|
||||||||
Amazon Kindle |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#76 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,858
|
Quote:
Kindle evangelists are unbelievable.
Still, it's cheap, eh? Never mind that they control what's sold and that's the ONLY reason they sell it to you cheap. I'm not particularly evangelising for Kindles, all I'm saying is that, to me, the decision not to distribute a few mucky books on one particular platform is hardly going to bother me one way or another. |
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#77 |
|
Guest
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 958
|
Damn Amazon and their customer-pleasing ways... How dare they bamboozle us by giving us exactly what we want.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#78 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chester, PSN:Badcompany3004
Posts: 6,145
|
Quote:
Kindle evangelists are unbelievable.
Still, it's cheap, eh? Never mind that they control what's sold and that's the ONLY reason they sell it to you cheap. I can imagine that my local book store (that is run by this lovely old couple) would probably not sell the book either as they would probably find the subject material to their liking and it is ultimately their decision what to sell in their shop. |
|
|
|
|
|
#79 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,288
|
Quote:
Kindle evangelists are unbelievable.
Still, it's cheap, eh? Never mind that they control what's sold and that's the ONLY reason they sell it to you cheap. I just don't really see the issue you raised though, Amazon choose what they sell like any other company, it's no more evil than any other shop. They don't censor or silence people, they just choose not to sell things. If it were the government banning stuff I'd be concerned but it's not. |
|
|
|
|
|
#80 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Lost
Posts: 43,323
|
Quote:
And amazon are removing more Kindle titles on a whim:
http://slash-and-burn.blogspot.com/2...t-erotica.html I wish people would take much more seriously one company being in charge of both device and content. It's very very bad for free speech. |
|
|
|
|
|
#81 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 15,258
|
I'm confused I can by pdf's and other formats from anywhere and put them on kindle what's the problem?
|
|
|
|
|
#82 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: I live in the woods
Posts: 5,061
|
Quote:
Kindle evangelists are unbelievable.
Still, it's cheap, eh? Never mind that they control what's sold and that's the ONLY reason they sell it to you cheap. I can buy books from anywhere, convert them and put them on my Kindle, PDFs too, obviously. More to the point, what online or offline bookstore doesn't control what's sold? Get off your high horse and stop bashing people for like a product you don't. It's all down to personal preference and there's a thing called live and let live. |
|
|
|
|
|
#83 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Folkestone
Posts: 1,648
|
I think there is far more choice when you have a Kindle as you've got loads of indie authors books available as well as the best sellers, out of print and classics.
What's more most classics are free, indies are cheap - usually under a pound and you quite often get free books available. On all books you can sample the first chapter free just to see if you like it. Usually, but not always, the best sellers are cheaper than the paper version. I'm so glad I've got my Kindle - I wouldn't be without it. |
|
|
|
|
|
#84 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: location location
Posts: 28,248
|
Quote:
Kindle evangelists are unbelievable.
I just got a Kindle from Santa. If I could be bothered, we could have a nice natter about RMS, GNU, Doctorow, Linux, Creative Commons, Copyleft and all that jazz. More than that though, I want authors to be paid. I want to be able to search cumbersome technical books. I want to sit in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and read stuff I've found on t'Internets. Or do the same on the train. I've got a huge physics book, 1000+ pages on there. With Kindle DRM at least some money will get to modern authors, and let's not forget Amazon has brought lots of books to a wider audience than mainstream bookshops with their dire 3 for 2 stack 'em high promotions. I love my paper books, and they're EMP-proof. I'll have to think whether I value reading more than physical tangibility for my fiction. I might try Iain Banks' Surface Detail on Kindle even though I've got the rest as paper. It's like many things in life, a compromise. Sure, those books are licensed, but so are your three score years and ten on Earth. Plus, if ever Amazon start the equivalent of large scale book burning, I think there'll be a backlash precisely because Kindle is popular enough that someone somewhere will be able to put up a fight and win, or crack the DRM. Until that day comes though, I'll compromise, that's how progress is made. PS I've discovered 'calibre' on my Linux machine. Excellent tool for converting stuff to MOBI for Kindle. |
|
|
|
|
|
#85 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 23,352
|
I got a kindle for Christmas yesterday. I love it so far! You can get all of Thomas Hardy for 69p and Jane Austen's novels for 79p... what a bargain! I am hooked on it already.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#86 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Posts: 8,651
|
Quote:
I got a kindle for Christmas yesterday. I love it so far! You can get all of Thomas Hardy for 69p and Jane Austen's novels for 79p... what a bargain! I am hooked on it already.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#87 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 23,352
|
Quote:
They (and lots of others) are available at Project Gutenberg.org for free in Kindle format.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#88 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,771
|
I got a Kindle yesterday. I love it!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#89 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 256
|
Quote:
I got a Kindle yesterday. I love it!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
#90 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,771
|
I downloaded 3 books. I was a bit disappointed that 2 other books I'm after weren't available on the Kiindle yet, but I'll just buy those in paperback. I might have a look at the classics later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#91 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Stoke on Trent
Posts: 276
|
Another Kindle owner as of yesterday
![]() Really pleased with it. |
|
|
|
|
|
#92 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 14,065
|
Quote:
What world do you live in?
Quote:
More to the point, what online or offline bookstore doesn't control what's sold?
Why do you think BSkyB's takeover is so controversial? Quote:
Get off your high horse and stop bashing people for like a product you don't. It's all down to personal preference and there's a thing called live and let live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#93 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Somewhere in the vicinity
Posts: 185
|
Quote:
Another Kindle owner as of yesterday
![]() Really pleased with it. Looking at changing the screensaver pics for something more exciting though! |
|
|
|
|
|
#94 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,777
|
Quote:
Me too. Best present I received, haven't put it down yet, already half way through a book I downloaded.
Looking at changing the screensaver pics for something more exciting though! Totally unexpected! Happy though as I hope to read more! :-/I'm obsessed with it atm
|
|
|
|
|
|
#95 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: England
Posts: 627
|
I got one for Christmas this year. So far I think it's okay, but I must admit I am finding it hard to actually let go of "real" books.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#96 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 256
|
I am doing a mixture of Kindle and then a real book so on real book but found Kindle so easy to read as it is light.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#97 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: location location
Posts: 28,248
|
Quote:
I think Kindle is a good device, it's the control of content/hardware that concerns me. As other suppliers get wiped out, it's bad for free speech.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#98 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,283
|
Quote:
<sigh>
I just got a Kindle from Santa. I love my paper books, and they're EMP-proof. I'll have to think whether I value reading more than physical tangibility for my fiction. I might try Iain Banks' Surface Detail on Kindle even though I've got the rest as paper. PS I've discovered 'calibre' on my Linux machine. Excellent tool for converting stuff to MOBI for Kindle. Calibre on my Linux as well. I tried the others including Kindle but Calibre just leaves them all standing. |
|
|
|
|
|
#99 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Manchester
Posts: 5,840
|
Quote:
Oh I know, I use two local library services and one in the US.
As I said though, the publisher's association want to change the way Overdrive manage the system, which would require the library card holder to be on the premises to borrow an ebook, thus defeating one of the major advantages. I love library ebook lending but I guarantee there will be more opposition from publishers as it becomes more popular. Quote:
Good heavens, I just read the article, and it's madness! If you have to go into a library to get an ebook, then you may as well just get a real one, and not have to spend time on a germ-infested library terminal, hoping like heck that their software doesn't fry your ereader. I do agree that libraries should be more careful about who they let sign up, though - if their terms and conditions with the publishers say only local people, then it should only be those people.
My library has 398 fiction ebooks, and has had them for a whole year now. They've never added any to that total, and I suppose with the spending cuts they probably won't. At this stage I think ebooks are probably still so niche that it would make more sense to spend their money on paper books, but I do like the ease of downloading the ebooks, which I just read on my laptop as I have a Kindle. I was thinking about a Sony because of the library book issue, but when my library's total remained at 398 for the entire year I decided that perhaps they weren't the way of the (immediate) future ![]() The music industry took a heck of a long time to get from stage 1 to the current model of Spotify and iTunes / Amazon. The film industry was a bit quicker in getting to the Lovefilm / Netflix solution. I just hope that the publishers realise relatively quickly that their future is (in my view) likely to be a Lovefilm style lending library scheme where you can effectively check out a certain number of books and, when you check them back in, take the next one. Sure, there will be people who rip them off in the same way as Lovefilm have people who get the disc, rip it and send it straight back, but per month limits will help minimise that. Obviously there will also remain the option of buying outright as well. It remains to be seen how smart the publishers are about handling the "new world" and whether they fight it or see it as a huge opportunity to expand readership in general, but I have no doubt that they will end up there eventually. |
|
|
|
|
|
#100 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,027
|
I fancy a Kindle and after reading the majority of the very helpful posts on here I am now totally confused.
How easy is it to download books? How do you do it? How much do they cost? I am not a great computer buff but I do love reading and as a previous poster said,it does save lugging a great pile of books on holiday. So, can someone help out. As I said above, detailed info in plain English wold be ideal. ![]() Many thanks in advance foir your help. ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 16:32.





Totally unexpected!