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Amazon Kindle
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Lemonhunny
28-05-2011
I don't think I could go back to reading books now, for so many reasons.

The Kindle is the best gadget I have bought bar none. My daughter, who never read a book in her life, is totally addicted to her Kindle, and we clubbed together and bought my elderly mother one for her birthday.

She's now addicted too! I think for the elderly (and she's been in hospital for 5 weeks now) the Kindle is perfect, without paper pages to be turning, and it's so light.

She's got 95 books on her Kindle alone, and as all three Kindles are linked to just my account, we are all able to access all books.
Gavin-
29-05-2011
Originally Posted by bringonthewall:
“I downloaded the Kindle for PC application out of curiosity a few weeks ago. I was a bit wary of the Kindle so I didn't want to fork out so much cash to not like it. So far, I like the convenience of downloading books instantly (very useful for writing an essay last-minute!) but after that it falls short for me. I just find it hard to concentrate on reading long sections of prose on a screen

Does anyone find that the actual Kindle is better in this respect? I've read about the lack of harsh backlighting which I suppose would help.”

Well you haven't experienced the Kindle -- you've just used a program on your computer that displays ebooks. You couldn't expect that to be any different than reading this web page right now! I presume the Kindle PC app is intended for organising or briefly reviewing ebooks, not reading them properly, unless you're reading from very portable laptop. The Kindle app is more useful as an e-reader on tablets like the iPad, but you have the problem of eye fatigue from the LCD screen, and bad visibility in sunlight.

The actual Kindle is light, simple, and most importantly has a screen that looks almost exactly like a printed page of paper.

It's up to you whether you want one. Try to have a look at one before you buy to see if you like the typeface it uses, how much text fits on the screen at once, whether you like the feel of it, etc. Decide if it will successfully replace the experience of reading real printed books... if the answer is "yes", it's worth £111.
Anika Hanson
29-05-2011
Originally Posted by Gavin-:
“Well you haven't experienced the Kindle -- you've just used a program on your computer that displays ebooks. You couldn't expect that to be any different than reading this web page right now! I presume the Kindle PC app is intended for organising or briefly reviewing ebooks, not reading them properly, unless you're reading from very portable laptop. The Kindle app is more useful as an e-reader on tablets like the iPad, but you have the problem of eye fatigue from the LCD screen, and bad visibility in sunlight.

The actual Kindle is light, simple, and most importantly has a screen that looks almost exactly like a printed page of paper.

It's up to you whether you want one. Try to have a look at one before you buy to see if you like the typeface it uses, how
much text fits on the screen at once
, whether you like the feel of it, etc. Decide if it will successfully replace the experience of reading real printed books... if the answer is "yes", it's worth £111.”

These things can be altered by the user.
buffyslay
29-05-2011
I have found that most people who say they don't like EReaders haven't actually tried one for any length of time
James T
29-05-2011
Can anyone explain to me the point of eReaders? Why do I need to pay 100 odd quid for a gadget that allows me to buy and read books, when I can do that already?!
ironjade
29-05-2011
Originally Posted by James T:
“Can anyone explain to me the point of eReaders? Why do I need to pay 100 odd quid for a gadget that allows me to buy and read books, when I can do that already?! ”

Free books, carry lots of books with you at anytime, free internet connection, make room in your house, avoid bookshop staff and ghastly secondhand bookshops, annoy booksniffers. Brilliant!
Nasalhair
30-05-2011
Originally Posted by James T:
“Can anyone explain to me the point of eReaders? Why do I need to pay 100 odd quid for a gadget that allows me to buy and read books, when I can do that already?! ”

The big advantage for me is that as I travel around a lot I can store hundreds of books on my Kindle rather than fill my bag with considerably heavier books. Its portability cannot be denied.

As for the books themselves I don't read the majority of the free books which are available as a) I've no interest in reading the "Classics" (I've read all the ones I want to read), and b) those by independent authors / self publishers are either not my cup of tea at all or not very good. It's a shame that the majority of books I do want to read aren't available on the Kindle - at least not in the UK - or are ridiculously expensive. I firmly believe that a Kindle book should be considerably cheaper than a paperback, as an MP3 is cheaper than a CD. Several people seem to disagree with this for some unfathomable reason.

One last thing: I own the Kindle with 3G and it has been surprisingly useful. Of course you can use it to buy books when you are on your travels, which is useful in itself, but you can also use the 3G to go online to browse the internet, and it works for free, all over the world. This week I was working in Gibraltar and encountered a problem with some software at work, but had no internet access in the office. I took my Kindle, connected to the 3G signal, and looked on the relevant knowledge base to find a fix. Brilliant!

Having said all of that though I still prefer "real" books, love bookshops (and their staff), and adore the whole tactile experience of a book i.e. the weight and feel of it, and yes, sometimes the smell of a paper which wafts up as I turn the pages, but I don't press my face to it and sniff.
Sallysally
30-05-2011
I was able to read from a very early age and from that time to this, I have always absolutely loved the feel of a book in my hand. The whole experience of reading a book gives me pleasure - the picking up, the reading, the turning of the page, the putting down. As you can tell, I am addicted to reading!

BUT - I travel a lot, often on aeroplanes and with a husband who is also a voracious reader, carting books across the world is a heavy (and sometimes expensive) business. A couple of years ago we went on a 2 month trip to New Zealand and Japan, and the only way we could survive was by buying books as we went along and then leaving them behind in all the hotels we stayed in as we finished them.

So, now we have a kindle. Only 1 between the 2 of us because we have compromised. We still buy "proper" books - but only those we know we shall want to put on the shelves for re-reading. Others, which we will only want to read on holiday or care not if we delete them, we buy on kindle.
So now when we go on holiday, we take only half the number of books we would have done, plus the kindle.

Sorted.
Toby53
30-05-2011
Originally Posted by Sallysally:
“I was able to read from a very early age and from that time to this, I have always absolutely loved the feel of a book in my hand. The whole experience of reading a book gives me pleasure - the picking up, the reading, the turning of the page, the putting down. As you can tell, I am addicted to reading!

BUT - I travel a lot, often on aeroplanes and with a husband who is also a voracious reader, carting books across the world is a heavy (and sometimes expensive) business. A couple of years ago we went on a 2 month trip to New Zealand and Japan, and the only way we could survive was by buying books as we went along and then leaving them behind in all the hotels we stayed in as we finished them.

So, now we have a kindle. Only 1 between the 2 of us because we have compromised. We still buy "proper" books - but only those we know we shall want to put on the shelves for re-reading. Others, which we will only want to read on holiday or care not if we delete them, we buy on kindle.
So now when we go on holiday, we take only half the number of books we would have done, plus the kindle.

Sorted. ”

I went for a Sony for the same reason, found mysel last year with 17 books scattered around the car ( for a 2 week holiday ) , deep down I would still prefer a book and still intend to buy to complete series but an ereader is much better for carrying a lot of books.
stud u like
30-05-2011
Originally Posted by James T:
“Can anyone explain to me the point of eReaders? Why do I need to pay 100 odd quid for a gadget that allows me to buy and read books, when I can do that already?! ”

1)space and volume are reduced as everything is digital.
2)ease and variety. Book shops can't possibly provide this service instantly.
3)weight is reduced on holidays and travelling.
4)it has the internet and a .pfd reader.
5)you can put magazines on it.
6)you can catagorise your books
7)you can find your books with ease by search facility.
8)you can find rare books. I love to look for rare cookery books I couldn't possibly find in a book shop.
9)it stores and remembers your place.
10) you can enjoy passages others have enjoyed.
11)it has a built in dictionary should you need a word defined.
badcompany3004
30-05-2011
Originally Posted by stud u like:
“1)space and volume are reduced as everything is digital.
2)ease and variety. Book shops can't possibly provide this service instantly.
3)weight is reduced on holidays and travelling.
4)it has the internet and a .pfd reader.
5)you can put magazines on it.
6)you can catagorise your books
7)you can find your books with ease by search facility.
8)you can find rare books. I love to look for rare cookery books I couldn't possibly find in a book shop.
9)it stores and remembers your place.
10) you can enjoy passages others have enjoyed.
11)it has a built in dictionary should you need a word defined.”

A good list of reasons, but I feel it is in vain some people just like having a pop at technology

I agree though with all these points. I especially love the dictionary, I have been reading some fantasy books, which have a fair few words coming from the middle ages and I am not familiar with them, and with the dictionary feature I just highlight and I am informed in less that a few seconds it is brilliant
Gavin-
31-05-2011
Originally Posted by Anika Hanson:
“
Originally Posted by Gavin-:
“Try to have a look at one before you buy to see if you like the typeface it uses, how much text fits on the screen at once”

These things can be altered by the user.”

Not as much as I would like. The Kindle only has one serif typeface and I don't think it's very attractive. The only way to get other book-like typefaces would be jailbreaking, which looks too complicated for me. Font sizes are also subject to personal opinion: I find font size 2 slightly too small, but font size 3 slightly too large.

This is why I suggest people should take a look at a Kindle before they buy one, to see if they'll be happy with the typeface and font sizes. I did not, and if I had, I may have chosen the Sony instead.


Originally Posted by James T:
“Can anyone explain to me the point of eReaders? Why do I need to pay 100 odd quid for a gadget that allows me to buy and read books, when I can do that already?! ”

Obviously if you don't read many books per year you may not see a return on your £111 investment. As long as you're a fairly active reader, there are a few advantages to an e-reader:

- It's smaller and lighter to hold than a book. No need to get fatigued by the weight of hardbacks, or use both hands to hold a book open.

- No need to worry about books taking up shelf space, which is at a premium in the average home.

- Download a book as soon as you want it, rather than waiting 4 days for it to arrive by post, or going all the way to a high street bookshop only to find they don't have it in stock.

- Although ebooks are more expensive than they should be, they still work out slightly cheaper. People may moan that a Kindle download is £5.99, but that usually means the physical paperback is £4.99+£2.74 P&P, and at least £7.99 from a high street shop.

- Sundry extras on the e-reader, like a web browser, PDF support, newspaper and magazine digital subscriptions, audiobook playback, etc.


Now some things that make real books better, and can never be replicated by e-readers:
- The smell of binding glue in new hardbacks. Mmmm. Yes, I'm a book sniffer.
- Flipping through a book's pages to find something you remember on a page (especially useful in reference books).
- To read a footnote just glance down (compared to e-readers that require you to move the cursor to the asterisk, click on it, then click "back" to return to the book).
- Lending a book to a friend is as easy as handing it over.
- You can trust that the printing/typesetting is as professional as possible, compared to ebooks that can be full of OCR errors and bad formatting.
- The knowledge that the book will last forever if kept in good condition... your access will not be blocked in the future due to changing formats!
Gaz22
31-05-2011
I bought a Kindle a couple of days ago and am liking it so far. Although the e-ink screen is superb and looks a lot like a real page (it looks like a real page has been slipped under the screen. Amazing tech.) it still feels weird reading without turning pages. You barely notice this when you get into a book though.

I think I'll mix and match my future reading experiences. Reading some physical books alongside some on my Kindle.
badcompany3004
31-05-2011
Originally Posted by Gavin-:
“
- Although ebooks are more expensive than they should be, they still work out slightly cheaper. People may moan that a Kindle download is £5.99, but that usually means the physical paperback is £4.99+£2.74 P&P, and at least £7.99 from a high street shop.
”

This is the one thing I can not agree on. a huge amount of books I have looked at to buy on my kindle are cheaper if I pay for the book. I notice that new ebooks tend to be cheaper than their counter parts but once the books have been out for a while the book price comes down dramatically where as the ebooks don't.

On the plus side there are so many free books it does make up for it somewhat
DJW13
31-05-2011
I certainly agree about the free books. I had got a bit set in my ways and was reluctant to try books by different authors - even when borrowing them from the library.

I have had my Kindle since Christmas, have downloaded over 150 books, mainly from authors I had never tried before. Generally I have enjoyed the books - obviously some are better than others, but the freedom of being able to obtain masses of free books is wonderful.

Eventually I assume I will manage to restrain myself from downloading quite so many, but for now it is great fun.
badcompany3004
31-05-2011
Originally Posted by DJW13:
“I certainly agree about the free books. I had got a bit set in my ways and was reluctant to try books by different authors - even when borrowing them from the library.

I have had my Kindle since Christmas, have downloaded over 150 books, mainly from authors I had never tried before. Generally I have enjoyed the books - obviously some are better than others, but the freedom of being able to obtain masses of free books is wonderful.

Eventually I assume I will manage to restrain myself from downloading quite so many, but for now it is great fun.”

I was the same as you, only buying certain authors and just wouldn't go for new authors. But with the kindles free books I have increased my reading tenfold. Not to mention the ability to sample books - this has increased the amount of books I buy because I am able to see if I like the book before reading, where as I used to read a blurb and think nah! not any more though.
sunnymeg
31-05-2011
I had a Kindle a a birthday present a couple of weeks ago and am absolutely loving it, but I was wondering if there was anyway I could get it to display the page numbers rather than the % of book read. I have the cheaper version, not the 3G. Not that I'm complaining!!
DJW13
31-05-2011
I don't know how to change the display, or if it is possible. However, once you are reading a book you can (on the latest books at least) look at the page number, by going into the menu.

It was a change introduced by the first software upgrade.
Gavin-
31-05-2011
Originally Posted by sunnymeg:
“I had a Kindle a a birthday present a couple of weeks ago and am absolutely loving it, but I was wondering if there was anyway I could get it to display the page numbers rather than the % of book read. I have the cheaper version, not the 3G. Not that I'm complaining!!”

New Kindles can display page numbers if an ebook has that data coded into it. Press "menu" and you'll see the location numbers and page numbers above the progress bar. Amazon are slowly but surely adding page number data to their ebooks, but you won't find page numbers in everything yet.

Since an ebook doesn't technically have pages (and your choice of font size affects how many page screens there may be), page numbers are taken from a popular paper publication of the book. They serve as a reference to the real book.

Personally I think it's good to see how many pages the physical book has (for example, you know it's an epic read if it's 900 pages, and a breeze if it's 250). But page numbering doesn't serve a purpose on the Kindle beyond that. I have come to like the percentage as a count of my progress.
Anika Hanson
31-05-2011
Originally Posted by Gavin-:
“New Kindles can display page numbers if an ebook has that data coded into it. Press "menu" and you'll see the location numbers and page numbers above the progress bar. Amazon are slowly but surely adding page number data to their ebooks, but you won't find page numbers in everything yet.

Since an ebook doesn't technically have pages (and your choice of font size affects how many page screens there may be), page numbers are taken from a popular paper publication of the book. They serve as a reference to the real book.

Personally I think it's good to see how many pages the physical book has (for example, you know it's an epic read if it's 900 pages, and a breeze if it's 250). But page numbering
doesn't serve a purpose on the Kindle beyond that. I have come to like the percentage as a count of my progress.”

You can also get an idea of how long a book is on the kindle by using the locations (total number)
Gavin-
01-06-2011
Originally Posted by Anika Hanson:
“You can also get an idea of how long a book is on the kindle by using the locations (total number)”

I mean that we are all very aware of what a "600 page" book means. We've held physical ones. We instantly know what size that is

But when you see "16480 locations", what does that mean? 16480 compared to what? I don't know if that's big or small.
poppycat
01-06-2011
The percentage and lack of page numbers is a minor quibble I have, but like has been mentioned, the amount of pages depends on how big or small you have the font.

I do like to know what I'm letting myself in for, and it's a bit tricky with an ebook.

I started reading 'The Stand' by Stephen King, not knowing that it was a mammoth book. I only started to realise when the percentage didn't seem to be going up as quickly as it normally would. I actually went into WH Smiths and had a look at a physical copy, and couldn't believe the size of it!!!

That said, if I had known how long it was, I probably would have chickened out of attempting it, and missing out on what is probably my favourite book ever. So the Kindle may have done me a favour in that respect!

But I do wish there was a easy way to tell how long a book is, the whole 'locations' thing confuses me somewhat.
Glawster2002
01-06-2011
Originally Posted by buffyslay:
“I have found that most people who say they don't like EReaders haven't actually tried one for any length of time”

I brought mine @ October last year because I was fed up with carrying dozens of books every time I go on holiday. Since then I can think of at least half-a-dozen people who have borrowed mine for an hour and then purchased one themselves after using it! Including my wife who always said she couldn't see the point in having one as she hated reading anything from a PC screen and who was absolutely adamant she was never, ever, going to have one. Which is why she asked if I could get her one last Christmas......
badcompany3004
01-06-2011
Originally Posted by Gavin-:
“I mean that we are all very aware of what a "600 page" book means. We've held physical ones. We instantly know what size that is

But when you see "16480 locations", what does that mean? 16480 compared to what? I don't know if that's big or small.”

Well I have noticed the bigger the book the more locations it has, so 16480 is fairly big. I know for example that 15236 locations is around 750 page mark. Another Example is my Sherlock Holmes collection, it is 1134 pages in length and has 24436 locations. A book with less pages For example 350 pages comes to around 5408 locations. So the larger the locations the bigger the book.

I don't have issue with the locations at all I actually quite like them.
Anika Hanson
01-06-2011
Originally Posted by badcompany3004:
“Well I have noticed the bigger the book the more locations it has, so 16480 is fairly big. I know for example that 15236 locations is around 750 page mark. Another Example is my Sherlock Holmes collection, it is 1134 pages in length and has 24436 locations. A book with less pages For example 350 pages comes to around 5408 locations. So the larger the locations the bigger the book.

I don't have issue with the locations at all I actually quite like them. ”

I agree. It's not 100% accurate but you can get a rough idea of the length of a book by using the locations.
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