kindle, any good?

[kevjtd]

i used to read a lot of books, horror novels and the like. wouldn't mind getting a few more now.
then thought about the kindle

Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

how good are they?

like the idea of one though...

[RSK]

If you're a book worm they're brilliant. Mrs RSK has one and loves it, she hasn't bought a hard copy book for ages.

The standout feature is the e-ink technology which makes reading natural and comfortable. Couple this with the vast range available via Amazon and you get the best e-book reader by far.

RSK

[GhostyDog]

Originally Posted by RSK

If you're a book worm they're brilliant. Mrs RSK has one and loves it, she hasn't bought a hard copy book for ages.

The standout feature is the e-ink technology which makes reading natural and comfortable. Couple this with the vast range available via Amazon and you get the best e-book reader by far.

RSK

What he said, wifey has one and loves it, she devours books in a few hours so when she's away from home it's ideal as she can carry lots of books and not fill her suitcase with them.

[Nige005]

I quite fancy one too.

What's the range of titles and prices like ? How do you download ?

Kev. I have plenty of books, all bought new, softback, hardback, all sorts of subjects. Free to you, you know where I am !

[100th_Idiot]

I use a Sony ereader. Have done for over 2 years. Brilliant if you like to read. Kindles are good but limit you to buying from Amazon. They use a proprietary format.

Other ereaders use ePub. So I buy from Waterstones, WHSmith or Google books depending on the best deal.

I hear good things about the new Kobo readers as well.

[kevjtd]

yes, did read about the display being easy to read form, even in bright sunlight?

nice offer nige but the mrs hates me getting a load of "clutter" even has a few words about the odd magazine that postie brings, i do sell on the auto italia ones on ebay though to do my bit

nice little pocket sized unit that holds a spare room full of books, sounds just the ticket to me

prices range from 99p for offer/older titles up to around £10 for the latest ones. not exactly cheaper than buying the real thing but guess buying older ones makes sense

Amazon.co.uk: Kindle eBooks

[MalcQV]

My sister-in-law loves hers. They do look very book like to use (as you would expect I suppose )

[kevjtd]

cheers for all the positive posts guys, much appreciated

as everyone seems to like them and no-one has come up with any faults i think i will invest a few quid in one

one last question, how easy to download? pretty simple i guess? (hope ) and pretty quick to download?

[100th_Idiot]

Kindle store is on the ebook itself connected via WiFi. Select what you want and it downloads directly. Some Sony's and Kobos are the similar.

For general ePub books you buy online and sideload just like an MP3.

Full world-wide "free" internet access if you get the 3G one.

[EddieGTA]

I love mine. I got it about 6 months back with the intention of using it for technical books as they tend to be big and bulky. Fact is there are only a couple of technical books on it. It has got me reading more again though, so many times I see a book or a review and then buy it through amazon for kindle right there, where before I would have just forgotten about it and never bought it.

[100th_Idiot]

Originally Posted by Nev

Full world-wide "free" internet access if you get the 3G one.

I think they pulled 3G from most of the new ones and removed the browser.

[harryf]

Using a Bebook Neo myself. At the time it was bought it was technically superior to kindle. Also, as stated above there's a wider range of book formats to download, including loads of the classics for free.

[RSK]

Originally Posted by 100th_Idiot

I think they pulled 3G from most of the new ones and removed the browser.

That's the new stripped down one at £89

The Kindle 3G with keyboard is still available at £149. This is what Mrs RSK has and would be my choice.

Should also have said to the OP to factor in the cost of a case with a built in reading light for night time as the e-ink screen is not illuminated.

[Nige005]

Originally Posted by kevjtd

yes, did read about the display being easy to read form, even in bright sunlight?

nice offer nige but the mrs hates me getting a load of "clutter" even has a few words about the odd magazine that postie brings, i do sell on the auto italia ones on ebay though to do my bit

I did the same offer for my sister, her face dropped when I walked in with three Bin Bags full of books..........

Originally Posted by RSK

That's the new stripped down one at £89

Should also have said to the OP to factor in the cost of a case with a built in reading light for night time as the e-ink screen is not illuminated.

This seems a bit of a drawback that I didn't expect. How well does it work in practise, do you end up with glare and reflections from the light ?

[RSK]

Originally Posted by Nige005

I did the same offer for my sister, her face dropped when I walked in with three Bin Bags full of books..........



This seems a bit of a drawback that I didn't expect. How well does it work in practise, do you end up with glare and reflections from the light ?

No not at all.

It's very hard to describe but the whole e-ink system is incredibly lifelike when compared to real paper meaning it has a matt effect to it and there are no issues with glare or reflection.

[Nige005]

Originally Posted by RSK

No not at all.

It's very hard to describe but the whole e-ink system is incredibly lifelike when compared to real paper meaning it has a matt effect to it and there are no issues with glare or reflection.

Thanks for that. Seems like a Kindle could be on my wish list too.......... Are you listening Santa ?

[MrShusky]

I bought Shusky a 3G Kindle for her birthday in June and she loves it

She is not the most technical of people but she manages to download what ever she wants.

people say "It's not a proper book though!" - well if you buy the cover to go with it it's more like holding a book, there's no need bookmarks which you can loose etc. also it has a very useful dictionary inbuilt, all in all a good substitute for paper.

There's also lots of freebies to download

[NineOneSix]

I liked the kindle, but the kobo seems to sway me a bit at first glance it has more titles.

Might be getting one for my mums crimbo

[100th_Idiot]

Smalll reminder that pretty much all the classics are out of copyright and available free. You will find some stores trying to sell them. That is hundreds of free books. Check out project Guttenberg for info.

I'll try and grab a Fire next month.

If they have any left to buy.


Lack of eInk makes it less of a book but it'll be interesting
to see what it can do in terms of other media.

[kevjtd]

brilliant thoughts and discusion guys.

what makes this forum the best

[PhilzAlfa]

There's an interesting review of eReaders in the current PcPro magazine, including a comparison of the two Kindle models. Definitely worth a quick trip to WH Smith

Rumour mill says Amazon are prep'ing a Kindle phone.

[The Don]

I think the Kindle is one of the best "gadgets" you can get. It is actually very practical and useful and is a superb replacement for paper and ink.

The screen is superb for reading on and I lay in the 35degree Cretan sunshine with the book on the grass infront of me in the direct sun without any glare or difficulty reading.

I managed to get the keyboard/wifi version as a "refurb" direct from Amazon for the bargain price of £79.99 with a years warranty etc. It looks and feels brand new, stick it in a £5 case off of ebay and you have it protected and it feels more like a "proper" book to hold.

Well worth the money, and also, if you are an unscrupulous soul and know a bit about acquiring free stuff from the internet there are thousands of books in kindle/ebook format you can download for gratis and using a library manager such as caliber you can sort, arrange and store/read on the kindle