Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott H on September 29, 2011 at 7:34am

That's easy.  Run out and buy one now.

 

I am an avid Apple enthusiast and own several of all the devices that have names starting with "i."  However, for pure reading, the Kindle rules.  Why?  It's LIGHT and SMALL.  Plus the batteries last forever.  What's more, their "WhisperSync" system is amazing; it automatically synchronizes the position you're reading at across all your Kindle-capable devices (remember, you can read Kindle books on smartphones, the iPad, etc., too).

 

The e-ink screen is remarkable.  It's horrible for motion graphics, and mediocre at best for images, but for simple text reading, it's amazingly close to the look of ink on paper.

 

At the new low prices, there's really no reason at all not to own one.

 

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Permalink Reply by Damian Green on September 29, 2011 at 7:42am

Hey Scott, that sounds awesome... maybe too awesome... do you work for Amazon?

 

Seriously though, I am 70/30 in favor of getting one. I just don't know about the 'feel' of it. Being so used to page turning and throwing books around, stuffing them in my bag etc, it would be weird.

 

Thanks for the info.

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Permalink Reply by Scott H on September 29, 2011 at 8:17am

Lol!  No, I don't work for them. I love their service, but my own job actually competes with them in a number of product segments, so I'm being pretty objective, I think.

 

Honestly, the Kindle is lighter and smaller than all but the most tiny paperbacks, so no matter what you do, you'll find it more convenient to hold than a book, I think.  I like to read in bed, and I particularly find it nice to hold compared to trying to read a heavy hardcover when I'm on my back.

 

Cheers.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob on September 29, 2011 at 9:50pm

My parents both thought they would hate leaving traditional books, but they both have kindles and they both use them all the time, so i wouldn't worry about the whole page turning thing

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Clear on September 29, 2011 at 7:57am

i got one for my birthday and not used it yet. partly because i also got an old fashioned book but i just finished that so will be using the kindle from now on.

 

apart from the space issue, the future of the e-book is a rosey one, hyperlinks to referenced material and ease of downloads along with free materiel such as classic books. etc....

I was at a publishing conference earlier this year, really opened my old eyes to the possibilities driven initially by academic publishing that will set new standards in information dissemination.

 

now i just need to work out how to set my account up... :o/

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Permalink Reply by Evan J. Castle on September 29, 2011 at 8:19am

Thought about just getting a simple Android tablet?

For US$60, if you don't like it, it's not too bad a loss. And for an extra $20, you can get a protective cover. (Although, you could use the cover on a proper eInk Kindle too)

I have Kindle on my Android 2.1 tablet. It's a bare-bones tablet (256MB RAM, 800Mhz CPU) and it runs the Kindle software flawlessly.

Evan

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Nessel on September 29, 2011 at 9:18am

The Kindle Fire was just announced this week, costs only $200 and is a full Android tablet that could give the iPad a run for its money. I love my Barnes & Noble Nook Color, but it's not a full tablet unless you "jailbreak" it, and I'm not technically savvy enough to do that. It cost me $250 four months ago. Never been a better time to buy a Kindle! If I were you, I'd get the Fire, and I'd get it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I was a paper-and-ink lover, too -- until I picked up an e-reader.

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Permalink Reply by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on September 29, 2011 at 12:58pm

The Kindle Fire's OS is based on an old version of Android, but it is NOT an "android device" by any stretch of the imagination. The OS has been changed so much that there is very little Android DNA left in it - and the Amazon folks would agree with this.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Karp on September 29, 2011 at 9:31am

Kindle's rock! I have one and I love it. You'll get over the "feel of a book thing". I also have an ipad and you can sync the two. Kindle is great for use anywhere, beach, pool, etc.. Do it!!!

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Nessel on September 29, 2011 at 10:01am

Looks like the Kindle Fire doesn't actually go on sale until November (pre-orders now). Here's a good comparison of the various e-readers/tablets from a tech industry publication aimed at non-techy people: http://tinyurl.com/3wgv4c5

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Permalink Reply by Craig Nomazlab on September 29, 2011 at 10:10am

I own a Kindle, and I love it. It's light and convenient, and the fact that it isn't a physical book doesn't at all take away from the reading experience. You can also put pdfs on them, which I do with guitar and bass tableture.

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Permalink Reply by Boatman on September 29, 2011 at 10:13am

I received a Sony eReader last Christmas, and I love it (I get the impression that Kindles and Canada don't mix well.  Any other thoughts out there?

 

The eReader has a large screen, great battery life (up to a week), selectable font size (great for my aging eyes <g>), displays picture (black and white only) and can play mp3s.

 

Downside;  the software that came with it bites on an iMac.  I have a work-around; I let teh computer think the ereader is an extra hard drive, then it's just "drag-n-drop". And the mp3 player interface is equally clunky. Other than tha it's great for the bus, airport departure lounges, when the Superwife is hogging the computer....

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