Amazon Kindles, who's got one and how many books do you have on it atm? [Archive] - SV650.org

missyburd

18-01-11, 10:32 PM

So I saw and held my first Kindle last night, fantastic! Need to save up for one now. I still prefer having a proper book but the convenience of it! Someone I know has 60 books on it, anyone beat it? :-P

DarrenSV650S

18-01-11, 10:37 PM

My mum got one for xmas. They are brilliant. The text just looks like a book. She's only got like 3 books so far though :)

Feels very fragile though. You can bend it which is a bit worrying

andrewsmith

18-01-11, 10:38 PM

Had a play with one, rather have the book in me hand!

SuzukiNess

18-01-11, 10:40 PM

do you read a lot? cos i go thru 2 - 3 books a month depending on the thickness.. and i not to sure bout holding the kinde while reading. :study: i've looked at it, and thought its a brill idea.. but at the price... what if i dont like it?? :pale: maybe, if like u i actually got to hold it.. test it.. it would change my mind. i've also heard u need to buy the extra memory to hold more books.. and well.. my paper books get recycled at the charity shop.. i dunno, i'll keep pondering the idea :) :study: happpy reading!

missyburd

18-01-11, 10:46 PM

Feels very fragile though. You can bend it which is a bit worrying

:shock: eep! I think you can get leather covers for them which might be an idea, give it a bit more bulk...I'm a clumsy git so would have to be careful then!

do you read a lot?

I do read a lot yeah, when I've got decent books to read...can't afford to keep buying them though and there's so many new ones from great authors I'd love to get my teeth into but just can't pay! Apparently the Kindle books are a fair bit cheaper so that's why I thought it would be good for me.

toxic

18-01-11, 10:47 PM

another new fangled thing that needs a charger! my house is full of chargers!

why can't they make them all run at the same voltage and then I use the same charger...

when they start doing that then I'll buy another gadget!

DarrenSV650S

18-01-11, 10:48 PM

:shock: eep! I think you can get leather covers for them which might be an idea, give it a bit more bulk...I'm a clumsy git so would have to be careful then!

I do read a lot yeah, when I've got decent books to read...can't afford to keep buying them though and there's so many new ones from great authors I'd love to get my teeth into but just can't pay! Apparently the Kindle books are a fair bit cheaper so that's why I thought it would be good for me.

Yeh I gave her a leather cover for it which has a built in light, which really helps because obviously the screen isn't back-lit

They books were like £3 from amazon

Bluefish

18-01-11, 11:58 PM

so you might never get your money back. Anyone ever heard of a library?, go in one nowadays they have allsorts, not liquorice though.

slark01

19-01-11, 12:01 AM

Kindle = rip off
Library = brilliant and smart.

Ste.

hardhat_harry

19-01-11, 12:03 AM

Whenever I have looked at the price of the kindle version of the book its actually dearer than the paper version especially when there is a special offer on

Jordy

19-01-11, 12:23 AM

Supervox

19-01-11, 07:20 AM

I don't have a Kindle but I did buy myself a Sony Reader in the Xmas sales - it's brilliant ! :-)

I have downloaded approx 50 books so far - all free, out-of-copyright ones. I'm planning on replacing as many of my paper books as I can - money & availability permitting.

To those who say they're a waste of money & that I should use a library, my reply is that I NEVER get rid of a book (unless it falls apart), I like to keep them & re-read them periodically now I can easily & don't have to worry about damging them or wearing them out - perhaps this is why some are more expensive than their paper equivalents ?

Bluepete

19-01-11, 07:36 AM

Mrs BP bought me the wifi and 3G one for my birthday in November. I love it.

The e-ink is very, very easy to read and better to look at than a back-lit screen. Reading in bed is much easier than holding a large or heavy book, plus, e-books are usually cheaper than the printed ones, unless it's a new, highly publicised book that is discounted in supermarkets. I can see it being especially usefull on holiday when we usually take eight or ten books each.

Yes, it is a bit thin, but treat it with care, keep the leather case on it and it'll be fine.

So far, I have about a dozen or so books on it.

Pete ;)

Sid Squid

19-01-11, 08:37 AM

For free books try Amazon's own website, most of those are automatically transcribed into electronic format so the formatting can be less than ideal, but the price is right and they're perfectly readable, also most of those are transcribed by volunteer people so tend to be better laid out.
There are loads of free e-book sites, some better than others, a search on that there internet will bring you lots.
Try these:
BeBook (http://mybebook.com/download_free_ebook)
Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org)
Arthurs Classic Novels (http://arthursclassicnovels.com/)
Bookyards (http://www.bookyards.com/)
Munseys (http://www.munseys.com/)
Manybooks (http://manybooks.net/)
Mobipocket (http://www.mobipocket.com/freebooks/)
Feedbooks (http://m.feedbooks.com/?format=mobile)
Baen.com (http://www.baen.com/library/)

kitkat

19-01-11, 08:53 AM

I think these look great too. be ideal to have in the car when waiting outside school for kids, for travelling on the train especially if I have to have libby on my lap, cant turn pages like that. Ill wait a few years til everyone has them and buy from ebay.

missyburd

19-01-11, 09:05 AM

But libraries don't have the latest releases? And the Kindle wins hands down just for sheer convenience when travelling, I tend to read big thick books and trying to fit them in my handbag is a right pain...and don't say get a bigger handbag :-P

What's the battery life like on these e-readers then, roughly?

Bluepete

19-01-11, 09:11 AM

I've only charged mine twice since early November and I use it every day. It only uses power to change the screen as you turn a page, so there's no constant drain.

Pete ;)

martin15s

19-01-11, 09:39 AM

my wife has the Sony eReader and battery life is about 7000 page turns - she travels to and from UK a lot so it really is useful. For people with arthritic hands they really are fantastic. Books tend to be quite expensive - search the internet for best options.

Littlepeahead

19-01-11, 10:51 AM

I tend to use the charity shop like a library with a small donation. I'm so bad at remembering to take books back to the library that it works out cheaper than the fines. And I love passing books on to friends which I've read and think they will enjoy. Only paying £1 or £1.50 a book makes me more adventurous in my choices. I read really fast and probably get through 2 novels a week commuting for 4 hours per day.

Also I have lots of cookery books and these really would not work with a Kindle - I'd get it covered in butter and icing sugar.

I still like the look of them though.

BigBaddad

19-01-11, 10:53 AM

Kindle = rip off
Library = brilliant and smart.

Ste.

Kindle = Swindle

+1

plus try leaving a kindle on your sunbed by the pool. Plus most hotels have a small selection of books you can borrow/swap.

Stig

19-01-11, 11:17 AM

I'm old school and prefer and enjoy reading a proper book.

I read really fast and robably get through 2 novels a week commuting for 4 hours per day.

I've tried that myself but found it was difficult to concentrate on driving whilst doing it. Kept getting distracted from the book when I went over the rumble strips on the hard shoulder. Most annoying.

missyburd

19-01-11, 11:48 AM

I don't want the Kindle as an alternative to books, just a more convenient option so I don't have to lug them about with me when I go places. I too enjoy holding a proper novel, and cookery books are invaluable in the kitchen as you say LPH. But there are so many new books out there that I just don't get a chance to read as I don't have time to go in libraries and charity shops. But I guess people have very different lifestyles so a Kindle is certainly not going to suit everyone.

Quiff Wichard

19-01-11, 09:12 PM

I have the kindle app on my I phone..

have about 10 books on it..

however whilst it is ace for going on holiday less weight to take etc .. I do miss the tactile element and smell of a book.. the bent pages where you have read and crisps ones yet to tempt you ..

I will always still have physical paper books by my bed and in my "library to read" .. but the kindle on I phone app is very useful ..

Sally

19-01-11, 11:17 PM

Can you gets 'Nuts' or 'Zoo' on kindle?

If not, no thanks :p

appollo1

19-01-11, 11:35 PM

Richi3

19-01-11, 11:38 PM

I got one for the missus for xmas it was on her " i need list" not sure about the ammount of books but its a fair few she loves it hopefully i can use the book shelves now for my dvd collection :)

DarrenSV650S

19-01-11, 11:38 PM

i was going to put a thread up asking about Kindles!

I am thinking about getting one for my forthcoming detachment to Afghan as I have limited luggage weight and don't want to take lots of heavy books with me.

How do you download books onto them?

If you have wireless in your house you just buy them on the kindle itself by browsing the amazon website or another ebook site. Or if you get the 3G version you can buy them anywhere. Or just buy them on your pc then sync them on to your kindle

Lou M

21-01-11, 06:12 PM

I've got a kindle, always thought I'd prefer a book, but after damaging my wrist I find them difficult to hold. The Kindle is the best thing I've got. Amazon has most of the Classics for free, so I've downloaded them, stuff like Dracula, Frankenstein, Sherlock homes. I find now that I prefer to read from the kindle than a book, so easy to use. Oh and apparently in America they are trialling a system where you can 'lend' your kindle book to a friend for 7 days and I believe that libraries are looking to do the same thing.
Lou x

SuzukiNess

21-01-11, 09:42 PM

I Would've thought reading that many books would improve grammar and spelling. :p

Apologies, I will endeavour to improve my grammar and spelling when posting replies here. Maybe it's just the ony time I can just let my fingers do the thinking instead of my brain because sometimes they work faster. :study:

Swin

22-01-11, 02:57 PM

I've had a book reader for nearly a year now - I have a Sony PRS300 and a 505 in my house - the missus has the 300 and I have the 505 as I read faster than her and the 505 has an SD slot so is quicker to load books onto it than the USB connection only method that the 300 uses.

Personally, I found the Kindle to be a bit "plasticky" although the screen is just as good as any of the e-ink offerings. Having said that, the Kindle is fantastic value for money.

Books? I have somewhere in the region of 50,000 books on my computer now, mostly fantasy but with a scattering of crime and thrillers mixed in - my ongoing jobs are to file into folders by author (just about done) and then to convert all to epub format (will take forever)!