A Kindle for me is for mainly disposable fiction - the sort of book you read once and then don't have any interest in reading again. It will never fully replace reference/text, photography or any book that requires a large format.
I'm not so sure it won't get more use for reference books. The ability to quickly search for keywords in a text in an ebook makes it ideal for reference books. It probably won't entirely replace them, but I know I'll now look at a kindle version of any reference books I need in the future because of this capability. And I wouldn't limit kindle usefullness to just fiction either, there's loads of non-fiction titles out there, such as cookery books, where i can definitely see the advantage over paper books.
IIRC "airplane mode" is just the new term for "Wifi off", mainly I think because people were getting confused between having to turn their various different wireless settings off (so airplane mode turns them all off at once).
Yup, annoying isn't it? I thought about calling it what it is but since the device refers to it as airplane mode that's what I went with. What's most annoying about the terminology is that it's the reverse of what actually happens. You turn it off in order activate wifi then turn it on in order to disable wifi.
It's bit like have a 'dark switch' instead of a 'light switch'. Turn a 'dark switch' on in order to turn off the lights and turn a 'dark switch' off in order to have the lights come on
A Kindle for me is for mainly disposable fiction - the sort of book you read once and then don't have any interest in reading again. It will never fully replace reference/text, photography or any book that requires a large format. .
True, but Kindle DX can handle PDFs, maps and graphs pretty well. When it doesn't, it's usually due to the bad coding in a book. Publishers are usually happy to correct the coding and reissue their re-coded books free.
The downside to having a PDF on the KDX? You can't change text to any size, which makes the KDX pretty much a PDF viewer only. You can only zoom in and out. It can be annoying, but I was able to resolve this by editing or cropping each PDF automatically (through a tiny freeware program) before loading it to the KDX.
It was never available for sale in this country, but I bought one as soon as I spotted it in a Duty-Free shop at one airport.
Unfortunately, I left it behind at a hotel on a work trip about three years later. I rang the hotel to get it back, but they never found it. Sob. I tried to get another DX, but Kindle no longer produces it. Sob.
Edited: Sorry, forgot to mention that I bought an ONYX M92 as a (poor) replacement to handle PDFs.
I'm not so sure it won't get more use for reference books. The ability to quickly search for keywords in a text in an ebook makes it ideal for reference books. It probably won't entirely replace them, but I know I'll now look at a kindle version of any reference books I need in the future because of this capability. And I wouldn't limit kindle usefullness to just fiction either, there's loads of non-fiction titles out there, such as cookery books, where i can definitely see the advantage over paper books.
Actually, I think cookery books work better on a tablet as there is the full colour screen and the opportunity to embed video or link to other sources. Recipes on on Kindle never look very interesting. I often take my tablet into the kitchen and prop it up on a cook book stand.
There is some advantage in having text books on a Kindle as they are much lighter (some of my old college book would weigh a tonne) and are searchable but I still like to be able to flick through the paper version and scribble notes in the margin. With text books the ideal situation is to both the physical and electronic copies. When you buy a CD on Amazon you get the Autoripped MP3 for free. It would be nice to buy a text book and get the PDF for free (maybe this happens - I don't buy may text books these days)
Yup, annoying isn't it? I thought about calling it what it is but since the device refers to it as airplane mode that's what I went with. What's most annoying about the terminology is that it's the reverse of what actually happens. You turn it off in order activate wifi then turn it on in order to disable wifi.
It's bit like have a 'dark switch' instead of a 'light switch'. Turn a 'dark switch' on in order to turn off the lights and turn a 'dark switch' off in order to have the lights come on
Airplane mode is intended to be ON when you're ON a plane so the name makes perfect sense.
What it does is turn off the several radios in your phone or tablet: not just WiFi but the phone radio (voice,text,data), Bluetooth, and I think GPS too.
I must admit I was in the "can't see myself ever getting one of those" camp, and then my mum offered to buy me one for my 40th birthday, so I thought I'd give it a shot. For a week or so it felt weird and wrong, but now I wouldn't be without one.
There is a huge difference to thinking 'it's not for me' and the people who like to proclaim their utter disdain for the very concept, and everybody who has bought into it. I accept that in the early days, many of the early adopters were fashion victims, or gadget junkies who had money to burn, and they were the most vocal about it. Some 'book' people might have been naturally 'anti-gadget', but enough very keen readers are very attached to their e-readers for all but the most stubborn, or stupid, to realise that they are more than a gimmick, and something used by serious readers.
The whole premise that this article is based on is flawed. I presume it was intended as a bit of click-bait, possibly aimed at the very sort of person who sneers are them.
It's fair enough if an individual doesn't personally want to use one, but when I see claims that 'real book fans' shun e-readers, then I can only conclude they place the importance of the physical book over the experience of reading or accessing information.
Actually, I think cookery books work better on a tablet as there is the full colour screen and the opportunity to embed video or link to other sources. Recipes on on Kindle never look very interesting. I often take my tablet into the kitchen and prop it up on a cook book stand.
There is some advantage in having text books on a Kindle as they are much lighter (some of my old college book would weigh a tonne) and are searchable but I still like to be able to flick through the paper version and scribble notes in the margin. With text books the ideal situation is to both the physical and electronic copies. When you buy a CD on Amazon you get the Autoripped MP3 for free. It would be nice to buy a text book and get the PDF for free (maybe this happens - I don't buy may text books these days)
I think cook books are better on a tablet too.
When it comes to electronic 'reference books', I favour a traditional PC. I read a lot of reports on PDF for work, and have to comment on them, and find the 'sticky notes' feature invaluable. The worst thing is if they submit the report as a pdf, but one that has been badly scanned, and not text searchable.
I like both Kindle and paperbacks. Really appreciate some of the free classics on the Kindle store and things like the complete works of F Scott Fitzgerald for 99p. It's a great way to check out classics or new authors on a whim.
Recipes on on Kindle never look very interesting. I often take my tablet into the kitchen and prop it up on a cook book stand.
Oh, I don't know about that. I've got the "Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management" on my (first gen) Kindle and some of her recipes look very interesting!
(What could be more interesting than a "Benevolent" soup?)
Like Malcolm, I read very long books with lots of hard words and yet I find my Kindle invaluable. Lugging around huge books about the meaning of life, the Universe and everything, simply gives me backache and although a Kindle will never replace a good, heavy hardback for impressing the plebs on the 7.15 to Cannon Street, it is handy for my monthly periodicals.
The only drawback is that no-one can tell if I'm reading Nietzsche or Fifty Shades of Grey
My sister puts her Kindle in one of those sealable freezer bags so she can read it in the bath I don't like to read it in the bath so have never tried it but she says it works.
I read my Kindle in the bath and don't need a plastic cover for it. I have an ordinary leather cover and it's fine.
I have a Kindle Fire and to be honest although I have a couple of books downloaded have never really attempted to read them yet!.....
But I love it!... I use it every day, it always goes to bed with me and I catch up on facebook, twitter, my emails and of course the iplayer!...... I download a couple of programmes everyday and watch them when I am in bed..............
I have heard that the 'Fire' isn't great for reading out in the sunshine?, but as yet I haven't, as I say tried reading a book with it!................. if I go abroad then I will give it a go but at the moment I am quite happy with all the other things I can do with it!............
The only drawback is that no-one can tell if I'm reading Nietzsche or Fifty Shades of Grey
You joke about that, but apparently the rise of the ereaders has led to a lot of books that were being marketed at one part of the market getting more readers who wouldn't normally read them.
Apparently men can like books that have covers intended to interest women, women can like books that have covers that are meant to get the attention of men, and men/women can in fact enjoy books that are aimed at a younger audience (YA books, or books that they read as YA's), etc etc.
Although the publishers had realised that to a degree years ago (hence the more serious cover versions of some books*), but it cost too much to print multiple cover versions of most books.
*The likes of Discworld books without the colourful covers.
Comments
I'm not so sure it won't get more use for reference books. The ability to quickly search for keywords in a text in an ebook makes it ideal for reference books. It probably won't entirely replace them, but I know I'll now look at a kindle version of any reference books I need in the future because of this capability. And I wouldn't limit kindle usefullness to just fiction either, there's loads of non-fiction titles out there, such as cookery books, where i can definitely see the advantage over paper books.
It's bit like have a 'dark switch' instead of a 'light switch'. Turn a 'dark switch' on in order to turn off the lights and turn a 'dark switch' off in order to have the lights come on
True, but Kindle DX can handle PDFs, maps and graphs pretty well. When it doesn't, it's usually due to the bad coding in a book. Publishers are usually happy to correct the coding and reissue their re-coded books free.
The downside to having a PDF on the KDX? You can't change text to any size, which makes the KDX pretty much a PDF viewer only. You can only zoom in and out. It can be annoying, but I was able to resolve this by editing or cropping each PDF automatically (through a tiny freeware program) before loading it to the KDX.
It was never available for sale in this country, but I bought one as soon as I spotted it in a Duty-Free shop at one airport.
Unfortunately, I left it behind at a hotel on a work trip about three years later. I rang the hotel to get it back, but they never found it. Sob. I tried to get another DX, but Kindle no longer produces it. Sob.
Edited: Sorry, forgot to mention that I bought an ONYX M92 as a (poor) replacement to handle PDFs.
Actually, I think cookery books work better on a tablet as there is the full colour screen and the opportunity to embed video or link to other sources. Recipes on on Kindle never look very interesting. I often take my tablet into the kitchen and prop it up on a cook book stand.
There is some advantage in having text books on a Kindle as they are much lighter (some of my old college book would weigh a tonne) and are searchable but I still like to be able to flick through the paper version and scribble notes in the margin. With text books the ideal situation is to both the physical and electronic copies. When you buy a CD on Amazon you get the Autoripped MP3 for free. It would be nice to buy a text book and get the PDF for free (maybe this happens - I don't buy may text books these days)
Airplane mode is intended to be ON when you're ON a plane so the name makes perfect sense.
What it does is turn off the several radios in your phone or tablet: not just WiFi but the phone radio (voice,text,data), Bluetooth, and I think GPS too.
There is a huge difference to thinking 'it's not for me' and the people who like to proclaim their utter disdain for the very concept, and everybody who has bought into it. I accept that in the early days, many of the early adopters were fashion victims, or gadget junkies who had money to burn, and they were the most vocal about it. Some 'book' people might have been naturally 'anti-gadget', but enough very keen readers are very attached to their e-readers for all but the most stubborn, or stupid, to realise that they are more than a gimmick, and something used by serious readers.
The whole premise that this article is based on is flawed. I presume it was intended as a bit of click-bait, possibly aimed at the very sort of person who sneers are them.
It's fair enough if an individual doesn't personally want to use one, but when I see claims that 'real book fans' shun e-readers, then I can only conclude they place the importance of the physical book over the experience of reading or accessing information.
I think cook books are better on a tablet too.
When it comes to electronic 'reference books', I favour a traditional PC. I read a lot of reports on PDF for work, and have to comment on them, and find the 'sticky notes' feature invaluable. The worst thing is if they submit the report as a pdf, but one that has been badly scanned, and not text searchable.
I think there is a place for both formats.
Indeed. Has anyone actually said they are obscure in this thread? (or obsure? I presume that's a typo?)
Can't beat a bit of good ol' rock bashing to get your washing dry
Isn't it
Oh, I don't know about that. I've got the "Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management" on my (first gen) Kindle and some of her recipes look very interesting!
(What could be more interesting than a "Benevolent" soup?)
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Beeton/Mrs%20Beeton%20Useful%20Soup%20for%20Benevolent%20Purposes.htm
Like Malcolm, I read very long books with lots of hard words and yet I find my Kindle invaluable. Lugging around huge books about the meaning of life, the Universe and everything, simply gives me backache and although a Kindle will never replace a good, heavy hardback for impressing the plebs on the 7.15 to Cannon Street, it is handy for my monthly periodicals.
The only drawback is that no-one can tell if I'm reading Nietzsche or Fifty Shades of Grey
Aren't Amazon's books usually .azw3 format.
I read my Kindle in the bath and don't need a plastic cover for it. I have an ordinary leather cover and it's fine.
But I love it!... I use it every day, it always goes to bed with me and I catch up on facebook, twitter, my emails and of course the iplayer!...... I download a couple of programmes everyday and watch them when I am in bed..............
I have heard that the 'Fire' isn't great for reading out in the sunshine?, but as yet I haven't, as I say tried reading a book with it!................. if I go abroad then I will give it a go but at the moment I am quite happy with all the other things I can do with it!............
Apparently men can like books that have covers intended to interest women, women can like books that have covers that are meant to get the attention of men, and men/women can in fact enjoy books that are aimed at a younger audience (YA books, or books that they read as YA's), etc etc.
Although the publishers had realised that to a degree years ago (hence the more serious cover versions of some books*), but it cost too much to print multiple cover versions of most books.
*The likes of Discworld books without the colourful covers.
Umm... yeah. That's exactly what it was. Yes.
#nicesave