Kindle? Yes or no?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by cookderosa, Oct 30, 2010.

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  1. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I wanted to open the old eBook thread, but it was locked- so here's a new one.

    I'm trying to find out if anyone knows of pros or cons of Kindle. I have a $50 gift certificate to use at amazon- and right now they are listing the price as $139 with free shipping. I'd be able to get this for about $90, but it's still $90 and I won't spend it if it's not a great product. In the locked thread, someone mentioned their brand didn't allow you to skip forward, so going from page 1 to 100 means clicking next 99 times. (ugh)
    Any big issues with the Kindle that I should know about? Are text books ever available as eBooks? Should I just use my gift cert on a really great book? I'm only just now starting to do my homework, so it's all kinda new to me.
     
  2. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I bought a Kindle a few weeks ago and like it, but not passionately. I find myself worrying about whether it has a full charge and about damaging it when I throw it in my backpack. I think that I prefer old-school books made out of wood-pulp.

    One thing that I really liked was that Amazon has lots of old books whose copyrights have expired. They sell them on Kindle for a dollar or two, and even let you download some of them for free. I've captured quite a few classic texts in my areas of interest that way.

    Another thing that I like is that Amazon lets you preview books at no charge. That consists of downloading the beginning of a book, a block of text that typically includes the table of contents, introduction and first chapter. I've found that for some books that represents a lot of content. For example, there are expensive scholarly books out there, consisting of lots of chapters by various authors, with a major introductory essay explaining the issue that the volume treats and where each author's essay fits into the argument. Another example is history texts which are often organized chronologically. If you are interested in early something, the first chapter might be precisely what you want.

    I've grabbed the beginnings of many of the prominent books in my field for free that way. Even if the content is weak, the sample lets me know what the book covers, what technical level it's pitched at and what the author's peculiarities are.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2010
  3. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I just prefer books. When on a plane I can read the book all the time and not "power it down". How can you take notes in a margin or mark off pages in a Kindle. I think I am just old fashion ;)
     
  4. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    <sigh> my whole freakin reply lost...ok. Maybe that's the gods telling me to learn how to be succinct.
    I guess my other question is - I am locked into only using material I buy through amazon? I frequent Gutenberg dot org often for free material (I read those books on my laptop or print out) will I be able to put them onto my kindle without much skill if at all? I have serious gaps in my digital knowledge, I don't even own an ipod, so speak slowly. ALso, what if I ruin my kindle- are my books saved in amazon cyber land? Cuzzz a few years back we lost a huge collection of movies and music off of crashed computer.

    @Randell - yes, i'm a book nerd too, but i'm trying to be techno. I have a 20x20x10 library in my house that I'm hoping to thin out this year!! Hell, if I could get all those books on ebay i might be rich:banana:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2010
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I thought of the same thing...then thought again! I have a closet full of books so your 20x20x10 library is a look into my future....oh my!
     
  6. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef


    NO! Don't do it. You always need an exit plan- too hard with books. Heavy and little resale value. Of course, I just brought home 8 Encyclopedia Browns for my kids from a library sale today....hey, only 50 cents each...good mommy, bad economist.
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I'm old fashioned in this sense, too- despite having grown up in the 90's. I much prefer to read printed paper. In a practical sense, one could argue, probably with equal merit, in favor of using either, but to me a book or newspaper just FEELS nicer, more quaint, and carrying a bag of really large text books helps me round out my middle class nerd/jock look that I have going on :cool:. There is also more of a feeling of personalization with each item. The fact that a book takes up physical space makes me appreciate it more, and even be much more likely to read than if it were just one of 5,000 files sitting on a device that was so expensive that I'd rather not even take it out of my apartment.
     
  8. William. V

    William. V New Member

    Its not about being old fashioned or trendy, its all about what you are more comfortable with. I usually prefer physical books when I have to read a fiction novel or a biography of someone, because it just feels right to me. The whole Kindle or iPad thing gives me a feeling that I'm in a hurry and I have to quickly look for something in the book. That feels odd, to me atleast it does. So for casual reading, I see no reason why I should go for an electronic version instead of printed one.

    But for academic stuff, like books or even some PDFs which I have to read for my studies, I prefer my iPad. Why? Two simple reasons. It can carry a lot of my text and reference books along with my favorite movies so I don't have to carry the weight with me. Second, it makes searching in a book a whole lot easier and fun. In a physical book, I had to open the Appendix first, browse the whole thing and then get to the topic. In iPad, its jus type the phrase and you are there.

    Anyways, the question was about whether to buy or not buy Kindle. My suggestion is don't, but an iPad instead. iPad is a Kindle + iPad while Kindle is only a black and white Kindle. Its a bit expensive but definitely worth the price. All the books that are available for Kindle can also be downloaded and viewed on iPad.

    Hope this helps ;)
     
  9. BBGunn

    BBGunn New Member

    I have the $139 kindle 3 and relaly enjoy it. I would say that comparing it to the ipad is like apples and oranges. They are two different products and it depends on your personal preference. Reading on the ipad is like reading on a laptop screen. So its not really conducive for long reading sessions, as you will eventually start to suffer eye strain. There is a way to jump from the start of one chapter to the next, so navigating isn't all that difficult. I'm still learning to use all of the features. The kindle is a great product that does what its suppose to do, which is allow the reading of books. If i want to go online, play games, etc., I use a laptop. Personally I was growing sick and tired of all the books I have piling up and taking up space. In most cases I will likely not use them again anyway.
     

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