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Kindle Question
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DrCheese86
19-05-2011
Hi,

(Had a scan of other kindle pages - haven't found an answer yet)

I'm considering buying a kindle. But I just wanted to clarify a few things.

1) Obviously file sizes will vary with length of book but what is the average file size of an ebook (400/500 pages).

2) I also have an iphone so would be interested in syncing my iphone with my kindle so I could dip in to a book whenever I find the time and I'm not carrying my kindle. My question is, does this function require the book to be downloaded and held on both the kindle and the iphone? As I have around 200mb spare on my iphone therefore I don't have a lot of space to hold a library of books on, so would make this feature fairly redundant for me.

Thanks for any help in advance, or if someone can point me in the direction of the answer then please do.

thanks
psionic
19-05-2011
Books vary in size but I would guess 4 or 5 MB for the largest ones. If they are PDFs or have lots of drawings and pictures then they can be considerably larger. Having said that the Kindle is not great for PDFs anyway, but for text it's king.

You can get the Kindle app for your iPhone and manually sync across any books that are on your computer manually using iTunes or you can download any you've purchased directly.
IvanIV
19-05-2011
You can send a book you bought from Amazon to any of your registered devices/applications. Provided you are connected to network when you open/close a book, your current position in a book will be synchronised among them. You can start reading on Kindle, continue on PC, then on iPhone and it will always get you to the place where you left off. I think you can achieve the same with private books (converted with the latest Calibre programme), too, you just have to load them on the devices manually. My books (mostly fiction) are ~0.5-1MB each and that's mostly taken by the cover picture, a couple is ~5MB.
Daveoc64
19-05-2011
Books are VERY small in general.

Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is only 2000 KB.

In paperback form it's 1024 pages long.

As for storing them on your phone, the page you last read should be synchronised between any compatible devices you use.

Books can be downloaded again and again for free once you have purchased them, so you don't really need to worry about the amount of space on your iPhone.
Lyricalis
19-05-2011
Join us, DrCheese, for we are the Kindlers!

I've just seen a press release from Amazon where they announce that Kindle books have outsold paper and hardback combined for the first time in the US. As Amazon account for something like 20% of all books sold, that's major news.
DrCheese86
19-05-2011
Originally Posted by Lyricalis:
“Join us, DrCheese, for we are the Kindlers!

I've just seen a press release from Amazon where they announce that Kindle books have outsold paper and hardback combined for the first time in the US. As Amazon account for something like 20% of all books sold, that's major news.”

Well yes I probably will end up joining you as a 'Kindler'!

Thanks for everyones replies, it seems as though file size isn't going to become an issue and that was one of the main things holding me back.

As for kindle sales beating paper sales, it saddens me a little. As part of a book family whose relatives have worked in publishing and own book shops it will be sad if books as we know them die out of daily usage (not for a long time I accept). I gain some satisfaction from holding a book and I will lose that if I own a kindle. When being dragged around a shopping centre on a saturday afternoon by the other half, Waterstones becomes my safe-haven so it's sad that more and more of them are closing. having said that I don't buy many books from Waterstones as I go and order them from Amazon so I'm as much to blame. Shame I can't have my book-shaped cake and eat it!

Anyway once I succomb and get a Kindle, no doubt I'll be back on soon with such questions as:-

How do I turn it on? and...
How do I change pages?


Thanks all
grumpyoldbat
19-05-2011
Originally Posted by DrCheese86:
“Well yes I probably will end up joining you as a 'Kindler'!

Thanks for everyones replies, it seems as though file size isn't going to become an issue and that was one of the main things holding me back.

As for kindle sales beating paper sales, it saddens me a little. As part of a book family whose relatives have worked in publishing and own book shops it will be sad if books as we know them die out of daily usage (not for a long time I accept). I gain some satisfaction from holding a book and I will lose that if I own a kindle. When being dragged around a shopping centre on a saturday afternoon by the other half, Waterstones becomes my safe-haven so it's sad that more and more of them are closing. having said that I don't buy many books from Waterstones as I go and order them from Amazon so I'm as much to blame. Shame I can't have my book-shaped cake and eat it!

Anyway once I succomb and get a Kindle, no doubt I'll be back on soon with such questions as:-

How do I turn it on? and...
How do I change pages?


Thanks all”

The wonderful thing is... you REALLY won't. I have friends and relatives that I would lovingly describe as technical numpties, and they have Kindles and have never had to ask for help. Amazon have made it unbelievably simple so that it's accessible to everyone.

I think that more people are reading now, especially young people. I knew plenty of teens and 20 somethings who would say they didn't read, but with the ability to read on smartphones and devices like the Kindle, they're reading where they never would have bothered before. Great news for literature!
Lyricalis
19-05-2011
Originally Posted by DrCheese86:
“Well yes I probably will end up joining you as a 'Kindler'!

Thanks for everyones replies, it seems as though file size isn't going to become an issue and that was one of the main things holding me back.

As for kindle sales beating paper sales, it saddens me a little. As part of a book family whose relatives have worked in publishing and own book shops it will be sad if books as we know them die out of daily usage (not for a long time I accept). I gain some satisfaction from holding a book and I will lose that if I own a kindle. When being dragged around a shopping centre on a saturday afternoon by the other half, Waterstones becomes my safe-haven so it's sad that more and more of them are closing. having said that I don't buy many books from Waterstones as I go and order them from Amazon so I'm as much to blame. Shame I can't have my book-shaped cake and eat it!

Anyway once I succomb and get a Kindle, no doubt I'll be back on soon with such questions as:-

How do I turn it on? and...
How do I change pages?


Thanks all”

I've been a big reader since about 8. I don't have as much time now as I did when I was a kid (I used to almost live in the local library back then, though now I buy all my books), but I still get through at least 2 books a month, usually one non-fiction and one fiction. That's a lot of space to find in a two-bedroom flat!

So the Kindle (and ebooks in general, as I have an iPad as well for reading larger form books) has saved me a fortune, as I no longer need to look for a bigger home.

For me it was always more about the content than the physical when it came to books. I've seen some people go on about reading in the bath, and how that's not possible with a Kindle, but I prefer showers anyway, and no one reads in the shower .
IvanIV
20-05-2011
Paperbacks are about the contents, we lose nothing if they die out, IMO. And we can save a few trees in the process. I understand it's sad for bookshops, though.
DrCheese86
20-05-2011
I agree that the main facet of a book is its contents. But I would also say that browsing a well-stocked(!!!!) library is a more exhilarating experience than sitting at a computer on the amazon homepage.

(I realise the choice of the word 'exhilarating' is an odd one - neither's exactly skydiving or something similar - I lead a simple life!)

Also, I'm certainly not trying to appear anti-kindle or anti-technology. I will get a Kindle as I think it would be a useful device to own. I am in a similar situation to Lyricalis i.e. reading more books in an already cramped flat, so there is a huge benefit for me to own one. However I would still like to think that a status quo would exist whereby the paper format can thrive alongside the ebooks.
Nigel Goodwin
20-05-2011
Originally Posted by DrCheese86:
“Also, I'm certainly not trying to appear anti-kindle or anti-technology. I will get a Kindle as I think it would be a useful device to own. I am in a similar situation to Lyricalis i.e. reading more books in an already cramped flat, so there is a huge benefit for me to own one.”

Once you've used a Kindle you'll wonder how you ever managed before - I've got thousands of books at home, and little space for more - but just as important, it's so easy to read and use.
LostFool
20-05-2011
Originally Posted by Lyricalis:
“For me it was always more about the content than the physical when it came to books. I've seen some people go on about reading in the bath, and how that's not possible with a Kindle, but I prefer showers anyway, and no one reads in the shower .”

I read my Kindle in the bath (my favourite place to read) - you just have to be careful with wet fingers and try not to drop it. I really should invest in a waterproof cover.

It's quite remarkable how quickly people adapt to a Kindle and learn to love it. I have a technophobe book-loving friend but he recently got one and is now inseparable from it.
Lyricalis
20-05-2011
Originally Posted by LostFool:
“I read my Kindle in the bath (my favourite place to read) - you just have to be careful with wet fingers and try not to drop it. I really should invest in a waterproof cover.

It's quite remarkable how quickly people adapt to a Kindle and learn to love it. I have a technophobe book-loving friend but he recently got one and is now inseparable from it.”

Apparently a ziploc bags works well for bath use. Someone mentioned them as a solution on a forum I was looking at during lunch.
Nasalhair
21-05-2011
Originally Posted by Lyricalis:
“Apparently a ziploc bags works well for bath use. Someone mentioned them as a solution on a forum I was looking at during lunch.”

Treat yourself to an Aquapac. Yes it costs £20, but it is completely waterproof and won't leak, can be submersed to 15ft, and also floats. This model is the right size for a Kindle (check the video at the bottom of it being used with a Sony Reader) and works perfectly.

And no, I don't work for Aquapac, I just own one of these bags myself and they're fantastic.
psionic
21-05-2011
The other option is to listen to an audiobook while in the bath.
Anika Hanson
21-05-2011
I've got an evolve waterproof case which I bought from Amazon. It cost around £15. I used to use a ziplock bag but I didn't feel safe. Now I can read in the bath and feel 100% safe.
Lyricalis
21-05-2011
Originally Posted by Anika Hanson:
“I've got an evolve waterproof case which I bought from Amazon. It cost around £15. I used to use a ziplock bag but I didn't feel safe. Now I can read in the bath and feel 100% safe.”

This might also be useful for the rapture that's supposed to be happening today. We don't know yet whether water will be involved, and there are lots of humans, so the queues are going to be really long. Those of us with Kindles are going to be well smug.
ChrisE
21-05-2011
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle.

One thing that worries me is how are they, when used in bright sunlight?

I've had problems with my mobile and digital camera screens, and I like to sit in the garden when it's sunny (ok we might not get any more this year) and read.

Any comments would be welcome.
Inspiration
21-05-2011
Originally Posted by ChrisE:
“I'm thinking of getting a Kindle.

One thing that worries me is how are they, when used in bright sunlight?

I've had problems with my mobile and digital camera screens, and I like to sit in the garden when it's sunny (ok we might not get any more this year) and read.

Any comments would be welcome.”

They're meant to be amazing in day light. It's one of their selling points over the iPad. Type in "Kindle + Sun" in YouTube and I'm sure you'll find reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejNIBJbTmdQ

I think you can safely assume you'll be fine.
whitewitch
21-05-2011
Originally Posted by LostFool:
“I read my Kindle in the bath (my favourite place to read) - you just have to be careful with wet fingers and try not to drop it. I really should invest in a waterproof cover.

It's quite remarkable how quickly people adapt to a Kindle and learn to love it. I have a technophobe book-loving friend but he recently got one and is now inseparable from it.”

or switch the kindle on to audio speak whilst you are in the bath
psionic
21-05-2011
Originally Posted by ChrisE:
“I'm thinking of getting a Kindle.

One thing that worries me is how are they, when used in bright sunlight?

I've had problems with my mobile and digital camera screens, and I like to sit in the garden when it's sunny (ok we might not get any more this year) and read.

Any comments would be welcome.”

They're perfect in bright sunlight. No worries on that score with a Kindle.
Bagsbunny
22-05-2011
I've had a Kindle about 6 months and love it. One of the best things has been the free versions of the Guardian and Independent-brilliant on a crowded tube journey.

Whilst I don't fetishise books as objects, I still feel there's nowhere like a mouldy second-hand bookshop on a rainy day to while away a few hours and quid. (My fave is "Reader's Rest", half way up Steep Hill, Lincoln)
ChrisE
22-05-2011
Originally Posted by Inspiration:
“They're meant to be amazing in day light. It's one of their selling points over the iPad. Type in "Kindle + Sun" in YouTube and I'm sure you'll find reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejNIBJbTmdQ

I think you can safely assume you'll be fine. ”



Thanks Inspiration and psionic, very helpful.
John_Elway
22-05-2011
I agree with the others Chris, this e-ink is the best specifically for reading and no backlit screen comes remotely close to beating it. It's like paper, so paper is good in light, so will your Kindle be. Enjoy it!
Pugwash69
22-05-2011
You might get a little bit of shine at the wrong angle on a sunny day, but no more so than a glossy magazine.
Still perfectly readable.
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