself at the moment, but if anyone has any specific questions I will do my best to respond to them.

Jonathan

[Rrikor]

I have wanted to buy one of these for a while but everytime I look into it the selection of books is just not up to snuff. 

[Miyabi]

I've thought about getting one as well.  Just every time I have the money I spend it on something I need more. ha ha.

[ErikHolmes]

Personally I don't understand the hype about the Kindle. I've been reading e-books like that for over 5 years now.

Anyone with a pocket PC or a phone with windows mobile can do the same thing. There is a program called Microsoft Reader which you can install on any windows mobile device and I think it is the best for reading e-books. I've gotten so used to it that I actually prefer to read books on my phone rather then in a paperback or hard cover. I also have my phone with me anywhere I go and it lets me read a lot more (you'd be surprised how often you can read a chapter here and there throughout the day, especially when you manager is late to a meeting    ). Light isn't an issue either as you can make your mobile device as bright or dim as you'd like.

Also, I haven't tried it but I am pretty sure you can read kindle books with windows mobile too. Even if you can't google is soon coming out with their own mobile ebook thing to challenge the kindle.

This is one of the better sites for downloading ebooks

http://www.ebooks.com/SearchApp/SearchResults.net?term=author%3A%22martin%2c+george%22

And you can get the reader here:

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/uk/downloads/ppc.mspx

[Peter Ahlstrom]

The screen of the Kindle uses e-ink which has no backlight and thus can be read without hurting eyes like a computer screen does. That's one of the draws.

[ErikHolmes]

I did read about that, which sounded kind of cool. Then again, I tend to stare at a computer screen at least 10 hours a day (who am I kidding, its more then that) so reading a book on my phone doesn't bother me at all. Like I said, I prefer reading a book on my phone over reading it in a paper back.

I guess for me if I was going to spend $300-400 I wouldn't even consider getting a kindle, a pocket PC of windows mobile phone or even an iphone (you can get the actual kindle software on a iphone now) is a much better dead.

Hell, I've written entire chapters on my book on my phone. Plus it has Office, I can play games on my phone; games like Second Life or even WOW (they don't play great but they do have software where you can play them). I can remote desktop to my computer at home from my phone, browse the entire internet, do instant messaging, watch movies. Oh ya, I think I can call people with it too . . .